Gary Sheng, Sofia Sunaga, David Chang - Spiritual Convergence Dialogue

Date: July 31, 2025 Location: Austin, Texas (Restaurant and Common Area) Participants: Gary Sheng, Sofia Sunaga, David Chang Duration: Extended evening conversation (several hours)

Executive Summary

This extensive conversation represents a pivotal spiritual and strategic dialogue between Gary Sheng and the romantic/life partners Sofia Sunaga and David Chang. The discussion covered Gary's departure from Alpha Schools, his spiritual evolution toward Christ-centered work, systemic critiques of American leadership, and potential collaboration on faith-based initiatives. Key themes included truth-seeking, spiritual warfare, leadership development, and the transition from secular to explicitly Christian approaches to social change.

Key Context and Setting

The conversation took place during Gary's transition period, having recently stepped back from Alpha Schools due to ethical concerns. Sofia and David, who are romantic and life partners, had reached out to reconnect after limited contact since their January 2020 meeting. Both Sofia and David have transitioned from New Age spiritual practices toward Christianity, creating natural alignment with Gary's own spiritual evolution.

Initial Context - Gary's Alpha Schools Departure: Gary opened by explaining his departure: "I'm leaving Alpha Schools because it feels like a soft version of FTX. That's what it feels like. It's a charming leader, head of the thing, that is unable to trust anyone to build an organization and take any feedback."

Major Spiritual and Philosophical Themes

Truth-Seeking as Foundation

Gary articulated his commitment to truth above all other considerations: "I don't want to work with anyone that's not Christ-centered anymore. And if they are not explicitly, they better have outstanding proof. That the fruits of their work and the way that they act is essentially Christ-centered."

Core Philosophy: "There is a truth. Right? There are certain religions that speak about and help people find the truth better than others. I'm going to make that statement."

Spiritual Warfare and Systemic Corruption

The conversation included extensive discussion of spiritual warfare underlying political and social systems:

Gary's Assessment: "Our world leaders are, and I'll be back briefly on like Monday, because I'm going to Atlanta to like, kind of co-host this faith-based music event... we are battling spirits and principalities, not people."

Systemic Critique: "How can you expect people that cover for rapists to do anything that's good? That's not just a token good thing to cover for the fact that the way that we are governed is through blackmail by intelligence agencies and foreign governments."

Personal Spiritual Transformation

Gary shared his spiritual evolution since their last meeting in January 2020:

"From where I was when I met you guys for the first time, January 2020, I'm a totally different person. Because I'm just... My ability to handle the truth has been directly correlated with... Jesus as the truth, right? And recognizing that we are in that... Everything that he said was basically correct."

Divine Provision Philosophy: "If we trust the Bible, you will be provided for if you're obedient, right? And the wealth the wicked will go to the righteous."

Sofia and David's Spiritual Journey

Transition from New Age to Christianity

Both Sofia and David shared their movement away from New Age practices toward Christ-centered faith:

David's Confession: "We repented for New Age. We still repent for New Age. We still repent Monday for New Age."

Gary's Response: "New Age is like a giant procrastination because you can just try, oh, this ritual, this chant, this crystal... What are they doing in the world, right? What evil are they challenging when they're just trying all these different drugs and crystals?"

Pilgrimage and Celtic Christianity

Sofia shared their recent spiritual pilgrimage: "We were in the pilgrimage stores, early Celtic saints in Scotland, Ireland, England, and Iceland, and to see that an entire Christian civilization came out of these monks... Who were called to finding their solitude and their prayer, the light of God, and then enlightened the whole of Europe."

Political and Cultural Analysis

Leadership Crisis Assessment

Gary provided stark assessment of American leadership:

"I've been writing like journal entries about the male leadership crisis. And it's so real... I just see a bunch of weak men."

Pattern Recognition: "White supremacy is very real it is deep in the white man's heart unless they cleanse it of themselves... unless they grow up in the most loving household where they love all genuinely love all people and there's no patronizing view."

Racial and Cultural Dynamics

Gary shared controversial but heartfelt observations about racial dynamics:

"The patterns that I see... there's one group of people that is most predisposed because of genetic, because of probably epigenetic suffering, right, and I think faith can get passed down as well... you step into a black church, you actually feel something, right? You actually feel that they believe in a God."

Sofia's Response: "What I know to be true is that these people's hearts are intact with suffering that those who survive in are standing. The quality of their love in their heart is just like, there's just no comparison, yeah. And that's the gain of the soul. You know, when they lost the world, but they gained their souls."

Political System Critique

Gary articulated his complete disillusionment with partisan politics:

"I stopped even asking for political sentiments... What I feel like is we're controlled by both parties. Satanic pedophiles. Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Obama ordered $60,000 of hot dogs and, you know, these are just codenames for boys and girls, right?"

Strategic Vision and Future Collaboration

Christ-Centered Leadership Development

Gary outlined his vision for developing authentic leaders:

"There has to be a way for Christ-seeking families... what does it look like to steward wealth in a Christ-aligned way?... I cannot think of a single person that I would fully trust that is already legible as a Googleable politician, right? That's okay, because we are so early."

Long-term Vision: "25 years, right? The next century. We may not see the fruits before we even die, right? But that's okay."

Educational and Community Transformation

The conversation explored creating Christ-centered educational institutions:

"What would be useful is some kind of civic leadership development program that explicitly has a Christian ontology. But like a, one that's not like biased based on a religion that was just like the successor to the Roman Empire."

Sofia's Interest: "I'm interested in how people, through their love for Christ, going about what it is to live that faith truthfully, fully, we start generating a pattern that maybe just we'll be able to see in a thousand years."

Personal Revelations and Vulnerability

Gary's Dating and Relationship Standards

Gary shared his struggles with modern dating culture and maintaining faith-based standards:

"God forgive me for my sins. Grant me a bad bitch... I will be obedient. If you just please, when the time comes, send the bed... I need like a model chick that Was well, maybe like an ugly duckling when she was... It needs to be someone that's soft, smart, loving, supportive, and super bad."

Repentance and Personal Growth

Multiple participants shared experiences of repentance:

Gary: "I repented for overusing psychedelics. Now I'm just relying on Christ."

David on Repentance: "Repentance is one of my favorite subjects, and I've literally bought like 100 books on repentance in the last two years... I'm interested in coining a term, whether it's anonymous or not, regenerative repentance."

Networks and Funding Vision

Faith-Based Funding Strategy

Gary articulated his vision for Christian billionaire funding:

"There are very, very, very, very wealthy people that have almost dictatorial power over their wealth and are feeling a deep soulful urgency to be of service in service of God... They're like, we are in a... we are losing this spiritual war."

Strategic Approach: "You continue down a stagnant secular path, where you're not gonna be more exciting than the people that fully play the secular game... But for what game, right?"

Network Integration and Collaboration

Discussion of integrating their respective networks for kingdom advancement:

David: "If they existed and were interested in questions of the emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of the next generation of inheritors, philanthropists, investors, from a faith-based lens, we do have 10 to 15 to 20 to 25, now 35 perhaps, or 40, whatever, combined years of experience of exploring some of these questions."

Theological and Philosophical Discussions

Eastern Orthodox Christianity

David shared insights about Eastern Orthodox tradition:

"Of all the religious traditions, the greatest percentage of people from any one tradition that appreciates everything that Gary has just said... it's predominantly those in the more center to conservative part of Eastern Christian Orthodoxy. Like, 90% of them would be 100% with Gary."

Wisdom and Discernment Principles

Sofia contributed frameworks for spiritual discernment:

"Innocence of not knowing is actually safer. The wise, the discernment must be there... every time that there's judgment, like, we open up a door for attacks."

Gary's Response: "Hate the sin and not the sinner... you can debate whether the church is, the Catholic church is satanic. Like, let's, let's debate that... if you can't talk about that, you're going to be a weak leader that can't do anything."

Practical Collaboration and Next Steps

Assessment of Current Bipartisan Work

The conversation included honest assessment of their current secular collaboration work:

David: "Saul feels the same way... Saul's a former Wall Street guy, and he literally, he's invited people in, we've been in the space, but he told them all he doesn't trust the space. The bipartisan space, the democracy space, the group building space, a lot of it is like all talk and smoke and mirrors."

Future Partnership Framework

Gary proposed a new direction:

"If that is obedience, that especially during this interesting timing... everything is ramping up so much, right? And basically people are being asked to choose Satan or Christ. Most people are choosing Satan, right? In part because the people that were given the consciousness and connections to understand that there are not centers of gravity for Christ."

Transition Strategy: "Start the new year fresh... But start the new year fresh... If that is obedience... Having faith that, if you look through your existing network, having some hard conversations, maybe including one that, like, don't go the way that you thought, but slowly kind of gathering that center of gravity."

Closing Spiritual Moments

St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer

The conversation concluded with a recorded recitation of St. Patrick's Breastplate prayer, emphasizing spiritual protection and Christ-centered identity:

"Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me."

Final Commitments

The dialogue ended with mutual recognition of divine appointment in their reconnection and commitment to continued collaboration:

Gary: "I've been rewarded with a little bit more courage to speak what I know to be true, as I've leaned more into God. And the right people find that incredibly refreshing and activating."

Mutual Recognition: Both Sofia and David expressed alignment with Gary's vision and interest in developing Christ-centered alternatives to their current secular collaboration work.

Strategic Implications

This conversation represents a significant convergence of spiritually mature, strategically positioned individuals committed to faith-based approaches to social transformation. The alignment between Gary's vision for Christ-centered leadership development and Sofia/David's experience in bipartisan collaboration creates potential for powerful new initiatives that transcend traditional secular limitations.

The dialogue demonstrates the growing recognition among thoughtful Christians that incremental change within captured systems may be insufficient, requiring instead the development of parallel institutions and networks based on kingdom principles.

Key Relationships and Networks Mentioned

• Zach Levi (actor, potential faith-based collaboration)
• Saul (Grand Bargain Project leader, bipartisan initiatives)
• Chelsea and Chris (mutual connections)
• Elliot (Intergen connection facilitating their original meeting)
• Eric Greitens (former Missouri governor, concerning allegations)
• Various Christian billionaires (Hobby Lobby founder mentioned specifically)
• Eastern Orthodox networks (potential future exploration)

Documentation Notes

This transcript summary captures the essential themes and key quotes from an extended evening conversation that lasted several hours. The dialogue demonstrates the deep spiritual, intellectual, and strategic alignment between participants while revealing their shared commitment to truth-seeking and kingdom advancement through practical collaboration.

The conversation's length and depth prevented capture of every detail, but this summary preserves the most significant revelations, philosophical frameworks, and strategic commitments made during this pivotal spiritual convergence dialogue.