RELEVANT - Issue 76 - July/August 2015

JOSH GARRELS | N.T. WRIGHT | ACTIVE CHILD | RUSSELL BRAND | KOPECKY | SEINABO SEY | THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN RAP FAITH, CULTURE & INTENTIONAL LIVING

R E L E VA N T M A G A Z I N E . C O M

WHAT TO DO ABOUT ISIS

INSIDE THE STAGGERING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

ALABAMA SHAKES

THE AVETT BROTHERS ON THE TRAGEDY THAT CHANGED THEIR MUSIC

J O Y

W I L L I A M S SHE’S PU T TING T H E C I V I L WA R S BEHIN D HER A N D E M B R AC I N G A BOLD NE W SE ASON

ISSUE 76 | JULY_AUG 2015 | $4.95

THE MAGAZINE ON FAITH, CULTURE & INTENTIONAL LIVING

JULY/AUGUST 2015, ISSUE 76 We’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in our hearts. Where?

Publisher & CEO | CAMERON STRANG > cameron@relevantmediagroup.com Executive Director | JEFF ROJAS > jeff@relevantmediagroup.com Account Manager | WAYNE THOMPSON > wayne@relevantmediagroup.com Account Manager | MICHAEL SCHUERMAN > michael@relevantmediagroup.com Editorial Director | AARON CLINE HANBURY > aaron@relevantmediagroup.com Web Editor | JESSE CAREY > jesse@relevantmediagroup.com Copy Editor | DARGAN THOMPSON > dargan@relevantmediagroup.com Editorial Coordinator | LINDSEY STATON > lindsey@relevantmediagroup.com Contributing Editor | TYLER HUCKABEE > editorial@relevantmediagroup.com Social Media Coordinator | TIFFANIE BRUNSON > tiffanie@relevantmediagroup.com Contributing Writers: Jason Bellini, John Brandon, Matt Conner, Rachel Held Evans, Rob Fee, John Gray, Mack Hayden, Adam Jeske, Aaron Loy, Johnnie Moore, Liz Riggs, David Roark, C. Christopher Smith, Preston Sprinkle, Laura Studarus, John Taylor, Eric VanValin, Micah Yost, N.T. Wright Senior Designer | LAUREN HARVILL > lauren@relevantmediagroup.com Contributing Photographers: Dan Busta, Mikael Dahl, Pooneh Ghana, Brantley Gutierrez, Meredith Heuer, Shervin Lainez, Anthony Roman, Caroline Russell, Steven Taylor Digital Designer | JOHN DAVID HARRIS > johndavid@relevantmediagroup.com Audio & Video Producer | JEREMIAH DUNLAP > jeremiah@relevantmediagroup.com Digital Development Director | STEVEN LINN > steven@relevantmediagroup.com Systems Administrator | JOSH STROHM > joshs@relevantmediagroup.com Marketing & Circulation Manager | AME LYNN DUNN > ame@relevantmediagroup.com Finance & Project Manager | MERCEDES SIMON > mercedes@relevantmediagroup.com Customer Experience Coordinator | CAROLINE COLE > caroline@relevantmediagroup.com Facilities Coordinator | ERIC WARD > eric@relevantmediagroup.com ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: www.RELEVANTmagazine.com/advertise

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first word

A LET TER FROM THE EDITOR

A Syrian refugee family living in a Bekaa Valley tent settlement, Lebanon

THE NEXT GREAT CHALLENGE FOR OUR GENERATION

BY CAMERON STR ANG

think it finally hit me as I was sitting on the ground inside a tarp tent in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on the Syrian border. I’d heard about the human toll caused by violence in Syria but, I’ll admit, I didn’t really understand what was happening, nor the enormity, complexity and seeming hopelessness of the situation. The huge numbers of refugees and lives lost were difficult to comprehend, but sitting down with families and hearing their stories firsthand brought it home in a way I wasn’t expecting.

I was there because my friend Steve Haas at World Vision said I needed to go see the refugee crisis in Lebanon up close. Over the course of a whirlwind few days, we saw in person the unbelievable reality of millions of people fleeing the violence in Syria to seek refuge in Lebanon. The problem is, the small, stable country of 4.4 million can’t handle the crushing burden of 3 million refugees flooding over the border.

In the farmlands like Bekaa Valley, you’ll find itinerant tent settlements that stretch as far as the eye can see. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of families huddle together in them, erecting tarps and creating ramshackle communities. But these are on farmlands, so they have to pay the land owner rent for the right to squat there. And of course, there are no utilities, running water or sewage services.

Syrian refugees can’t work in Lebanon because they’re there illegally. Their children can’t attend school. Refugees who register with the World Food Programme are given an e-card with $19 a month to buy everything they need. Imagine living on $19 a month.

Every refugee I spoke to said all they want is to go back home to Syria. But there is no home to go back to. The civil war there has been happening since 2011, and entire

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cities are leveled. Not damaged—leveled.

And in 2014, capitalizing on the unrest, the Islamic State (ISIS) moved into eastern Syria and, in the chaos of war, were able to gain power and land there.

There is no end in sight. Disaster relief agencies that come into an area during a crisis like a tsunami or earthquake are equipped to provide life-sustaining care for a period of time—but not this long. And humanitarian development agencies that go into areas and work on long-term turnaround (agriculture, education, economy, health), can’t help the refugees because they’re in Lebanon illegally and are unrecognized, with no path toward citizenship or stability.

So millions of families are trapped.

As horrible as the refugee situation in Lebanon is, it’s not isolated. People fleeing ISIS are affecting every stable country in the Middle East.

The situation is even worse for Christians. ISIS is methodically wiping the Church off the face of the map in the Middle East, which Johnnie Moore grippingly outlines on page 68.

For Christians fleeing for their lives, there are very few places they can go. Stable countries like Jordan and Lebanon are crumbling under the weight of the refugee burden. And Christians can’t go to Iran, Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan. So they’re being slaughtered.

There are many humanitarian crises happening in the world today, and our generation has embraced tackling issues like trafficking, poverty and disease.

But we can’t turn a blind eye to the unfathomable plight of our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East. Believers are called to support the work of the Gospel wherever it is, and right now, a genocide is happening to the Church in the Middle East. We need to rally around the organizations that are doing life-saving work on the frontlines. We need to put pressure on our governments to foster peace there. But above all, we need to pray for a miracle.

CAMERON STR ANG is the founder and publisher of RELEVANT. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @cameronstrang.

feedback

MAY/JUNE 2015 ISSUE 75

HILLSONG GOES HOLLYWOOD I’ll admit, I was initially feeling skeptical about the Hillsong United movie. I’ve heard some of their music and enjoyed it, but, at first, I thought a movie was just a money grab. But after reading more about their heart for the project, I feel like it could be a really cool tool for outreach. I’m excited to go see it and see what God will do through Hillsong United!

T W E E T N E S S

@ SAMTAN N E R N Z

Shout out to @RELEVANT for curating great content. Almost every day I find something I relate to that encourages and challenges my faith. @ HIIMTAYL OR J ON E S

I really love how @RELEVANT leverages the creative potential of their digital issues. It’s easily my favorite implementation so far.

JOE SIMERSON / Via email

We seem to either make cheesy Jesus, or white Jesus, or violent death Jesus [“The Definitive Ranking of Jesus in Film,” May/June 2015].

I wonder if one day we might get around to that biblically accurate Savior and generally awesome Jesus we read so much about in that book He was in ...

I’m not too familiar with Judah Smith [“Judah Smith Is ___” May/June 2015], but it sounds like his heart and mind are in the right place. Getting involved with celebrities is a dangerous game, but he is definitely right that they need Jesus just as much as the rest of us. It sounds like he’s navigating that world cautiously and successfully, and I pray his humble spirit and God-centered ministry stay strong.

DAVID SHULTZ / RELEVANTmagazine.com

BARRY SELLERS / RELEVANTmagazine.com

Really enjoyed the advice in “The Initiation Game” [May/June 2015]. As a single in a church with a lot of girls, I’m sick of Christian guys being so timid.

Just got my digital subscription to @RELEVANT and it’s blowing my mind! Very cool! @ V IC HAN E S

Just want to say thanks to @RELEVANT for featuring women writers and the idea of faith as a process. I feel a little less wayward and alone. @ DAV E _L ON N G R E N

The War on Drugs’ album was one of my favorites of 2014—and possibly one of my favorite albums ever. Really enjoyed getting an inside look at what went into making it. Sometimes, perfectionism pays off!

I started listening to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast and I’ve been through maybe eight so far—Chrissie Hynde, Louis C.K., Henry Winkler, Norman Lear, Rhett Walker, Sam Seder, St. Vincent. They’re all so interesting. The intro was a bit disconcerting at first, but his connection and relation to these people and how he unwinds these stories is nothing short of crazy. It’s just great.

BRYAN SCHAEFFER / Via email

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JULY_AUG 2015

@robfee’s article about mission trips in @RELEVANT was entertaining, but beyond true. #survivalguide @ SHAYLAB R IE LLE G

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@ K ASIMP SON 11

@RELEVANT Great article about @marcmaron! At times, while watching the show, I feel that I’m watching a biography of myself. @ RYAN J WALTE R S

Thank you, @RELEVANT, for “It’s Just Business.” After Nepal & Baltimore, I needed to hear a dose of hope, and that article really hit the spot.

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P H O T O C R E D I T: S I M O N E B E C C H E T T I

THE NUMBERS

GENERATION CHASTE?

NEW DATA SHOWS MILLENNIALS DON’T WANT YOUR SEX FOR NOW

M

illennials may be the least promiscuous generation in half a century. According to a new study from San Diego State University (published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior), millennials take fewer sexual partners than members of the Baby Boomer generation or Gen Xers.

One thing is clear: Abstinence is surprisingly on the rise among twentysomethings.

Perhaps more surprising than millennials’ tendency toward fewer partners is the number of twentysomethings who abstain from sex altogether.

Data from online dating service Match.com indicates that nearly half of twentysomethings haven’t engaged in sex in the past 12 months, and

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one in three are still virgins.

Ironically, this generational change in sexual activity comes at a time when attitudes about sex point in the opposite direction. According to the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, in the 1970s, only 29 percent of Americans believed sex before marriage was “not wrong at all.” Today, that number stands at 55 percent.

The study espoused theories about the seemingly contradictory mindset of twentysomethings—they are more accepting of premarital sex and casual hookups while participating less—ranging from differing dating habits, to concerns about STDs, to busy professional lives.

Even with the proliferation of dating apps, the interconnectedness of social media and laxed attitudes about sexuality, one thing is clear: Abstinence is surprisingly on the rise among twentysomethings.

Millennials combine a lax view of sex with surprisingly chaste lifestyles.

Nearly half of twentysomethings haven’t had sex in the past

12 MONTHS 55% of millennials believe sex before marriage is “not wrong at all”

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of twentysomethings are still virgins

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M I S C. We can’t wait for the Wolverine vs. the Rock Monsters scene

A Canadian inventor set the Guinness World Record for the farthest flight on a hoverboard, hovering 16 feet over a lake and more than 900 feet forward on his invention. It doesn’t move quite as fast as Marty McFly’s hovering skateboard, but it’s a start. The future is now ...

A new study suggests that millennials tend toward workplace depression more than any previous generation. One in five seek employer assistance, as opposed to 16 percent of baby boomers and Gen Xers ...

Fresh Prince‘s Carlton Banks is the new host of America’s Funniest Home Videos, which is apparently still a thing. Actor Alfonso Ribeiro will replace Tom Bergeron, who hosted the previral video show for nearly 15 years ...

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NEW CHURCH CONSTRUCTION HITS LOW POINT ACCORDING TO A REPORT from NPR, construction of new churches in the United States is at the lowest rate since 1967. But the numbers don’t necessarily mean that America’s Bible Belt is getting tighter—after all, a 2013 Harris poll found that church attendance hasn’t changed dramatically since the late 1930s, and 74 percent still believe in God. Instead, the decline in church construction may suggest that believers are changing the way they gather, preferring house churches and movie theaters to conventional sanctuaries.

HUGH JACKMAN WILL BE APOSTLE PAUL YOU KNOW, BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVED ‘NOAH’

H

ugh Jackman is going from the X-Men to the New Testament. The Wolverine will star as the title character in the upcoming film Apostle Paul, which he is producing with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The story of how Saul of Tarsus—a persecutor of early Christians—became the apostle Paul after a supernatural encounter on the road to Damascus seems tailor-made for the big screen. Though he doesn’t claim to be a Christian (he is a follower of the “School of Practical Philosophy”), Jackman seems knowledgeable about faith. In a 2009 interview with Parade, he said that growing up, he frequented Billy Graham crusades with his father who “takes his religion very seriously and would prefer I go to church.”

THIS FALL IS PRIMETIME FOR BIBLEY ENTERTAINMENT: NAZARETH Fox’s Nazareth won’t draw from New Testament sources. Instead, the show will focus on “lost years” of Jesus’ youth not discussed in Scripture.

LUCIFER A comic book adaptation, Fox’s Lucifer is based on the completely plausible premise of the Prince of Darkness fighting crime with the LAPD.

PREACHER Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are bringing the controversial comic book, Preacher—about a possessed preacher looking for God—to AMC.

OF KINGS AND PROPHETS ABC’s new epic about King Saul looks “through the eyes of a battle-weary king, a powerful and resentful prophet and a resourceful young shepherd.”

HOUSING THE HOMELESS PAYS OFF IN LONG RUN HOMELESSNESS IN AMERICA is on the decline, and according to some recent findings, the key to continuing to move in the right direction may be cities providing housing to homeless residents. Stat gurus at Vox found that it’s three times more expensive for a city to leave people on the streets than to provide a place to stay.

With the strategy of providing taxfunded housing—initially championed by former president George W. Bush’s homelessness czar Philip Mangano— homelessness has declined in America by nearly 20 percent since 2005.

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www.oc.edu/gradtheology #OCisHome

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THE H T LIST

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BI-MONTHLY CULTURE POWER RANKINGS

1 3 3 2

1

BEAR GRYLLS [HOT TEST] In two shows this summer (Running Wild and The Island), he’ll inevitably show viewers the proper way to sustain themselves solely on live jungle worms.

VIRTUAL REALIT Y [HOT TER] Virtual reality headsets from companies like Oculus VR are about to change the way you sit motionlessly reading the Internet.

FIREWORKS [HOT] Semi-legal, exploding projectiles blasted into the sky for our entertainment. This is what summer is all about.

SHARK WEEK [COLD] After airing fake specials about mythical sea beasts, Discovery Channel long ago jumped the shark.

SELFIE STICKS [COLDER] There’s a reason why major theme parks have banned selfie sticks: It’s impossible to not look ridiculous while using one. They are this generation’s fanny pack.

TIDAL [COLDEST] Sorry Hov, $19.99 just doesn’t seem worth it to get “higher quality sounding” music from our smartphone speakers.

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High sense of purpose

5

Low sense of purpose

AMERICA’S MOST ‘PURPOSE-DRIVEN’ STATES

W

here do Americans live with the greatest sense of purpose? Earlier this year, Gallup-Healthways published the results of their latest Well-Being Index that revealed how Americans self-identified their own sense of fulfillment. The survey included categories that are traditionally easily observed

and measured, but also more philosophical ones like social, community and even purpose. Though it may seem somewhat counterintuitive, “purpose” wasn’t always associated with states that had the highest ratings in the financial category. Here’s a look and the most (and least) purposedriven states in the country.

HIGHEST SENSE OF PURPOSE

LOWEST SENSE OF PURPOSE

1. AL ASK A

1. W EST VIRGINIA

2 . TEX AS

2 . R HODE ISL AND

3. NEW MEXICO

3. K ENTUCK Y

4 . SOUTH DAKOTA

4 . OHIO

5. HAWAII

5. NEW YOR K

MARTIN LUTHER BECOMES FASTESTSELLING PLAYMOBIL TOY IN HISTORY THE FATHER OF THE REFORMATION can seriously move some toys. German

toymaker Playmobil recently released a mini version of Martin Luther— equipped with a quill and a tiny German-language Bible—in honor of the coming 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Within 72 hours of going on sale, all 34,000 pieces were completely sold out, making it the fastest-selling toy in the company’s history of tiny plastic collectables.

MATT CHANDLER ON DATING, MARRIAGE, AND SEX We are inundated with songs, movies, and advice that contradict God’s design for love and intimacy. Emotions rise and fall with a simple glance, touch, kiss or word. Against this cultural sway, Matt Chandler offers an eternal, counterintuitive perspective on love from the biblical book Song of Solomon.

Study Guide and Curriculum Kit, available for small group study.

Available in print and digital editions wherever books are sold

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I . C .Y. M . I .

IN C ASE YOU MISSED IT

ENTERTAINMENT ACTUALLY WORTH YOUR TIME

F IL M AUDIO TV

The staff of Serial or an image from the J. Crew spring catalog

THE NEW GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO? PODCASTING IS CHANGING OUR LISTENING HABITS FOR GOOD

Pop guru Chaz Bundick is a genre hopping mastermind. On What For? his dabblings in rock, electronica and funk are the perfect formula for a collection of sunny, indie-pop gems.

2. LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM

The untold story of the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War, this documentary is gripping and powerful.

3 . CHE F ’ S TABLE

Netflix’s high-end cuisine series shows the places, people and cultures that go into the world’s best meals.

4. THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH: DARK BIRD IS HOME

Singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson is back with his thinky, dreamy brand of folk.

5 . S T. V IN C ENT

This comedy starring Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy is a combination of big laughs and big heart.

6. THE CO M EDI ANS

This sitcom, starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad, is painfully awkward—and frequently hilarious.

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L

ast fall, Serial—a podcast from the producers of This American Life—became the most-downloaded podcast of all time. Millions of listeners from countries across the world followed the true crime investigation of a 16-year-old murder case, as Serial became podcasting’s first full-fledged pop-culture phenomenon.

Here’s our look at other shows making this a new golden age of radio:

SCIENCE & TECH

RADIOLAB Science, culture, faith, technology and storytelling merge in WNYC’s public radio show.

INVISIBILIA An audio exploration of the “invisible forces” that shape our world through the lens of science.

TED RADIO HOUR Super-smart speakers explain “ideas worth sharing,” while making complex topics simple.

CRIMINAL These true crime stories aren’t just about criminal behavior.

They’re about human nature.

SNAP JUDGMENT Like TAL, Snap Judgment is a forum for young journalists to create gripping audio content.

DINNER PARTY DOWNLOAD

WAIT WAIT...DON’T TELL ME!

Food, music and pop-culture tastemakers converge into one weekly audio magazine.

The most celebrity-packed current-event-themed game show public radio has to offer.

HERE’S THE THING

FRESH AIR

Alec Baldwin shows why he may be a better conversationalist than he is an actor.

Terry Gross brings in culture’s most interesting and important names in her weekly interviews.

THE LITURGISTS “Science Mike” and Michael Gungor ponder big questions.

1 YEAR DAILY AUDIO BIBLE The name of this podcast really says it all.

STORYTELLING THIS AMERICAN LIFE The radio documentary series is still the most addictive, compelling show in iTunes.

NEWS & EVENTS SERIAL The real-life whodunnit that set the whole world arguing about Adnan Syed’s innocence.

INTERVIEW YOU MADE IT WEIRD Pete Holmes chats with thinkers and comedians about life, work, faith and pretty much everything.

FAITH & CULTURE THE RELEVANT PODCAST Probably the best podcast ever created. Objectively speaking.

P H O T O C R E D I T: M E R E D I T H H E U E R

1. TORO Y MOI – WHAT FOR?

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

Wake Forest, NC iamgoing.org

SLICES

REBRANDING RUSSELL BRAND’S MISSION TO CHANGE THE WORLD— AND HIMSELF

ON PORNOGRAPHY

“Our attitudes toward sex have become warped and perverted and have deviated from its true function as an expression of love and a means for procreating. Because our acculturation, the way we’ve designed it and experienced it has become really, really confused. I heard a quote from a priest who said, ‘Pornography is not a problem because it shows us too much; it’s a problem because it shows us too little.’ I think what he’s saying is pornography reduces the spectacle of sex to kind of an extracted physical act. This sort of cloud of pornographic information … is making [it] impossible to relate to our own sexuality, our own psychology and our spirituality.”

– The Trews (Episode 261)

ON DRUGS

“Drugs came into my life like they come into normal people’s lives. I was like, ‘Ah, finally, something that takes the edge off.’ Same with booze or whatever. But then in the end, you realize that anesthetic doesn’t work. What you’ve got to address is the core feeling. Now, I believe that the core feeling is a spiritual yearning: A yearning to be connected. A yearning to be loved and to love—a longing for union.”

– The Trews (Episode 292)

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ON RECOVERY

“One day at a time, I surrender to the fact that I am a drug addict. The reason people are addicted to drugs is because there’s sort of a deficit of happiness, a deficit of community, a deficit of connection—I recognize now that the thing that I was chasing after in my years of addiction was probably some sort of sense of communal connection or a connection to a higher thing.”

– Interview with Democracy Now, Nov. 2014

ON POVERTY & INCOME INEQUALITY

“The less privileged among us are already living in the apocalypse. I’m only alive because of the compassion and love of others. Men and women strong enough to defy this system and live according to higher laws. ... A system that serves the planet and the people. I’d vote for that.”

– A Column for The Guardian, Nov. 2013

ON THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST

“Some people don’t know, but I think that Jesus is really brilliant.

All those things He did: the miracles—that was kind. The sacrifice of His own life that we may be free from sin; I think that was a really, really nice thing to do.”

– On Jimmy Kimmel Live, 2013

P H O T O C R E D I T: M A R K N O L A N

F

ifteen years ago, Russell Brand was a controversial MTV VJ who struggled with addiction and his own rising fame. After 13 years of sobriety, a celebrity marriage and Hollywood stardom, Brand has started to use his platform and quick wit to tackle big issues and dispense his unique brand of ideas.

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SLICES

M I S C. The self-driving car revolution is upon us ... kind of.

Google announced that its fleet of self-driving cars will be unleashed on public roads in Mountain View, California, this summer. The vehicles will hit the streets equipped with a “safety driver” and a max speed of 25 mph ...

THE DECLINE OF AMERICAN ‘CHRISTIANITY’

A

merica is increasingly less religious, says Pew Research Center’s new report, “America’s Changing Religious Landscape.” Researchers undertook two extensive surveys in 2007 and 2014 and found that the number of Americans who identify with no religion grew by more than 6 percentage points during those seven years.

Christians still make up nearly 70 percent of the overall population, but mainline Protestants, evangelicals and Catholics all saw drops.

From Pew: “As a rising cohort of highly unaffiliated millennials reaches adulthood, the median age of unaffiliated adults has dropped to 36, down from 38 in 2007 and far lower than the general (adult) population’s median age of 46.”

2007

2014

Evangelical Catholic

78.4%

16.1%

70.6%

22.8%

Mainline Protestant

British toy maker Makies created dolls with birthmarks, hearing aids, glasses and walking sticks in response to a recent campaign by parents asking for dolls that show disabilities as beautiful ...

Atheist Agnostic

“NONES”

CHR ISTIA NS

“NONES”

Nothing in particular

GLASSES FOR THE COLOR BLIND A COMPA N Y C A L L ED ENCHROM A BEFORE

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|

AFTER

created glasses that can restore the ability to see colors in people with certain kinds of color blindness. Though EnChroma emphasizes that its glasses are not a “cure” for color blindness, their $350 “optical assistive device” uses a combination of scientific data about how retinal cones perceive color and mathematical formulas that filter out mixed signals in the eye, restoring the ability to see colors.

Netflix recently added more than 30 episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy, so you can binge-watch your way through hours of demonstrations of baking soda volcanoes, homemade rockets and all manner of bow-tied fun ...

P H O T O C R E D I T: T R I N E T T E R E E D

CHR ISTIA NS

SLICES

M I S C.

GIRL POWER

In May, lawmakers in Nebraska voted to repeal the use of the death penalty in the state. The measure replaces death sentences with life prison terms. There are currently 11 men on death row in Nebraska, though the state hasn’t executed an inmate since

HOLLYWOOD’S FEMALE TAKEOVER

AT

this year’s Oscar ceremony, Patricia Arquette made headlines for more than just her award-winning role in Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Her somewhat controversial Best Supporting Actress acceptance speech calling for greater gender equality garnered much of the attention. And despite a gender wage gap still existing in many fields (including the entertainment industry), the tide may be turning when it comes to highprofile roles. Here’s a look at Hollywood’s female-led revolution.

1997 ...

THE DOLLHOUSE CREATIVE

GHOSTBUSTERS

Actress Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class, Neighbors and Spy) teamed with fellow filmmakers to launch an all-female production company.

Paul Feig’s reboot of the action comedy movie features an all-star cast of female leads including Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, as well as SNL stars Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.

THE A-FORCE

WONDER WOMAN

Marvel created a new, all-female Avengers team called A-force— including She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Storm, Rogue and Scarlet Witch.

Despite initial drama with the upcoming DC Comics superhero epic, filmmaker Patty Jenkins is now directing the big-budget blockbuster.

MACGYVER

SHONDA RHIMES

The makers of the classic engineering action series set out to develop a reboot. The only stipulation: The new MacGyver must be a woman.

With shows like Scandal and The Catch, the producer of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice turns strong female leads into primetime staples.

A TATTOO REMOVAL CREAM IS COMING SOON R EGR E T T H AT T R IB A L R ING around your bicep? Are those L-O-V-E 4-E-V-A knuckle tats not going over so well at your new accounting job? Good news! A new cream may permanently remove your visual reminder of a bad decision. A graduate student at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is developing a cheap, pain-free cream that triggers an immune reaction, causing your own skin to replace the ink in the tattooed area.

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Grumpy Cat, the house cat turned viral Internet meme, is getting turned into a graphic novel.

It’s just the latest part of the irritable feline’s media takeover. The books will start rolling out this summer ...

Fashion company Kate Spade has partnered with tech startup Everpurse to create a new line of handbags that will charge your mobile device.

A fully-charged purse will give a user about two days worth of juice for their iPhones ...

A single blueprint for debating any secular worldview Christians can feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of competing worldviews in today’s pluralistic, multicultural society. Thankfully, you don’t have to memorize a different argument to answer every new issue. Instead, you can master a single line of defense, grounded in Scripture, that applies to any theory.

Using Paul’s approach from the book of Romans, Finding Truth is the real-world training manual that equips you to confidently address issues you’ll face in the classroom, workplace, and popular culture.

Available in print and digital editions wherever books are sold.

SLICES

SETTLERS OF CATAN IS HEADED TO HOLLYWOOD FIN A L LY, T HE GR IP PING DR A M A

and edge-of-your-seat action of agricultural and natural resource bartering is headed to a screen near you. Hollywood producer Gail Katz (the woman behind films including Air Force One and The Perfect Storm) has purchased the rights to turn the hugely popular strategy board game Settlers of Catan into a TV show or movie. Who will build the longest road? Who will be willing to trade three sheep for two bricks? Will we finally find out the answer to the age-old question: What is more boring: playing Settlers of Catan for two hours, or watching a movie about it?

THE ’90s: THEY’RE BAAACK THE DREAM OF THE ’90S IS ALIVE OUTSIDE OF PORTLAND, TOO

B

reak out your POGs, don your favorite WWJD bracelet and prepare to take some notes in your Trapper Keeper, because the dream of the

’90s is still alive. Potential Clinton presidency aside, here’s what you need to know about the cultural comeback of every millennial’s favorite decade:

Chris Pratt’s action blockbuster Jurassic World isn’t the only ’90s favorite coming back to the big screen. Reboots of Independence Day, Indiana Jones, Vacation and Poltergeist franchises are all in the works.

Netflix is developing a sequel series to TGIF’s Full House.

Fuller House follows roommates D.J. Tanner-Fuller and her BFF Kimmy. The show joins recent TGIF spin-off, Girl Meets World, and potential reboots of Twin Peaks and Coach.

MOVIES

FASHION

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Hopefully, you kept your middle school wardrobe. The raddest brand of the decade—JNCOs—is officially relaunching, bringing Doc Marten boots, Birkenstocks and choker necklaces back in style with it. If we’re lucky, some sick No Fear T-shirts will show up soon.

JULY_AUG 2015

TELEVISION

MUSIC

We already know about Sleater-Kinney’s new album. Plus, Missy Elliott tweeted a photo of herself in the studio, and the Fresh Prince himself claims he’s considering a comeback to music. But we’re really all waiting for dc Talk’s Jesus Freak 20th anniversary tour.

WHOLE FOODS FOR MILLENNIALS Whole Foods, the high-end chain of health-centered grocery stores, plans to launch a new brand with lower prices.

In a statement, CEO Walter Robb explained: “[The new store] will deliver a convenient, transparent and values-oriented experience geared toward millennial shoppers, while appealing to anyone looking for high-quality fresh food at great prices.” Finally, a place where you can purchase organic kale chips and elaborate granolas without having to take out a small loan.

1 in 5 people will experience mental illness this year.

It’s time to talk about it.

Join Rick and Kay Warren and other church leaders for The Gathering on Mental Health. Learn how you can join the conversation and compassionately care for those living with mental illness.

THE GATHERING ON

MENTAL HEALTH & THE CHURCH with Pastor Rick and Kay Warren

October 7–9, 2015 • Saddleback Church • Lake Forest, CA mentalhealthandthechurch.com

SLICES

SHADES THAT GIVE BACK

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his summer, sport sunglasses that make a difference beyond your pupils.

Here are five companies creating sunglasses that don’t just look cool—they also support causes and values that make the world a better place.

1

2

1.

A Massachusetts

2.

PROOF www.iwantproof.com

Sales of Proof’s eco-friendly eyewear support charities providing disaster relief and organizations building eye-care clinics around the world.

3.

man’s ill-advised outing prompted the police in his town to issue what is possibly the best public service announcement ever seen on social media: “Chasing bears through the woods drunk with a dull hatchet is strongly not advised” ...

WEWOOD www.We-Wood.us

WeWood’s Cotton Eyewear line is made from cotton fibers—not plastic—to create durable shades without using fossil fuels during production.

3

TOMS www.TOMS.com

4

PANDA www.WearPanda.com

5

WARBY PARKER www.WarbyParker.com

The brand known for its buy one, give one footwear created a line of retro-cool sunglasses. Sales support sight restoration efforts for people in need.

4.

Panda embraces the buy-one-give-one model: For each pair sold, Optometry Giving Sight gives an exam and a pair of prescription glasses.

5.

KFC is testing a new device they’re calling the “Tray Typer”—a thin, Bluetooth-enabled tray that will let you use your smartphone while consuming deep-fried fast food. Because Twitter can’t wait ...

The sale of Warby Parker shades funds the distribution of eyeglasses, helps vision-related charities and supports training in developing countries.

IS THIS THE NEW FACE OF MUST-SEE TV? NB C BEL IE V ES T H AT 26 -Y E A R- OL D COMEDI A N JER ROD C A R MICH A EL

could be the new face of network comedy. After the long-running series Parks and Recreation bowed out following its seventh season, the network—previously famous for its “Must-See TV” sitcoms—is hoping the stand-up can walk in the footsteps of young comics who broke through in their primetime lineup.

Though Carmichael’s style of humor is known for its breezy edginess (he’s been compared to a young Richard Pryor), the new show is being described as more of a family-friendly effort based on his real-life upbringing in the Bible Belt.

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JULY_AUG 2015

An online campaign called “Women on 20s” is trying to replace Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on American $20 bills. The group is petitioning the government to make the change before 2020 ...

Download your FREE ebook Called, from Asbury Seminary visit: asbury.to/R1

“In the final analysis, our mission is… about the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and joining the Living God in His mission in the world. We are living into a challenge which God put into my heart many years ago: ‘Attempt something so big, that unless God intervenes, it is bound to fail.’”

- Dr. Timothy C. Tennent President, Asbury Theological Seminary

204 N. Lexington Ave., Wilmore, KY 40390 Kentucky • Orlando • Memphis • Online

SLICES

FROM NU THANG TO ANOMALY A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN HIP-HOP

BY SK ETCH THE JOUR NALIST

S

ure, Christians in hip-hop have sometimes gotten a bad rap, but don’t believe the myth that Lecrae was the first believer to put out a good album. Here’s a cheat sheet on some of the genre’s notable moments:

1985 STEPHEN WILE Y’S “BIBLE BREAK” cassette single is generally regarded as the first widely distributed and commercially available recording of Christian hip-hop.

2004 DA’ T.R.U.T.H.’s influential Moment of Truth becomes his first widely distributed release.

1990

dc Talk’s “I Luv Rap Music” song/video removes “threatening” elements of hip-hop culture to make it more palatable for church audiences unfamiliar with the movement. They succeed in spades.

2004

Kanye West makes a splash with “Jesus Walks,” the Grammy-winning third single from his debut album, The College Dropout. However, many believers are turned off by the explicit language used in the track.

2 0 07 Prior to their Humble Beast union, THEORY HAZIT releases an excellent boom bap album, Extra Credit, on Braille’s Hip-Hop Is Music label.

2 0 10 “EXPL AINING TO DO,” one of Bizzle’s first public releases after becoming a believer, takes off on sites like WorldStarHipHop.com, who promote it as a Jay-Z diss. Bizzle says he simply felt like David, picked up his sling, and decided to step to a giant he felt was disrespecting his God.

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1994 GOSPEL GANGSTAZ RELEASE GANG AFFILIATED, which still holds up today, with themes of police brutality (“One Time”) and the struggles of the oppressed (“Tears of a Black Man”).

2011

Propaganda uses only a video camera and four minutes to explain “The G.O.S.P.E.L.” quickly gaining acclaim for his spoken word skill.

2000 JIVE RECORDS releases Universal Concussion from Christian rapper BB Jay, scoring notable crossover success.

1998 Christian artists PL AYDOUGH, SACKCLOTH FASHION, AND T-BONE all make a showing on MTV’s talent competition The Cut.

2014

Lecrae’s Anomaly hits No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

He performs with The Roots and on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show twice, and rocks out with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America.

SLICES

STATEMENT

is healthy. Even anger can be healthy. But numbing ourselves with cynicism in an effort to avoid feeling those things is not.

Cynicism didn’t make me a better friend or wife or Christian. It only made me a bitter and lonely one.

I’ve spent the last few years getting reacquainted with the Church, learning to love her as she is, not as I want her to be. This means acknowledging the scars, facing the

Cynicism didn’t make me a better friend or wife or Christian. It only made me a bitter and lonely one.

WE NEED TO STOP BEING CYNICAL ABOUT CHURCH B Y R AC H E L H E L D E VA N S

“S

cratch any cynic,” says George Carlin, “and you will find a disappointed idealist.” That’s how it started for me—with frustration, disappointment and foiled dreams.

After nearly two decades of Sunday school and Bible quizzes, faithful church attendance and Christian leadership, I saw firsthand how the church that named and nurtured me could also wound, divide and destroy. I reeled as the bullying of authoritarian leaders went unchecked, as good people were cast out of their communities, as my questions and doubts made me the target of hurtful gossip, as people and organizations I once admired let me down.

At first, the tears flowed freely. I felt angry and betrayed.

But then, the tears dried up.

In an attempt to protect myself from further disappointment, I gave in to cynicism. I expected the worst and smirked when I found it. I jeered at the Church’s failings and convinced myself those failings were other people’s problems, not mine. If I didn’t care so much, I reasoned, it wouldn’t hurt so much. If I didn’t have an investment, I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Cynicism is a powerful anesthetic. We use it to numb ourselves to pain, but as a side effect, it also numbs us to joy, compassion, connection and intimacy. Grief

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ugliness and receiving with thanks all that is lovely and good and redemptive about the dysfunctional family of God. It also means opening myself up to hurt again.

Cynicism may help us create simpler storylines with good guys and bad guys, but it doesn’t make us any better at telling the truth, which is that most of us are a frightening mix of good and evil, sinner and saint.

The annoying thing about being human is that to be fully engaged with the world, we must be vulnerable. And the annoying thing about being vulnerable is that sometimes it means we get hurt. When your family includes the Church, you’re going to get hurt. Probably more than once.

This doesn’t mean we stay in unhealthy, abusive churches. It doesn’t mean we participate in communities that sap us of our life or make us fight to belong. It just means if we want to heal from our wounds, including those we receive from the Church, we have to kick the cynicism habit first. We have to allow ourselves to feel the pain and joy and heartache of being in relationship with other human beings.

In the end, it’s the only way to really live, even if it means staying invested, even if it means taking a risk and losing it all.

RACHEL HELD EVANS is a best-selling author who writes at RachelHeldEvans.com. Her newest book is Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church.

EDUCATING doers • changers •

LEADERS

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary educates followers of Jesus Christ for God’s peace and justice.

Ground your leadership in dedicated study of Scripture, vibrant learning community and passionate witness.

Study where you are with Master of Divinity Connect.

Or immerse yourself in campus life with our Master of Divinity Campus and Master of Arts programs.

Photos: God’s Shalom and the Church’s Witness class. Students assemble relief kits for Iraq and witness locally after Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Mo. Credits: Jason Bryant, Mary E. Klassen, Alex Pletcher.

Special information for Relevant readers ambs.edu/welcome

Learn more at www.ambs.edu. Or call 800.964.2627 to visit our campus in Elkhart, Ind.

THE GAMBIAN-SWEDISH SINGER IS REINVENTING SOULFUL POP

“I

“I hope [listeners] feel compelled to be more understanding.”

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS

like Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye.

All of that comes out in her music; Sey has created a unique brand of soulful electronic pop layered with complex beats and synths. “I just want to continue to push myself,” she says. “I never want to get lazy when it comes to creating music.”

And people are taking notice—she was hailed as Best Newcomer at the 2014 Swedish Grammy Awards, and her first EP, For Madeleine, garnered praise from critics in Sweden and abroad.

Of course, earning praise is not the point. As someone who has often felt like an outsider, Sey just hopes her music helps others feel less alone.

“Sometimes, you feel like you’re the only person that feels something or that you’re crazy,” she says.

“I hope they can relate to the lyrics and maybe feel compelled to be more understanding toward themselves and other people. That would be the ultimate goal.”

FOR MADELEINE

On Sey’s first EP, she draws listeners in with her powerful, soulful voice, but she keeps them hooked with captivating beats and masterful mixing. She’s far too creative to write off as just another pop diva.

P H O T O C R E D I T: M I K A E L D A H L

have a pretty bad imagination,” Seinabo Sey confesses. “So most of the things I write about I’ve experienced myself—everyday life, emotions, meeting people.”

Shaped by a childhood of moving between Gambia and Sweden, Sey has plenty of experiences to pull from.

She also draws from an unconventional mix of musical influences: She loves hip-hop and reggae, and her dad was a famous West African singer. At 15, she moved to Stockholm to go to music school, where she took a course on soul singers

ARTISTS TO WATCH

THE DROP

THE ALT-POP BAND IS FINDING A WAY TO DANCE IN SPITE OF TRAGEDY

opecky’s sophomore release is an album birthed out of hardship.

When the band started writing and recording Drug for the Modern Age last year, Steven Holmes, their guitarist (whose parents are missionaries), was in rehab. And the 14-year-old brother of Markus Midkiff, the band’s keyboardist, had died in a freak accident just months before.

The band wanted to talk about the tragedies they went through—but in a way that was uplifting and hopeful. “You take a difficult subject and make it easy to digest,” explains Gabe Simon, one of the band’s lead singers.

The result is an album that is raw and honest, but somehow also fun and danceable. The loss of Midkiff ’s brother

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inspired “Die Young,” a song about what it means to live a meaningful life, even if it is cut short.

Simon’s new marriage inspired “Real Life,” about learning to share your life with another person, even when you disagree. And Holmes’ stint in rehab inspired the title track—and the underlying theme that tied the whole album together.

“For us, the whole record is social criticism about addictions,” Simon says. “It’s the idea that we all look toward love or relationships or friendships or the Internet or alcohol and drugs as a way to deal with everything that’s going on in our lives.

“That’s what we try to do with this record: take all these hard, painful, hurtful things—and at the same time, the beautiful, good things—and turn them into something worth dancing about.”

WHY WE L OV E THE M: Kopecky dropped the “Family Band” part of their (former) name, but they haven’t lost their intimate feel. The band’s music pulls you in and makes you feel like one of them. The band sees each other as family, and the musical chemistry in their harmonies and instrumentals is a wonder to hear.

KOPECK Y’S DRUG FOR THE MODERN AGE

FOR FAN S OF:

The Head and the Heart, Lord Huron, Banks

KB

NOW S T R E A MING

These albums (& tons more) are streaming on The Drop at RELEVANTmagazine.com.

Listen in!

TO KE VIN BURGESS, THE MOST INFLUENTIAL art

always has a bold message. Hip-hop artists have often been prophets and preachers of sorts, he says. Therefore, he argues, “When hip-hop runs into Christianity, it’s a match made in heaven. It’s so conducive to this message because it’s already kind of built into the DNA of what hip-hop is.”

Burgess, who is signed to Lecrae’s Reach Records as “KB,” is trying to get back to that message-driven, culture-changing form of hip-hop.

“I think people are exhausted with the fake, with the superficial, with the skin deep,” he says.

“They don’t know it, but they’re looking for what is deeper.”

L I ZA AN NE

Two

WHY WE LOV E HIM:

Tomorrow We Live has the beats and bars to draw in any rap fan, but KB’s lyrics go deep. “I want to rap about the things that keep me up at night,” he says.

ABANDON K ANSAS

Alligator FOR FAN S OF :

Lecrae, Derek Minor, Sho Baraka, Andy Mineo

JOEL MCKERROW & THE MYSTERIOUS FEW

P H O T O C R E D I T: S H E R V I N L A I N E Z ( K O P E C K Y ) ; C A R O L I N E R U S S E L L ( K B ) ; T U R B O F R U I T S ( P O O N E H G H A N A )

Welcome Home

TIMBRE

Sun & Moon

TURBO FRUITS DA N I E L B A S H TA

For Every Curse

RAC HEL JAN E

Back of the Wind

TURBO FRUITS FRONTMAN JONAS STEIN picked up his band’s name from a

WHY WE L OVE THEM:

blinking sign on a slot machine. It’s a random way to name a band, but it turned out to be oddly fitting for the Nashville quartet, whose garage rock music is energetic, fresh and fun. Turbo Fruits have typically stuck to the lyrical staples of rock—singing mainly about partying and girls—but on their latest album, No Control, the band opened up more about personal experiences and struggles.

“It was refreshing and nice to get into some deeper subjects,” Stein says. “I want people to be able to listen to it and kind of feel and understand the feelings we were going through over the past couple years.”

Turbo Fruits are striving for authenticity—both musically and lyrically. It’s refreshing, but still fun.

FOR FAN S OF:

Surfer Blood, Jeff the Brotherhood, Nobunny

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

33

THE DROP

CONVERSATION

Q +A

JOSH GARRELS ON ANXIETY, SONGWRITING AND ARTISTIC BREAKTHROUGHS B Y M AT T C O N N E R

he years since 2011’s Love & War & The Sea In Between haven’t been easy for Josh Garrels. He’s wrestled with serious concerns on every possible front—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Even the ever-growing spotlight of his music career became part of the problem. With the release of his latest album, Home, Garrels says he’s never paid so high a price just to release a set of songs.

T

YOUR LAST ALBUM, LOVE & WAR , WAS A BIG P H O T O C R E D I T: R AY S P E A R S

SUCCESS. WAS THERE A LOT OF PRESSURE TO FOLLOW UP WITH HOME ?

I think that’s going to be part of the story of this album. It was literal exhaustion. My vision was getting blurry. My fingers were going numb. My motor skills in my arm weren’t working right. I was having heart palpitations and shortness of breath.

It turns out I was almost having anxiety attacks.

There’s responsibility all over, you know? There’s anticipation and expectation. I didn’t realize I was carrying that stuff. In some ways, on paper, I’m living the dream. This music is supporting the family, I have a studio in my backyard, and shows are selling out. But I was entering into emotional and physical breakdown. I had to just set it down for a month and rest. I had to put things back in perspective.

HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO BREAK THROUGH THAT?

Honestly, it was spending time with God. It sounds generic, but there was a true realization that I was holding really tightly to something. It took months to figure out answers to, “What am I fearing? What am I anxious about? What am I feeling is my responsibility that actually is not?” I can now let go.

Ironically, the songs that were coming naturally were the ones pulling in home space, rather than the big epic journey like Love & War. These songs are much more domestic, in that they are about marriage, lessons from my children and the relationship of fathers and sons. It was interesting that those were the songs that I gravitated to in

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS

“By going to the deep areas and flushing things out, I was amazed at how the symptoms began to disappear as I got my heart and soul in the right place.”

the process of making them. I had to push through this strange threshold.

I really just assessed my heart, all the way back to when I was a child. Things that were perpetrated against me that maybe I had held onto, things I had perpetrated.

There were lies I believed about others or myself. It was pretty deep. I don’t want to use the word “deliverance,” but by going to the deep areas and flushing things out, I was amazed at how the symptoms began to disappear as I got my heart and soul in the right place.

THE NEW ALBUM IS MISSING THE HIP-HOP ELEMENT OF YOUR OTHER MUSIC. WAS THAT PURPOSEFUL?

I don’t know that it was. This album is about homecoming, and it didn’t feel like a real hip-hop album. This album has softness to it. All the songs are pretty down tempo. I still love hip-hop, and my hope actually is that in the coming year, I can collaborate with producers and make sets of fivesong EPs. That’s where I feel like I’m headed. I have probably three projects in mind that could be five-song EPs where the production time would be a lot shorter, and I’m calling on other producers and artists to get under the hood. Each one would have its own focus and sound. This one took so long. This one required something of my soul to get right.

Each issue of RELEVANT is packed full of stories for world-changers like you.

Don’t miss an issue. Subscribe today.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM/SUBSCRIBE

TRINETTE REED P H O T O C R E D I T:

KICKING ‘PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE’

SUSTAINABILITY: THE NEW OLD BUSINESS VALUE hen pastor Kenton Lee lived in Nairobi, Kenya, he frequently saw children with toes poking through the ends of their shoes.

These encounters sparked an idea: Why not create footwear that expands as a child grows?

Partnering with the design group Proof of Concept, Lee created “The Shoe That Grows”—affordable leather footwear that expands from size five all the way to 12.

Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, Lee has sent thousands of pairs of The Shoe that Grows

W

More and more young entrepreneurs are bucking obsolescence for sustainability. to children in Kenya and other developing countries.

And the idea garnered so much attention that Lee will start selling them to American consumers, too.

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CREATE. INNOVATE. LEAD.

Products like Lee’s shoes fly in the face of traditional consumerism thinking, and are disrupting long-held business beliefs.

In 1954, industrial designer Brooks Stevens helped popularize the idea of “planned obsolescence,” or, as he defined it, “instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary.”

But more and more young entrepreneurs are bucking obsolescence for a new business value: sustainability.

For example, the Detroit-based company Shinola makes lines of watches, leather goods, bicycles and other handmade items that incorporate timeless designs—not trendy seasonal styles—many of which are guaranteed for life.

This growing consumer ethic of durability seems also to drive the resurgence of wellestablished, quality-oriented brands in young, urban circles. Because, like the new crop of brands and entrepreneurs that ditch “planned obsolescence,” they understand that sustainability never goes out of style.

STAN C E

The sock company collaborates with celebrities to create unique footwear.

TE LLASON

This San Francisco raw denim is crafted from high-quality cotton made to be worn for years.

SHIN OL A

Watches, leather goods and bikes inspired by the spirit of American design and manufacturing.

MAKER

CHEW ON THIS TYLER MERRICK’S UPSTART GUM COMPANY IS KNOWN FOR GIVING BACK. BUT WHEN PROJECT 7 STARTED TO FAIL, HE TOOK A BOLD AND UNEXPECTED LEADERSHIP APPROACH. B Y M I C A H YO S T

the summer of 2013, entrepreneur Tyler Merrick found himself in the darkest place of his life.

His company, Project 7, had launched with an audacious goal: to sell products like water, gum, coffee, mints—items people bought every day—and use a portion of those proceeds to fund charitable work.

Things took off quickly for the startup.

New products were coming to market as more partners signed on. Major retailers

IN

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CREATE. INNOVATE. LEAD.

like Target and Walmart decided to give the purpose-driven products a chance. Merrick could be found speaking at major conferences and featured in the leading publications on business. The future was bright and the impact was significant.

A FALSE REALITY By 2013, Project 7 appeared to be another success story, but Merrick had to own the reality that the company was not healthy.

Behind the scenes, the company was losing money and momentum at an alarming rate.

“I was struggling with a lot of identity issues,” Merrick says.

And they weren’t only identity issues for himself, but for his company, as well.

There was a lack of focus to their products and, ultimately, a lack of anything sustainable. Customers weren’t sticking with the brand, but rather purchasing Project 7 products once to support a cause, and then returning to the category leaders. Sales boomed initially, but quickly plummeted.

Merrick continued to give significant money to charities even as the company struggled to stay afloat. There was an

“We wanted to keep appearances with the few retailers we had left,” Merrick explains. “But at a certain point, we just couldn’t prop it up any more.”

Team members had to be let go, and friendships became strained. It was apparent that the successful image of Project 7 was a false reality.

BEFORE & AFTER Originally, Project 7 sold a range of projects, including water, mints, coffee, clothing and gum. In 2014, the company refocused on just gum.

BECOMING HUMAN

image to uphold and a point to prove, and Merrick so desperately wanted this concept to work.

“People thought we were so cool,” he says. “On the inside, we were really sick.”

The image of success became a significant weight as the expectations grew with each article and interview. At one point, Merrick and his wife picked up and moved to California. He was convinced that relocating from his small Texas town would turn things around. It didn’t.

The cracks in the company were growing into canyons that couldn’t be closed.

“I wasn’t sure how to be honest,” Merrick says of those days in the summer of 2013.

“There was a fear of a domino effect if I was honest.

“It’s hard when you struggle with a need to be right,” he explains. “The Lord had to break me of that need.”

It was this type of reflection that helped Merrick realize the real problems with the company. The struggles didn’t come from competitors or external environments, but internal failures. There was an internal, spiritual struggle for Merrick and for the company.

Turning things around for Project 7 would require Merrick owning mistakes and coming clean. It would require revealing that the model was not working.

“The Lord was sanding off some of my rough edges,” he says.

The healing process began by being honest with partners about the reality of Project 7. Merrick went to nonprofits and explained the company had lost everything and a check would not be coming.

He admitted to his wife that moving away didn’t help. He admitted to retailers that products were not performing.

“During this time, I made a commitment that I was just going to be really honest with people,” he says. “I had to reconcile and go address the elephant in the room.”

Merrick says owning mistakes, being honest and addressing failures requires a willingness to be vulnerable. While being vulnerable is difficult in a world where appearances are valuable, Merrick makes it clear that the benefits are significant.

“I could finally look in the mirror and be honest with myself,” he says. “I could get excited about what was left and not what was lost.”

Merrick’s family and friends say his honesty and transparency made him more approachable. It repaired relationships and set a healthy foundation for a brighter future.

START SMALL, START TODAY Because of Merrick’s honesty about the state of Project 7, the company was able to stay afloat by simplifying and refocusing on a single product category: gum.

Previously, the company distributed two gum products in Target, and they were the store’s lowest performers. Now they have one product in Target, and it’s the top seller.

And Target isn’t the only place shoppers can find Project 7 gum: Merrick’s products are now in World Market, Caribou Coffee, Forever 21, Barnes & Noble College and at least 23 other national retailers.

Project 7’s success is qualitative, too.

This year, the company received, for the second year in a row, a “most innovative” award for its category from an trade industry organization.

The new success isn’t because of a major marketing effort or public awareness campaign. As Merrick says, “It’s just learning from really hard lessons.”

Merrick’s advice about vulnerability is simple: “Find a place where you can be honest and start there.” He compares the process to training for a marathon: Start with what you can do today, and then grow.

Project 7’s story shows that struggling to keep up appearances can suffocate relationships, spiritual health and even companies. But, as Merrick says, “Being honest and starting small is freeing and gives you oxygen.”

MICAH YOST is the chief experience officer at Elevate, a digital branding and design company, and a co-owner of Aromas Coffee House.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

39

MAKER

BY A ARON LOY

ome say the millennial generation is the most connected generation the world has ever seen. And maybe the most hopeful.

The generation grew up with a front row seat to the countless needs of the world constantly updated in real time, and we have the audacity to believe we

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can actually make a difference. Many have or will set out to do precisely that.

This is no small thing.

There are few young adults content with the idea of living an insignificant life. When asked, most will readily admit we long for much more than that.

To quote the late Steve Jobs, we long to make “a dent in the universe.” We want to leave the world different from how we found it. We want our lives to matter.

The new good news is, those who are chasing their dreams, leading and innovating with purpose, seem to exhibit similar characteristics that everyone can learn from. If we’re not doing these things, we should start.

1. LEARN TO FOLLOW FIRST Leaders tend to want to lead, and that isn’t always a bad thing. After all, the Apostle Paul did say whoever aspires to be

Aspiring to lead can play to our pride, but following develops humility.

For this reason, young leaders must learn how to follow first. This means not only learning how to follow Jesus, but also learning how to follow those He has placed above us. Until you can do that joyfully, you’re not ready to lead. Learning how to follow is an important part of becoming a leader worth following.

2. FIND A MENTOR Great leaders never stop learning. They know enough to know there’s a lot they don’t know. For this reason, they are constantly learning from others in order to grow in their craft. You might be surprised to learn that many of the very best leaders continue to have coaches and mentors even as they sit at the highest levels of leadership in their companies or organizations.

The truth is, it’s never too late or too early to find a mentor. So find one (or three) and starting asking questions. Listen well to what they have to say. Give them permission to speak hard truths into your life.

And take really good notes. Not only will this allow you to draw from their wealth of knowledge and experience, but it will help you avoid having to learn what they have the hard way.

P H O T O C R E D I T:

EDUARD BONNIN

3. FINISH WHAT YOU START

an overseer desires a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1). But Paul also gave us a great picture of what that leadership is supposed to look like: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

In other words, Christian leaders are primarily in the following business. This is important for aspiring leaders to understand, because the idea of leading can sound pretty sexy.

One of the best pieces of advice I received as an aspiring young leader was, “Do everything you can to finish what you start.” That was not my track record up until that time, but I took the advice and it changed my life.

I meet a lot of passionate young people who jump from one thing to the next without finishing many of the things they’ve started.

As my mentor pointed out to me in my early twenties, this is a character issue. It’s a sign of immaturity and selfishness, as what we want or feel right now is given complete precedence. It breaks trust with others as they come to realize we can’t be counted on to follow through on what we’ve said.

It develops a really bad habit that will not serve you well. And it shortcuts the character development that happens in the hard work of persevering (Romans 5:3-4), a necessary quality for every leader.

So finish what you start. No matter how badly you want to quit, no matter how hard it gets, finish and finish well.

4. DECIDE WHO YOU WANT TO BE AND ACT ACCORDINGLY This might sound obvious, but it’s important to realize you’re not just going to roll out of bed one day and be who you want to be.

You won’t just stumble into your dream job.

You won’t be an overnight success (there’s really no such thing). You won’t accidentally become more wise, more talented, more connected, more faithful, more spiritual, more mature, more disciplined, more developed, more successful, more ___________.

You will be who you have decided to be, whether actively or passively. Your person— and as a result, your life—will be a reflection of the decisions you make over time. So you need to decide now who you want to be and what kind of life you want to live and begin practicing the habits that will get you there.

5. DON’T WAIT FOR PERMISSION A lot of young adults plan to do something someday, but are doing little to move in that direction right now.

But here’s the thing: You can start doing some of the things you want to do someday today. And doing it today is the best way to figure out whether you actually want to do it someday.

You want to start a business? Awesome.

Start one. Even if it fails in six months and you don’t net a single dollar, you will have learned more trying and failing than you will sitting around reading Fast Company for the next five years.

The same goes for most anything else. You want to go into ministry? Great. Start doing ministry today. Take responsibility for investing spiritually in those in your relational circles now. Then pay attention to what happens. If you see fruit, that’s a really good sign.

If not, at least you’ve got some experience to process with your mentor before you invest a whole lot of years and money in a ministry education you may never use.

The point is you can start right where you are, right now. Don’t wait for someone else to give you permission.

Many people among this generation want their lives, like Steve Jobs said, to change the world. If that’s you, act like it. Look at what world changers do, and do the same.

AARON LOY is a husband, dad, church planter, insatiable learner and chronic dreamer. He’s the founding pastor of Mosaic Lincoln. Find out more at aarongloy.com.

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REJECT APATHY S U S TAIN AB L E CH AN G E. SA C RIF IC IA L LIVIN G .

NEW BILL AIMS TO END WORLD SLAVERY DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ARE ACTUALLY WORKING TOGETHER FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE most estimates, tens of millions of humans around the world live in slavery.

And often, this slavery looks more complex than that of 19th-century America. Today, slavery takes the form of sex trafficking (including children), bonded labor, (involuntary) domestic servitude, child soldiery and more.

This year, a bipartisan group of politicians want the United States to do something about it. A group of congressmen introduced the End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015, a piece of legislation aimed at ending the world slavery crisis.

The act proposes a three-part policy: (1) “to marshal resources to seek to bring an end to modern slavery;” (2) to facilitate flexible funding from both government and private grants; and (3) to engage countries with a “high prevalence of

BY

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SUSTAINABLE CHANGE. SACRIFICIAL LIVING.

modern slavery” in order to help them receive assistance under the act’s End Modern Slavery Initiative.

The bill calls for the formation of the End Modern Slavery Initiative Foundation,

The End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015 is the most significant anti-slavery legislation since 2000. which would work with government and private organizations in “key jurisdictions” of high-prevalence countries to “identify and fund successful strategies to combat modern slavery.” The U.S. government would commit $250 million during seven

years, with additional grant-funding based on a country’s prevalence and outcomes.

“The Act is designed to leverage limited U.S. foreign aid dollars by requiring that U.S. contributions are matched with both public and private funding,” says Holly Burkhalter, vice president of government relations and advocacy at International Justice Mission.

“Resources will be directed toward creating sustainable law enforcement capacity so governments of slavery-burdened countries can actually take the fight to the traffickers and slave owners.”

Burkhalter says the End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015 is the most significant anti-slavery legislation since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. “If it is enacted and funded,” she says, “it will make an inestimable contribution to ending one of the most durable and loathsome crimes in the human experience.”

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BY LIZ

RIGGS

WHY DO VICTIMS OF ABUSE GET OVERLOOKED IN FAITH CIRCLES? few years ago, Boz Tchividjian received a phone call from a reporter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The reporter shared a disturbing story: A man sexually abused a child in a local church, and the child’s father came forward to the pastor.

Ultimately, the pastor suggested they all “handle it internally,” ask for forgiveness— and not report it to the police.

Tchividjian, who was chief of a sexual crimes unit of the state attorney’s office in central Florida, found this story deeply unsettling. After more research, he began seeing a pattern: Abuse scandals within Christian organizations leave victims in the dust—broken, outcast and deeply wounded.

“In so many of my cases that involved perpetrators who happened to be in the same faith community as the victim, I would see church members or leaders coming to court in support of the alleged perpetrator,” Tchividjian says. “The victims got so often left behind.”

Tchividjian, now a law professor at Liberty University, is also the founder of GRACE: Godly Response To Abuse in the Christian Environment, a nonprofit that empowers the Christian community to recognize, prevent and respond to child abuse through education and training.

Religious institutions have long struggled with abuse scandals—from molestation accusations in Roman Catholic churches to the Josh Duggar controversy earlier this summer.

“One of the biggest challenges of Christian organizations in dealing with these issues is the internal conflict between protecting the institutional reputation, versus trying to be concerned about the victim,” Tchividjian says. “More often than not, I’ve found that the victims are sacrificed and the institution is preserved.”

Take Bob Jones University, for example.

The South Carolina-based school allegedly discouraged victims of abuse (more than 80 people) from going to the police, according to a New York Times report. Working

with Tchividjian’s organization, Bob Jones reviewed the entire situation, received corrective instruction and agreed to make all findings from the investigation public, ultimately releasing a 300-page report.

According to GRACE’s website, research indicates that one in four women and one in six men within the Church has been sexually assaulted sometime in their life, likely before the age of 18.

Organizations like GRACE address a gaping hole in the way churches and Christian organizations handle abuse situations and how they treat victims. They work to equip churches and ministries with tools to understand these offenses, prevent them and respond in healthy ways.

“I brought together a group of people who were all Christians, who were all experts in their respective fields, but who all had the same passion,” Tchividjian says.

“We are so passionate about this issue and burdened by the failure of the Church to understand and address this well.”

This issue for churches is off the radar in many institutions, Tchividjian suggests,

other devastating anecdotes came to life.

Missionary children were told that complaints would “hinder their parents’ work” and that it would result in “Africans going to hell.” The report revealed that at least 50 children had been abused at New Tribes Mission’s boarding school.

“Many of us that were part of that investigation have said we left a little bit of our soul back in that investigation,” Tchividjian says. “My eyes were really opened to the prevalence of abuse on the mission field, and the utter failure of many mission organizations to respond and deal with it well.”

Tchividjian and his team made recommendations for the nonprofit, but ultimately, he says, he was disappointed in their response.

“The Gospel is all about a God who sacrifices Himself for the individual, but we who are proclaiming the Gospel are sacrificing the individuals for ourselves,” he says. “It’s contrary to the very heart and essence of the Gospel.

“I think, often, churches and organizations have convinced themselves that

“THE GOSPEL IS ALL ABOUT A GOD WHO SACRIFICES HIMSELF FOR THE INDIVIDUAL, BUT WE ARE SACRIFICING THE INDIVIDUALS FOR OURSELVES.” because no one wants to think about children being sexually abused, especially within churches. When these horrific incidents do happen, the “simplest” solution for some leaders seems to be to mend the brokenness quietly and quickly.

Tchividjian argues that these incidents need not be handled quietly. In fact, keeping them hidden only exacerbates the hurt, particularly for the victims.

In 2008, New Tribes Mission, a mission organization with thousands of missionaries around the world, found itself facing allegations of abuse from former students at a missionary school in Senegal.

There had been allegations of physical and sexual abuse in the ’80s, but trouble resurfaced when victims started speaking out in 2008.

After an independent investigation of the situation from GRACE (which took a year and a half and 80 conversations),

they are important to the existence of the Gospel, so they can rationalize why they would respond in ways to preserve the institution rather than sacrifice for the benefit of the victim,” he says. “And that leads to very dangerous thinking.”

Tchividjian and his team at GRACE continue to push churches on their practices to protect the victims and those who are living with pain and with deep scars. And he is seeing changes and developments.

“My prayer is that the way the Church responds one day will be where people can look back and say, ‘Wow, this is the place these people are running toward, finding true safety and peace, rather than being pushed away,’” he says. “And I think that day’s happening. God is at work.”

LIZ RIGGS is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Twitter at your own risk @riggser.

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CRIMINALLY BROKEN: NUMBERS OF INEQUITY IN THE U.S. JUSTICE SYSTEM owhere does America’s (real or perceived) problem between law enforcement and the black community play out more clearly than in U.S. prison systems. And “disproportionate” doesn’t begin to describe it. This disproportion doesn’t only apply

N

to race—America imprisons people at shockingly high percentages compared to other countries, and the rise of for-profit prisons adds a “cost-effectiveness” factor that rarely sees prisoners as people rather than money-earning units. The system is broken, perhaps criminally. Here’s a look at the numbers:

AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE INCARCERATED AT NEARLY

6X

THE RATE OF WHITES

1 IN 3 BLACK MALES BORN TODAY CAN EXPECT TO SPEND TIME IN PRISON FROM 1980 TO 2008, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE INCARCERATED IN AMERICA QUADRUPLED 1980

2008

500,000

2,300,000

TODAY, THE USA HAS

5%

LIFETIME LIKELIHOOD OF INCARCERATION AMONG MEN BORN IN 1974 VS 2001 Born in 1974

Born in 2001

of the world’s

32.2

POPULATION

17.2 13.4

25% of the world’s

PRISONERS 46

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5.9

4.0

2.2 White

African American

Hispanic

FOR-PROFIT PRISONS MINIMIZE COSTS BY SKIMPING ON PROVISIONS, INCLUDING FOOD. PRISONERS DROP ANYWHERE FROM

10-60 POUNDS.

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STATEMENT

“No, sir. I don’t play football. Never did.

I played soccer.” I’ll explain that my mom never signed the permission slip for football, and that set me on a path to doing what I’m doing now: preaching the Gospel.

As far back as I can remember, I always had a heart to bring the races together. I guess I got that from my mom, who was

We should strive to celebrate all cultures, but make the culture of the Kingdom primary in our lives.

WE MUST BRIDGE THE RACIAL DIVIDE B Y J O H N W. G R AY I I I

re you a football player?” I haven’t even settled in my airplane seat before I am peppered with smile-laced questions about my professional sports history. The question almost always comes from someone white, and genuinely nice—but the root of the sentiment is still the same: You’re in first class because you’re large and play sports.

It happens so often that I’ve prepared my answers, and my face, to disarm politely and redirect the conversation. I have learned that these are teachable moments, where I can push understanding into previously closed spaces.

Certainly, there are times when I want to scream, “Can a brother just be a business owner, or just maybe a successful stockbroker? Can I fly first class without being a sports icon?” Before a conversation begins, I am already something other than who I actually am. I have been labeled, categorized and valued, all based on physical characteristics.

And this isn’t only on a plane. This happens everywhere. Even church.

What people see when they see me is the fundamental question of my journey in manhood and ministry. You see, I am acutely aware that my color and my size are detriments in most segments of society, so I must constantly disarm the idea of the “hostile black guy” in almost every setting.

“A

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one of a few successful black women in the state of Ohio mental health hierarchy. She embraced that honor and fought to build bridges by working harder than anyone else and genuinely caring for everyone, no matter their color.

Jesus shows us in John 4 how to engage people from different backgrounds. Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and starts a dialogue. The woman would not lose the significance of this. She knew that Jews and Samaritans were like the Hatfields and McCoys. But Jesus illustrated three principles we all can apply in order to disarm people and begin a dialogue that leads to healing: He was relational, relatable and relevant.

Healing from divides is found by the Body of Christ building bridges of understanding between races, cultures and backgrounds.

In a time when race, politics and fractious jurisprudence are all converging at the same time, Christians must stand up and declare that we are laying down our individual cultures and picking up the Kingdom. We are not a post-racial society—and we shouldn’t strive for that. We should strive to celebrate all cultures, but make the culture of the Kingdom primary in our lives.

I am not just a black man. I am a Christian man. That’s how I wish to be seen—and ultimately defined. Anyone care to cross that bridge with me?

JOHN W. GR AY III is a pastor, author and speaker currently serving as an associate pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.

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CHRISTIANS BRADY TOOPS AND BRITT NILSSON DECIDED TO EXPLORE A RELATIONSHIP THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY

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BY TYLER HUCK ABEE

P H O T O C R E D I T: A N T H O N Y R O M A N

Y

ou know how this story ends, but you might not know how it begins.

Not really.

At this point, the story of Brady Toops and Britt Nilsson is a well-documented one, the subject of a litany of blogs, gossip columns and, of course, the 11th season of The Bachelorette. It’s a tale as old as time. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy, and meets boy, and meets boy and so on. All boys also meet another girl, and then vote on which of the two girls stay on The Bachelorette to be fought over like a raw steak in a dogpound.

It was the twist The Bachelorette threw into its formula this year, and it promised an extra kink for the singles with whom to mingle. As twists go, it’s a good one—promising a dramatic edge without throwing the show’s well-honed machinery out of whack.

Nilsson and her season 11 co-bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe were both popular contestants on The Bachelor. Why not have them square off? It made sense.

But for all its foibles and plastic sheen, reality television is ultimately a story of people, and people are unpredictable.

Nobody knows that better than Nilsson.

“I was like, this show is highly sexual and could have the potential to make a mockery of something that’s really important to me: love and marriage,” she says.

“It was all a consideration, but God was so clear. It made me so much more present in my prayer life. I’m asking every single day, ‘Are you sure this is right?’ And I keep hearing ‘Yes.’ I don’t know why.”

In person, Nilsson comes across much the same way she does on television. She’s so nice that you’d think it was an act, but for her warmth and interest. She doesn’t carry herself like a celebrity, but she does have that confident glow unique to people who are accustomed to being liked.

“I felt like this would be totally different,” she says. “I thought I would get to explain myself more instead of just going through these motions with so many other people fighting for something. Less competition, more reality. That was my hope.”

She pauses, sips her latte, and appears to be replaying her last words through her mind again.

“It was entirely different from what I expected,” she determines.

That would be putting it lightly.

SEND IN THE TOOPS “I had a friend who really loved the show and thought I would be perfect for it.

What I didn’t know was whether it was because she felt pity for my being 33 years old and single, or if she just believed in me a lot. I later found it to be the latter.”

Brady Toops is explaining how he went from being a singer-songwriter known for opening for the likes of John Mark McMillan to being one of the most discussed Bachelorette contestants in the show’s history.

“My friend ended up submitting my photo and wrote something nice about

But the producers saw something in him, and a few auditions later, Toops found himself in a black Cadillac outside of LAX, bound for the set of the show. He admits that he felt like an odd fit, but he says he could never shake the feeling that it was a path God set him on. He’s aware that other Christians might be skeptical of his insistence that The Bachelorette was divinely ordained, but he’s not particularly bothered by it.

“It’s interesting when you have to invade a system that you don’t necessarily fully believe in,” he says. “But I see the way Jesus did that, in the way He interacted with the Pharisees and the Sadducees—the way He interacted with anyone, really. I think you always run the risk in a situation like this of being misunderstood or painted in a wrong light, but at the end of the day, it was worth the risk to do this show.”

At this point, it’s hardly a spoiler to say that, when it came time to vote on which Bachelorette would stay and which would go, Nilsson came up short. On camera, it’s just another televised twist of the knife, but she’s frank about her level of surprise.

“I was floored,” she says. “I honestly felt like it was incorrect somehow, not because I think I deserve it more than Kaitlyn at all.

I had so clearly and confidently been getting these ‘yeses’ from God. I’d been really vigilant in prayer. So, of course, when I keep hearing these yeses, my mind is thinking, ‘Well, that means I’m going to be chosen.’ So when Chris Harrison comes up and says ‘You’re not the Bachelorette,’ I was almost like, ‘I think you’re wrong.’”

“YOU ALWAYS RUN THE RISK IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS OF BEING PAINTED IN A WRONG LIGHT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT WAS WORTH THE RISK.” —Brady Toops me on ABC’s casting website. They called me a month later and said, ‘Would you be interested in going through the casting process for the next Bachelorette?’”

On paper, Toops is not an obvious fit for reality television. He’s handsome, sure, but he doesn’t fit into any of the genre’s archetypes. He’s thoughtful and quiet, a lover of philosophy who’s more interested in theological ideas than the latest popculture tidbits.

From there, Nilsson was walked away from the set. She was sat in the back of the limousine where, to hear her tell it, she fell into spiritual turmoil.

“It was just this petty theological battle I was having,” she says. “Does that mean I’m a person who does not hear from God? Why am I here then? How could I be wrong? Is God wrong? Am I wrong?”

In the meantime, Toops was going through a struggle of his own.

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P H O T O C R E D I T: A N T H O N Y R O M A N

From the first time Toops had even considered the possibility that he might end up on The Bachelorette, he had one goal: meet Britt Nilsson.

“I thought going into the show, ‘I’m here, I want to get to know Britt.’ I was team Britt.

In all the interviews, I was like, ‘Kaitlyn’s cool, but I’m really here to see Britt.’”

She caught his attention in the previous season, once it became clear that he might end up actually having to win the heart of a bona fide Bachelorette.

“I was doing my research,” he says, laughing. “Like, what do these girls like?

Am I attracted to any of them? More than just physically, who they are on a relational level, spiritual level and emotional level?

I knew Britt was one of the frontrunners to be the next Bachelorette, and when she was selected, I thought, ‘Awesome. I can actually go into this show in an honest way because, with the way they portrayed her on the show, I still knew that she was somebody I would like to get to know.”

So when it was announced that Nilsson was no longer in the running, Toops’ interest in staying with the show ground to a halt.

“I felt like there was a real chance for something special to develop between Britt and me,” he says. “But the time to find out if that was true or not was cut short because she was voted off by the guys. I was wondering if she was even into me at that point because there were 24 other guys vying for her attention. But I knew, during our brief conversation, that we had a slight connection over faith. I trusted that.”

So Toops decided to leave the show.

But The Bachelorette didn’t become a cultural powerhouse by ignoring a good love story. They followed him up to the hotel room where Nilsson was staying, probably sensing this story was as good or better than anything they’d planned for the show.

For her part, Nilsson was floored.

“When the cameras finally left, we just started talking,” Nilsson says. “That’s when I clued into that this is someone that I would spend time with outside of this reality television world. We already have things in common and he really loves God. He’s not just pretending to for my benefit.”

Toops recalls, “I said to her, ‘Listen, I know all this is crazy with me leaving the show and coming to find you, but I just want you to know that there’s no pressure

for this to have to be something. If it works, amazing. If it doesn’t work, then that’s OK.’”

WHAT HAPPENED At this point, there’s no sense in pretending Nilsson and Toops will live happily ever after. That’s rarely how reality television works, and it’s never how life works.

Despite the cameras, the limousines, the audition process and the 24 suitors, this is still a dating relationship. To put it simply: It’s a tale of boy meets girl. What sets it apart isn’t how glitzy and outlandish it is.

It’s how hard the two of them had to fight to make it normal.

“You go on a show like this for a lot of reasons, and you don’t really know what’s going to happen,” Toops says. “But at the moment of possibly leaving, I thought to myself, ‘What’s most important for me is to be true and honest to how I feel.’ The

possibility of finding love was way more important than anything else the show could possibly provide, whether that was fame, notoriety, exposure or even travel and excitement. I just thought that the adventure of going to see about a girl was the best and most beautiful option.”

Nilsson says they both thought the show would be something different.

“God just made it so much better.

Personally, the way we do relationships is so much better. Brady got to be someone really honorable and walk away from the show and pursue me, which is so much more of what I think love is. That’s a truer demonstration of love than anything that could have ever happened on the show.”

T YLER HUCK ABEE is a writer living in Nashville.

You can check out his work at tylerhuckabee.com and read his random thoughts @tylerhuckabee on Twitter.

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B Y A DA M J E S K E

name is Adam. And I am a recovering nomophobe.

Nomophobia is the fear of being disconnected, of being without your device, as in the fear of “no mobile phone.” Today, we relish and crave our constant connectivity.

If we don’t have our favorite devices nearby, we start to flip out in lots of tiny ways.

If you know what I’m talking about, you likely suffer from nomophobia.

We recognize the issue intuitively. And now, research is starting to paint a startling picture of our problem.

OUR PROBLEM A study in Psychological Reports: Disability and Trauma says social media withdrawal closely resembles that of a drug addict crashing back down to earth, revealing that many of us respond more quickly to notifications from Facebook than to traffic signs.

You may also have heard that being connected all the time is bad for sleep. Too much blue light from our phones before bed can disrupt our sleep, according to research

by Brian Zoltowski of Southern Methodist University. And the cumulative effect of poor sleep is terrible for our health.

According to Social Times, 18 percent of us admit we now can’t go more than just a few hours without checking Facebook. (And how many of us don’t admit it?)

When we’re separated from our phones, “we experience a lessening of ‘self’ and a negative physiological state,” according a study done by Russell Clayton of the University of Missouri.

As I use social media (it’s even part of my job and ministry), I know that Christians need to tread carefully here. We need to ask ourselves important questions.

The apostle Paul once pointed out that not everything is beneficial, even if lawful

(1 Corinthians 10:23). And we are not to be mastered by anything, even if it’s within our rights (1 Corinthians 6:12). We know we can’t serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24).

Maybe we need to start asking ourselves if we can serve both God and Facebook.

Put another way, how often is our time on Facebook helping us to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy, as we are encouraged to do in Philippians 4:8? Or is our constant connectivity keeping us from being still and knowing God is God, as is encouraged in Psalm 46:10?

While we generally no longer make idols out of gold or wood, sometimes our connectivity interferes with our communion.

For me, a tremendous amount of my life moved from other spaces into my device: maps, books, calendars, music, notes, lists, alarms, photos, banking, files, recordings, calls, calculations, weather forecasts, even my Bible and my friendships.

With so much of life tied up in my constant connectivity, I started to expect everything to always involve my phone. If I wasn’t using my phone, I felt like I wasn’t doing anything. If I wasn’t looking at my phone, I wasn’t seeing anything. If I wasn’t touching my phone, I wasn’t living.

WHAT WE CAN DO In the past year, I’ve had the chance to carefully consider how I’m connected, what I

50 times a day. Constant checking interrupts our flow, thinking, prayer, conversations and work. I consciously connect just two to four times per day. Define how many times you’ll pull out your device, when those times will be and how long you’ll be on. I actually set a timer, and every time it goes off, I swipe to close Instagram or Twitter or Facebook or Snapchat. I’m growing in the self-discipline I should have as a follower of Christ.

Choose your channel. We have too many channels to connect—emails, texts, Snapchat, Facebook, WhatsApp, Hangouts, Skype, Yik Yak, whatever comes out tomorrow. I’ve found it better to just have one preferred platform (e.g. texts or email) that important people know. Keep on top of that one through notifications, but turn off everything else, and enjoy the calm. I’m happier and more creative without notifications from my phone. For me, switching to a no-contract plan where I pay for every megabyte helped with this.

Consider all those social ties. There are probably some people you interact with (or at least follow) on social that are a drag on you. You may need to stay connected because they’re family, are hurting or need Jesus. But for the many others, life is too short to spread yourself so thin.

Watch your heart. Practice noticing how you’re thinking and feeling as you’re connected. Maybe journal every day for a

WHILE WE GENERALLY NO LONGER MAKE IDOLS OUT OF GOLD OR WOOD, SOMETIMES OUR CONNECTIVITY INTERFERES WITH OUR COMMUNION. check when and how this tool is using me.

Here are five steps I’m taking to counter nomophobia, to keep both my connectivity and my soul: Celebrate the Sabbath. This will be hard and uncomfortable at first, but an entire day without screens is refreshing. God commanded the Israelites to rest, showing their connection to Him. We need the same today. Put your phone on airplane mode or leave it at home, consciously stepping away.

Plan your consumption. Smartphones are useful and always with us. But that doesn’t mean we really need to check them

week for a few minutes after you check social. See what kind of patterns emerge. And pray through what comes up.

I still carry my phone with me all the time. I still use it an incredible amount. I am still easily reachable by people who may really need to get me.

But my head is clear. My soul is free. My eyes are up.

I am a nomophobe. But I’m in recovery.

ADAM JESKE has worked in microfinance, refugee resettlement and development with his wife, Christine.

They have two kids and currently live in South Africa.

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THAT DON’T MEAN WHAT YOU THINK

BY PR ESTON SPR INKLE

R

eading the Bible is fairly easy. Interpreting it, however, can be tough.

Commonly, well-known verses even take on lives of their own as they are rehearsed over and over apart from their original context. Most of the

time, the implications are harmless.

Sometimes, they are destructive.

Here’s a survey of five commonly misunderstood passages in the Bible, from verses used out of context to significant theological issues:

1

Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

Certainly, Christians shouldn’t be judgmental, pointing out the sin of others while never giving our own sin a second thought.

But we can’t take this verse to mean that we should never notice, let alone address, sin in the lives of fellow believers.

In fact, Jesus goes on to say, “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). In other words, first address your own sin, but don’t stop there. We haven’t fully obeyed Jesus until we go on to help others with their sin.

Later in the chapter, Jesus says, “by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:20). And Paul tells the Galatians that “If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently” (Galatians 6:1), which logically assumes that we first recognize the sin in someone’s life.

Believers shouldn’t be judgmental. Matthew 7:1 is clear about that. But part of being a Christian is recognizing and addressing other fellow believers in sin—after, of course, we invite others to help deal with our own.

2

Matthew 5:44 “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

This verse is well known to Christians, though we rarely apply it. Ask anyone outside the faith if “loving their enemies” is the first thing—or the 10th thing—that comes to mind when they think of Christians, and your question will probably be met with laughter.

Pop onto a Facebook page where Christians are debating politics or sexuality and see if “enemies” are verbally loved. Or, when national enemies do bad things, what’s the first response from many American Christians? Revenge or love?

The thought of actually loving our actual enemies seems absurd. So we insert all kinds of footnotes under Jesus’s command; we’ve got to make it a little more palatable. But Jesus’s command doesn’t come with fine print, and He doesn’t give any further qualifications. The command is straight-forward.

In fact, Jesus goes on to talk about wicked people in rather broad terms in the next

verse: those who are “evil” and “unrighteous.” When Jesus said enemies, perhaps He meant all enemies.

Romans 13:4 “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”

3

Paul’s words here are a favorite among Christians living in democratic nations, especially for those who support the death penalty and high military spending. Often, these types interpret this verse to sanctify the government’s authority to wage war and violently punish evil.

The verse does say that God works through the government. But the milliondollar questions are: Which government?

All governments? Good ones? Bad ones?

As you can imagine, Christians living in Saudi Arabia, North Korea or Zimbabwe tend to read these this verse differently than those living in America.

The point in Romans 13:4 is that God sovereignly works through secular governments—even really bad ones—to carry out His will. Of course, not every government action is the extension of God’s moral will.

The most important thing to note, though, is that a few verses earlier, Paul commands Christians never to “take revenge … but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge’” (Romans 12:19). In other words, the very thing that God uses the government to do according to Romans 13:4—to avenge evil as an extension of God’s wrath—is forbidden for Christians to do. The call to Christians in Romans 13 is to submit to government.

4

Jude 2:1 “God helps those who help themselves.”

This verse is not actually misinterpreted.

It’s not misused or under-obeyed. In fact, it has shaped the thinking of many people who grew up in church, and I don’t think Christians have wrongly interpreted it.

But one problem remains: It’s not a verse.

The phrase “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible. (And Jude doesn’t have a second chapter.) According to Barna Research, however, 68 percent of

born-again believers think this religious saying is in the Scriptures.

What’s particularly troubling is that the phrase is theologically bankrupt. It reflects the values of rugged deistic moralism, and is an offense to the radical Gospel of grace.

The good news is not that God helps those who help themselves, but that God rescues and redeems those who know they can’t help themselves.

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Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

This verse is both personal and embarrassing. Personal, because I’ve often quoted it.

Embarrassing, because I’ve often misinterpreted it—yes, even as a Bible teacher. For most of my life, I’ve quoted this verse to justify God’s freedom to judge the wicked however He wants. God is God and I am not; God can do what He wants to do.

I still believe that is true, but it isn’t what Isaiah is saying.

The context of this verse emphasizes God’s freedom to save the unsavable, forgive the unlovable and redeem wicked people who deserve judgment. Look at the previous verse: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).

Pardoning wicked people is not something that makes sense to us. But it makes sense to God. Our verse comes immediately after: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

This verse neither deals with God’s sending people in hell for all eternity, nor does it speak about God’s right to judge. It highlights, rather, God’s supra-human desire to redeem people who deserve judgment.

Quoting the Bible is easy, but understanding it takes a bit of work. Let us take heed of Paul’s encouragement to Timothy, to become a hard-working student of Scripture, who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Oh wait. Did I interpret that correctly?

PRESTON SPRINKLE is the vice president of Eternity Bible College’s Boise extension. He’s the author of Charis: God’s Scandalous Grace for Us and blogs at Theology in the Raw.

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B Y E R I C VA N VA L I N

ulture is obsessed with the idea of “the next”: The next big thing, style or trend that consumers will want and creators try to produce.

But every once in a while, something original and yet timeless presents itself, tying the present with the past in a way that satisfies the hype machine, at least for a brief while. Enter Alabama Shakes: the next great American rock band.

P H O T O C R E D I T: N AT H A N M I T C H E L L

COMING OUT PARTY “‘Soul’ and ‘blues’ get thrown around a lot, and I feel like there are so many different meanings for those two words,” says Zac Cockrell, Alabama Shakes co-founder and bass player, referring to frequent descriptions of the band’s familiar-yet-fresh sound.

“You hear it a bunch. Some of the new material, they’ll reference ‘the blues.’ I don’t even hear that in there, but I guess everybody interprets it differently.”

It’s that sense of effortless style—creating an immediately recognizable sound without trying to emulate a particular genre—that helped 2012’s Boys & Girls become a sleeper hit.

For much of the general public, Alabama Shakes were introduced at the 2013 Grammys when their frontwoman, Brittany Howard, shared the stage with Elton John, T-Bone Burnett, Marcus Mumford and Mavis Staples for a performance of The Band’s classic song, “The Weight.” Howard offered an impassioned Aretha-esque vocal performance that seemed to stun the backing band of musical stars and had viewers collectively wondering, “Who the heck was that girl?”

Fittingly, soul diva Aretha Franklin recorded her own version of “The Weight” at the once-famous Muscle Shoals Studios, an hour from Howard’s Alabama hometown.

And, both The Band and Alabama Shakes offer a brand of American music gone-by to a new generation. The Band made it their mission to transport the Americana of the country and folk music of the Civil War South to the Woodstock generation. In the same vein, Alabama Shakes serve as musical curators of Woodstockera American Rock, R&B and soul to the new millennium.

THE NEW, OLD SOUND Howard explains this convergence of new and old by recognizing an eclectic mix of artists among the band’s influences.

“Our influences are really all over the place: from Prince to David Axelrod, to The Meters, to D’Angelo, to Gil Scott-Heron,” she says.

Part of the reason Alabama Shakes garners such big crowds at festivals like Coachella is because there is no apparent affectation or assumed style with the band. They don’t try to be something they are not.

“I think we feel comfortable enough to just experiment with things and push ourselves a little bit and see how it comes out,” Cockrell says.

Culturally, the band stands out as a Southern rock band led by a woman of mixed ethnicity, all who hail from Athens, Alabama.

Athens has produced Grand Wizards and Grand Dragons of the Klu Klux Klan, and even still possesses neighborhoods where profane graffiti marks the homes of some black residents. By contrast, Alabama Shakes picture a new and better Alabama.

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A REDISCOVERED SOUND

The band is a confluence of musical styles, appealing to fans of jazz, rock, soul and R&B, which has allowed them to move effortlessly from the Newport Folk Festival to the New Orleans Jazz Festival, even playing in front of the Obama family at the Memphis Soul Tribute at the White House.

THE RISE OF THE SHAKES Howard and Cockrell were students at East Limestone High School in Athens when they found each other’s similar tastes in punk music. They started getting together to play for fun and quickly added local drummer Steve Johnson and guitarist Heath Fogg to form the band.

Their quick rise was a new-era Internet tale. A Los Angeles blogger shared the MP3 “You Ain’t Alone,” which caught the attention of the blogosphere. Soon after, the band’s music garnered industry hype and a modest record deal with ATO Records.

Howard is the face and heart of the band.

She delivers vocals with the conviction and power of legendary folk singer Odetta, while wielding her Gibson SG like AC/DC’s Angus Young. The band’s live show features her front and center. The three Southern gentlemen providing the band’s track are masters

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of their instruments, but when they are at their best, they provide a musical landscape in which Howard gets lost.

“I put everything I have inside into our music and live shows,” she says.

A TOUGH ACT FOLLOW The band’s first record, Boys & Girls, represents a burst of early rock, pop and soul. The album earned gold status, and led to the band’s appearing in various TV commercials as well as contributing to film soundtracks including Silver Linings Playbook, True Blood and 12 Years a Slave.

The band’s new album, Sound & Color, carries the band’s sound forward from the rock and soul of the early ’60s to the end of the decade. The album moves from a Hendrix-esque rocker, ”Gimme all Your Love,” to the Sly & the Family Stone-level funk of “Don’t Wanna Fight No More,” to the spacey sonic exploration of “Gemini.”

“With Boys & Girls, we didn’t really have the time or resources to experiment with different sounds and styles,” Howard says. “For this record, we really wanted to experiment more, so we spent our time making it and wrote the songs in batches in my basement.”

Howard’s soul-searching outlook and acknowledgement of a higher power is found throughout the new album. On “Shoegaze,” she sings, “Jesus is waiting on me / just as He always does / Something’ll be coming up / just like it always does.”

Perhaps the word “soul” does best articulate the “it factor” that Howard and the band possess—that unexplainable, transcendent nature of great art that, thus far, sets the band apart.

Whatever “it” is, it has been missing from rock and roll for a while. At the turn of the century, many deemed The White Stripes and The Strokes the saviors of rock and roll, in what now seems like a brief plateau for a genre playing second fiddle to pop, rap and country.

“It’s nice just to have good, loyal fans.,” Cockrell says. “Hopefully we’ll keep going, but I also don’t want to get into where it’s not any fun. I don’t know if playing an arena every night is my idea of a good time.”

Of course, the future of rock is also to be determined, with even the biggest names living comfortably on the fringes. Rock and roll began there, and perhaps that’s where it belongs: Just a group of artists being who they are, having a really good time while they’re doing it.

ERIC VANVALIN is a writer and filmmaker living in LA. Find more on his blog, pickingupshells.com.

P H O T O C R E D I T: B R A N T L E Y G U T I E R R E Z

R-L: Brittany Howard, Zac Cockrell, Heath Fogg and Steve Johnson

On Sound & Color, gone is the lightheartedness from their first album. Instead, listeners hear Howard responding to competing forces around her.

On the final track on the album, “Over My Head,” which Howard calls her favorite track, she sings, “There’s no joy I can take with knowing what’s waiting / Here for now, but not for long / Where did my mind slip away? / Explain that to me / I’m in over my head.”

It’s an album of intuition, obsessed with moods and feelings. Even the album’s opener and title track “Sound & Color,” points toward Howard greeting a new world of competing information, where only “sound and color” are understandable.

“The songs themselves are pretty varied in terms of where they all came from,” Howard says. “Some songs, like ‘Sound & Color,’ ‘Gemini’ and ‘Miss You,’ are fictional stories, and others are personal about life in general.”

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THE R EBIRTH OF

J O Y

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W I L L I A M S

HOW EAR LY FAME, T HE CI V IL WARS AND LOSING ALMOST EV ERY T HING SHAPED HER NEW OU T LOOK W O R D S B Y L AU R A S T U DA R U S

IN

the video for her single “Woman (Oh Mama)” off her new album, Venus, Joy Williams plays a woman turned celestial being.

As she dances across the screen, her voice rings out among equally dazzling special effects, transforming her body from skin, to points of light, to fire.

But today, relaxing in her Venice Beach home clad in a black tank top and jean shorts, the 32-year-old singer looks less ready for a trip to the stars, and more ready for a trip to the beach.

Ever the conscientious host, Williams interrupts her tea preparations when her husband/manager Nate Yetton and their son Miles enter the room. She scoops her child into a hug. He giggles and buries his head into his mother’s shoulder as they briefly discuss his afternoon activities.

The sweet scene could play out in many homes across America. Mother, child, father, making plans and having a playful moment.

But there’s something Williams would like you to know about her apparent domestic perfection: She’s not perfect. Not even close.

It’s been a long road for Williams to come to that realization. The life events leading to her self-acceptance have been dramatic—the birth of her son, death of her father and disbandment of her band, The Civil Wars. Along the way, she found herself fighting to restore the foundations of her decade-plus marriage.

Needless to say, it’s been quite a few years. Williams laughs at the dramatic understatement. She can look back at her past with a smile on her face, but it took a while to make peace with everything she endured. Her recollections are often framed by laughter, both relieved and joyful.

“I think you can never plan for life to change,” she says. “It seldom works out the way you think it will.”

P H O T O S B Y S T E V E N TAY L O R

“It felt very much like an untethering,” she says of everything she has gone through recently. “When you get untethered, you also get more free in a way that I would have never realized I needed, had I not gone through the crucible of all those things at the same time. It’s made me more grateful for what I have. It’s made me more brave.”

Williams describes her situation with a quote often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt: “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”

Although, to hear those close to her tell it, Williams’ unique brand of inner strength didn’t just emerge in the face of extreme personal crisis—it has always been there.

Paramore’s Hayley Williams, who has been friends with Williams since their days as teenagers singing in church, says it’s a personality trait she always admired.

“Joy is one of the few people I know who lives her story so boldly, it’s actually almost scary,” Hayley says. “Life has thrown her many curveballs, and she never stops swinging. She never doesn’t try. She takes every opportunity and every challenge and rises to that moment. The fact that she does it at all is inspiring enough, let alone the fact that she outdoes herself every time.”

FINDING HER FOOTING Given the warm welcome Williams extends, it seems natural to skip the small talk. After all, Williams herself claims she’s bad at banal pleasantries. (When she asks how you are, she means it.)

Even so, she takes care to lay out small details as she speaks. A discussion of 2001— the year she released her self-titled debut album featuring earnestly titled tracks such as “It’s All Good,” and “Do They See Jesus in Me?”­—comes riddled with small, seemingly throwaway facts. It was her graduation year.

School mascot: The Warriors. Musical favorites: ’NSYNC and Ricky Martin. Fashion: Pink nail polish. She blushes a tiny bit when revisiting this part of her past.

“Are your memories available to view on YouTube?” she says. “Because mine are. If your high school yearbook is put to music and viewable at that era, you’d be feeling what I’m feeling right now.”

Williams jokes, but her barbs are selfdeprecating—not self-defeating. Even when digging into her past, her words carry a level of grace. Make no mistake though; she’s not dismissing her past as a CCM star.

“It was a great place for me to start,” she says. “What I’m doing now is a continuation of growing as a human, growing as a woman, growing as a sensual and spiritual being.”

Spirituality, Williams says, is still a big part in her life, even if she left Reunion Records in 2005 to make music that wasn’t as explicitly spiritual. After being nominated for 11 Dove Awards, it was time for a change.

“There’s this question of how do I grow in the depths of belief and still remain open to how connected everything is and how connected everyone is?” she asks. “How do I learn to be more present in this moment?

That’s when awe and wonder really start to grow. To me, those are the seeds of awareness, the seeds of belief, the seeds of so many things—wonder and curiosity.”

Williams doesn’t flinch when hit with the bigger questions. She’s silent for a moment, her eyes drifting to the bamboo outside the window before she speaks.

“I’m reminded that the way I view the world and the way I view things in life, it does actually resemble nature in that so many things have to work together for something to grow,” she says. “Certain things have to die away for new growth to happen.”

FLESHING IT OUT In 2008, Williams met a musician named John Paul White at a songwriting workshop. Both were immediately taken with each other’s creative style and the way their voices effortlessly blended together.

The encounter pushed her career in an

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unexpected direction and sparked the formation of The Civil Wars. Looking back, it was an obvious decision to partner up.

“I’d never had that kind of marriage between two voices before in my days.”

White told RELEVANT in 2011. “We both [had] never felt that before. The origins were out there in that ‘first sight’ kind of thing.”

White and Williams pooled their talents, fusing the down and dirty with the divine.

their debut album, Barton Hollow (and later recorded “Safe & Sound” with the band for The Hunger Games companion album).

Their time on the road featured a slew of shows with artist Adele and late-night television stops. When all was said and done, they collected four Grammy Awards.

Contrary to popular belief at the time, the members of The Civil Wars were married— but not to each other. Despite the whis-

“In making this record ... I had to stare into the darkest parts and the places I felt like I was drowning in, in order to find a new way to live.”

The Civil Wars removed the “Christian” prefix from Williams’ career, exposing her to an audience outside the Church. In two short years, it seemed as though there wasn’t an area of culture the duo hadn’t touched. “Poison & Wine” appeared on Grey’s Anatomy. Taylor Swift fawned over

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pered intimacy of their music, Williams made it clear that off the stage, their creative chemistry was enhanced by the fact they didn’t go home together at night.

“One of the many hundreds of thousands of benefits to not being a romantic couple is that we can disagree and we can talk

it out, and we don’t need to worry about how we’re going to feel later, relationally.

We don’t have to use kid gloves,” Williams remarked to RELEVANT in 2011.

But things began to change quickly. On November 6, 2012, the band canceled a string of tour dates. The announcement was made via Facebook, where citing “internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition,” the duo announced their split as a “touring entity.”

By the summer of 2014, the duo was no longer on speaking terms, and on August 5, the split became official.

Williams prefers not to speak too much about the events leading to The Civil War’s unraveling. Sure, she’ll tell you anything you want to know about herself, but even now, she avoids putting words in her former partner’s mouth. Looking back on it, though, she will say the breakup left her at loose ends creatively. Sure, she had planned to make another solo album. But she had never anticipated doing it so soon.

“As I got older, I started realizing that true creative chemistry can’t always

happen with every single person you’re in a room with,” she says. “After The Civil Wars ended, there was a moment when I wondered if that would ever happen to me again. I’m glad to say that it did.”

FREE FALLING Venus is a different beast than any of Williams’ previous albums. Yes, “Before I Sleep” and “Until the Levee” bear traces of The Civil Wars’ sweet-and-sour folk past, but those songs sit side-by-side with bass, 808 and hip-hop beats that Williams swears could have been lifted directly from her teenage car stereo.

The album’s central figure, Williams is given the chance to stretch her soprano from a whisper to a scream, her strong vocal style serving as a powerful tribute to the trailblazing women she grew up listening to—Annie Lennox and Kate Bush.

Ever the fan of details, Williams can pinpoint the exact day that work on Venus (and, by extension, her reinvention as a solo artist for the second time) began: June 24, 2013. It was just a few days before her son’s first birthday, and her mind was more on streamers, balloons and party planning than her career.

“I was literally hanging up birthday decorations and had lost track of time and realized I was running five minutes late to my first co-write that I had had in years!” she says. “I was running out the door, leaving things half hanging in the house, off to what I felt like was a really unknown adventure up ahead.”

During the next year and a half, Williams would cycle through a series of co-writers, both in Nashville and Los Angeles (where she and her family eventually moved). Her tribe of musical cohorts began to coalesce to a small handful of musicians. Introduced

by Justin Timberlake (she cringes slightly as she mentions his name, realizing what a name-drop that must sound like to uninitiated ears), producer Matt Morris (Kimbra, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera) became a close co-conspirator.

The old adage is “write what you know” and Williams certainly had experienced enough life in the last few years to fill an album. By her estimate, she wrote 80 songs for Venus. The number, while impressive, comes with a caveat: “I didn’t say all of them are good!” she says, giggling

DIVING IN “I’ve always been a really curious person,” Williams says. “And I’ve always been interested in what more I can learn.”

She pauses, considering the weight of that statement. “I think in making this record, I couldn’t look away from everything that had happened. To look away and create something other, that would have been completely disingenuous. I had to stare into the darkest parts, and the scariest places, and the places I felt like I was drowning in, in order to find a new way to live. I feel like the things that mattered the most to me deepened because of having to fight for it. I think I learned to let go of the things that don’t serve me anymore.”

But there was another, more equally powerful truth at play: fear. Williams calls honesty one of the great themes of her life, but with all the events in her past creating an emotional bottleneck, she found herself unsure how to express them all. The

tipping point came in the form of a frank conversation between her and Morris, where he pushed her to the edge.

“I remember him sitting me down and saying, ‘I really love the music you’ve made, but we’re sitting here because you’ve told me there’s more you want to say,’” she says. “‘We’ve been writing for the last hour and a half, and I don’t really feel like you’re free to say it. Why are you so afraid to just say it? You’re so afraid to say something wrong, you’re at risk of saying nothing at all.’ That’s when I started ugly-girl crying. I really needed that moment.”

Williams met the challenge head-on.

Staring Morris in the eye, she began to speak from the heart. Her raw confession became the basis for “Some Day I Will,” one of Venus’ most straightforward tracks that presents Williams revealing desires over a sparse piano line.

“I’m a little bit of a reluctant artist. In order for me to write, I have to stick my

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own hand down my throat to get a pulse,” Williams says. “It’s not a very comfortable feeling. But it felt like the only authentic way to go about doing it.

The process also helped her come to grips with her perfectionism. How do you stay in one piece when life and death are thrown at you in equal measure? How do you stay poised when everything you defined yourself by is slipping away? You don’t. There’s a reason Williams opted to appear nude in her video for “Woman (Oh Mama).” She isn’t selling sex, but rather the idea of stripping back to find core emotions. Be vulnerable and let others in, she says.

“I think there’s something that happens when you experience a great upset and a great disappointment in your life. Then, on top of that, you experience bringing a person into the world that requires you to be more selfless than you’ve ever known. Then when you lose someone who brought you into the world. That in and of itself will break you. It broke me. I don’t feel like it broke me down—I think it broke me open.

“It is a risk being this vulnerable. It does feel very naked to be this vulnerable. It’s all I know how to be these days. It makes the most sense to me.”

She pauses, letting the heady statement sink in.

“I should say ‘I’m learning.’” she continues. (Cue another bout of laughter.) “It’s always a process. That’s that curiosity again.

It’s not to fix. It’s to find what else is inside.”

TRYING TO STAY Along with all the other changes in Williams’ life, there was also the matter of her marriage, another place where she found herself forced to get real. Having met and married Yetton in her early twenties, the two had essentially grown into their adulthood together. But suddenly, Williams discovered they were no longer on the same page.

As unflinchingly honest in music as she is in conversation, that struggle became another one of Venus’ narrative threads, manifesting itself in the achingly real ballad “Not Good Enough.”

Williams says she and her husband had to relearn how to love each other. She realized her perfectionism was hurting her marriage, and she came to a place where she allowed herself to be vulnerable enough to give up that aspect of her life.

“That line in there, ‘Don’t try to leave, try to stay,’ was very much about where I felt I was in my marriage with Nate,” she says.

“We’ve been married 11, going on 12 years.

You can get into these patterns that you don’t even realize. That’s an uncomfortable place to be. You wonder, ‘Is this going to work out?

How is this going to go? We’ll either give up, we’ll fake it, or we’ll find a new way to love each other.’ Neither Nate nor I were comfortable with the first two options.

“Trying to stay can be a great challenge, but from what Nate and I discovered, there’s a whole added dimension of knowing and beauty on the other side of that, too. But it’s scary as hell.”

She’s quick to add a postscript to this

“We’ll either give up, we’ll fake it, or we’ll find a new way to love each other. Neither Nate nor I were comfortable with the first two options.”

story. There’s no finish line to marriage, but Williams is proud to note that these days, she and Yetton are connecting on a whole different level.

“You hold each other,” she says. “You disagree. You make out and make up. You parent. You work together. The high-fives come in a knowing look across a room now.

Laughing together when we’re holding our son’s hand walking to the beach. Finding his eyes right before I go onstage at night. We’re still building. It’s a beautiful building.”

On Venus, Williams covers many different layers of relationships, including marriage and even her relationship with White.

“I think what I’ve learned is that the most pain I’ve experienced is when I’m not willing to sit and stand in the moment that I’m present in. I call it future-tripping. When I’m future-tripping, it’s like, ‘If life was only like this! If only my dad hadn’t gotten his cancer diagnosis. If only the band hadn’t broken up.

If only Nate and I hadn’t found ourselves in

this predicament.’ When I stay present with what I currently have, and not what I don’t have, I feel a lot more clear-headed.”

The many threads of Williams’ story became the basis of Venus, named, in part, for its otherworldly electronic production (“I told people in the studio that I wanted it to sound like I was building a log cabin on Venus,” Williams explains), and in part because it carries an obvious feminine connotation.

Her album may be thematically slanted toward the female experience, but Williams never imagined that she can, or should, speak for all women. In her eyes, what she’s done is create a human record, a chance to speak out for anyone who has sought authenticity.

“I do really love celebrating what I see in myself,” she says. “The good, bad and ugly.

And what I see in other women—the beauty and the absolute power, the terrifyingly wonderful thing that it is to be a woman. It’s a humanist record. It’s about everybody having the freedom to own who they are. That’s what I’m interested in. If what I make can become a mouthpiece for somebody else, then that’s icing on the cake.”

By her own account, Williams is more relaxed these days—even if the excitement of releasing a new album can leave her forgetting her car keys, losing her wallet or attempting to put a candle in the refrigerator. (These confessions are, of course, delivered with a dismissive laugh.) She’s stopped looking for the mountaintop experiences or waiting to be “OK.” Instead, she’s started enjoying life in the present tense. In fact, the list of things currently making Williams happy is pretty exact, and sounds as though it could almost be set to the Sound of Music song, “My Favorite Things.”

“Barefoot sandy walks to the ocean with my son and with Nate,” she says, dreamily.

“Not feeling afraid to just be me, even if that might be uncomfortable for some.”

Even the great unknown makes her list.

“We’ve only just begun. It’s not going to be like what it was. It’s going to be something new. Does that make me curious and scared some days? Absolutely. But I would rather live my life in a way where I could look back and say I was brave—brave enough to see what would happen if I really did give it everything I have.”

L AUR A STUDARUS is a writer living in Los Angeles. She’s a regular contributor to Under the Radar, Filter and RELEVANT.

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THE WIDESPREAD SLAUGHTER OF CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS USHERING IN AN UNPRECEDENTED RELIGIOUS AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

BY JOHNNIE MOORE

ON

any given day in Iraq, people could bleed to death in church. Nine-yearold girls could be sold into sexual slavery. Priests and pastors could be threatened, robbed, harassed, extorted, kidnapped, crucified, tortured or beheaded.

All this because they believe in Jesus, or cared for the poor and vulnerable in His name.

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Up until this year, the Christian community in Iraq—a community that first heard the Gospel from the apostles themselves— thrived for nearly 2,000 years. Now it faces the threat of extinction.

The Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Mosul says that what has happened to Christians in his city, Iraq’s second largest city, “can be described in a single word: genocide.”

The extremist terrorist organization

responsible for this genocide is the Islamic State (ISIS)—a terrorist group so brutal they have been excommunicated by al-Qaeda. The group brings an incarnation of hell into monasteries and churches, into the homes of peace-loving believers and the streets of ancient cities—where severed heads of those who oppose them routinely sit on public display.

Last year, I visited Iraq. There, I met an

elderly nun, Sister Maria Hanna, who told me that “Christianity in Iraq is bleeding.”

“We are extremely exhausted,” she said. “Every day, we hope tomorrow will be better, but our tomorrows seem to bring only more tears and more hardship.”

For the first time in 1,600 years, no church bells ring in Iraq’s second largest city. ISIS militants bombed the city’s most famous and ancient Christian buildings and burned ancient Christian manuscripts. The group so thoroughly cleansed the city of Christians and Christianity that they even carved out crosses from tombstones. The only Christians remaining in Iraq’s Christian heartland, the Nineveh Plains, are hostages or women in slavery.

At its very core, ISIS represents unrelenting hatred for Christians and seeks their total elimination, whether they are in Iraq or Syria, or Lincoln, Nebraska. Their particular taste for Christian blood has been on full display during the last six months, as they’ve executed more than 50 Egyptian and Ethiopian Christians in videos called “a message written in blood to the nation of the cross.” Other ISIS affiliates or ISIS sympathizers seem emboldened by Western silence on these escalating attacks to commit their own attacks against Christians in at least a half dozen other countries.

We are witnessing first-century-type persecution in the 21st century, emanating from the very birthplace of Christianity on a scale that we have rarely seen in Christian history.

Ten years ago, there were 1.5 million Christians in Iraq, and now the most liberal estimates cap the present Christian population at no more than 300,000. Similarly, Syria’s 2 million-person Christian community is decimated, and Egypt’s 8 million Coptic Christians have experienced more persecution in the past three years than in the previous 600 years combined.

The “Arab Spring” sparked a “Christian Winter,” which has allowed terrorists to take advantage of political instability in multiple nations to launch an all-out war on Christians, other religious minorities (such as the Yazidis) and the vast majority of the region’s Muslims.

The United Nations deemed ISIS responsible for the “worst humanitarian crisis of our modern era.”

Amid this crisis, many of us run the risk of drifting into fearfulness or even prejudice. But Christians cannot live that way. Of course, this raises the question, “How should the Church react to ISIS?” The answer is neither simple nor easy. But I do think some answers are clear:

CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS MUST STAND TOGETHER In one week in late 2013, ISIS militants ransacked more than 40 of Egypt’s most well-known and

ISIS HAS KILLED MORE THAN

110,000

IRAQI CIVILIANS AND

140,000

SYRIAN CIVILIANS

90% OF MUSLIMS ARE SUNNI, THE SECT FROM WHICH ISIS DEVIATED

ISIS IS PRESENT IN

ALL 50

STATES OF AMERICA, ACCORDING TO THE FBI

oldest churches. Many Christians were injured, and some were killed. Nearly all the Christians in the country were gripped, once again, by a sudden sense of insecurity.

This was the latest in a series of escalating threats against the ancient Christian community in Egypt, and they continue today. The incidents are numerous, with some especially disgusting, such as when extremist mobs attacked the home villages of some of the 21 Coptic martyrs in order to stop the construction of a church in honor of family members whom ISIS beheaded.

Despite the growing threat of Islamic extremism in Egypt, repeated incidents occur of Muslims locking hands and surrounding Christian churches in order to keep the mobs from attacking. In fact, the president of Egypt—a Muslim—is the one who ordered a Christian church built in honor of the Coptic martyrs.

Within weeks of ISIS’s lightning-fast advance in Iraq and Syria in 2014, 126 of the world’s top Islamic scholars issued an open letter to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, criticizing him for the awful Islamic theology that dictates the horror the group inflicts on the world. This letter outlines 24 specific areas in which ISIS’s actions directly oppose Islamic teaching. In their point-by-point refutation of ISIS’s ideology, the authors are even patronizing at points.

They mock the ISIS leader for grammatical errors and misinterpretations of basic Arabic words.

Regarding Christians, the letter is clear: “These Christians are not combatants against Islam ... indeed, they are our friends, neighbors and co-citizens.”

Actually, my own concern for Christians in the Middle East didn’t begin with Christians at all. It began with a Muslim.

The man who introduced me to the plight of Christians in the Middle East is the King of Jordan, a Muslim who is considered a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad. King Abdullah II convened a meeting in Amman that included representatives from ancient Christian communities throughout the Middle East. The meeting chair was a highly regarded Jordanian prince and special adviser to the king for religious affairs, Ghazi bin Muhammad, who has been on the forefront of the global interfaith movement for 20 years.

At the meeting, Ghazi told the group that “Christians were in this region before Muslims.

They are not strangers, nor colonialists, nor foreigners. They are natives of these lands and Arabs, just as Muslims are.”

King Abdullah II, in the presence of the international media, responded that the group’s “duty, rather than a favor” is to protect Christians in the Middle East. These Jordanian leaders raised the issue of the

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systematic destruction of ancient Christian communities long before almost any Christians in America paid attention.

The truth is that until recent times, Christians and Muslims lived together largely peaceably in countries like Iraq and Syria. Current conflicts are the result of an extremism that threatens not only the ancient communities of Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities, it also threatens nearly all Muslims—the vast majority of whom, whether Sunni or Shia— do not embrace ISIS-type jihadist ideology.

Christians cannot perceive all Muslims

The roads were crowded with those exiting, and it became apparent that not everyone could make it out. Joseph knew a particular family that probably would not make it—a family he loved.

He rushed to their home and told them, “When ISIS arrives, they will come to your door and they will ask you if you are Christian or Muslim. I would tell them ‘I am a follower of Jesus.’”

It was a coy bit of advice, given that Muslims consider Jesus a prophet. But, of course, there was no way around ISIS’s identifying them as members of Iraq’s

NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO STAND HAND-IN-HAND WITH THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY, UNIFIED AGAINST THOSE WHO ARE ENEMIES OF ALL DEFINITIONS OF TRUTH. as extremists any more than we can see all Christians as crusaders. Now is the time for us to stand hand-in-hand with the Muslim community, not in exchange of our different definitions of truth, but unified against those who are enemies of all definitions of truth.

EMBRACE PRAYER, NOT FATALISM I know of a pastor in Iraq named Joseph. One day, when he heard ISIS was approaching his village, he ran from house-to-house warning people that their lives were in danger. But he ran out of time; his village included too many Christians and there were too few hours left.

2006

O C TO B ER

AQI leader, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, announces the creation of Islamic State in Iraq

Christianity community. Joseph left them with one word of advice before dashing off to the next group: “If you choose to not convert,” he told them, “then just know it will only hurt for a second. I am praying for you.” ISIS indeed arrived before the family of four could flee.

It only hurt them for a second.

In a real sense, we are witnessing a new Foxe’s Book of Martyrs being written every single day in the Middle East.

As Christians, we often react two different ways when we read stories like these. We can embrace a sense of fatalism. This reaction compels us to embrace

and face suffering and to trust God in it.

Consequently, we don’t feel particularly inspired to stop it.

In this reaction, we fail to understand the great history of sacrifice deeply rooted in the Christian Church. We fail to see how suffering strengthens the Church and causes the Church to grow. We only see the darkness, never the glimmer of light that shines when a Christian, young or old, dies in the name of Jesus.

The Bible teaches us to live both realities. We are to embrace the inevitability of suffering, and even martyrdom, even as we cry out for justice and fight to rescue those whose lives are threatened because of their faith in Jesus Christ alone. We should celebrate the sacrifice of our brothers and our sisters, all while we pray, as the apostle Paul advises the church in Thessalonica, “that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men” (2 Thessalonians 3:2).

This isn’t a season for our churches to dedicate one Sunday to the persecuted church. This is a time for churches to dedicate every Sunday to the persecuted church.

Our fellow Christians need our prayers for their protection and perseverance.

Then, we need to get off of our knees and get to work helping them.

One of the simplest things to do is help organizations that provide humanitarian assistance to ISIS victims. If these brothers and sisters die for lack of food or shelter, then ISIS still wins.

REJECT FEAR AND RAISE OUR VOICES When the Archbishop of Washington,

JU NE 2 9 ISIS announces the creation of a caliphate (Islamic state) that erases all state borders (making al-Baghdadi the self-declared authority over the world’s estimated 1.5 billion Muslims), and changes its name to “Islamic State”

JU NE 3 0

An estimated 1.2 million Iraqis have been forced from their homes in response to ISIS

2014 A PRIL 8 ISI declares its absorption of al-Qaedabacked militant group in Syria, Jabhat alNusra and changes its name to “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” (ISIS)

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AU GU S T

2013

ISIS fighters storm the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, home to the Yazidis, a minority group. Hundreds of Yazidi men are killed, thousands of Yazidi women and girls captured and more than 40,000 stranded in the mountains

D.C., Cardinal Donald Wuerl, addressed the opening convocation of the Catholic University of America last fall, he launched into a plea on behalf of persecuted Christians in the Middle East, asking his audience to consider whether they would stand by while the Islamic State eliminates 2,000 years of Christianity from the Middle East. And then he said these words: “We cannot, in conscience, ignore this.

Often, we are asked how is it possible in human history that atrocities [like this one] occur. They occur for two reasons: There are those prepared to commit them and those who remain silent. The actions in Iraq and Syria today ... [are] something that we are really not free to ignore ... I do not want to have it on my conscience that I was complicit in something as horrendous as this, simply for being quiet.”

This catastrophe demands a swift and thorough response from the world. But demands are even clearer for the world’s 2-billion-strong Christian community.

During a different time when Christians were beheaded and crucified, the apostle Paul told the Corinthian church that “If one member of the body suffers, all suffer together” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Another New Testament author wrote, “Remember those who are in prison as if you were in prison with them” (Hebrews 13:3). We have an obligation to empathize with those whose lives are threatened and destroyed, and we must raise our voice on behalf of justice and do as King Solomon advised us: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering

AU G U S T 19

ISIS beheads American journalist James Foley

SE PTE M B E R 1 1 The CIA estimates ISIS membership is between 20,000 and 31,500 across Iraq and Syria

toward slaughter” (Proverbs 24:11).

I met a nun in Iraq who lived in America for a while. Her words to me about ISIS and the American public still haunt me.

“It’s shocking to me that [Americans] are so silent in the face of our genocide,” she said. “Please help us. Raise your voice for us. Our children are dying. In America, you care for your pets so well, can you care for your Christian brothers and

20,000 FIGHTERS FROM 90 COUNTRIES HAVE JOINED ISIS 3,400 ISIS MEMBERS ARE FROM WESTERN NATIONS, WITH MORE THAN

150 FROM THE U.S. sisters who are suffering?”

Now is our time to speak up, and do so relentlessly.

We need to remember those “in prison” and “led away to death” in traditional ways. This means writing emails and making phone calls to leaders in government, demanding they do more to address the crisis. We should also encourage our pastors and spiritual leaders to do more. Let’s recognize the consequence of this moment and cry out until our voices are raw.

FEBRUARY 1 1 President Barack Obama asks Congress to authorize use of military force against ISIS

In this age, when everyone has their own platforms on Twitter and Facebook, we should also raise our voices in nontraditional ways.

I am convinced we have a moral duty to use our individual influence to speak on behalf of those in harm’s way. ISIS uses the web and social media outlets to spread propaganda and recruit. In a very real sense, they fight their war online.

All of us have the power to rebuff that war by flooding the Internet with statements of support on behalf of those ISIS aims to destroy. In the last year, hashtags like #WeAreN, #21Martyrs, #DefyingISIS and #ChristianLivesMatter each represent a little war won against digital terrorism.

When we cry out for justice online, we are on the frontlines of ISIS’s battle to spread hatred, recruit others and inspire others to commit atrocities.

ALWAYS HOPE

As we must increase our prayer and efforts to defy ISIS, let’s also never forget that God possesses the power to change the hearts of those terrorizing the Church, just like He changed the heart of Saul—on a road to Syria, no less—2,000 years ago.

Maybe there’s a member of ISIS who will meet Jesus even today. If we know nothing else from the New Testament, we know that former terrorists make really zealous preachers of the Gospel.

JOHNNIE MOORE is a humanitarian, author and spokesperson for international religious freedom. His new book, Defying ISIS, is available now.

M ARCH 7

Boko Haram pledges allegiance to ISIS M AY 3

ISIS kills at least 200 Yazidis near Mosul

2015 SEP T EM B ER 2

NOV E M B E R 1 6

ISIS beheads another American journalist, Steven Sotloff

ISIS beheads American Peter Kassig

FEBRUARY 1 5 ISIS executes 21 Egyptian Christians on a Libyan beach

M AY 5

ISIS claims responsibility for an attack on United States soil, in Texas

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BY ROB FEE

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JAN_FEB 2015

hen I was in high school, way back in the ’90s, dating seemed incredibly difficult.

You had to walk up to a girl and declare your feelings face to face, with a lingering fear of rejection just waiting to jump into your soul and crush your hopes and dreams.

Or there was always calling her, but then you had to find a non-creepy way to get her phone number, then explain who you were to her and her entire family. There’s no way that situation ever works out in your favor.

The Internet changed everything, but especially dating. Not only could you meet someone online, even communicating became a breeze thanks to texting, commenting, swiping and any other form of courtship that requires four seconds of moving your thumbs inbetween YouTube video viewings.

If you’re single, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re married, read this and then go hug your single friend, then go hug your spouse even harder.

Here are eight of the most annoying dating habits of the 21st century.

W

P H O T O C R E D I T: D Y L A N & S A R A

1. SO, ARE WE DATING OR WHAT? Here’s a fun game to play: The next time you see a couple in their early to midtwenties on a date, ask them if they’re boyfriend and girlfriend.

For some reason, the idea of labeling relationships now gets the same kneejerk reaction as yelling a racial slur in the middle of a daycare.

“I mean, we go out several times every week and we aren’t seeing anyone else.

We’ve met each other’s families and he asked my father for permission to marry me and then bought me a ring and proposed. Of course I said yes, and we’re getting married next May, but I think

it might be a little soon to start labeling each other as boyfriend or girlfriend.”

If your relationship status requires over 12 seconds to explain, you need to go talk to your dating partner. Or anybody else. Just not me, because I really don’t feel like trying to figure out what you mean by “connected free spirits.”

2. PHONES DURING DATES First of all, let me say that I am completely guilty of being on my phone at times when I certainly should not be on my phone. There are times when it’s actually something important, but way too many times I’m just mindlessly scrolling through Instagram while the reverend gives his beautiful eulogy.

OK, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. It’s difficult enough to find someone you’d actually like to spend an evening with, then a time and place that works for both of you, but now, thanks to smartphones, you’ve also got to compete with literally everyone they know in the world.

I’m sure he loved that story you just told and would totally be laughing out loud, if he weren’t too busy seeing how many likes his last status update got on Facebook. Forget some big, romantic gesture; the most passionate way you can show you love someone now is by keeping your phone in your pocket through an entire meal.

3. FOMO If you don’t watch Broad City or spend an obscene amount of time on the Internet, you might not have heard the term “FOMO,” which stands for “fear of missing out.”

It may sound ridiculous, but we live in a society that determines how great an event was by how popular the picture of it is on Instagram. I know. It’s gross.

There’s always a constant fear of committing to one set of plans because what if a better invitation comes along right after you agree to this one?

Not only does it happen in planning your weekend; it also seeps over into dating, as well. You meet someone and it feels great and you really get along, but what if you’re missing out on all sorts of adventures and fun because you’re choosing to be with this person?

Then you have to worry that maybe you’re letting go of “the one” to chase something that will never live up to what you just had.

Are you stressed out yet? What if in the time you just spent reading this you missed your soul mate?

The world is crashing down around you.

4. YOUR EX WILL HAUNT YOU FOREVER Twenty years ago, after you broke up with someone, you might, by some chance, run into him at the mall or at a mutual friend’s party. Now, thanks to social media, you will see his stupid face every day on some platform for the rest of your life.

Either she commented on your exroommate’s photo, or Facebook decided to suggest you send him a friend request every day, even though you clearly have no interest and Facebook is not good at picking up on hints. (You’re already reading our messages anyway, Zuckerberg; at least do us the favor of screening our exes out of there.)

The Internet made the world a much smaller place, and while that’s great for keeping up with friends or sending a video of a cat playing a keyboard to all of your aunts at once, it makes avoiding the faces of those who broke your heart almost impossible.

The only option to avoid it completely is to give up social media entirely. And now we’re just saying foolish nonsense.

What’s next? Giving up books? The outdoors? Taco Bell?

5. MAKING PLANS When your relationship doesn’t have a clear and concise label, trying to make

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plans beyond the next time you’ll see each other is like walking through a minefield. This isn’t anything particularly new, but it is even more difficult now that casual dating is much more popular than in the past.

Let’s say you’ve been seeing someone for a month and there’s a wedding you’re attending in five weeks. That’s further out than you’ve even been seeing each other. But if you wait too late to ask, she might make plans or may not be able to get the proper attire in time.

Plus, she may look at it as your being very committed to the relationship and feel a little security. Or she’ll look at it as your pushing things way too quickly and trying to lock her into a long-term relationship—when you’re not even sure if that’s something you want right now.

back? Well now there are about a million other ways to stress yourself out about not hearing back from someone.

Let’s say you sent a text at 6 p.m. and it’s now 9 p.m. and you haven’t heard anything back. It’s probably nothing, right? She’s probably just busy or away from her phone.

You know what? Just to ease your mind, why don’t you check her Twitter to see if she’s posted anything since you sent that text? Great, there’s nothing there.

And while you’re at it, you might as well check her Instagram to see if she’s posted a picture since you texted her. You know, just to make sure there’s not an issue.

Well, not checking her Facebook just seems irresponsible now that you’ve checked the other ones. Has she sent you a Snapchat? FaceTime? WhatsApp? Kik?

TEXTING MAKES DATING AND COMMUNICATING MUCH EASIER, BUT IT CAN EASILY BE THE DEATH OF A RELATIONSHIP. So what do you do?

“Hey, there’s a wedding in a few weeks.

It’s not my wedding. We aren’t getting married and I’m not engaged to anyone else. It’s a wedding I’m attending and I don’t know if you like attending weddings or would want to attend one with me, but if you want to come to this one with me as my date, I would like that. If not, it’s no problem. We may break up before then and hate each other. Did I say break up? I meant to say, ‘We may not still be casual like we are now.’ We may be more casual? Less casual? The amount of casualness that we are currently experiencing may be experienced to a different degree in the future and we could prepare for that. This was a really bad idea to leave on your voicemail, wasn’t it?”

6. NOT HEARING BACK BECOMES A MYSTERY INVESTIGATION Remember when you would call someone and if you didn’t get an answer, you would leave a message on their machine then stress about it until you heard

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A Vine video, perhaps? A Kickstarter campaign for a new phone that actually sends and receives texts?

Being a crazy person just became a full-time job, and that’s just the stress if she didn’t actually update any of her profiles. God forbid she decided to post a tweet instead of responding to your text about what sort of creature Grimace is from those McDonald’s commercials.

7. TEXTING Texting makes dating and communicating much easier, but it can easily be the death of a relationship.

The problem is that you never have the beginning and an end to a conversation, because you can just pick up and drop out of texting at any given time.

How many times have you told your boyfriend or girlfriend, “Good night” on the phone and then kept texting for another hour? It’s just always there— and that’s not always a good thing.

The worst part, however, is the lack of tone. You can’t hear what the other

person is actually saying, so when you have an argument or disagreement via text, and if you haven’t LOLed, you will project into their words. “Oh, should I have a great day? Really? That’s how you want to do this?” Before you know it, two people who are both trying to work things out have misconstrued each other’s words to the point that planning a dinner turned into a cage match.

Obviously, I’m not going to tell you to avoid texting in relationships because that’s never going to happen. However, you have to make time for phone calls or FaceTime calls when you’re not around each other, or it becomes easy to disconnect from your partner. You need to say a little more than just a string of smiley faces with heart-eyed emojis.

8. CLASSIC ROMANTIC GESTURES ARE IN A RECESSION By no means am I saying classic romantic gestures like flowers, cards or little presents are dead, but they certainly seem to be in a very cold and dark place.

With everything being communicated in a digital manner now, the most romantic expression some guys can muster up is making his girlfriend his #WomanCrushWednesday on Instagram.

It doesn’t even have to be an extravagant gift to be special. When was the last time you gave or received a handwritten letter? There’s no cost involved, so that’s not an excuse. Hands are free.

Putting your new love interest in your Facebook profile picture is nice, but we all know how easy it is to crop someone out of those later.

Everything is convenient now and, sadly, that same mentality has crossed over into relationships. It’s not bad to put a little effort into something. We have to break the mentality of avoiding anything that’s difficult, because it’s probably bad for us. Dating may have its good and bad sides, but when you find the right one, all those annoying habits you had to fight through won’t seem like that big of a deal at all.

ROB FEE is a writer and comedian best known for writing and telling jokes. You can follow him on Twitter @RobFee to read more jokes or go to Del Taco. He’s probably there.

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AS BASSIST BOB CRAWFORD’S FAMILY BATTLES CANCER, THE BAND FINDS NEW PURPOSE — AND MAYBE A NEW SOUND

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B Y M A C K H AY D E N , W ITH L AUR A STUDARUS

he core of popular folk outfit The Avett Brothers is, well, the Avett brothers, Scott and Seth. But since its earliest days, the band has included a functional brother: double bassist Bob Crawford.

The not-quite brother is so much a part of the Avetts that he attends Avett family holiday dinners, where, occasionally, he even cuts the turkey. The Avett Brothers are a family band. And, biology aside, Crawford is part of the family.

“I can tell you, I have a wonderful position; I love my job,” Crawford says of his place among the brothers and within the band.

While the birth brothers drive the music, Crawford says they all participate in the final product.

“The driving force of the songs is Scott and Seth,” Crawford says. “They bring it together first, and then I get in there and we hash out the meat, and put the meat on the bones together.”

A MOUNTAIN TOP Looking at them now, you would never guess that at the beginning, the Avetts were initially skeptical of adding Crawford to their act.

After playing in string of various punk, pop and rock bands through their teens, the brothers developed an interest in folk

music in the early 2000s. “We were sort of simultaneously having an American roots awakening, as far as realizing the wealth of incredible music that has been grown right here in the South, where we’re from,” Seth Avett says.

As a folk outfit, the brothers wanted an upright bass player to fill out their sound, and Crawford, who they met through a mutual friend, seemed like a natural choice.

Crawford was new to the bass, but that didn’t stop him from diving into it.

The group honed their sound and skill in front of audiences around the country.

“We hacked our way in, and we developed in front of people,” Scott Avett says.

“I do think that’s part of what the initial draw was, the drama that we dealt with— learning and stumbling, flubbing through every song. People, I think, were drawn to it.”

It may have been a slow start, but it eventually led the band to big things.

The band added cellist Joe Kwon, as well as several regular touring members. They played tours around the world, sold hundreds of thousands of albums and even—in a mountain top moment— shared the stage with Bob Dylan at the 2011 Grammys.

But if the 2011 Grammys represent a mountain top for the Avett Brothers, the next few months brought a valley.

TRAGEDY AND MIRACLES In the fall of 2011, Crawford’s daughter Hallie, then 2 years old, was diagnosed with, according to him, “a very rare, very aggressive form of cancer.”

He ended up taking time off from the band in order to spend time with her.

The experience brought the band closer together, with the other members supporting Crawford’s decision and delaying the release of their seventh full-length album until he could return to finish working on it.

Hallie underwent two years of chemotherapy. Still, five months afterward, her cancer came back, and, in 2013, she had another surgery.

Today, Crawford’s daughter is doing better, but it’s still a day-by-day process.

Despite the pain of the diagnosis and treatment process, Crawford and his wife found their faith strengthened through this ordeal.

“We pray it stays away,” he says. “We pray every day and feel like we’ve seen genuine miracles performed through our daughter. It’s very easy for me to say that. Other people, I’m sure, have witnessed that kind of thing. I’ve heard testimonies, of course. But to be in 2011 to 2015 and witness and be a part of seeing a miracle happen is just an amazing, amazing thing.

“For today, we just continue to pray and enjoy every single day that comes to us,” he says. “We’re taking it one day at a time.”

In addition to the miracles experienced through his daughter, Crawford, his family and the whole band receive overwhelming support from fans.

“Our fans, friends and family really taught us what it means to serve another person and how we should all be serving each other,” Crawford says. “I learn that from our fans everyday. We are very aware of all the good works they do, the things they have taken upon themselves

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OTHER FAMILY BANDS THAT MADE IT OUTSIDE THEIR LIVING ROOMS

KIN GS O F L E O N

AR CAD E FIR E

THE B E E G E E S

This Nashville band features Followill brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared with cousin Matthew.

Husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne lead, with brother Will Butler playing, too.

Apparently, Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb are actual people—not just a Fallon-Timberlake sketch.

to do in Hallie’s name or in the name of a loved one or family member. We are just so honored to have them.”

MUSIC WITH RENEWED PURPOSE Crawford and the Avett brothers want to serve others just like they’ve been served.

Using their music and platform to serve others is something the whole band buys into. They increasingly perform in charity concerts, where they encourage fans to give to places such as St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital—where Crawford’s daughter has been treated.

“We just saw that what we do was potentially a great tool for helping,” Scott Avett says. “So there’s a new reason to do it. That is relieving, that’s enlightening, that’s exciting for us, because the more we’ve done it, the more we think, ‘Well, what is the point? How much is one person going to gather for themselves? Really, can they gather anything for themselves?’ It really doesn’t amount to anything until you realize that service is the only answer.”

The band’s penchant for charity and service fits in with the moral, hopeful subtext that sounds through all their albums. On all the band’s albums, their lyrics are unafraid of human nature’s brokenness and are relentless in their pursuit of redemption. In other words, they’re all about realistic hope.

“I do believe there’s a fundamental moral streak that runs through a lot of what we do, because we as people want to be better,” Crawford says. “It’s pretty easy to listen to the music from the beginning on and [hear that] the characters of these songs are always admitting that they’ve

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failed. They’re admitting that they’re wrong. There’s a lot of admission and confession in our songs, but there’s also a lot of hope. There’s crying out for grace and there’s seeking redemption. Those themes are very prevalent throughout our music.”

Themes like failure, confession and redemption regularly come through The Avett Brother’s albums. Their lyrics inspire without being Hallmark cards; they’re sad but hopeful. Anyone can relate to their songs.

For the band’s initial three members, an element of faith helps bolster reflection on these sorts of topics. The band gives listeners a reason to keep singing and hoping.

“I can’t tell you every doctrinal belief we have or don’t have,” Crawford says. “But I do believe there’s a fundamental ethic.

“It’s dangerous when you say you’re a Christian, because then people may think, ‘These guys are Christians so, hey, they must be writing Christian songs,’” he continues. “We don’t want to limit our listeners. You may strive to be one way because you believe this thing, but there’s also that element where you don’t want to turn people from listening to a message that’s universal in a lot of ways. [Our message] crosses denominational and doctrinal limitations.”

The Avett Brothers make music for everyone, but that doesn’t mean they’re generic. They write and play from deep roots and through experiences that shape their lives and their music.

LOOKING TOWARD 2016 Things have changed since The Avett Brothers’ debut album, Country Was. Up

through 2007’s Emotionalism, the band’s music was stripped down and warm. In their early years, they did as much with an acoustic guitar, banjo and upright bass as possible, even if some songs venture into more diverse instrumentation.

Now, more musicians participate and the Avetts feature more instruments both in studio and on stage. And, of course, they brought in legendary producer Rick Rubin, who has worked with artists such as Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Adele.

Crawford, an Avett Brother since the 2002 debut album, says Rubin has made all the difference.

“Rick was as influential before we started working with him as he’s been since,” he says. “What did we listen to in our formative years? We were listening to those Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash albums. A lot of what we were doing was, at least, a byproduct of his influence.

Now we’re more directly connected with him. He’s such an easy person to work with. It’s so joyful to have him around.”

Rubin produced The Avett Brothers’ last three records (2009’s I and Love and You, 2012’s The Carpenter and 2013’s Magpie and the Dandelion). And he will produce their next project, as well.

And, according to Crawford, this new project, expected in early 2016, may give fans a new sound.

“We’ve recorded several songs with the full band in studio,” he says. “Right there is a departure from our previous albums.

For years, it was me, Scott, Seth, Joe and contributing musicians in studio. For the past year and a half, we’ve used a sevenperson band on stage, and we brought

R-L: Seth Avett, Scott Avett, Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon

everyone into the studio this time around.

“We recorded these songs, largely, live and in the same room, as best as we could.

We performed as a live band in studio, which we’ve never done before.”

While, certainly, recording as a full band live in studio represents a change, Crawford says the band has something even more different in mind.

“At the same time we’ve been recording [live with a full band],” Crawford says.

“We’ve been taking the tracks to an adjacent studio and doing remixes.”

The Avett Brothers—the band known for their stripped down, live instrument sound—are doing remixes.

“We’re trying to see where the possibilities are outside the box we’ve created for ourselves.” Crawford says. “I don’t know what the final product will be. I don’t know if we’ll release one electronic album

THE AVETT BROTHERS MAKE MUSIC FOR EVERYONE, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY’RE GENERIC. THEY WRITE AND PLAY FROM DEEP ROOTS AND EXPERIENCES.

and one with a live band or if we’ll just release one album with the different styles mixed up. Our electronic stuff may never see the light of day or it may be the entire record. It’s been a very exciting process to sit through that and toy around with it.”

In one sense, nothing for The Avett Brothers is the same. As Crawford walks with his daughter through her illness, the whole band and entire fanbase is walking with him. They sing and play with strengthened faith. And now they’re experimenting with new takes on their established sound.

They’re growing, like a family.

So, in another sense, nothing for The Avett Brothers has changed.

MACK HAYDEN is a writer who can be found on Twitter @unionmack. L AUR A STUDARUS, a writer in California, contributed additional reporting to this article.

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OUR GENERATION HAS REJECTED THE US-VERSUS-THEM APPROACH TO CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT, SO WHAT’S NEXT?

N ew York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof put it this way: “Today, among urban Americans and Europeans, ‘evangelical Christian’ is sometimes a synonym for ‘rube.’ In liberal circles, evangelicals constitute one of the few groups that it’s safe to mock openly.”

In the country some call a “Christian” nation, Americans increasingly disapprove of evangelical Christianity. As an example, the Human Rights Campaign reports an approval rating of 42 percent for evangelicals, 11 percent lower than approval of the gay community.

For better or worse, this represents a seismic shift in American culture.

In 1992, James Davison Hunter popularized the now-common term “culture wars” in his aptly named book, Culture Wars, largely drawing from the sociological work of Peter Berger—who coined another

BY A ARON CLINE HANBURY

jargon term: “secularization.”

In his book, Hunter outlines five areas in America—family, education, media/arts, law and politics—that divide society into religious and secular. The issues that represented the fiercest battles were, not surprisingly, sexual issues such as abortion and, oddly, issues of science and origins of humanity.

Hunter observed the institutionalization of the culture wars through specialpurpose organizations, denominations, political parties and government. Meaning, the two “sides” organized, with groups like the Moral Majority on the right and the American Civil Liberties Union on the left— institutional heirs, so to speak, of William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow.

Unwittingly or not, American Christianity gained the perception of being synonymous with efforts to claim America for Jesus.

Over time, the opposing moral sides became their own reality; the culture wars grew larger than the individuals and organizations involved and just became an assumed fact within American public life.

And, despite the movement’s original purpose, American evangelicalism took a visible post in the war.

“The culture wars were about fundamentalism, and unfortunately, evangelicalism got swept up into fundamentalism,” says Gregory Alan Thornbury, president of The King’s College in New York City and author of Recovering Classic Evangelicalism. “The

project that Carl Henry and Billy Graham were about was not what ‘evangelicalism’ ending up meaning by the late 1980s and early 1990s.”

By then, being an evangelical Christian— and in some circles a Christian of any stripe—became synonymous with something other than the central confessions of the Church. Christianity in the public sphere meant something more like “social conservative,” “pro-Israel” or “family values.” So the perceived goal of the Christianity community—and surely the actual goal of some—was a return to the America of the 1950s, a purported golden age of public morality.

By now, many Christians are aware of a well-documented study by Pew Research Center published earlier this summer, which found that Christians are declining, “both as a share of the U.S. population and in total number.” The study found that during a seven-year period, the number of self-identifying Christians fell by nearly 8 percent, solidifying a cultural assumption and confirming similar studies.

If there was a culture war, the winner wasn’t Christianity.

“I think we are in a really interesting transitional period for culture in general, but for the Church in particular,” says Mike Cosper, pastor of worship and arts at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and author most recently of The Stories We Tell: How TV and Movies Long

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for and Echo the Truth. “The pendulum has swung on so many cultural issues. The tactics that the Church attempted to use in the ’80s and ’90s didn’t succeed necessarily in transforming the culture and cementing the Church’s place as a beacon in this culture.

“They weren’t effective then and they’re going to be even less effective now because of the way the public sympathies are not with the Church when it comes to orthodox, traditional understandings of certain beliefs.”

Cosper says the Church in the new century wants to set a different tone. He says the defining reactions for many in the Church today are to “the previous 20 years” and to 9/11. Believers in the new millennium, he thinks, are trying to figure out how to process a shattered sense of

says. “We need to focus on revival and deepening commitments and deepening competencies when it comes to what do we believe and why we believe it.”

Berger—the sociologist who coined the phrase “secularization”—suggests in his newest book that the proliferation of religious pluralism, including the “nones,” makes today a good time for religions. With less and less shared cultural assumptions, the opportunity is there for believers to present a compelling case for their faith to the world.

“Some of the things that were just assumed in the past are no longer assumed,” Lee says. “I think one of the things that it does is give an opportunity for Christians to sober up, to actually count the cost and to ask themselves very carefully if they believe these things

“IT’S NOT TIME FOR A CULTURE BATTLE, IT’S TIME FOR REFORMATION OF THE CHURCH. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON REVIVAL.” - Mike Cosper security and safety.

“I think the Church is looking for a way forward, and I don’t know that anyone has necessarily articulated terribly clearly what to do,” he says.

The solution offered by several younger leaders is that the Church must be the Church. This attitude reflects what Tim Keller argues in his now-classic book, The Reason for God: The world doesn’t need less Christianity—it needs more.

That begins, says Trip Lee, with reclaiming the definition of “Christian” not as a special interest group, but as a broken person made whole again.

“The definition of a Christian is someone who acknowledges that he or she is not perfect and trusts Jesus for forgiveness,” says Lee, a hip-hop artist, author and pastor. “I think one of best ways we can engage culture is to be open and honest about our sin and the fact that being a Christian means being someone who has repented of his or her sin and trusted Jesus. Being perfect doesn’t help anybody.”

For Cosper, moving on from the culture wars means the Church needs to set aside a warring posture, at least as it was.

“It’s not time for a culture battle, it’s time for reformation of the Church,” he

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because they believe Jesus or just because other people said it.”

Culture, then, is not something to be avoided or conquered, but a context where Christians can live out part of Jesus’ great commandment: loving their neighbor. The Church needs not only to reclaim its own distinctive, it needs to convince the culture to listen. The Great Commandment feeds the Great Commission.

In this posture, Christians don’t demonize the “big culture monster over in the corner.” Rather, culture represents shared assumptions and worldviews that influence people—neighbors—every day.

“As you think more carefully about culture, how you’re going to enjoy culture personally, how you’re going engage culture, it will influence the way you interact with people on a daily basis,” Lee says.

Cosper argues that the first thing Christians focus on in terms of public witness should not be “the politics of our nation and how Christians should be voting.” Rather, they should focus on “their neighborhood, how they love their neighbors and how they love the guy who lives across the street from them.”

“Then, when these conflicts come up, the tone of the conversation is completely

different because you’ve made plausible something about God’s redemptive love and how it does make the world and the neighborhood a better place,” he says.

Trillia Newbell, author most recently of Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves, says that knowledge is a key in engaging others­—both knowledge of what you’re sharing and knowledge of those with whom you’re sharing.

“We need to know the truth in order to speak it in love,” she says, “and then we need to be courageous so we can share the truth that we know. In order for us to love our neighbors, we need to know what’s going on with our neighbors. So if we are in our little bubbles, which I think most of us, if we’re honest, are. We have our neighborhood, we have our churches, we have our little coffee shops—we can’t really love our neighbors.”

In a sense, the culture wars, as such, are over. Society seems more secular, and the posture of this generation of Christians is different. But that doesn’t mean battles are over.

A compelling faith never looks like the dominant social opinions of the day. The central message of Jesus is that people— all people, everywhere—are broken. And the servants are not greater than their master, which is why Jesus tells His followers “if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

Christians can expect battles in the culture. But not without a purpose.

“God has left us in this world that we could do good deeds and lead people to see how good our God is,” Lee says.

“That’s the main reason we love people, because Jesus has loved us, and we get to show the love of Jesus. The main reason we serve people is to show the service of Jesus to other people.

“So we want to live every moment of our lives in a way that shows people how great God is. That makes its way into every arena: That’s why I do music the way I do.

I’m not rapping about cars and money. I’d rather rap in a way that doesn’t show people how great money and cars are but it shows people how great God is.”

A ARON CLINE HANBURY is the editorial director of RELEVANT. You can follow him on Twitter @achanbury.

With video, audio and interactive design, the RELEVANT tablet edition brings articles to life like never before.

It’s included with every print magazine subscription, or available in the app store.

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PAT GROSSI’S NEW ALBUM INVESTIGATES BOTH THE SACRED AND THE SECULAR

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B Y J O H N TAY L O R

ine years ago, Pat Grossi’s mother, Donna, stood at the baggage claim at Denver International Airport. She had flown in to speak with her youngest son.

Like a lot of mothers, Donna Grossi was worried about her son’s future. He had spent the last six months jobless, and Donna wanted to know what his plans were.

“I thought maybe Pat would be a doctor,” Donna Grossi says. “He is extra kind and has large, calming hands. Or maybe work in a museum, where he could surround himself with his love of beautiful things.”

The pair’s conversation was surprising but not unexpected. Grossi, a former choir boy with an arresting falsetto, described to his mother his newly awakened passion for music. Grossi had been harmonizing again, this time manipulating his voice with computer software; the angelic sounds of his youth layered over syncopated beats.

P H O T O C R E D I T: D A N B U S TA

LEARNING SUCCESSFULLY

MERCY Active Child’s second full-length album is a collection of beautiful, emotional melodies.

Nearly a decade later, Pat Grossi is all smiles as he stands atop sold-out stages and opens his laptop for crowds of fans.

Recording under the name “Active Child”—an affectionate phrase from his mother referring to when, “as a toddler, he would lean his ear against music speakers”—Grossi claims three critically acclaimed EPs and two full-length albums to his name. He has toured with the Grammy-nominated M83, collaborated with and been covered by triple-platinum certified recording artist Ellie Goulding, among many other accolades.

When reached by phone, Grossi is in Pasadena, California, at Rapor, an elegant house constructed in 1977 by architect Conrad Buff, now owned by the Grossi family. He named his 2013 EP, which boasts standout performances from Goulding and Mikky Ekko, after the estate. He often records there.

On June 16, Grossi released his second full-length album, Mercy. The album, which he wrote at Rapor and recorded in downtown Los Angeles, “two blocks from the most active fire station in the county,” has been hailed by critics as the finest work of his career.

The sacred and secular influences that define Active Child—the sound of Ginuwine crashing a choir—have neither been as fully realized, nor as breathtaking as they are throughout Mercy.

Occasionally, Grossi consulted his mom, who also acts as part-time manager, for feedback during the recording process.

“It was good to have someone to bounce ideas off of and listen,” he says. “But, then again, she is my mom. Everything, I think, sounds good to her to a

certain extent.”

Not that it was an easy album to produce. Grossi wrote much of Mercy during a difficult rift in a relationship. He and his longtime girlfriend were on the verge of calling it quits. “These songs are not fictitious narratives,” he says. “These are all real thoughts. They come from real experiences.”

Writing, Grossi explains, was a way to heal.

“This summer was one of the times where I fell back on music. Figuring out what is going on in my head, ‘What is this love that I feel? Why is it falling apart?’

“Things we all struggle with and we all deal with.

That was the mantra of the record,” he says. “This learning process that I was going through about love.”

DEEPER MEANING Grossi and his girlfriend have since reconciled, but the lessons learned during that difficult time have not been lost on the songwriter. For him, Mercy is “about the most important and mysterious thing that we have in our lives, which is love.”

Though Grossi is not religious, per se, he does feel something swell deep inside of himself, from some unexplainable place, when contemplating the love that drives him to create, to be a better boyfriend, a better son, a better brother to his three older siblings.

All of us, at some point in our lives, feel an unexplainable force that is beyond our comprehension, he says. “For me, that is a sign of something greater than us.

“I go back and forth as far as faith and where I stand on that,” he continues. “It’s something I continually find myself being curious about and referencing in my music.”

Asked what led him to name a song after Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead in the Gospel of John, Grossi says, “I was starting to think more about how I present myself on the stage. I felt like I was coming back to life a little bit.”

There’s a stillness in Grossi’s voice as he explains what it felt like to be away from the stage for two years between records.

But his voice grows a bit lighter as he talks about launching back into touring. “I’m excited to get back out on the road and play music for people.”

Grossi’s mother, who worried all those years ago, doesn’t have an ounce of anxiety left.

“My hope for my son is that he will do this for a lifetime,” she says.

JOHN TAYLOR is a writer living in Chicago. Follow him on Twitter @johntaylortweet.

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THE GOSPEL IS CALLED THE GOOD NEWS FOR A REASON

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BY N .T. W R IG H T

T

he Gospel is news about news.

Ironically, many Western churches think of the Christian message as a system for how you do something—namely how you get saved, or how you behave, or some combination of the two. They conceive of faith as a system that is timelessly true, rather than news about an event that happened in history.

There has been a tendency to flatten down the uniqueness of something that happened into a system that merely happens to be instantiated back then.

happened that changed the way in which God is now in charge of the world.

The four Gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—and Paul all proclaim something that has already happened. God’s people expected Him to raise people from the dead at the very end of time. But He has done that already in the person of Jesus.

This brings into sharp focus Jesus’ own claim, which is that the Kingdom of God was arriving then and there in His own ministry.

Jesus says, “If I, by the finger of God, cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” In other words, this is not just an anticipation— this is the reality that is in tension with the sense of anticipation of His death and resurrection.

realize that the resurrection was God beginning a new creation, and He’s going to complete it.

God intends to put the whole world right. So He puts us right in the present through the good news so we can be part of His putting-right project for the world. When you see that, you realize this is the good news: God’s puttingright project has begun, and we’re not just the beneficiaries, we get to be part of it. That’s the reason we have the Holy Spirit, to enable us to be part of God’s putting-right project.

We live in-between the first mighty act of God in the resurrection of Jesus, and the final mighty act of God, when God does for the whole creation what He did for Jesus at Easter. We have to learn to live between those two moments.

GOD INTENDS TO PUT THE WHOLE WORLD RIGHT. SO HE PUTS US RIGHT IN THE PRESENT SO WE CAN BE PART OF HIS PUTTING-RIGHT PROJECT.

THE GOOD NEWS There are a thousand different ways of describing the good news—the Gospel— but the shortest way is the one Jesus Himself announced: “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is arriving” (Mark 1:15).

In other words, it’s all about how God became King. It’s about the actual inauguration of God’s Kingdom on earth as in heaven. And since many Christians think the Kingdom of God is simply a fancy way of saying “Heaven,” they miss the point: that something actually

But when you take the whole package together, it’s about something that has happened as a result of which everything is different. Rather than something that has happened that merely enables us to operate a system of how we go to heaven.

What God did for Jesus at Easter, He has promised to do for the whole creation. This is something many Christians fail to realize, even when they devoutly believe in the resurrection. They fail to

GOOD NEWS VERSUS GOOD ADVICE About 20 years ago, I was confronted by the fact that many American writers suggested that books like the Gospel of Thomas and so-called “other gospels” are of equal, if not superior value, to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

It dawned on me, while reading the Gospel of Thomas, that these extracanonical works are not good news at all; they are good advice. They are about how to reorder your private spirituality,

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THE ESSENTIAL N.T. WRIGHT N.T. Wright’s latest, Simply Good News, builds on ideas he has been writing about for years. Check out some of the titles that put him on the map: THE NEW TESTAMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD

A theological and literary study of first-century Judaism and Christianity.

Wright explores how early understandings carry relevance today.

JESUS AND THE VICTORY OF GOD

A profile of the historical Jesus based on His life and work, with attention to how He addresses the important questions all worldviews must answer themselves.

T H E R E S UR R E C T IO N O F THE SON OF GO D

A description of how to read the Easter narratives like the earliest believers: as accounts of two literal events, the empty tomb of Jesus and His appearances.

PAUL A N D T H E FAITHFULNESS O F GO D

An exploration of the context of Paul’s life and work, including how the apostle’s worldview and theology allowed him to engage with the complexities of first-century church life.

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whereas Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are news about something that happened that changes the way the world is now, whether you reorder your private spirituality or not.

Over the years, I realized that many Christians have settled for a version of good advice: “You might need to say this prayer,” or “You might want to avoid certain types of behavior,” or “You might need to go to church from time to time.”

Now, I’m all in favor of people saying prayers, reordering their behavior in the

what the sinfulness of human beings and their redemption means within the larger, creational, covenantal purposes. If we get the backstory wrong, we’ll get the good news wrong.

GOOD NEWS FOR EVERY DAY When Octavian, who became the emperor Augustus, won his great victory at the Battle of Actium over Cleopatra, news went back to Rome: “Good news: Octavian has won the victory, and he’s coming back to Rome because he has a lot of mopping

IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE HE HAS WON THE VICTORY AND IS COMING BACK TO CLAIM THE THRONE, THEN IT AFFECTS EVERYTHING. power of the Spirit and showing up for worship on Sunday. But that’s not good news. That’s good advice. It’s a system we plug into, rather than an event that transformed the world.

THE BACKSTORY OF GOOD NEWS Saying that we have “good news” always depends on some kind of backstory. Let’s say you have a relative who is seriously ill, then the phone rings and you pick it up anxiously. If the first words you hear are “good news,” the very phrase makes your heart leap, because you know the backstory about what’s going on.

Many Western Christians have assumed that the backstory is that we are all basically sinners in deep trouble and God is going to punish us all forever.

And then we tell people, “If you say this prayer, your sins can be forgiven and you’ll be OK.” That’s not totally mistaken, but it’s not the backstory the Bible itself gives us.

The biblical narrative is that God made a beautiful world, and He wanted humans to help Him run it and be the ones who sum up worship and praise and present it back to Him. Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden didn’t just put humans in trouble— it put the whole creation out of joint. The good news is that by putting us right in Christ, God has taken a dramatic step in His plan to put the world right.

Most modern Christians—Catholic and Protestant, liberal and conservative—miss

up to do.” Everyone in Rome realized they were now living between Octavian’s victory and the final return.

That’s very much like where we are as Christians. We live between the victorious the death and resurrection of Jesus and His return. If you really believe He has won the victory and is coming back to claim the throne, then it affects everything: How you think about every aspect of your life, how you believe what you believe about who God is, about the future of the whole world.

It includes how you behave; if this victorious King is coming back, you want to behave in the present in such a way that when He comes back, you won’t be ashamed and won’t find yourself kicked out, or worse. It’s not legalism, it’s living out of the reality of the good news. It would only be legalism if we thought that by keeping certain moral laws, we would make the initial victory happen.

We can’t make it happen. It has already happened. God has raised Jesus from the dead in a sovereign act of sheer, powerful grace. So what we have to do is live in the light of His resurrection. That means living out of gratitude rather than grasping.

N.T. WRIGHT is a theologian, author and former Anglican bishop, currently teaching at University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Starting this summer, Wright offers fully online courses open to anyone.

Information is available at ntwrightonline.org.

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A gothic opera of epic proportions, the fourth album from this LA-based drone-metal artist is a disquieting affair. The quiet-loudquiet aesthetic will give you the frights. The song “Crazy Love” pierces your soul with slowly descending notes played on what sounds like a metal chair. The lyrics? Ironically, they’re about the hope of lasting love.

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Easily his most minimalistic, gripping and melodic songs to date, this surprise release by the brilliant Eric Owyoung (along with newcomer Alina Kamilchu) is filled with achingly good duets.

The song “Fireflies” flutters up from the undertow until it crescendos into a flock of cellos. If “How to Fly” doesn’t catch fire on indie radio, it will be a crime.

Particularly apt after the Baltimore riots, Eshon Burgundy is ready to set the record straight. He raps about police lights shining into his car and dealing with pressure that comes from success. The title track breaks down several verses about fear (think reverence, not snakes). It’s a curiously absent concept in our society.

On Hammond’s third solo album since 2006, The Strokes member offers his most mesmerizing guitar work to date.

“Caught By My Shadow” spills electric guitar from every corner.

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[SON Y PIC TURES CL A SSICS]

[ABR AMOR AMA]

You don’t have to be a Beach Boys fan to be moved by the story of Brian Wilson. Told through parallel timelines—with a 30-year-old Wilson (Paul Dano) and again at middle age (John Cusack)—the film is an examination of mental illness, artistic genius, manipulation and true love.

Timbuktu is an unflinching, at times disturbing, look at what happens to a city when it is invaded by ISIS fundamentalists.

Graphic without being exploitive, the film—and its depiction of oppression at the hands of Islamic radicals—is a portrait of the humanity, and loss of human dignity, beyond the headlines.

The great German auteur Wim Wenders is back with another visually stunning work. This documentary centers on the life and work of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado. In showing how the acclaimed artist depicted the best and worst of humanity, Salt of the Earth points toward the hope of redemption.

An adaptation of an 1893 play about an elderly architect reflecting on his past sins and his real legacy, A Master Builder is about what it takes to find redemption. The movie’s small budget puts all of the weight on the shoulders of the actors, who turn in stirring performances.

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JULY_AUG 2015

BOOKS

GO SET A WATCHMAN

JESUS, BREAD AND CHOCOLATE

THE CULTIVATED LIFE

LIFE’S GREAT QUESTIONS

HARPER LEE

SUSAN S. PHILLIPS

JEAN VANIER

[H A R PER B OOK S]

JOHN J. THOMPSON

[I V P / F O R M AT I O]

[FR ANCISCAN MEDIA]

Susan Phillips, a noted sociologist, not only challenges us to “leave the circus” of fast-paced mainstream culture, she offers a compelling vision of how we can begin to embody the rich joy and attentiveness of Jesus.

At the heart of the cultivated life are practices such as listening, Sabbath-keeping and friendship.

Jean Vanier, founder of the L’arche communities, addresses vital questions like “Why is there so much suffering?” and “Why are we here?” He offers engaging responses with depth, humility and gentleness. Although brief, his answers are thoughtful, drawing us into reflection on this wonderful gift of life.

[Z O N D E R VA N]

Undoubtedly the most anticipated book of 2015, Go Set a Watchman is a sequel to Harper Lee’s preeminent novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Set 20 years after the conclusion of Lee’s classic work, the book revolves around a trip that Scout Finch made from New York to Alabama to visit her father, Atticus Finch.

Serving up a mix of personal story, keen observations of evangelical culture and Scriptural reflection, Thompson challenges us to reimagine Christianity in a way that fits with the virtues of the handmade movement. His stories gently nudge us toward a deeper, more engaged faith.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

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relevant podcast CHECK OUT THESE RECENT EPISODES OF THE RELEVANT PODCAST

JON ACUFF

LAUREN WINNER

HILLSONG YOUNG & FREE

JUDAH SMITH

EPISODE 442

EPISODE 441

EPISODE 436

EPISODE 434

In the fall of 2013, Jon Acuff resigned from his “dream job.”

The well-known author and blogger had decided it was time to start over. And, in his latest book, Do Over, Acuff guides readers through navigating their own career transitions. We chat with him about the book, how to get a job you actually like and more. We also spotlight alt-pop band Kopecky.

A laboring woman. A dog.

Clothes. These probably wouldn’t be the first metaphors for God to come to anyone’s mind, but in her new book, Wearing God, Lauren Winner explores how these biblical metaphors can inform our faith. In our conversation, she unpacks some of the most surprising pictures of God that are both challenging and refreshing.

On this episode, we talk to Hillsong Young & Free, a band made up of the younger generation of musicians out of Hillsong Church. The group is making worship music that will make you want to dance. Their latest EP, This is Living, is perfect for a Holy Spirit dance party.

We also talk to theologian Peter Rollins about his latest book, The Divine Magician.

Judah Smith is a lot of things—a seventhgeneration pastor, a mentor to controversial celebrities like Justin Bieber, an author and just an all-around nice, genuine guy.

We talk to the Portland pastor about his latest book, Jesus Is ____, his desire to reach the unchurched in his city and what it’s like to be under scrutiny for having famous friends.

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JULY_AUG 2015

relevant.tv CHECK OUT THESE CURATED VIDEOS AND SHORT FILMS PLAYING NOW ON RELEVANT.TV

“CHANGE IS EVERYTHING” SON LUX

GARY HAUGEN AT TED GARY HAUGEN

“TOUCH THE SKY” (ACOUSTIC)

“TERMINAL”(ACOUSTIC) JON FOREMAN

HILLSONG UNITED The tools for the music video for Son Lux’s first single off his new album, Bones, seem simple enough: a foam white board, 200 push pins, 500 feet of thread and a stop-motion camera. But the outcome is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The song is great, but the real star of the video is the incredible singing push-pin silhouettes of frontman Ryan Lott.

Gary Haugen, the president and CEO of International Justice Mission, has spent his whole career fighting injustice and poverty. In his TED Talk, he digs into the hidden roots of global poverty, arguing that sustainably ending poverty starts by focusing on rooting out everyday violence. Learning compassion, he says, is the first step toward truly ending poverty.

Hillsong United is on a roll— they’ve sold out arena tours, put out another great album earlier this summer and will be featured in a big-budget documentary this fall. This acoustic live version of “Touch the Sky,” off their latest album. Empires, shows why the worship band has become such a cultural phenomenon.

Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman’s new project is a series of EPs called The Wonderlands. “Travel with me through sunlight, shadows, darkness and dawn,” he wrote on his website. “This is my opus of light and darkness.” On “Terminal,” the first track off the Sunlight EP, Foreman reflects on how “we bring nothing into this world, and we can take nothing away.”

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

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contents

JULY/AUG 2015 ISSUE 76

FEATURES 50

FINDING LOVE OFF ‘THE BACHELORETTE’ Brady Toops and Britt Nilsson decided they couldn’t stick around the TV reality sensation.

54

WHAT IS CONNECTEDNESS DOING TO US? Let’s face it: our phones are basically part of us, and thumbing through social feeds feels as natural as breathing. But at what cost?

56

5 VERSES YOU MAY GET WRONG Some Bible verses you hear all the time, but they probably don’t mean what you think.

62

68

THE REBIRTH OF JOY WILLIAMS

WHAT TO DO ABOUT ISIS With buzz about ISIS nearly everywhere, the Church needs to see beyond rhetoric and respond effectively.

After early years in the Christian music world, massive success with The Civil Wars, the death of her father and a fight for her marriage, Joy Williams is weaving all of her journey into a new solo album—and a whole new outlook.

72

DATING’S MOST ANNOYING HABITS If you’re single, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about; if you’re married, go hug your single friends.

76

THE AVETT BROTHERS How tragedy and 13 years on the road have shaped their upcoming album.

80

04

FIR ST WOR D

06

FEEDBACK

08

SLICES

Martin Luther toys, women in Hollywood, the ’90s comeback, a timeline of Christian hip-hop and more.

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JULY_AUG 2015

The so-called “culture wars“ are over. And the time for this generation to participate in, make and engage culture is now.

86 N.T. WRIGHT ON THE GOOD NEWS

58 ALABAMA SHAKES

30

THE DROP

84

ACTIVE CHILD Pat Grossi is doing exactly what he wants.

42

R E J E C T A PAT H Y

Fighting for justice for sexual abuse victims in church, America’s broken criminal justice system, bridging the racial divide and more.

Seinabo Sey, KB, Kopecky, Josh Garrels and other artists you need to know.

36

MOVING ON FROM THE ‘CULTURE WARS’

MAKER

The resurging ethic among consumers, what Project 7 teaches us about failure and transparency, leadership traits and more.

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R E L E VA N T R E C O M M E N D S

Music, movies, books and digital media you should know about.

“TO LOVE PEOPLE IN AN AGE OF DOUBT, we have to care about their issues with Christianity.”

DR. JOSH CHATRAW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR APOLOGETICS & CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT & AUTHOR OF “TRUTH IN A CULTURE OF DOUBT”

Study apologetics and cultural engagement in a major university setting with senior fellows such as: GARY R. HABERMAS

KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR

DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH PROFESSOR OF APOLOGETICS AND PHILOSOPHY, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE CENTER FOR APOLOGETICS & CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE CENTER FOR APOLOGETICS & CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT

Earn your bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. in apologetics or become a student fellow and study in a multidisciplinary setting under distinguished professors.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW CENTER AT

WWW.LIBERTY.EDU/RELEVANTAPOLOGETICS

THE FULLER MDIV NEW ONLINE OPTION

FULLER.EDU/MDivOnline