Bitcoin Through a Biblical Lens - Faith-Driven Leaders
Or listen wherever you podcast!
Episode Description
On this episode of the On The Rise Podcast's Faith Driven Leaders series, host Nick Stromwall talks with Jeff Hasselman — who built a multibillion-dollar crypto business line at Amazon Web Services and now runs 926 Ventures and Kingdom Bitcoin, a faith-forward platform on money, sovereignty, and biblical stewardship. Jeff shares why he stepped aside from a startup to protect his team, how his faith deepened over the years, and why he views Bitcoin through the lens of Proverbs 11 and "honest money." He unpacks inflation, the parable of the talents, why he calls Bitcoin "repentance, not rebellion," and how he thinks about legacy. A thought-provoking conversation on faith, money, and stewardship. (Educational only — not financial advice.)
Summary
A career spent at the frontier of financial technology.
Jeff has a gift for "seeing around corners." At Amazon he built a crypto and digital-asset business from a blank page into a multibillion-dollar line — living the company mantra, "if you see a blank page, be the author, not the reader."
He stepped aside to protect his team.
Brought into a startup to scale it, Jeff learned a layoff was coming and asked leadership to cut him instead of four or five people they'd want to rehire. Combined with his parents' declining health, it became a God-prompted moment to "take a deep breath" — the breathing lion that became his Kingdom Bitcoin logo.
Faith deepened beyond his upbringing.
Raised Catholic through college, Jeff wanted to go deeper after moving to California and found the Menlo Church under John Ortberg. That journey made God central to every decision he and his wife now make.
"Honest money" and Proverbs 11.
Jeff connects Proverbs 11:1 (dishonest scales) to money's history — people shaving bits off gold and paper — and to the modern fiat system. His concern is trust: when was the US dollar or Fort Knox last audited? He presents Bitcoin as a tool for "honest money," not an idol.
Inflation quietly erodes purchasing power.
Jeff notes that a large share of US dollars was printed in just the last several years, and uses a Monopoly analogy: the game's play money is now worth more than the dollars it costs to buy the set. He frames Bitcoin's fixed 21-million supply as a hedge against that debasement.
"Repentance, not rebellion."
The "Kingdom" in Kingdom Bitcoin reflects Jeff's belief that Bitcoin isn't a rebellion against the system but a return to honest money — taught through the lens of scripture, aimed especially at a Christian audience he feels tends to lag on technology.
Institutions and nations are adopting it.
Jeff points to roughly 230 public companies holding Bitcoin on their balance sheets and his work with El Salvador, which issued wallets to its citizens. He stresses it's a slow, long-term, generational play — not a get-rich-quick scheme.
Demystifying wealth as a Christian.
Drawing on the parable of the talents (his word of the year is "multiply"), Jeff encourages ambition and building while warning against money becoming an idol. What you pass to your kids, he says, is knowledge and wisdom — and a legacy of "mustard seeds" planted for generations to come.
Resources
Website: kingdom-bitcoin.com
