RELEVANT - Issue 94 - July/August 2018

94 ETHAN HAWKE | LISA GUNGOR | BISHOP BRIGGS ALV VAYS | BRIAN HOUSTON | R ACHEL HELD EVANS CORY ASBURY | M ATT CHANDLER | SUMMER GEAR GUIDE F A I T H , C U LT U R E & I N T E N T I O N A L L I V I N G

Leon Bridges There is no such person as soul singer Leon Bridges—and that’s something he’s ready to change.

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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

CONTENTS

T H E M A G A Z I N E O N FA I T H , C U LT U R E & INTENTIONAL LIVING

JULY-AUGUST 2018 // ISSUE 94

July/August 2018, Issue 94 Building Bridges Since 2003

Publisher & CEO | CAMERON STRANG Brand Director | JESSE CAREY Managing Editor | ANDRE HENRY Contributing Editor | TYLER HUCKABEE Production Editor | KATHY PIERRE Senior Writer | TYLER DASWICK Editorial Coordinator | LESLEY CREWS Contributing Writers: Joseph Riggs, Matt Adkins, Sarah

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Features

James, Rachel Givens Creative Director | JOHN DAVID HARRIS Production Manager | MARK JACKSON Designer | JORDAN WILLCOX Director of Web Development | DANIEL MARIN Audio Editor | CHANDLER STRANG

Leon Bridges

Video Editor | CLARKE FLIPPO Contributing Photographers: Bommy Kwon, A24, Michael

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Newsted, Jack McKain, Märta Thisner, Jabari Jacobs, Arden Wray, Abby Young, Sherwin Lainez, Gabriel Rivera

The soul singer’s sound carries a timeless quality that belies his youth, but if you’ve come to his music looking for the truth of who Bridges is, that answer might be more elusive than you expect.

Director of Business Development | AME LYNN FUHLBRUCK Senior Account Manager | HEATHER VOORHEES Account Manager | FELICHIA WRIGHT Traffic Manager | CAROLINE COLE Operations Manager | JESSICA COLLINS

3 2 // SUMMER GUIDE 2018

Project Manager | BRIDGET DOMBKOSKI

As things heat up, we bring together all the gear you need to thrive this season.

Finance Director | MICHAEL BOWLES

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4 2 // LESSONS FROM GEN Z Millennials have some things to learn from their savvy, conscious successors.

4 6 // LISA GUNGOR The worship singer has seen a lot of curveballs in her life, but still, she persists.

CORRECTION: In issue #93, we incorrectly stated that Rick and Kay Warren are the pastors of Saddle Creek Church, when obviously it’s Orange County, California’s Saddleback Church (just one of the

Ethan Hawke

largest and most influential churches in the country). We’re deeply embarrassed about the error and will be making it up to them for a

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long time to come.

Americans idolize work more than almost any country. Have we forgotten to rest?

In First Reformed, the actor has delivered one of the year’s best performances. The role’s brought his mind to some age-old questions and a newfound mission.

5 4 // RACHEL HELD EVANS

6 8 // BRIAN HOUSTON

5 0 // THE SABBATH COMMANDMENT

How the writer and leader rediscovered the most important book in her life.

6 6 // ALV VAYS The guitar band set out to defy description, but then a label set them free.

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The Hillsong founder is ready to give you your next mission.

7 0 // SOMALILAND The massive crisis hiding in plain sight within the East African country.

RELEVANT MEDIA GROUP 55 W. Church St., Suite 211, Orlando, FL 32801 RELEVANTmediagroup.com TO SUBSCRIBE RELEVANTmagazine.com/subscribe Rates: 1 year (6 issues) U.S. $26.99, Canada $36.99, International $45.99 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES WEB: RELEVANTmagazine.com/subservices Phone: 866-402-4746 EMAIL: support@relevantmagazine.com BULK DISCOUNTS: 866-402-4746 RETAIL DISTRIBUTION Michael Vitetta, Curtis Circulation Company

1 2 // FIRS T WORD

mvitetta@curtiscirc.com

7 6 // RELE VANT SELECT S Our curation of the best in music, books and

1 4 // CURRENT In this issue, we tell you how to build the most ethical cheeseburger in the world,

film. Come for the names, stay to learn why Andy Mineo hated his new album.

Issue #94 July/August 2018 (ISSN: 1543-317X). RELEVANT is published 6 times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November for $26.99 per year by RELEVANT Media Group, Inc., 55 W. Church St., Suite 211, Orlando, FL 32801. Periodicals postage

plus, the latest with Woody Harrelson, NFL

8 4 // L AS T WORD

protests, student activism, Cory Asbury and

Matt Chandler on why there’s never been a

Send address changes to RELEVANT Magazine, P.O. Box 531147,

the women leaders you need in your life.

better time to follow Jesus.

Orlando, FL 32853.

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Elisa Morgan speaks out of the

deepest, most honest places of the soul— and my soul is always the richer—and moved closer to Jesus—for the listening.

—Ann Voskamp

Author of the New York Times bestsellers One Thousand Gifts and The Broken Way

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2018

How can a week-long text challenge disciple your congregation and change lives?

Invite your people out of their comfort zones through a daily sacrificial challenge and bring to life Jesus’ call in Matthew 25

“There’s no question it engages the entire congregation in a way like we never have before around missions...I would say there’s never been a week like it in the church.”

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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

FIRST WORD a letter from the publisher

a new look not only at what we do,

I WANT NOTHING

but why and how we do it.

BUT TO ONLY

Let’s admit, it’s easy to coast. In the beginning, when God sparks a

Passion, God Dreams and the Future of RELEVANT

BE IN HIS

dream in our hearts, more often

WILL, MAKING A

than not we have no idea how to

DIFFERENCE FOR

pull it off. We’re completely reliant

THE KINGDOM.

on Him, and He uses that.

But somewhere along the way, we

I WANT TO

start to figure out what we’re doing.

CHALLENGE A

It works, it has impact and many

GENERATION TO

times we stay there.

We start to live our lives not out

LOVE JESUS

of a place of dependence, but of

AND GO CHANGE

being able to do it on our own. Our

THE WORLD,

motives are good—we’re doing it for God—but that’s when things change.

God is always doing something

WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE.

new. Are we pursuing His heart and following His lead?

Personally and at RELEVANT,

L

ately, I’ve been having a lot of meetings

we’ve been dismantling everything

with our team talking about the future of

and seeking the Lord’s will all over

RELEVANT. We’ve been looking honestly at

again. I don’t want our future to

what we do, why we do it and how. We’ve

look like our past. I don’t want to

been taking a fresh look at our spiritual

look like my past either.

mission, the dreams God gave us and what He’s sparking for our next season. It’s been transformative.

I want nothing but to only be in His will, making a difference for

It all started because, if I’m honest, I’ve been in a season

the Kingdom. I want to challenge

where God has really been getting my attention personally.

a generation to love Jesus and go

Things felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

change the world, whatever that

So, I started taking inventory. Was my heart honestly at a place of spiritual passion and intimacy? Was I growing spiritually? Was I serving and giving and loving others well?

At RELEVANT, was my influence in our environment one that pointed people to Jesus? Was I leading from a place of dependence on Him? Was our company focused on our spiritual calling above all else?

Being honest with myself, some things needed to change.

looks like.

And wouldn’t you know, God is birthing some exciting (scary) new dreams. The best part? I have no idea how any of it will play out.

But I’m continually reminded of one thing: Every day, in every season, God just wants our heart—

As it sometimes happens in life and work, areas had gotten

for us to listen, and be willing to

off-track, and it started with me. I needed to intentionally

obey when He speaks.

pursue the Lord with reckless abandon again. I needed to make Him the tangible top priority in my life. Everything

What happens after that, thankfully, is not really up to us.

else had to be secondary.

The journey I’ve been on has changed everything. I’m spending time in His presence, in the Word and worshipping like I haven’t in a long time. I’ve embraced new spiritual disciplines. I’ve made changes, and I feel a spiritual passion and clarity I haven’t in a while.

And, of course, it’s affected RELEVANT. God has been

C A MER ON S T R A NG

calling us out of our comfort zone, challenging us to take

JULY-AUG

Publisher & CEO

012

2018

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CURRENT A B I M O N T H LY L O O K A T F A I T H , L I F E A N D C U LT U R E

Millennials Are Putting Their Money Where Their Mouths Are New research has found that millennials are changing the way society invests, works and gives.

A

S MORE AND MORE

socially responsible companies

MILLENNIALS take on

(compared to 70 percent of non-

influential jobs in the

millennials) and the marketplace,

workforce and become more

where they prefer to support

involved in their churches, a

“environmentally sustainable”

trend has emerged: They want to make sure

business practices—that’s a

their money is supporting causes that bring

significant increase compared to

about change.

just two years ago.

The group Nuveen recently released the

MILLENNIALS WANT TO SUPPORT BUSINESSES—AND CHURCHES— THAT ARE COMMITTED TO HELPING COMMUNITIES.

Research also suggests

findings of their Third Annual Responsible

millennials are more generous

Investing Survey and found that when it

when it comes to supporting churches.

they’re also more hopeful and spontaneous

comes to finances, far more millennials

The Evangelical Council for Financial

when it comes to giving. There is a catch: It’s

—a whopping 92 percent—say “I care

Accountability found that 92 percent of

important for younger churchgoers to know

more about having a positive impact on

the millennials in their network gave to

the Church is using resources to actually to

society than doing well financially.” Among

a church in recent years, and millennial

help people in need. A study by Barna Group

non-millennials, just 52 percent of people

attitudes regarding supporting charities and

and Compassion International found that

agreed with the statement. The same values

churches are much more positive than other

45 percent of millennials would be willing

translate to the workplace, where 90 percent

generations of churchgoers: They’re not only

to give more if their church became more

of millennials said they want to work at

more generous than previous generations, but

involved in alleviating poverty.

JULY-AUG

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2018

A CALL TO

ministry IS A CALL TO

prepare.

Meet Southern Seminary and Boyce College professors and tour campus, whether at Preview Day or an individual visit.

Register now at

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OCT. 12

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02/10

CURRENT

Archaeologists Discover a City That Provides Evidence of King David SKEPTICS FREQUENTLY

question the Bible’s historical credibility, but a new discovery is providing further evidence that many accounts are true. Specifically, it suggests King David was a real figure.

Researchers in Israel uncovered a large building that dates back to the time of David where no other “signs of statehood” had ever been found. Interestingly, at the time, it would have been a Canaanite town. Where would the Jerusalem-style building have come from? The evidence suggests the building style—which only exists in other parts of the country inhabited by the Israelites—matches the biblical timeline in which David united the entire kingdom, a biblical story that until now, there was little evidence for.

How Ashton Kutcher Freed 6,000 Trafficking Victims The actor’s nonprofit organization is using technology to save children around the world.

THE ORGANIZATION THORN recently

make arrests. “What we do at our core

released an impact report that showed

is we build technology to help fight

just how effective their technology—

sexual exploitation of children,” Kutcher

which helps law enforcement find child

explained to 60 Minutes. “You can roll

victims of sex trafficking—actually is.

up your sleeves and go try to be like a

In 2017, they were able to identify 5,894

hero and go save one person, or you

victims of child sex trafficking. The

can build a tool that allows one person

group, which was founded by Ashton

to save a lot of people.” Kutcher and

Kutcher and Demi Moore, uses internet-

other advocates have brought the issue

scanning databases to find victims

to Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to do

online and equip law enforcement to

more to help children and victims.

Is This the Solution for Urban Traffic?

IF YOU LIVE IN a major city like San Francisco, New York or Washington D.C., you’ve probably noticed

small, electric scooters everywhere. Several start-ups like Bird and Lime are renting them to commuters for about $3 a ride as a way of cutting back on pollution and commute times. However, the scooters have been controversial among residents who see them as motorized nuisances, and there have been widespread reports of vandalism. Time will only tell if the trend can last, so enjoy the ride while you can.

JULY-AUG

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2018

“Jesus didn’t say grow a church.

He said, ‘Go make disciples.’ When you figure out how to do that, that will start growth in others.”

E. Dale Locke Founder and Lead Pastor of Community of Hope Church, Florida.

Asbury Seminary, M.Div. 1988, D.Min. 2001

THE NEW LOVE DOCTORS:

Visit asbury.to/voices to read Dale’s story.

ARE YOU CALLED TO JOIN GOD IN HIS MISSION? Download your free ebook YES!?, from Asbury Seminary.

Visit: asbury.to/RE

Kentucky

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Orlando

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Memphis

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Online

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03/10

CURRENT

THE HOT LIST Bimonthly Cultural Power Rankings

D O N A L D G LOV E R [Hottest]

He has the best TV show and most powerful music video of the year. What can’t this guy do?

PHONE SHAME [Hotter]

Apple’s digital wellness update will let you limit your screen time.

R E B O OTS [Hot]

Old Nintendos and ‘90s sitcoms: Here for it.

[ W E K N O W Y O U B U Y R E L E VA N T F O R G R I L L I N G T I P S]

How to Build a Cheeseburger That Can Save the World ON YOUR GRILL THIS SUMMER, A LOT CAN GO WRONG BETWEEN TWO HAMBURGER BUNS. Who

knows the real foundation of those frozen patties or the actual source of that neon yellow American cheese? With this handy guide, you can find burger ingredients that are guaranteed to be ethically sourced, sustainable and super tasty. Here’s how to make your summer’s cookout totally guilt-free.

THE BUN:

THE PATTY:

FOOD FOR LIFE’S EZEKIEL

IMPOSSIBLE FOODS’

[Cold]

4:9 SESAME SPROUTED

IMPOSSIBLE BURGER

The viral audio clip that

GRAIN BURGER BUNS

YA N N Y A N D L AU R E L

Yeah, we’re suckers for the brand name, but what sets these burgerholders apart are their 100 percent organic ingredients (you can pronounce all of them, wow!) and vegan friendliness.

We know it’s not meat, but that’s sort of the point. By keeping things cowfree, Impossible cuts down on water use by 74 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 87 percent. And you know what? The burger still brings that hearty, satisfying flavor you want.

fines teams whose

THE CHEESE:

THE VEGGIES:

players who sit or kneel

ORGANIC VALLEY’S RAW

YOUR LOCAL FARMERS

SHARP CHEDDAR

MARKET

You could strain yourself for a bougie artisanal brand, but Organic Valley is readily available at most grocery stores. They keep things GMO- and antibiotic-free, and their cows are raised in pastures.

Come on, this is an easy one. Support a local grower. The freshness will pay dividends to your taste buds, too.

divided the internet proved that replicating “the dress” moment simply can’t be done.

THE NFL [Colder]

The league’s owners passed a policy that

during the national anthem as a protest against racial injustice.

PUBLIC SUSPICIONS [Coldest]

Maybe it’s not your job to say who “doesn’t belong” somewhere, K?

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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

04/10

CURRENT

5 Female Christian Leaders You Should Be Following BAYLOR UNIVERSITY’S RECENT list of the “12 Most

Effective Preachers” featured just one woman: Barbara Brown-Taylor. We thought an addendum was necessary. We didn’t limit our list to just preachers, but here are some women leaders definitely worth listening to.

AUSTIN CHANNING BROWN Austin Channing Brown is a writer, speaker and practitioner who helps schools, nonprofits and religious organizations practice inclusion.

The Real Story Behind Cory Asbury’s Hit ‘Reckless Love’

@AUS TINCHANNING

The biggest worship song in the country took almost a decade to write—and then created controversy.

CHRISTINE CAINE A tireless advocate for the victims of human trafficking and a cracking good preacher to boot, Christine Caine can’t stop changing the world. @CHRIS TINECAINE

IF YOU’VE BEEN TO A WORSHIP

its critics: Some leaders have

SERVICE this year, you’ve

been uncomfortable with the

probably heard Cory Asbury’s

idea of God’s love being called

anthem “Reckless Love.” The

“reckless.” However, Asbury

song spent nearly three months

said it’s the song’s honesty that

NANCY FRAUSTO She’s not just the associate rector at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Long Beach, California. She’s also a Dreamer.

on top of Billboard’s Christian

makes it so powerful.

@THERE V_OLUTION

music charts and has become

“When I look at the Psalms,

a Sunday staple across the

I see David saying some pretty

country. Justin Bieber even

outlandish things throughout

covered it at Coachella. But, for

all the Psalms because he was

Asbury, it was a song that was

honest before the Lord. He

eight years in the making.

wasn’t censoring himself or

After first holding his

afraid of telling God what he

ANNIE F. DOWNS Author, speaker and podcaster Annie F. Downs uses her voice to inspire people to live courageously, and she’s a lot of fun to listen to. @ANNIEFDOWNS

newborn son (who is now 8),

actually felt. Because the truth

Asbury says he finally realized

is, God already knows, and He’s

what God “the father” truly

not offended by it. He’s just

meant—and the idea for

waiting for you to be honest so

“Reckless Love” was born.

that He can actually meet you

BETH MOORE You may be familiar with Beth Moore, but in recent months, she’s gotten even more outspoken about issues plaguing the Church.

in that place.”

@BE THMOORELPM

But the song isn’t without

MISC.

JULY-AUG

You may want to chill with all those

Researchers with evidently nothing else

Explaining that, “We will have to leave

vitamins. The American College of

to study have found that listening to

this planet,” Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

Cardiology found most supplements

loud music while hungry will lead to

is working on a project called Blue

(looking at you vitamin C) don’t do

unhealthier food choices compared to

Origins with the goal of colonizing the

anything to help your health.

listening to music at lower volumes.

moon. Umm, should we be concerned?

020

2018

MA IN THEOLOGY − Now Fully Online −

Fuller Seminary’s online MA in Theology is for those who want to learn from outstanding faculty practitioners—from anywhere in the world—to more effectively serve and communicate God’s word in any setting. Apply what you’re learning directly to your context of service, and tailor your program to an area of interest like theology and the arts, ethics, youth and culture, or many others. Whether you want to prepare for future advanced study or sharpen your theological understanding for any calling, the MAT’s respected formation is within reach.

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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

05/10

CURRENT

Woody Harrelson Was Studying to Become a Pastor

Pitchfork Festival’s #MeToo Moment

ON A GUEST APPEARANCE

How the summer

A MAJOR MUSIC FESTIVAL is responding to the MeToo

music festival

movement. Back in 2013, R. Kelly headlined Chicago’s

is now fighting sexual abuse

Pitchfork Music Festival. The decision to invite the R&B singer—who has faced numerous accusations of sexual abuse—was met with major blowback. And this year, they’re addressing it with action.

Festival organizers now say that “it was wrong to book R. Kelly to perform at our festival,” and have partnered with RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the country. The festival will help fund RAINN’s work, and they’ve invited trained counselors to be on site and available to festivalgoers. This year’s festival, featuring Tame Impala, Fleet Foxes, The War on Drugs, Lauryn Hill and many more, kicks off on July 20.

Bill Gates Wants You to Read a Book About Faith Healing JULY-AUG

TECH BILLIONAIRE Bill

Gates recently made a very interesting reading recommendation. He put the book Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved by Duke Divinity professor Kate Bowler on his summer reading list. In the

memoir, she writes about reconciling an illness with her then-belief that God would keep good people healthy. As Gates previously explained on his blog, his grandparents “believed that if you got sick, it must be because you did something to deserve it.

022

on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Woody Harrelson opened up about his stint at Hanover College, an Indiana school associated with the Presbyterian Church.

He was there to study theology and ministry, and was even casual pals with now-Vice President Mike Pence. “I remember I actually quite liked him,” Harrelson told Kimmel.

However, Harrelson said he had a sort of crisis of faith and decided to put his religious life “on hold.” He said he still believes in God but now studies other types of religion.

When one of my grandfathers became seriously ill, he struggled to figure out what he might have done wrong. He couldn’t think of anything, so he blamed his wife. He died thinking she had caused his illness by committing some unknown sin.”

2018

What does it look like to show up in times of fragmentation?

Our commitment to formation and interdisciplinary education is emboldening reective leaders, healers, artists, and pastors for a world in need of restoration. m.a. in theology & culture m.a. in counseling psychology master of divinity 023 theseattleschool.edu/admissions

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06/10

CURRENT

A Majority of Americans Believe in God as Described in the Bible AMERICA IS STILL A MAJORITY CHRISTIAN country—barely.

Letitia Wright Says Faith Changed Her Life–and Career A BREAKOUT STAR OF BLACK PANTHER

with God, and I became a Christian. It

(she played the tech-wizard Shuri),

really just gave me so much love and

Letitia Wright is becoming one of

light within myself.

the MCU’s favorite new faces. But the

“I felt secure, like I didn’t need

actress is crediting more than just the

validation from anyone else, or getting

role of T’Challa’s wisecracking sister for

a part. My happiness wasn’t dependent

her success: She says an encounter with

on that, it was dependent on my

faith changed everything.

relationship with God.”

Wright says before landing the role,

Now, it’s her newfound Christian

she had an unhealthy dependence on

faith that has reframed how she views

success—which led to an identity crisis.

her life, career and, most of all, her self-

“I needed to take a break from

worth. “I’m not perfect,” she said. “As a

acting because I really idolized it,” she

Christian, you’re not perfect, you know,

explained to the U.K.’s This Morning.

but you’re walking every day and trying

“So I came off from it, and I went on

to stay connected. I’m really grateful.

a journey to discover my relationship

I’m centered in who I am.”

Pew recently released the findings of new research that found 56 percent of American adults still believe in God “as described in the Bible.” Another 33 percent said even though they don’t believe in “the God of the Bible,” they still maintain a belief in some sort of higher supernatural power.

Another interesting finding was about what Americans believe about God’s sovereignty: Nearly half of American adults said God determines what happens to them.

[T H E N U M B E R S] ADULTS WHO BELIEVE IN THE GOD OF THE BIBLE

56% ADULTS WHO SAID GOD DETERMINES WHAT HAPPENS

48% ADULTS WHO BELIEVE IN THE SUPERNATURAL BUT NOT THE GOD OF THE BIBLE

33%

MISC.

JULY-AUG

Hybrid-electric planes are now

Another Star Wars hero is getting

Pew found that white evangelicals

on the market, and people are

his own origin movie. The director

were the least likely major

buying. A JetBlue affiliate has

of Logan, James Mangold, has

demographic group to say America

purchased 100 planes. Only catch:

signed on to helm a spinoff about

should welcome refugees (despite,

They only do private flights.

galactic bounty hunter Boba Fett.

you know, what the Bible says).

024

2018

05/14 07/10

CURRENT

Can This Be the Generation That Puts an End to School Shootings?

The survivors of recent mass shootings are changing the way many Americans—including Christian leaders—think about gun laws.

DURING THE SPRING SEMESTER that ended in May, 27

while deployed. While all of the deaths are tragedies, for

children and four adults died in school shootings. It’s a

students who have survived the acts of mass violence,

number comparable to the police officers shot and killed

the fact that their classmates were killed while attending

in the line of duty in the same period (24) and military

school—a place that is supposed to be safe—has sparked a

service members who have died in non-training accidents

new kind of activism.

MISC.

JULY-AUG

Scientists are skirting laws forbidding

China may be home to a flourishing

Using 50 pounds of batter, a group

experiments on human embryos by

(though persecuted Christian church),

of friends in Denver set a Guinness

creating chicken-human hybrid

but it now has the highest percentage

World Record for the highest stack

embryos, possibly paving the way for

of atheists in the entire world,

of waffles, measuring just over two

prolonged fist fights with Peter Griffin.

according to new findings from Gallup.

feet (which seems pretty beatable).

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2018

[T H E N U M B E R S]

Activists like students David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez—both of whom lost friends

2018 is already one of the deadliest years on record

in the shooting at Parkland, Florida’s Marjory

when it comes to school shootings in America.

Stoneman Douglas High School—are already

Here’s a look at the sobering numbers, as of May.

making a difference. Their efforts to pass stricter gun legislation have led to massive voter registration drives. Hogg has partnered with the

An average of 7 schoolchildren die every day from gun violence.

organization HeadCount to create drives at more

THE MORE THE CHURCH ALIGNS WITH POLITICS, THE LESS PEOPLE WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED.

24

DEATHS OF

31

DEATHS DUE TO

POLICE OFFICERS

than 1,000 schools in 46 states across the country.

Their goal is to educate and equip young voters to make their voices heard in November’s midterm elections.

And even though gun control measures have traditionally been politically contentious, the school shootings seemed to have galvanized some unlikely Christian voices. White evangelicals—a group known for their politically conservative leanings—

SCHOOL SHOOTINGS

now largely favor stricter gun laws, according to Pew. And following the Florida shooting, a group of Christian leaders including Max Lucado, Lynne Hybels, Joel Hunter and A.R. Benard launched the “Prayers + Action for Gun Safety in America” petition.

In 2018, there has been an average of 1 school shooting per week.

Their goal? To urge “the faith community to acknowledge their biblical responsibility to protect life amid the nation’s gun violence epidemic.”

Researchers have confirmed that a

Public policy advocates have proposed

Millennials are drinking less than

piece of Greek papyrus dating to

a new film rating: PG-15 for movies

older generations. Researchers found

around A.D. 150 is the oldest-known

that contain gun violence, raising

that the majority see drunkenness as

piece of text from the Gospel of Mark

the age to see movies that would

“embarrassing” and said they’d rather

ever discovered.

otherwise be PG-13.

not spend as much money on alcohol.

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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

09/10

CURRENT

MISC.

Three porn sites now get more web traffic in the U.S, than Instagram, The perfect way to one-up your vinyl snob friend.

Wikipedia, Twitter, Reddit, eBay and Netflix, making porn more popular than any social media platform other than Facebook and YouTube.

Millennials Support the NFL Protesters, Not the NFL The NFL’s new stand against protests isn’t sitting well with millennial fans.

THANKS TO A NEW POLICY in the NFL, any player

that a majority of millennials were much more likely

who kneels during the national anthem could have

to support the demonstrations than older fans. It

their team subjected to fines from the league. The

shouldn’t be a surprise, as additional research finds

movement—started by former player Colin Kaepernick

that millennials are more socially conscious than

(right, above) to protest police brutality and racial

previous generations.

injustice—has been polarizing among some fans.

However, there is one group that widely supports

To celebrate its anniversary, Ohio’s Victory Christian Center went to a local gas station and filled the tanks of 100 cars that happened to come through. Churches: more of this, please.

Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz was a vocal critic of the NFL’s new policy. He tweeted: “The NFL is still

the players in their demonstrations: millennials. Not

talking about players ‘protesting the anthem.’ Still!

only did the league’s own polling efforts show that

Even though they are protesting inequality and want

the younger generation of fans supports the player

justice reform. At least get that right, while being

activists, but data from GenForward Survey found

wrong.”

Elon Musk announced that the

Alexa Wants to Lead You in Prayer The Church of England is using AI to get people praying.

JULY-AUG

AMAZON’S ALEXA

can now do more than help you buy groceries, turn on your lights and listen to music. Thanks to a new “skill” developed by the Church of England, it can help you pray. Along with

connecting users with local churches, by saying, “Alexa, open the Church of England,” users have the ability to ask Alexa to bless their meal, recite the Lord’s Prayer and lead them in prayers.

A spokesman for

028

the Church of England explained, “Daily prayer resources are central to the skill, with the prayer for the day, as well as morning, evening and nighttime prayers and a grace before meals all specially recorded.”

L.A. transit tunnels he’s planning to build under the city will cost only $1 for commuters. Now people will have no excuse not to be able to afford those $400 flamethrowers he also just released.

2018

Follow God. Live your passion for innovative ministry.

Come to Washington, D.C. Be a Wesley Community Engagement Fellow.

Fellows has stretched my ability to listen, engage and work to meet the needs of the community.

— Samantha Klipsch, Master of Divinity Student & Fellow

Become a faith leader and change maker for the transformation of the church and world.

•

Engage with professionals in the political and advocacy spheres

•

Work in peer cohorts to engage your community-based learning

•

Have access to resources to further understanding & reach

•

Develop skills in areas of non-profit management, ministerial engagement and leadership

•

Design a contextual ministry project that speaks to your passion and God’s call

To learn more, schedule a one-on-one visit to Wesley Theological Seminary and our nation's capital.

We could love to hear from you! Contact admissions@wesleyseminary.edu or go to wesleyseminary.edu/fellows

Wesley Theological Seminary: equiping exemplary teachers, preachers and leaders to be prophetic voices in the church and the world. wesleyseminary.edu 029

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

10/10

CURRENT

What Your Pastor’s Jeans Say About Their Theology Seven types of jeans and their important spiritual implications WHILE MUCH OF THE MEDIA is filled with troubling news, contentious debate and negativity, we at RELEVANT have decided to shine the spotlight on something that really matters.

We’ve uncovered an issue the Church must address: the denim crisis. Our team of writers spent months of research and study to determine exactly what your pastor’s jeans say about their interpretation of Scripture.

TATTERED JEANS Unless the holes in the jeans are only found on the knees—a sign of a true prayer warrior— this pastor’s messages are probably just like their legwear: INAPPROPRIATE FOR SUNDAY.

JULY-AUG

JEANS WITH CROSSES

SKINNY JEANS

This pastor’s sermons are likely filled with lots of illustrations and clips from Braveheart, but they’re probably pretty conservative (despite what the bedazzling would have you believe).

Watch out for these heavy-on-the-IG hipsters.

They might seem orthodox with their feel-good messages, but they’re probably reading Rob Bell books and listening to secular music on the side.

OVERALLS

DAD JEANS

Your pastor doesn’t care what other people think if they’re wearing overalls in the pulpit.

It’s either a sign of a strong leader or a total lack of accountability.

Comfortable and practical for all occasions, for both the jeans and the sermons. Expect a lot of messages based on a quick seven points or some sort of acronym.

JNCO JEANS

JORTS

In their 1997 Acquire the Fire heyday, this minister was the coolest youth pastor in town.

Their preferred mode of outreach is probably still free ska concerts in the sanctuary.

Heretic.

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2018

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2018

R ELE VA N T S U M M ER G U I D E 2018

Want to properly equip yourself for an epic season?

Here’s a look at gear that promotes sustainability, giving back and is also pretty awesome.

S

UMMER IS HERE. That means road trips, days at the beach, hanging by

the pool and spending time enjoying the long days under the sun, soaking in the wonders of creation. It also means looking pretty sweet on Instagram in your brand-new shades. In other words, it’s a good time to restock on the gear you’ll need to take your summer memory-making to the next level.

This year, not only have we tracked down the best books to round out your summer reading list (what’s a day at the beach without a good book in your bag?), but we’ve also curated the apparel, electronics, outdoor equipment and quality gear that does more than just look great and function well. These items help fund meaningful causes, support sustainability and represent high-end craftsmanship and cutting-edge design.

From bamboo skateboards to hammocks made by women in developing countries, here are the essentials to an unforgettable summer:

The Merry Spinster Mallory Ortberg ( I V P B O O K S)

Capital Sunglasses The ultimate summer accessory also supports young entrepreneurs: 10 percent of every sale goes into a fund for young people starting businesses. $95-$145 CAPITALEYEWEAR.COM

Bamboo Skateboards

Looking for another way to get around town? Pick up a longboard from Bamboo Skateboards. Not only is longboarding an easier alternative to skating, the bamboo used for these is actually way more environmentally sound than the usual maple decks. $42.50 BAMBOOSKATEBOARDS.COM

SWIMS Loafers These water-friendly shoes have an emphasis on comfort, and the company provides ethical, transparent sourcing. $160 SWIMS.COM

033

Ortberg applies her dynamite wit and sly observations about millennial culture to well-known fairy tales, and the result is a laugh-out-loud funny collection of familiar short stories given endlessly droll twists.

The book is like an expanded version of “Children’s Stories Made Horrific,” a fan-favorite column from her now-defunct website, The Toast.

But there are plenty of writers doing the “darker” or more “woke” version of fairy tales. What makes Ortberg’s work stand out? Unlike many, she’s not trying to fix the old stories but trying to tease out what’s already there—things we normally miss. And it turns out there are deep, universal questions in those stories. And there’s a ton to laugh at at the same time.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

R ELE VA N T S U M M ER G U I D E 2018

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

SLXTREME Case

Thousands Bike Helmets

These high-tech cases for your phone are dirt-resistant, waterproof and have a solar panel. They can also save you from having to buy a new phone every few months.

These are cycling helmets you’ll actually want to wear.

And the eco-friendly company incorporates a Carbon Offset Program into the production process.

$99-129

$85-95

SNOWLIZARD.COM

EXPLORETHOUSAND.COM

Michelle McNamara ( H A R P E R C O L L I N S)

True-crime writer Michelle McNamara passed away before she got to see the Golden State Killer apprehended, but her writing was a key part in finally identifying one of America’s most notorious and elusive serial killers.

Be honest: There’s something engrossing about a crime drama, hence the success of shows like Law & Order. But in McNamara’s book, the cases are real. And the way she writes about the people left in the killer’s wake is what makes her work most compelling—that and her decadelong pursuit of solving the mystery.

In the book, she imagines her work turning the tables on the criminal: sneaking up on him to deliver him to justice, just as he sneaked up on his victims to deliver death. And knowing that even though she didn’t get to see it, her work accomplished that, makes the journey worth the emotional ride.

JULY-AUG

MoviePass MoviePass is as good as you’ve heard: unlimited trips to your local movie theater for one low monthly fee. Catch up on every summer blockbuster for a fraction of the cost.

Bearbottom Swim Trunks Bearbottom shorts aren’t just inexpensive, fun and appealingly preppy. Every time someone buys a pair, a child in need gets a pair.

$9.95/month

$30

MOVIEPASS.COM

BEARBOTTOMCLOTHING.COM

Corkcicle Water Bottle Not only does this line of high-end water bottles prevent you from buying a ton of disposable plastic ones, but Corkcicle donates a percentage of sales to a nonprofit that provides clean water. $19.95-$49.95 CORKCICLE.COM

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2018

R ELE VA N T S U M M ER G U I D E 2018

Beach’d Ethical Beach Tote

Beach’d specializes in versatile, durable, lightweight, heatproof bags that are great for a beach day or travel. $98 BEACHDSHOP.COM

A Pouch Couch

Olli’s Eco Fair Trade Sandals

Inflatable chairs are a pain and take forever to inflate.

The pouch couch achieves the impossible: an easily transportable couch that inflates on its own. Trust us, you’ll never go back.

Keep your toes free and the soles of your feet clean at the beach with these biodegradable flip-flops made from chemical-free, natural rubber.

$39.99

$29

POUCHCOUCH.COM

OLLIWORLD.COM

An American Marriage Tayari Jones (A L G O N Q U I N )

A pair of newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, find their vision of the future upended when Roy is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, and that’s just the start of Jones’ deeply felt exploration of independence, intimacy and the ways the criminal justice system touches relationships.

When Roy is unexpectedly released from prison early, he finds Celestial’s love has waned and that she’s been spending a lot of time with one of their mutual friends. Aren’t relationships fun? In this gripping novel, they sure are.

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R ELE VA N T S U M M ER G U I D E 2018

A Higher Loyalty James Comey ( M A C M I L L A N P U B L I S H E R S)

Political writing—well, political everything—is mostly bad these days, but Comey is a gifted wordsmith and his recounting of his time working with, and sometimes against, President Donald Trump’s administration is enlightening, regardless of your politics.

Firewire Surf

STATE Backpacks For every one of these killer-looking backpacks you buy, STATE donates one to a child in need, and they come loaded with helpful goods for the kids. Pack for your next bike day or beach trip and feel good doing it.

This surfboard company veers away from typical chem-based boards for something with a smaller impact on the environment and partners with a lot of ocean-centric humanitarian organizations.

$90-165

$350 - $900

STATEBAGS.COM

FIREWIRESURFBOARDS.COM

Yellow Leaf Hammocks

Made with sustainable materials by women in developing nations, Yellow Leaf Hammocks can turn your backyard into an island getaway. And the “triple-weave” construction means they won’t fade or get torn up in bad weather. $199 YELLOWLEAFHAMMOCKS.COM

JULY-AUG

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2018

R ELE VA N T S U M M ER G U I D E 2018

Nomadix Festival Towels They make beach towels from plastic bottles, and their towels are multipurpose for everywhere from the bathroom to the beach. $70 NOMADIX.CO

Rawganique Linen Rawganique makes cool linen clothes and home accessories, and they tell you where all of their products are made, none of which are sweatshops.

PRICES VARY RAWGANIQUE.COM

Patagonia Fanny Pack

UE Boom 2

Yeah, fanny packs (or “belt bags,” if you’re on top of things) are back and nobody makes a better, more environmentally friendly one than Patagonia. Wear it loud and wear it proud.

No summer is complete without a portable speaker, and UE makes our favorite: quality, totally waterproof, (pretty) affordable and available in snazzy color schemes.

$29 PATAGONIA.COM

$179.95 ULTIMATEEARS.COM

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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

Leon Bridges Is Ready to Introduce Himself for Real

BY T Y L E R H U C K A B E E

JULY-AUG

2018

L

eon Bridges isn’t real. Not in the way you think of him.

The man is there, of course: the exceptionally gifted Texas native who burst onto the music scene in 2015 and immediately seemed like

he’d been there all his life. His debut album Coming Home felt familiar from the jump—the sort of songs that seemed so naturally and organically beautiful that you couldn’t believe nobody had come up with them before. It sounded like something written by the likes of Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, which is to say it sounded like something that’s just sort of always been there—like there were pages in the Great American Songbook purposefully set aside just for them. All this has lent Bridges an air of timelessness, as if he were an old soul in a 28-year-old’s body, rocking in his chair on the front porch, crooning about the bygone days that have come before and the women who have done him wrong.

And that’s the person who doesn’t exist.

“It really is a small percentage of who I am,” Bridges says. “I’m a young dude in modern times. And I grew up on modern R&B and hip-hop. A lot of people wouldn’t even know that my favorite thing to do is go out and turn up and party to Young Thug. I love trap music.” In fact, the first concert he ever went to was Christian rapper Tedashii’s.

Bridges is a more complicated guy than Coming Home’s timeless vibe and the clean, mid-century suits would lead you to believe. That’s apparent on his new album, Good Thing, which pulls from a variety of eras and offers a more complex portrait of American music influences. And along with it, Bridges hopes, a more complex portrait of himself.

“I definitely think in the beginning, I guess people expected me to be this kinda guy who ...” he pauses for a moment. “I don’t know; I loved the sound from [that era]. I wanted to make that sound. But to me, it wasn’t about going out and going to swing dances and sock hops.”

So then, what was it about?

LEON LIGHTS

Bridges’ ascent began in his native Fort Worth, where he honed his songwriting skills while washing dishes at a local grill. At first, his writing was inspired by ’90s R&B, but it was when he wrote a song about his mother’s conversion to Christianity called “Lisa Sawyer” that he discovered a knack for ’60s soul. The song’s theme is one he frequently returns to. In the 2015 single “River,” Bridges sings about being baptized: Take me to your river / I wanna know / Tip me in your smooth waters / I go in / As a man with many crimes / Come up for air / As my sins flow down the Jordan.

039

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

Though he prefers not to discuss his personal faith in interviews, hints of

Being in that

his religious upbringing were found

bubble certainly

throughout his early music. But he

worked wonders

clearly does not want to be labeled.

for his creativity.

(When a fan asked him on Twitter if he

Bridges’ debut

considered himself a “Christian artist,”

album landed sixth

Bridges replied, “No, a Christian that

on the Billboard

makes art.”) But, earlier on, when he

200, netted him

was figuring out his identity as an

two Grammy

artist, things did seem simpler.

nominations and

“It was a special time, looking back

allowed him to

in retrospect,” Bridges says. “It was on

collaborate with

the cusp of when I was, I guess, I don’t

everyone from

want to say discovered, but I miss

Kacey Musgraves

the whole grind. At that time I was

to Lecrae. He

washing dishes during the day, and I’d

entered a realm of

get off and it was such a joy to be able

stardom very few

to go out and grind at the open mic

musicians ever

and play in front of an audience. And I

reach, and he did it

do miss that side of it.”

just a few months

It was at one of these open-mic

out from that

sessions that Bridges caught the

dishwashing gig.

attention of Austin Jenkins and Joshua

Getting that famous

Block, two members of the indie-rock

that quickly, he

outfit White Denim. They liked what

says, caused a bit of

they heard and invited him to record

backlash in Texas.

a few songs with them. Bridges took

“I didn’t

them up on their offer a short time

really have any

later and dropped two songs on

expectations

Soundcloud. One of them was “Coming

getting into it,”

Home,” which made it to a local radio

he says. “The

station. A few months later, he was

biggest thing for

fielding offers from 40 different labels.

me was when I

Looking back at that era of life,

did get signed and

Bridges sounds genuinely wistful. He’s

got a little bit of

not resentful of success, but there is a

notoriety, it was crazy to see people

cost to it, and in his case, that cost has

in my hometown who, of course, I’d

In fact, if his latest album is any

been pressure.

never met, say negative things like I

indication, things have never been

didn’t deserve the opportunity and

better.

“It was a little easier when I didn’t

JULY-AUG

creativity.”

everything’s good still,” he chuckles.

have all these eyes on me or any

all this kind of stuff and that was

attention,” he says. “It was nice to

surprising. And I have good intentions,

BRIDGES OVER TROUBLED WATERS

be in my own little bubble. And now

so it’s crazy to see the negative

It’s difficult when people have a clearly

that I’ve already established who I am

comments and everything.”

defined idea of who you are and what

and people know my work, there are

However, the criticism can’t

always expectations as to what I can

overshadow the incredible (and

into these ideas and allow fans to

do in the future. It definitely affects my

incredibly quick) success. “But

define their careers (think Coldplay).

040

you do. Some artists choose to lean

2018

“It was a little easier when I didn’t have all these eyes on me or any attention. It was nice to be in my own little bubble.”

Others actively react

and working with a new producer.”

great learning experience.”

against it and seem

The music business’ infamous

to troll their fans by

sophomore slump grew into legend

THE REAL LEON

defying expectations

by being mostly true. There’s an old

So there is a real person named Leon

(think almost any

saying that you have your whole life

Bridges. He’s just not the person many

album Radiohead

to write your first album and just a

people think he is. And Bridges means

has ever released).

couple years to write your second, so

to continue to upset the apple cart. He

For his second

you’re naturally a little handicapped

says he recorded an album of ’90s R&B-

album, Bridges is

for the follow-up. That’s part of why

inspired “super vibey stuff” that didn’t

trying to do, well, a

Bridges decided to mix things up a

make this album, but that doesn’t

little bit of both.

little for Good Thing.

mean it’ll never be heard.

“I wanted to re-

He brought in some other

“That’s my plan in the future,” he

establish who I am

songwriters, expanded his sonic

says. “Just singing and releasing stuff

as an artist and how

palette to include other genres.

that is unexpected.”

people perceive my

There’s the exquisite first single “Bet

art,” Bridges says of

Ain’t Worth the Hand,” which is

everyone—one downside to releasing

recording his new

undergirded by peals of strings that

things that are unexpected is the

album, Good Thing.

sound plucked from Old Hollywood,

people who have expectations feel

“Of course, with my

while “If It Feels Good (Then It Must

betrayed, and feel obligated to vent

first album it was a

Be)” wouldn’t sound out of place on

that their feelings on Twitter, Facebook

very specific sound

a Pharrell album. Of course, neither

and Instagram. There’s still a hint

and was reminiscent

Pharrell nor anyone from Hollywood’s

of frustration when he talks about

of the ’80s R&B era,

Golden Era quite had Bridges’

people trying to label or define him in

but I just wanted

most potent gift: his voice, which is

ways he feels like aren’t true. But, he

to be able to take

smooth as they come, while marked

seems to be OK with people not fully

elements from that

by a graceful tenderness. It adds a

understanding the real Leon Bridges.

and move it forward.”

In order to do that, Bridges utilized

vintage warmth to even the most

That hasn’t gone over great with

“I don’t understand how people

contemporary arrangements offered

get that energy to say negative things,

his new connections in the industry

by the album’s team—a team, Bridges

Bridges says. “People should just

to put together a collaborative team

says, that faced some contentious

really keep it to themselves. But most

led by red-hot producer Ricky Reed to

moments during the recording process.

everything has been super positive. It’s

help actualize his full potential. It took some getting used to, evidently.

“I mean, honestly, I’m really proud

“I love the creative process,” he says.

all love.”

“But honestly, that was rough to be in a room for a whole day and having to

of myself. The whole process was a

contribute ideas around other people.

little challenging. This is my first time

But we were able to make something

collaborating with different writers

dope out of it, and it was definitely a

041

T YLER HUCK A BEE lives in Nashville and is a contributing editor at RELEVANT.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

4 THINGS MILLENNIALS CAN LEARN FROM GEN Z BY M AT T A D K I N S

JULY-AUG

042

2018

For years, the word “millennial” was just shorthand for “young people.” But now a new generation is beginning to make its presence known, and they’ve got a lot to offer.

IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN. The gears of

traits of a younger generation, why not

life are creaking forward, the hands

see what you can learn from them?

of time tic their fateful toc and a new day is starting to dawn. Yes, the next generation is making their mark on culture, just like the generation before them, ad infinitum. No sooner have millennials started entering the workforce, voting in blocs and—well— killing off older, established industries

1.

YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY Most Gen Zers are children of Generation X, and Gen X was raised to be wary of helicopter

than a new generation is sneaking

parenting. While many millennials

up underneath them with their own

have been accused of relying too much

unique, generational tics.

on their parents for financial and

Generation Z is coming into their

professional help, Gen Z is going to be

own, preparing to make millennials feel

far more independent. They’re confident

old and out of touch the same way Gen

and self-guided, comfortable with

Xers feel mystified by some millennial

motivating themselves. More than any

traits. It won’t be hard for them to

other generation before them, they’re

do so. Gen Z (loosely defined as those

confident in their ability to figure things

born between 1996 and 2014) make up

out on their own.

around 26 percent of all Americans.

“Their goal is not simply economic

That’s more than millennials, Gen Xers

security,” says Dr. James Emery White,

or baby boomers.

author of Meet Generation Z. “They are

But millennials have gotten pretty

marked by a strong sense of wanting

good at learning from the mistakes of

to make a difference and thinking

the older generations, and here is the

that they can. They want to be social

last, biggest and hardest lesson: Instead

entrepreneurs.”

of fearing and feeling alienated by the

Millennials have a lot of reasons for

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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

Kids These Days Generational science is a little shaky, but sociologists have been able to pull out a few trends.

Here are some of the big ones.

1946 1964

leaning on their parents—a collapsed

big part of maintaining a healthy life

economy, ballooning student debt and

balance is having a job you can turn off.

an unfriendly housing market have

And sometimes, the best way to do that

resulted in plenty of valid reasons for

is to remember a job is just a job.

them to fly pretty close to the nest. But Boomers grew up in a time of relative financial affluence and a deep distrust of the government.

They cherish independence and rebellion against societal norms, and are generally optimistic.

it might be worth ripping a page out of the Gen Z book now and then, and trusting your own instincts for a few decisions.

Sure, it’s a risk. But you never know

3.

what’s waiting on the other side.

1981 1995

Millennials have a drive to make the world a better place through their professional lives. They’re convinced of their unique worth and harbor both an environmental and digital streak.

1996 2014

Gen Z are digital natives who deeply value inclusivity. They’re passionate about gender equality and acceptance.

JULY-AUG

Millennials are digital pioneers, a generation that came of age as the

1965 1980

Gen X came of age during MTV and a time of increasing global cynicism. They learned to rely on themselves instead of their parents and distrust those who seem to be looking for a “handout.”

NOT EVERYTHING IS MEANT TO BE SHARED

internet went from a dial-up novelty

2.

KEEP IT PRACTICAL

to an ever-present fuel on which life

The recession hit

runs. But Generation Z is made up of

millennials right as they

digital natives, who’ve never known a

entered the workforce,

life without the internet. That means

and they were more

Gen Z is savvier than many millennials

rocked by its ill effects

are, not just about how they use the

than any other group. This drastically

internet but also how they don’t. While

stunted their employment options,

millennials have flocked to social

delayed their saving and retirement

media sites to share every last thought

options and resulted in a generation-

that comes into their heads, Gen Z is

wide pessimism about work. The result

likely to be far more private, having

for millennials was a deep suspicion

learned from some of the mistakes of

of the workplace, and lofty ideological

older generations. They prefer content

goals for what a job should look like.

that disappears (like Instagram stories

Gen Z absorbed the recession through

and Snapchat) and 70 percent of

their parents’ eyes, and early research

them say they’d rather share personal

suggests it’s had a very different effect

information with their pet than with

on their perspective on work. Gen Z is

their boss.

likely to be more interested in stability

Millennials’ habit of oversharing

and have more practical expectations

extends beyond selfies and sexts. It

for what a job looks like.

involves sharing personal revelations,

This is worth remembering for

prayers and relational drama—far

millennials, who prefer their jobs to

more than anyone else needs to know.

come with not just a paycheck, but real

Just because you can share something,

emotional fulfillment. There’s a lot of

doesn’t mean you should. That’s

value in believing in your work, but a

something Gen Z understands implicitly.

044

2018

WE’VE GOT A LOT TO GIVE ONE ANOTHER

Generation Z is an intercontinental

unfold over Twitter and Facebook.

culture all to its own, sharing a

Gen Z is full of global participants,

common cultural vocabulary in a

engaging with each other with

Generation Z is

way millennials never did. More

little consideration for geographic

probably going to take

importantly, they share common

boundaries. A lot of millennials

things like diversity for

values like inclusiveness, acceptance

were raised hearing they shouldn’t

granted. Millennials are upset when

and justice for the marginalized. White

talk to strangers on the internet, but

they see an organization without

points to the Parkland School shooting

eventually got used to it. Gen Z will

gender and racial diversity. Generation

survivors as being “arguably the first

scarcely have a concept of what that

Z will be more likely to be mystified

time we’ve seen [Gen Z’s] natural bent

would even mean. On the internet,

by it.

toward being social entrepreneurs

none of us are strangers.

4.

In fact, their global connectedness

galvanize around a single event or

means many members of Generation

cause ... They aren’t going to wait for

Z have more in common with

someone to take care of this.”

generational peers in different

Millennials have largely been global

countries than they do with people

spectators, watching major world

older than them in their own country.

events like Arab Spring and Brexit

045

M ATT A DKINS is a freelance writer who lives in Seattle with his wife and son.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

THE EVOLVING FAITH OF LISA GUNGOR Her husband said he didn’t believe in God. Her church said they had to go. Here’s how she survived.

BY T Y L E R H U C K A B E E

HERE’S A STORY YOU MAY HAVE

You probably know of Lisa and her

the church was exciting and the way

HEARD. The names and places change,

husband, Michael, as the Christian

of Jesus was revolutionary to me. And

but the plot points remain the same.

duo Gungor, extraordinarily popular

I had little questions, but you weren’t

Two young, attractive people fall in

musicians among a certain segment

really allowed to ask them.”

love with God and then, later, each

of Christians who take a critical—also

other. When they marry, they share

read “deconstructive”—posture toward

bother her. Or at the very least, she

a mutual understanding of what the

faith. As key members of the beloved

didn’t know it bothered her. But not

future will generally look like.

spiritually progressive podcast The

long after she and her now-husband

Liturgists and acclaimed songwriters,

started dating, the questions became

works out. There are more curveballs

Michael and Lisa are, as she herself

harder for either of them to ignore.

than they thought—there always

puts it, “professional Christians.”

And, for the most part, this basically

are—but the foundational elements

“God was the center of everything,”

And for a long time, that didn’t

“I think when we’re not allowed to ask these questions it creates

of the dream stay unchanged. God.

she says. “The center of our marriage.

this tension in our faith,” she says.

Family. A home. A job. It’s all very

God is the reason we got married. We

“When you finally are able to ask

straightforward ... until it isn’t. And for

sang worship songs to each other in

them, it collapses. Our whole lives

Lisa Gungor, there came a day when

a little practice room, and that’s how

revolved around [Christianity]. And

everything became decidedly less

we fell for each other—songs about

it was wonderful that as we began

straightforward.

God. It was all Christian romance. So it

to travel more, those questions that

was a huge shock when he said that to

we both had from a young age just

walking around in Denver, strolling

me. We were traveling the world and

kept gnawing at us, and we started

our little girl,” she says. “And we

singing songs about God, and he didn’t

digging to the bottom of them. In

were having some kind of theological

believe any of it.”

the tribe we were born into, these

“[My husband and I] are just

debate, and he just kind of went on

questions weren’t really allowed.

this rant, and I don’t remember what it

BEAUTIFUL THINGS

Doubt was the opposition of faith.

was about, but he did end it with, ‘And

“I loved the story of Jesus growing up,”

And so [if you doubt], you’re seen as a

so therefore, I don’t believe in God

Lisa says of her childhood. “We went to

bad person. So, I felt like I was a bad

anymore.’”

this very wild, charismatic church, and

person for questioning. That made this

047

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

perspective shift really difficult and painful. We ended up getting kicked out of the ‘Church’ for some of the beliefs that we had.”

It’s not uncommon. Many Christians have dealt with the pain of being rejected on some level by their faith community for asking questions that fell outside whatever lines of inquiry their church found permissible. But for the Gungors, it was different. This wasn’t just the loss of friends or a place to be on Sunday mornings. This was their livelihood.

“We were on the same journey, and there were times I told Michael that I don’t know if I can read the Old Testament,” she recalls. “I don’t know how I feel about this or the way we interpret it. And I was like, ‘I can’t even read the Bible now anymore.’

And he said, ‘Well, I don’t think you should tell people that because that’s kind of a huge thing for Christians.’”

The dichotomy grew to be a stark

atheist would look different than this.’”

one. Playing shows and singing songs about faith while journeying through

PARTIALLY HEALED

others I thought, ‘Maybe all of this is

doubt and skepticism offstage.

“He didn’t become a different person,”

b*******,’” she says. And this wobbling

Lisa recalls. “I think there was this

continued back and forth, “good days

[the question], ‘How honest are we in

idea in my head that once you don’t

and bad days” until one experience

public?’” Lisa says.

believe in God, now he’s gonna cheat

in particular brought her to what she

on me and murder people. What [is he]

calls “rock bottom.”

“We then started to wrestle with

The answer, she says, was to be brutally honest. “We absolutely had to

gonna do? Have sex with everyone?

be,” she says. “Because [when you’re

And I was like, Wow, he is still a

her husband visited Auschwitz, the

not] it rips people apart and marriages

great father. He’s committed to me.

infamous concentration camp in

and their own selves apart in the

His moral compass didn’t break and

Poland and were feeling especially

process of trying to have this public-

disintegrate.”

aggrieved over the sheer amount of

private life.”

This sort of honesty meant that

It’s easy to believe that a loss of

It came not long after Lisa and

evil in the world. A cousin was fighting

faith will mean a loss of not just your

a losing battle against cancer, and

when Michael finally opened up about

defining attributes but your own

the rest of the family was praying for

not believing in God anymore, it was

humanity, but Lisa says that was not

miraculous healing.

not totally out of the blue.

the case, and she found that hugely

“I knew his struggle,” she says. “I knew the leaders who failed him.” But it wasn’t expected.

“I clearly remember looking at Michael and saying, ‘Gosh. I thought an

JULY-AUG

But even that was precarious.

“Some days I would really believe, and

reassuring.

“And so I get this call one day, and my cousin is healed,” she says. “And

“But on the other hand, we were not

everyone’s rejoicing and saying, ‘Praise

in the same place,” she admits. “I still

God,’ crying. And I want to do that

believed in God because I had all of

and have that feeling because I miss

these experiences.”

that. I miss that rejoicing. God has

048

2018

“I’m trying to live in the way of love and the way of Jesus ... I know I don’t have it all right, but I love the way of Jesus. I don’t have a definition for that.”

NO DEFINITIONS

Lisa says she doesn’t quite know what she’d call herself now.

“I think labels and definitions can be good and helpful sometimes,” she says. “But if there’s anything I’ve learned about having a child labeled as ‘Down syndrome,’ it’s that [labels are

atheist.’”

reductive].”

However, that declaration was

Because of that, she says she’s

short-lived. “And that lasted for a

moved away from having a term for

whole day for me,” she says.

her current belief system. “You can look at our life and the way that we’re

LIGHT

living and if you think that’s against

“I didn’t want my cousin to suffer with

the way of Jesus and love, OK, that’s

cancer. I wanted that to be different. I

your perspective,” she says. “My

didn’t want Michael to be an atheist. I

perspective is I’m trying to live in the

wanted that to be different. I wanted

way of love and the way of Jesus the

us to be fine and to keep traveling and

best I know how. I know I don’t have it

writing songs, and I didn’t want people

all right, but I love the way of Jesus. I

to hate us, which is what happens.”

don’t have a definition for that.”

This was rock bottom, the point in

Looking back at the crisis of faith

Lisa’s life in which she felt the most

remains difficult, but she says she’s

broken into the world and decided to

desperation. And she says the core

learning how valuable the experience

heal someone. This is amazing and I’m

question—the thing it all boiled down

was for her—and how it’s shaping a

so glad he’s healed. But also …” she

to was love. “What do I believe about

better future.

pauses here.

love?” she says. “Love is the whole

“This is really sh***y and unfair that other people are dying while they’re asking for healing,” she finally says.

“In the middle, it’s just painful,”

story that I’ve bought into about Jesus

she says. “But on this side of it, I think

Christ, so what do I believe in?”

it’s interesting that we have such

The answer to this question arrived

attachment to that. As a parent, I can

“So I’m the cynical person in the family

through a lot of labor. Lucy, the

understand that. I want to raise my

wrestling with questions of why, and

couple’s second child, was born with

kids with this idea of the world and

I didn’t want to be. I tried to just wash

Down syndrome. “And it was kind of

faith. In my mind, if they’re completely

away the questions I had. I was like,

this painful, epic, beautiful, wonderful

falling off the deep end, I interpret

‘I’m just gonna jump back in.’”

climax for me,” Lisa says. “This little

that as being a bad parent who didn’t

girl is born into a world that our

do their job well because my child is

phone call from another family

society says is broken, and needs to be

struggling. But I think that’s changing.

member explaining that her cousin

fixed and at the same time, I’m feeling

I’m so grateful for the tragedy of losing

had not been exactly healed. “‘Well,’

that within my self. I’m broken, and I

faith because I think it was a necessary

they said. ‘He’s partially healed.’”

need to be fixed because I don’t believe

path. It was a path we had to be on.”

And that’s when she got another

“And I lost my mind,” she says.

“Like, what does that mean? I went on

like I used to.”

The peace Lisa found in Lucy was

a finely worded rant, all in my head

not a resolution to her doubts but the

and with Michael. I was like, ‘This is

understanding that she could live with

garbage! This whole idea is garbage!’ I

those doubts and they didn’t change

said, ‘I don’t believe any of this, I’m an

who she was.

049

T YLER HUCK A BEE lives in Nashville and is a contributing editor at RELEVANT.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

CATCHING A BREAK

BY R ACH E L G IVE N S

The secret to achieving everything you’re working toward might just be to stop working so hard.

A

mber Rae loves

re-anchor into my truest calls

destinies are achieved through

to work. It’s how

and desires, so that I remain

hard work and leaning on

she accomplishes

focused.”

your own ability to get things

so much, from

People often talk about how

done. He wrote, “It is easy to

her world-renowned art

much they love vacations,

see that a greater self-reliance

installation “The World

naps and thanking God it’s

must work a revolution in all

We Want” to her critically

Friday, but let’s be real: Work

the offices and relations of

acclaimed new book Choose

is our true obsession.

men; in their religion; in their

Wonder Over Worry. Rae has

In 2016, more than half

education; in their pursuits;

found a lot of success in doing

of American workers left

their modes of living; their

what she loves.

vacation days unused. In

association; in their property;

America, this fear of real

in their speculative views.”

So it may come as a surprise how she found a job she loves:

leisure goes to the heart of our

by quitting her old, promising

national perspective and the

can have a positive overall

job in Silicon Valley, selling

way we tend to view ourselves

effect on people’s sense of

everything she had and moving

and the world around us. The

well-being. But America has

to New York City.

truth is, many of us have been

tended to lean so much into

raised with an insidious fear

the value and dignity of work

I was trying to do it all and

of rest. And that fear runs

that it has neglected—and in

wasn’t very fulfilled, actually,”

contrary not just to reality but

many cases even disparaged—

she says. “I was balancing

to biblical teaching.

the value of rest.

relationships that I couldn’t do

THE PROTESTANT WORK ETHIC

GOD’S VACATION DAY

any of them particularly well,

Though few may be truly

“Hebrews 4 develops this

and I had this constant fear of

cognizant of it, the deep

idea of rest eschatologically,”

never having enough time.”

belief in the dignity of work

says Dr. Andrew Abernethy,

is uniquely American, hailing

associate professor of the Old

time away from what she was

all the way back to those

Testament at Wheaton College.

obligated to do and see what

industrious Puritans. John

“As believers head toward

time away from work would do

Smith famously told the

God’s rest that is found in

for her. Essentially, her work

colonizers of Jamestown, “He

Christ, Jesus invites the weary

didn’t take off until she learned

who does not work, neither

to find rest by taking His yoke

to rest.

shall he eat,” quoting a part of

on, by living according to His

a verse in 2 Thessalonians.

vision for life instead of the

“There was a time when

Research does show work

so many projects and

She wanted to take some

“I’m a high achiever, so there’s always this inclination

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s

burdensome types of living.”

to do more or go faster,” she

1841 essay, “Self-Reliance,”

It is probably notable

says. “Slowing down, even if

became a sort of manifesto,

that the very first thing the

for a few minutes, helps me

by propagating the idea that

Bible describes God doing

051

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

A CULTURE ADDICTED TO WORK STACKED-UP VACATION

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

According to a 2017 survey, only 23 percent of American workers used all their vacation time throughout the year. It turns out, the average employee forfeits almost half of their vacation time.

Studies have shown many Americans who do take vacations will continue to work remotely, which is ineffective because there’s a certain amount of rest needed to actually be productive.

Working long hours can boost your mortality rate by 20 percent. And research has found that working more than 40 hours a week increases your risk of a stroke by 10 percent.

is creating—an activity you can

The Israelites themselves observed

true that being unemployed makes

probably describe as “work,”

very strict laws. The Jewish Talmud

people less happy, according to a

however loosely. But it’s also notable

explicitly forbids 39 specific

Gallup Poll, but those in blue-collar

that the second activity the Bible

activities on the Sabbath, running

jobs aren’t much happier. According

ascribes to God is rest. His only work

the gamut from baking bread to

to the study, the best professional

on that day, according to Genesis 2,

extinguishing a fire, even to save

predictor of real happiness wasn’t

was to “bless the Sabbath and make

your house (exceptions can be

work, but work-life balance. It seems

it holy.”

made if someone’s life is being

that in order for the intangible

threatened). One of the rules,

benefits of work to truly take root,

days of work that preceded it, that

which forbids harvesting, got Jesus’

they must be wedded to the benefits

would make an appearance in the

disciples in trouble when Pharisees

of rest.

Ten Commandments. “Remember

caught them plucking heads of

the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,”

grain. Jesus defended His disciples

of this. New parents are not

the fourth Commandment says.

with this intriguing phrase from

guaranteed time off from work to

Mark 2: “The Sabbath was made for

care for a new baby, and the elderly

man, not man for the Sabbath.”

in the U.S. are being forced to push

It was this action, and not the six

Whatever spiritual good there may be to work, God was determined to stress the spiritual importance of taking a Sabbath.

In early American history, resting

In America, there is no guarantee

back their retirement for lack of

on the Sabbath became its own kind

funds. This is to say nothing of those

of industry. Not only were Puritans

who work two jobs and still struggle

societies [can] learn the value of rest

forbidden from working on the

to make ends meet.

in these commands to align with

Sabbath, but they were forbidden

the rhythms of creation,” Abernethy

from playing, too. It was not to be

are the signs of a culture that

says. “Particularly in Deuteronomy

a day of rest so much as one of not

has elevated the virtues of work

5, societies see the need to provide

doing much of anything.

at the expense of the virtues of

“Although unique to Israel, other

rest for slaves, workers and even

The research suggests that these

rest, a culture that has become so THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN

fixated on the idea that jobs are an

Research indicates there is no clear

inherently good thing that we don’t

Sabbath” looks like has been a

cut line between having a job and

believe there’s anything valuable

matter of debate over the millennia.

a personal sense of well-being. It’s

about the alternative.

animals.”

Exactly what “honoring the

JULY-AUG

OVERWORKING

052

2018

working in order to reorient around

allow this part of God’s Word to

overstressed and literally working

As a result, Americans are

God as creator and redeemer and

address them as Scripture and

themselves into an early grave. A

to take time to recreate within my

wrestle with what it would look like

nine-year study found skipping

family.”

to respond faithfully.”

vacation days raises your chances

This may seem obvious. Most

And this is what it means to rest

of a heart attack by 30 to 50 percent.

people in salaried positions are

well. Not to be dogmatic about a day

Working long hours can boost

already afforded a weekend,

of the week but to be disciplined

your mortality rate by 20 percent.

and despite the lack of federal

about building a rhythm of rest into

Working more than 40 hours a week

regulation, plenty of companies

your life.

increases your risk of a stroke by 10

do offer benefits like maternity

percent.

leave and vacation pay. Does the

By leaving a job that gave her no

United States really need extra

margin for a life with more built-in

encouragement to rest?

ways to step back from work and

Abernethy suggests that when God instructed people to observe the Sabbath, He did so not as a favor,

The research suggests the answer

“IN SOME CONTEXTS, K E E P I N G T H E S A B B AT H M AY L O O K A L O T L I K E THE JEWISH PRACTICE. ...

F O R O T H E R S . . . I T L O O KS L I K E S E T T I N G O N E D AY A PA R T E A C H W E E K .”

That’s what Rae learned to do.

observe a Sabbath, she was able

is yes. You can’t really

to find even more reward not just

make the case that

in the rest but in the work, too.

attending an hour of

A healthy balance between rest

church on Sunday is

and work ends up benefiting both

what God meant by

aspects.

“keep the Sabbath holy.”

So, take a vacation. Set up some

We know the difference

strict boundaries around your job

between working hard

and stick to them.

and being lazy at our

If your career doesn’t give you

jobs. But there’s such a

margin to rest, then consider

thing as being lazy at

making some tough decisions. The

our rest, too.

Sabbath was made for you.

The Sabbath was

“We live in a culture of do more,

set aside for worship,

better, and faster,” Rae says. “The

and worship can look

emphasis is on speed and outcomes

like many things. Good

versus the journey there. ‘Success

conversations with

stories’ tell the overnight wins

friends, pursuing new

people created, but not the messy

but because it was good for them to

interests, exploring creative outlets

middle of getting there, [but] I see

have one. It’s a necessity.

or visiting with family members all

this shifting slowly as more people

bring honor to God in a distinctly

vulnerably share the highs and lows

Sabbath may look a lot like the

worshipful way. But they all take

of the journey.“

Jewish practice of observing Sabbath

intention, too.

“In some contexts, keeping the

from Friday evening until sundown

And for Rae, and for a lot more

“When I was in pastoral ministry,

of us, that journey starts to sound

on Saturday,” Abernethy says. “For

[Sabbath] was on Thursday; now, it

a lot better once you realize that it

others, akin to Isaiah 58, it might

is Sunday for me,” Abernethy says.

includes margin for rest.

look like ensuring that laborers

“We should not be dogmatic about

receive fair treatment and rest. For

what honoring Sabbath looks like

others ... it looks like setting one day

today, but church communities,

apart each week to refrain from

families and individuals should

053

R ACHEL GIVENS is a writer and editor living in Portland.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

How author Rachel Held Evans—and many others—are reengaging the Bible

BY J O S E P H R I G G S

JULY-AUG

054

2018

W

hat you get out of Rachel

raised in, Evans has found that sturdier faith may

Held Evans’ writing largely

well await you on the other side. And she’s not alone.

depends on what you bring to it. Some people are bound

ENGAGED

and determined to see her as

According to a 2016 study from the American Bible

a rabble-rouser, ever ready to

Society and the Barna Group, Christian millennials

pick a fight, dragging identity

might be the most biblically engaged group in

politics (perhaps better defined here as “identity

generations. There may be fewer of them (just 27

theology”) where it doesn’t belong.

percent of millennials are “biblically engaged,”

But for others, she’s a breath of fresh air—a

compared to 31 percent of Gen Xers and 32 percent

courageous and curious amplifier of voices not

of boomers), but the ones who still consider faith

always tolerated within the mainstream white

to be an important part of their life are more likely

evangelical lane, gifted with a prescient BS detector,

to read their Bibles multiple times a week than any

a way with words and a knack for analyzing the

other generation, and millennials are also more

deconstruction of her faith in a way that makes

likely than older generations to say that the Bible is

others feel less alone. But to hear Evans herself talk

the literal Word of God.

about it, that part of her journey is, if not ending, then at least taking on a new element.

In other words, what millennial Christians lack in breadth they’re making up for in depth.

“I think I’m kind of in the process of, after years of really deconstructing my faith and wrestling with

“If you want to take the Bible seriously, you have to learn to respect the various genres that are there.”

doubts and questions, I do feel like I’m starting to rebuild a little bit,” she says.

A big part of that rebuilding has been a rediscovery of the Bible. Like most Christians in her tradition, the Bible was a huge part of Evans’ childhood. She learned the stories and loved them, cottoning to characters like Jonah, Moses and Mary Magdalene.

“I was and still am a huge Bible nerd—I was the president of the Bible club in high school, which made me super cool,” she jokes. “I memorized large portions of the Book of Romans before I was 11. I represented the Bible club on the homecoming court in high school. I was obsessed with the Bible and memorized it at all costs. I was really in it.”

But as she got older, teachings about the Bible took on another layer: The Bible was under attack.

“The message I got from the evangelical culture

So all the cries about the looming death of Christianity in America fail to really account for the whole picture. If faith was a numbers game, perhaps

was that the Bible was always being threatened,”

there’d be reason to be concerned. But if it is instead

she says. “The Bible was constantly in a threat, so

a matter of the heart, then things are looking up. At

the goal was to study the Bible, learn the Bible and

least they are if you take more Bible engagement as

defend the Bible.”

a positive sign, and why wouldn’t you?

But something interesting has happened lately in

“I think the critical turning point for me was

her life: Evans realized the Bible isn’t fragile, just

understanding that the Bible’s not just one book,”

certain interpretations of it seem to be. And if you’re

says Evans. “It seems pretty obvious, but the Bible

willing to rediscover the Bible through a slightly

is this big library of books; it’s a collection of stories

different lens than the one you may have been

and poems and letters and laws, philosophies,

055

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

The Four Senses of Scripture Ancient Christian tradition holds that there are actually four ways or “senses” the Bible operates in— sometimes individually, sometimes all at once—and the fullest reading of Scripture involves learning how and when to read it in which sense.

1

LITERAL:

in the Bible would end up weakening

put together as part of Scripture.”

belief in it. But for Evans, the opposite

This is not, as Evans notes, exactly a secret. The Bible as we know it today is

has proven true. It’s strengthened it.

“If you want to take the Bible

made up of 66 books and a wide variety

seriously, you have to learn to respect

of different genres and perspectives. For

the various genres that are there,”

centuries, Christians held to a belief that

she says. “Just because [it has] poetry

some writings were divinely inspired,

and letters, that doesn’t make it

but there was no universal consensus

untrustworthy. It just means God chose

about which writings. Jewish scholars

to communicate through those genres,

had more or less agreed on 22 different

too.”

books for their Scriptures (which Christians would later chop into 39), but

INSPIRED

then a Greek translation of the Hebrew

When it comes to the idea of

Scriptures included 13 extra books—a

“inspiration,” Evans, like many

section Eastern Orthodox and Roman

Christians, falls into the camp that

Catholic believers still hold as divinely

believes not all of the Bible is meant

means exactly what it

inspired, even as Protestants dismiss it

to be read literally. “So for instance,

says about historical and

as the “Apocrypha.”

Genesis 1 is not supposed to be a

cultural events.

The canonization of the New

scientific explanation for how the

Testament was likewise fraught with

world and the universe came to be,”

drama. Some Christians didn’t care for

Evans argues. “It’s really much more of

3 John. Others thought Revelation was

a creation story meant to explain how

a little too out there. And a number of

Yahweh is different from the Babylonian

early Christians weren’t even aware

god, and how this God doesn’t need a

of Hebrews, a book whose anonymous

temple made of stone, He has an entire

like Revelation or some of

authorship has long been a sticking

cosmos as a temple.”

the prophets—should be

point for biblical scholars.

ALLEGORICAL:

Everybody knows that some parts of the Bible—

This is not a unique or even a new

Throughout the fourth century, a

interpretation of Genesis. It’s not even

number of synods haggled over the

particularly unorthodox. But for those

precise New Testament canon. The

of a certain strand of fundamentalism,

most notable of these was the Synod of

it represents a different way of thinking

Hippo, which probably was the first to

about the Bible—one that parses

accept the New Testament canon as we

nuances between what is literally true

Scripture is working in a

think of it today. Around 400, Jerome

and what is true, but not literal.

“moral sense” when it tells

produced a Latin version of the Bible in

a story with a practical

accordance with recent synods known

just 15 percent of religious people aged

as the Vulgate, which was instrumental

18-29 believe Scripture is the Word of

in cementing the biblical canon.

God and is intended to be taken literally.

interpreted as a metaphor for something else.

MORAL:

life application, like how the story of Ruth teaches trust.

4

acknowledging multiple vantage points

years written by multiple authors, all

for American Christians that the Bible literally

3

tried to hedge this fact for fear that

different genres spanning thousands of

The most common sense is also the most obvious:

2

proverbs, the traditions ... all of these

ANAGOGICAL:

This sense points toward

So the determination of which

According to a Pew Forum study,

By contrast, 24 percent of the same age

books, histories, poems, letters and

group agree that it’s the Word of God,

eyewitness reports were accepted

but don’t think everything should be

as divinely inspired and which were

taken literally.

rejected was, to put it mildly, a process.

The question then, inevitably, is

In the past, some fundamentalists have

which parts should be taken literally?

eternity—fulfilled prophecies and the coming Kingdom of God.

JULY-AUG

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2018

“The notion that God ... has to line up with our understandings of science and history is really just a self-centered way of reading the Bible.”

when Martin Luther advocated for everyone’s right to read the Bible. But according to Evans, over the ensuing centuries, many people have lost sight of the value of reading the Bible communally.

“I reject the notion that the Bible was to be consumed individualistically,” she says. “It makes a lot more sense to be engaged

To take an easy example, even the most devoted biblical

in a community that challenges you to think about it

literalist will concede that certain dragons foretold in

differently. You’re going to read the story of Ruth differently

Revelation aren’t actual green-scaled-and-leather-winged

if you read it alongside a woman who’s been widowed.

dragons, and that Job’s friends did not actually converse

Particularly a widow in a developing country where that

with each other in poetic verse. Those sections seem easy

affects your status so significantly.

enough, but tempers tend to flare around the literal-ness of,

“Or you’re gonna read a story of Hagar differently if

say, the Creation story or the Second Coming. Interpreting

you read it from the perspective of a woman theologian. A

such passages as metaphor instead of journalistic fact is

black woman is going to read a story about an African slave

seen as minimizing their power and importance.

woman differently than I’m going to as a white lady.”

“The notion that God can only communicate truth through

All of this might sound like a slippery slope. After all,

the modern understandings of science and history is really

you’re opening yourself up to different interpretations—

just centering Western, typically white American, concerns

some of them dramatically different. Perhaps it’s unwise to

when reading Scripture,” Evans argues. “These passages

go swimming in such waters. Who knows what you’ll end

weren’t written for people like us. They were written

up believing? That is a point that Evans is actually willing to

for ancient people who had ancient assumptions about

concede.

cosmology and had different concerns than we have today.

“Absolutely, it’s a slippery slope,” she says. “But loving the

Which doesn’t mean we can’t still learn a lot from them

Bible for what it is and engaging it for what it is instead of

about who God is and what God is like, but the notion that

what you want it to be doesn’t mean you lose any sense of

God has to answer our questions about cosmology and has

its authority or power or significance to your faith. In fact, I

to line up with our understandings of science and history is

would say if you engage it honestly, it enriches your faith a

really just a self-centered way of reading the Bible.”

lot more than if you just pretend it’s all making sense.”

HOLY

Bible is going to depend on what you bring into it. You can

Evans’ other big revelation about the Bible involved how she

come to it thinking that it’s simply there to confirm all your

treats it in her personal life.

pre-determined beliefs and scuttle aside any tricky portions

And in this sense, a good deal of what you get out of the

“I don’t think the Bible is meant to be read as a quiet time,

that don’t line up with your worldview, or you can come at

30 minutes a day, get your personal takeaway and leave,”

it as a series of texts written by a variety of scholars, kings,

she says. “I think the Bible is supposed to be engaged with

prophets, poets and politicians, all of whom wrote about

people who think differently than you and who have a

God according to not only their own interactions with Him,

different theology or are from a different background.”

but their own perspectives on those interactions. It’s a more

For many Christians, the Bible is treated sort of like broccoli. You may not enjoy it, but if you just get a full

complicated, demanding read. But it might just also be the more powerful one.

serving every day then slowly, over time, it’ll make you healthier—possibly even in ways you’re not even fully cognizant of. This is a particularly popular belief among Protestants, for whom the notion of individual, spiritual growth remains ingrained from the days of the Reformation

JOSEPH RIGGS is a writer and editor living in Cincinnati, Ohio

057

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

JULY-AUG

058

2018

Hawke of Ages Starring in one of the year’s best movies, Ethan Hawke is ready to change America’s conversation about grappling with faith and doubt.

BY T Y L E R D A S W I C K

E

than Hawke is preoccupied with three ques-

formance: the actor’s own formative church upbringing, a

tions: why we’re born, what we’re doing here

deep-rooted artistic philosophy and a lifetime of occupying

and why we have to die. They’re eternal, es-

other people’s minds.

sential ideas. And in his latest film, the ac-

“My life has chapters in a way other people’s don’t,” Hawke

claimed First Reformed, Hawke is grappling

says. “It’s a [nomadic] lifestyle. For years, one thing that’s

with each of them. He plays a priest in an existential crisis.

been consistent is the non-stop change.”

The role is a new page for the actor. The eager energy

For decades, Hawke has been a vessel. But after years of

Hawke leaned on in Dead Poets Society and Training Day is

collecting ideas and perspectives, he’s full to the brim. It’s

gone. His posture is weary, and it shelters a desperation that

time for him to release something. His questions have been

pays off in jaw-dropping fashion.

answered.

Critics are calling Reformed, directed by Raging Bull and Taxi Driver’s Paul Schrader, one of the year’s best movies—

CHAPTER ONE: WHY WE’RE BORN

and Hawke shoulders almost the entire thing. As his strain

Hawke was born in Austin, Texas, on November 6, 1970. His

becomes evident, the viewer is forced to ask the same ques-

parents divorced when he was 5 years old, and his mother

tions as the character. There’s a lot behind Hawke’s per-

remarried when he was 11. The family moved to Princeton,

059

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

New Jersey, where Hawke was baptized into the Episcopalian Church. His mom and stepfather served with the local youth group, and Hawke says he was raised a Christian. He says his religious

upbringing

didn’t

confine his worldview. If anything, it expanded it.

“Faith is a supple and moving

thing,

because

you see a lot of adults with different points of view,” Hawke says. “A lot of people turn off when you talk about religion because they think they’re about to be preached to or told they’re lost. My family never really did that. I grew up with a lot of different people who had very supple minds, and it made talking about why we’re born and why we’re here and why we have to die a lot more of an exciting conversation. I was raised in a dialogue of faith. I’ve always been trying to figure out how to integrate that aspect of my life into my creative life.”

Hawke’s

JULY-AUG

and he’s curious. perspective

His

oriented outward. He’s a

1989’s

Soci-

In Poets, Hawke made

searcher. He talks in a hes-

ety, could be considered a

himself a catalyst for view-

itant,

almost

meandering

breakout

to the answers with all his

is

Dead

role,

Poets

in

might.

In First Reformed, Hawke plays

projection of his person-

ers. When you watch it, you

style, like he looks down

ality.

was

feel what his character feels,

every avenue of the conver-

18, he dropped out of Car-

and you align yourself with

sation before choosing his

negie-Mellon to play the

his experience. It’s still his

path, but when he finds that

bright-eyed Todd Anderson

greatest gift as an actor.

path, he takes it to the end.

opposite

He pauses when new things

It’s a stirring performance.

ie, Poets could have been

occur to him, and he inter-

Hawke looks younger than

Hawke’s ticket to stardom

rupts follow-up questions

he really is, but he also

(his debut, Explorers, was

when a new idea hits his

seems desperate to grow up.

lauded by critics but flopped

brain. He’s a deep thinker,

He asks questions and clings

at the box office). His con-

When

Hawke

Robin

Williams.

Only

060

his

second

a priest struggling with loss, depression, doubt and purpose.

mov-

2018

“I was raised in a dialogue of faith. I’ve always been trying to figure out how to integrate that aspect of my life into my creative life.”

questions about destiny and

what he was born to do.

ceptional, pairing. Training

identity. Hawke was a star

Day opened at No. 1 its first

but a minor one. He opted

CHAPTER TWO: WHAT WE’RE

for the emblematic parts

DOING HERE

instead of the blockbusters.

In 2001, Hawke appeared

a great movie and nobody

That church dialogue he had

alongside

Wash-

sees it, but sometimes you

started when he was young-

ington in the crooked-cop

make a great movie and ev-

er still played out in his

thriller Training Day. Wash-

eryone sees it,” Hawke says.

head, and it shaped the first

ington would take home the

“It’s an awesome feeling to

steps of his career.

Academy Award for best

connect with an audience.

“One of the great things

actor, but Hawke’s role as

It’s like a painting. You see

about going to church is you

the meek, fidgety, deer-in-

inside somebody’s eyes and

like

see yourself as a member

the-headlights rookie Jake

realize they probably feel a

Matt Damon, Edward Nor-

of a community,” he says.

Hoyt earned him an Oscar

lot of the same things you

ton, Will Smith and Mark

“I think it gave me a great

nomination, too (he has four

feel.”

Wahlberg—were still years

framework to survive the

total now).

from making their marks in

pitfalls of early celebrity. It

It’s

Hollywood, and Hawke had

teaches a fundamental hu-

Hawke

as

left a small mark on his

a chance to be famous—re-

mility. One of the problems

much as Jake Hoyt is a char-

worldview. Some actors can

ally famous.

of making it in the arts is

acter, Jake Hoyt is a vessel.

shed roles like costumes.

But instead of chasing

how it fans the flames of

Once again, Hawke’s feel-

Others have a harder time

the limelight, Hawke start-

your ego. It’s really easy for

ings are the audience’s feel-

extracting themselves from

ed chasing art. Reality Bites

young people to lose context.

ings. His reactions are their

the character. Hawke finds

arrived in 1994 as a Genera-

You need a sense of humility

reactions.

is

a paradox in it: As much as

tion X manifesto. 1997’s Gat-

to keep learning and keep

an unstoppable force, but

he acknowledges the poten-

taca, an artistic science-fic-

growing.” In acting, Hawke

Hawke fuels his momen-

tial dangers of this dynamic,

tion

found his purpose. This is

tum. It’s a bizarre, but ex-

he says the better the actor,

temporaries—actors

film,

wrestled

with

061

the

weekend.

“Sometimes

Denzel

you

make

Across theater and film, perfect

part,

Ethan

because

Washington

each of Hawke’s roles have

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

“Silence is a tool to open up people. There’s a great line I remember: ‘The voice of our Creator is gentle and can only be heard in silence.’”

the more they’ll let the char-

When you play Macbeth, the

Unlike Dead Poets Society

ask yourself, ‘How do I feel

acter’s motivations, perspec-

evil that lurks inside man’s

or Training Day, there’s no

about that? Which character

tives and ideas “infect their

greediness for power finds

room for you in Hawke’s

is right and which character

psyche.”

its way inside you. When

performance. That means

is wrong?’ It’s a little bit of

But as Hawke grew older

you’re playing a priest in a

instead of going through the

work, but the impact is far

(and in the Before trilogy

full-blown existential crisis,

movie alongside him, you’re

greater because it’s asking

and Boyhood, the latter of

looking into the void of de-

opposite him, even in con-

you to participate.”

which was filmed over the

spair, it presents challenges

flict with him. And he stays

Hawke isn’t an empty

course of 12 years—we liter-

to your day. If you don’t let

back until the finale, when

vessel anymore. He’s here to

ally watched him grow old-

those feelings go, you’re not

he charges forward, and you

make an audience think and

er), he had to learn how to

going to live very long.”

realize that this time he has

feel things they could nev-

finds

the ideas, he has the mes-

er have conceived without

ters he possessed. The roles

Hawke again as that deep,

sage and he empties those

him. It’s his mission now, his

were opening up his mind to

hollow vessel. He channels

ideas out upon the audience.

orders. Instead of letting us

more parts of the human ex-

more convictions and ideas

It would feel traitorous if it

participate in someone else’s

perience, but he was starting

in this movie than in any

wasn’t so revelatory.

worldview, he’s asking us to

to lose parts of himself.

other role. There’s a lot be-

step back out of the charac-

“It takes a toll on your

Reformed

“One of the things that’s happened

body,” he says. “You have to

makes

performance

such a problem—they do

CHAPTER THREE: WHY WE

let these things pass through

remarkable is how Hawke

all the work for us,” Hawke

HAVE TO DIE

you. If you were to read The

keeps it all hidden. He buries

says. “They show a human

There are lines on Ethan

Bell Jar (a novel about de-

those ideas.

being with a tear in their

Hawke’s face now. They give

eye, and they play sad mu-

him history, and they allude

sic, so you feel sad, and you

to all the roles he’s borne

day for a month, you’re re-

the

It’s your job as the viewer, then, to start digging.

to

participate in his own.

neath the surface, but what

pression and suicide) every

JULY-AUG

First

movies—it’s

ally getting inside the head

For maybe the first time in

don’t have to do any work.

and shed. He looks like a

of someone who’s contem-

an Ethan Hawke movie, First

Silences leave room for your

veteran. He describes his life

plating taking their own life.

Reformed makes you lean in.

imagination. You have to

that way sometimes, like he

062

2018

063

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

In First Reformed, Hawke’s encounter with a pregnant woman (Amanda Seyfried) shakes his worldview.

was in battle.

JULY-AUG

munity: to provoke good

the exterior and toward the

Hawke says. They’re on a

“I’ve always gone to war

conversations and interest-

interior. That’s what a mov-

flat screen. Depth, literally,

for art,” he says. “I believe

ing dialogue, to entertain us

ie like First Reformed tries

has limitations.

the artistic dialogue of a na-

in a way that leads us some-

to do, but at the same time,

“The spiritual life is hard

tion, of a people, represents

where. That’s always been

it’s not easy to direct an au-

to dramatize,” he says. “Is-

its collective consciousness,

the thing I fight for.”

dience in 2018.

sues of faith have been om-

how much we connect with

Hawke has put himself on

First, that change asks

other people, how we expe-

the front lines. He believes

someone

being

and yet, very few of my mov-

rience compassion. It’s part

that as an actor, he can tap

passive to lean in, and sec-

ies are spiritual in context.

of our mental health. That’s

into those complexities. He

ond,

ideal

Film isn’t oriented toward

the role of the artistic com-

can move people’s gaze past

for showing the interior,

what makes us alive. It loves

064

used

movies

to

aren’t

nipresent in my waking life,

2018

“At its best, art has always made me feel the way I wish church did. It makes you feel like you don’t have to be ashamed ... like you’re not alone.”

girls taking their tops off. It

deal with a sincere adult

to have an experienced life.

loves guys pulling out guns.

relationship to the Divine,”

Opening yourself up to new

It loves Camaros. Things that

he says. He sounds disheart-

thoughts and new ideas is

we are desirous of—alcohol,

ened.

what we want to do to our

sex, love, power, money—

Perhaps to Hawke, they’re

children as they grow up, so

make a tremendous amount

a missed opportunity. He

they’re not provincial and

of noise, but in silence, we

says the culture now is quick

they have an openness of

often hear a more gentle

to hyperbolize, and we do

thought. Art is one of the few

voice inside ourselves.”

that because it’s easy. We

things that can really be that

It’s this silence that he be-

praise celebrities in one mo-

bridge for us.”

lieves is the key to helping

ment, but when we find out

Hawke’s spiritual founda-

people understand deeper

about their personal failings,

tion is strong enough to hold

truths. “Silence is a tool to

it shocks us. It’s too hard to

him up even when he looks

open up people,” he ex-

reckon with a person’s in-

over the edge, and he has.

plains. “There’s a great line I

herent contradictions or oth-

He’s become other people.

remember: ‘The voice of our

er complicated realities, so

“I believe in the value of

Creator is gentle and can

we shuttle them toward one

performance,” he says. “It

only be heard in silence.’”

extreme or the other. People

brings us together. It lets us

aren’t that simple.

see ourselves. When art is

Hawke has seen Christian movies. They repre-

“A lot of people spend

good, it’s connected to what

sent, to him, the opposite

their whole lives listening to

I would call a spiritual life.

of the broad, inclusive per-

the same music they listened

At its best, art has always

spectives he experienced in

to when they were 18 to 25,”

made me feel the way I wish

church growing up. He calls

Hawke says. “That’s placing

church did. It makes you

them “Hallmark movies,” su-

yourself in a formaldehyde

feel like you don’t have to be

perstitious and superficial.

of sorts. We have to remem-

ashamed. It makes you feel

ber to keep being alive and

like you’re not alone.”

“In my mind, they don’t

065

T YLER DASWICK is RELEVANT’s senior writer. He’s on Twitter @TylerDaswick.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

A LV V AY How the indie outfit threw out their plans and decided to get personal

BY S A R A H J A M E S

W

HEN MOLLY RANKIN ENTERED THE STUDIO

on the actual music though, the producer noticed something:

to record her album, she had no intention

Whether the musicians realized it or not, they weren’t making

of making a record with a band that would

a solo project for Rankin. Their chemistry was bigger than that.

become Alvvays. “We went into the studio

They were forging new creative ground together and were on

at Calgary thinking this was going to be a

the verge of doing something totally new—as a band.

solo record for me,” she explains.

“[He] was the one who realized we were more of a band than

She brought along a couple of friends

JULY-AUG

we thought,” she says.

and fellow musicians, Alec O’Hanley and Brian Murphy, to

Three years and countless shows around the world later, it

provide some backing support. When they started working

turns out, the producer was right. The change in plans—from

066

2018

big indie-rock guitars.

The vulnerability of the lyrics may be an

how close she and her bandmates have gotten since they first formed. After touring

unexpected direction for some fans, but for

together for years, they are very open during

Rankin, evolving with life’s unexpected plans

the creative process, constantly pushing

is a big part of why she is who she is.

each other forward.

“Alec and I have always needed time in

***

YS

When Rankin was just 12 years old, her

just time to sit with something so you can

father was driving her brother and a couple

be as objective as possible,” she says. “Be

of friends home from a hockey game near

willing to throw out an idea that you’re

their home in Eastern Canada, when he lost

fond of, as painful as that can be, it’s pretty

control of the vehicle. They plunged off of a

necessary for us to be able to point out our

large cliff into waters below. After breaking

flaws in writing—and sonically as well.”

the windows, the passengers were able to

define, but that’s exactly the kind of album

musician himself, did not make it.

Rankin wanted. lazy, and people can be caught up in that,”

becoming an accomplished fiddler—just like

she explains. “But I think you’ll ultimately

her father—as a way of paying tribute to him

prevail if you keep chipping away at your

and keeping his memory alive.

goal, which is to be prolific and focus on

and began to collaborate with friends (a few of whom are now her bandmates) who

MacLellan

Yes, Alvvays is influenced by other bands.

after gaining buzz on the Toronto music

Strokes, The Replacements and The Smiths

scene, they inked a record deal and began

as bands they are fans of.) But they’ve

work on their 2015 debut.

always developed a unique sound that is all their own, without worrying about

but Rankin says they didn’t mind taking

comparisons or labels. With their bright

creative risks. “We went out on a few

guitars, poetic lyrics and catchy indie-pop

different limbs with the record,” she says.

hooks, they’re comfortable just letting the songs come naturally—adapting to new

and approaches to instrumentation, but her

plans and ideas as old ones change—instead

lyrics are also notably more vulnerable and

of trying to stand out for the sake of being

personal than Alvvays fans might expect.

different.

In the song “Already Gone,” Rankin opens

“I don’t know if I can define what makes

up about the death of her father in the tragic

us stand out from other bands,” Rankin says.

accident.

“I don’t really like to over-confidently tout

“I arrived at the scene, you were perfectly

things like that. Lyrics have always been

surrounded by pylons / When the crowd

a huge part of what Alec and I have done.

separated, the officer said you were already

That’s something we’re drawn to in other

gone / Appetite minuscule / Middle of the night

bands as well, smart lines and witty poetry.”

/ Drain the pool / The summer’s over.” recording a solo album, to forming a band

slap on you as a two-word easy sentence.”

(Rankin includes artists like The Hives, The

They’re experimenting with new sounds

Rankin, Kerri

your output instead of what people want to

bonded over their love of indie-rock. Soon

Expectations were high for the follow-up,

O’Hanley, Molly

“Sometimes labels can be reductive and

Rankin committed herself more to music,

By 20, she’d become a talented musician

L to R: Brian

The result is an album that’s difficult to

swim to safety, but her father, an acclaimed In the years after her father’s death,

Murphy, Alec

between working on songs and recording,

It’s arguably the most personal song

With its mix of song types, sounds and lyrical content, Antisocialites sounds like a

and creating together as Alvvays—paid off.

Alvvays has ever recorded, but it’s far from

record from a band that is comfortable with

Just weeks after its release, Alvvay’s self-

an outlier on the album.

not sticking to a formula, but for Alvvays,

titled debut went to No. 1 on the U.S. college charts.

Now, the band is back with Antisocialites,

The record’s big single “In Undertow” and difficulties of going through a break-up, and

a record that marks a serious evolution

the closing track “Forget About Life” finds

for Alvvays—particularly the songwriting,

Rankin taking on the stresses of life.

which interplays deep, personal lyrics with

that’s exactly what they’d prefer.

the standout “Not My Baby” are about the

The creative shift is partly thanks to

067

SAR AH JA MES is an artist and writer who lives in Brooklyn.

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

SI T T IN G D O W N W I T H

B R I A N H O U S T O N T H E M O ST IN FLU EN T I A L PA STO R IN T H E W O RLD H A S S O M ET HIN G H E WA N T S YO U TO K N O W.

JULY-AUG

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2018

AS

THE SENIOR PASTOR

than our potential or God’s best. I feel

WHEN LINING UP THEIR CALLING

AT HILLSONG

we need to set ourselves higher and

AGAINST ANOTHER PERSON’S?

CHURCH, Brian

understand God has more for us. I’m

Houston is a walking

certain that as long as we have life,

Comparison is ugly. No one ever wins

testament to the idea that ambitious

God has us on an adventure, and like

when you start living your life in

goals and intentional purpose can lead

any adventure, it has its highs and

competition. There’s always going to be

to great achievement. In fact, each

lows, but Scripture says God can do

someone a little better looking, a little

week, more than 100,000 people attend

anything, more than we can imagine.

smarter, a little more gifted and more

a Hillsong-affiliated church, making

talented than you. So comparison’s a

it one of the world’s largest and most

IT’S EASY TO BE COMPLACENT AND

dangerous road to go down, and I think

influential churches. He’s literally one

GET COMFORTABLE, BUT SOMETIMES

the devil would love us to get involved

of the world’s biggest pastors.

WE’RE CALLED TO DO SOMETHING

in that world. But that’s a choice, and

UNCOMFORTABLE. HOW DO WE

it’s also a choice to realize God has

DISCERN THAT?

a goal for our lives. I’m going to run

In his new book, There Is More, Houston writes about how God breaks through the negativity of culture

my own race, and I’m going to be

to deliver enriching, open-minded

There are so many forces designed to

comfortable in my own skin. I’m going

encouragement, so others can

stop you from stepping into whatever

to be who God wants me to be, know

accomplish their own big dreams.

it is God has called you to and designed

He has more for me and I’m going to

you for. Comfort will never give you

continue toward that “more” no matter

to discuss how to overcome obstacles

the fulfillment that living your life

what it costs.

while chasing your own calling.

“called” will. God can bring you more

RELEVANT sat down with Houston

if you stay resilient and refuse to draw

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO ATTAIN THAT

COULD YOU ARTICULATE THE

back. God can open doors of possibility

PERSONAL OWNERSHIP OF YOUR

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT WE

and opportunity you could never

CALLING AND STRIP THE COMPARISONS

OFTEN HEAR IN CULTURE AND WHAT

imagine.

AWAY?

SCRIPTURE TEACHES? SO HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THOSE

It comes from a godly confidence.

The contrast is pretty clear. The world

POSSIBILITIES ARE THINGS GOD IS

You have to have a confidence, that,

around us is increasingly lacking hope,

PUTTING ON YOUR HEART INSTEAD OF

one, God is God. Two, you’re a child

a future and direction. There’s a lot of

SELFISH DESIRES?

of God. Three, He loves you, and He’s

pessimism about the future, whether

called you. And four, He has a plan

it’s in political, natural or social

Motivation is important. The Bible

and purpose for your life. If you just

fields. I think that gives the Church an

talks about self-ambition, and I actually

live with that certainty in your life, it

amazing opportunity to point people

looked up ambition in the thesaurus,

almost becomes inevitable that you’ll

to Jesus and point people to what God

and the words were great, like fire, zeal

move forward into the “more” God has

has for us. So as the world around us

and passion. I don’t think those words

for you. Don’t underestimate God.

becomes more pessimistic, it tells us as

are from the devil; I think those words

No matter where we’re at in life,

Christians what can’t be done and why

are from God. Jesus obviously had zeal

we can feel like we’re maxing out, and

it shouldn’t be done and tries to put us

and passion. There’s a force that would

we’re not as good as the next person.

in a box. But ... God can’t be boxed.

love for us to lose our zeal, but when

That’s exactly what the devil would

someone has the kind of resilience

have us think.

IS THERE AN AREA WHERE YOU THINK

to know God and they keep pressing

THE CHURCH ISN’T THINKING BIG

forward, God has more for them.

ENOUGH RIGHT NOW?

I understand the importance of not going down that road. I’m not going to do that to my spirit. I understand that

ANOTHER PITFALL IS WE LIVE IN A

my pursuit of “more” means less about

One of the great tragedies of the

CULTURE THAT FOSTERS COMPARISON,

me, a lot more about others and all

Church is we tend to settle for less

SO HOW CAN PEOPLE AVOID THAT

about God.

069

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT

S O M A L

JULY-AUG

070

2018

I L A N D BEHIND 72-YEAR-OLD HAHA AHMED BUNI,

the Gulf of Aden glimmers underneath the soon-setting sun. Despite the seemingly picturesque setting, desperation has begun to settle on the village of Lughaya.

Like many women in the village, she helps care for dozens of children who live there with families in makeshift homes constructed from sticks, branches, old pieces of sheet metal and disregarded cardboard.

It hasn’t rained in months. And though clean drinking water is accessible from a deep well that’s about 10 kilometers away, an eight-year drought in the region has caused almost all of the plants to die. The ones that do grow are invasive, thorny and poisonous if animals eat them.

And with the village historically reliant on income that comes from herding goats and camels—most of those flocks are dead because of the drought—like most families in the Lughaya region, there’s little way for Buni to pay for food for the children she cares for.

Lughaya is a remote village surrounded by open desert on three sides, and the sea on the other. But like many villages in rural Somaliland, it has seen its population swell as people who have been migrating herdsmen for countless generations have been forced to find more permanent places to settle as their

BUT WE CAN HELP CHANGE

herds slowly starve to death and their way of life dies alongside the animals they care for.

071

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

Until December of last year, Buni

doesn’t have enough representation

and Somalia. Now, experts say the

received $85 a month from the United

within the United Nations for its crisis

conditions that sparked that disaster—

States

to be recognized.

drought,

Agency

Development to

foreign

desperately

for

International

(USAID),

inadequate

government

but

cuts

Even though it is largely free from

resources, a lack of response from the

assistance

ended

that

the terrorism and violence that plagues

international community—may soon

needed

income

for

many parts of Somalia—during the

be replicating themselves.

countless Somaliland residents.

reporting of this story, the radical

Since then, Buni has taken out

Islamic group al-Shabab set off car

an informal line of credit from the

bombs that killed 38 people in the

closest market so she can still feed her

Somali

children and grandchildren (mostly

international

with canned foods). She says her hope

capital

of

Mogadishu—the

a

man

who

experienced

most

people

Somaliland to the same restrictions

community

have

never

is that the USAID program will be

as its neighbor. And even though

happening. He was asleep when a

reimplemented so she can pay off her

Somaliland

stable

jackal entered his hut and began to

quickly growing debt. But with the

politically, it is technically one of the

savagely attack him. With bandages

Trump

seven nations singled out by President

still covering his face and head, he

plans for deeper cuts to international

Donald

explains that he was able to fight off the

aid (eliminating as much as a third of

meaning the U.S. won’t accept people

its budget), that’s looking increasingly

from the region. Because it operates

You see, jackals in this part of the

unlikely.

within the borders of Somalia, there is

world typically don’t do this sort of

announcing

is

Trump

subjects

In a village not far from Lughaya, there’s

something

administration

community

People there know things may soon get very, very bad.

relatively

for

a

travel

ban,

in

the

heard

of

attack, but he’s still shaken by it.

Buni, like most people in Somaliland,

an extra layer of diplomatic complexity

thing. Usually, they eat things like

is Muslim. When asked where she

involved in the drought-starved region

bugs, berries, small birds, grass and

will turn if the USAID money does

receiving international foreign aid.

carcasses—they don’t attack full-grown

not return, with her back to the sea,

Even

though

Somaliland

isn’t

humans. But the drought has killed

she pauses and looks at the children

formally recognized, there is a high

many of the plants, grass, bugs, berries

sitting in the dirt around her feet. She

degree of pride within its borders.

and small birds, and the carcasses

points up, takes a deep breath and says,

The official travel documents instruct

of camels and goats claimed by the

“Allah.”

travelers and tourists to refer to it

drought simply don’t have much meat

only as Somaliland—never Somalia.

on them. The jackals are desperate.

A COUNTRY WITHIN A COUNTRY

The government is actively courting

For the people in the village, the

Somaliland occupies a unique place in

investments from overseas businesses,

jackal attack is just one small sign that

world diplomacy. Though it’s located

particularly

the worst may still be yet to come, that

within the borders of Somalia, the

within the capital city of Hargeisa.

country

operates

independently,

for

the

infrastructure

But despite an underlying spirit

with its own currency, government

of

of

independence

within

is, unless somebody does something to help them.

some

and

communities, there is also a feeling of

A CHANGING CLIMATE

self-declared border. But despite its

profound dread, as Somaliland sits on

When Dr. Chris Funk first began

decades of independence and more

the brink of catastrophe.

his

elected

officials,

military

career,

study

he

climate

never change.

intended The

to

than four million residents, Somaliland

Between 2010 and 2012, more than

official

is not recognized by most the world

a quarter of a million people died

job title he was seeking back then

—including the United States. It also

during a famine that struck Somaliland

was “Humanitarian Earth Scientist.”

S OM A LI L A ND: A B RI EF H I STO RY: S o m a l i l a n d h a s , at ti m es , b e e n re co g n ize d a s a n i n d e p e n d e nt state s i n ce its B r iti s h o ccu p ati o n i n th e l ate 1 8 0 0 s . I n 1 96 0 , th e re g i o n b r i ef ly g a i n e d fo r m a l i n d e p e n d e nt statu s fro m th e B r iti s h g ove r n m e nt, th o u g h

JULY-AUG

072

afte r d e ca d es of c ivi l wa r i n th e re g i o n , its statu s re m a i n e d i n l i m b o. I n 1 9 91 , off i c i a l s i n S o m a l i l a n d off i c i a l ly d e c l a re d i n d e p e n d e n ce fro m S o m a l i a . H oweve r, it i s u n re co g n ize d by th e i nte r n ati o n a l co m m u n it y to d ay.

2018

“They’re just so desperately exposed to these kinds of climate extremes,” he explains.

Now, he’s observing the worst drought the area has seen in 35 years. And the data is becoming even more concerning.

“I don’t see any good reason why it should get better,” Funk says. “And I think it’s quite likely that the frequencies of these droughts could increase.”

However, Funk, whose research with the Climate Hazards Group provides data to the government that’s used to determine which areas are in the greatest need of aid, is still determined to help the vulnerable communities there.

After two decades of studying climate change and sea surface temperature

escalations,

he

and his team are able to more accurately predict when droughts will occur.

“I was doing this same job in 2011 when 258,000 Somalians died,” he says. “This time around, we did a much better job predicting the droughts and getting at least some humanitarian relief.”

His data can also be used to allow governments to proactively help

people

from

suffering

Essentially, he wanted to use

region around Somalia, not only

economic collapses, like in the

satellite

climate

because of the impact climate

cases of communities losing their

data to help people across Africa.

change is having on the people

entire herds. They are actively

However, the more he studied, the

there, but also, as he explains,

coming up with creative solutions

more he noticed something: The

because of its unique geographical

to help.

must band together

climate was changing rapidly, and

position in relation to the trade

“So you’d go in, and say we see

to survive the harsh

the world’s poorest communities

winds—which already keep it

trouble coming and are going to

were suffering the worst.

The population of seaside villages have swelled as desperate families, who once depended on livestock, now

conditions.

imagery

and

much more dry than other areas

give you fair market value for

In 1997, he became a founding

on the equator. It makes the area

your goats so you can go ahead

member of the U.S. Geological

a sort of canary in the coal mine

and take this money and have it

Survey/UC Santa Barbara climate

for understanding the effects of

in the bank,” he explains. “That

science team.

climate change in other parts of

would increase, I think, a lot of

the world down the road.

resilience

His research has focused on the

073

and

those

families

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

wouldn’t lose everything.”

humanitarian response is usually more

Haha Ahmed Buni lives, the mayor of

Funk isn’t alone in thinking about

intense and lasts for a shorter period of

the region—who overseas 56 villages

creative solutions to help the people of

time, but with a place like Somaliland,

in the region—said fishing nets, boats

Somaliland.

what was thought to be a one-year

and training for the seaside villages,

drought is coming up on eight years.”

which are growing in population every

World

Vision,

an

international

Christian humanitarian organization,

Now that it’s becoming ever more

has been working in the region for

apparent to experts that these types of

years.

their

droughts are dramatically increasing

“A term for that in the climate world

strategy from focusing on disaster relief

in frequency, World Vision is shifting

is ‘adaptive capacity,’” Funk explains.

to long-term development projects.

their strategy to helping the people.

“They could do something to adapt, but

Recently,

they

shifted

month, could provide much-needed relief and income for the people.

“Relief focuses on serving those who

“In a country where almost 90

don’t have the resources to do that.”

are most vulnerable in the case of a

percent of the population are traditional

However, World Vision’s project hopes

rapid-onset disaster like a hurricane

herdsmen, whose flocks have been

to the change that.

or a drought, but the goal with

decimated by years of drought, fishing

development is to help communities

might be the only means of survival,”

THE NEED IS NOW

become self-sufficient,” Brian Duss, an

Duss explains. “Thankfully Somaliland

You may not remember it, but back in

aid worker with World Vision, explains.

is on the coast of Africa. The Gulf of

2012, a massive drought hit the United

“In the case of Somaliland, this includes

Aden’s fishing stocks are both vast and

States. But, as Funk notes, not only did

diversifying their income sources so

virtually untapped.”

food prices remain unchanged; “it had

they can be more resilient in terms

It’s

a

project

the

people

of

of changing weather or even sudden

Somaliland are desperately in need

shifts in market forces. Emergency

of. While visiting the village where

no effect on the people in the United States.”

Climate change has a way of targeting the vulnerable. And it has a way of creating a disconnect between the areas that experience it and are not affected by it and the communities that

already

feel

its

devastating toll.

“The rate that we’re going, there’s really a good chance we’ll end up with 3-4 degrees of warming, maybe by the middle part, better end of the century,” Funk says. “You kind of get to some point that you just get really, really scary

outcomes.

For

example, we’ve looked at the outcome of really warm temperatures on

In rural Somaliland, many communities are isolated, with no nearby roads or access to the most basic goods and services needed to build villages.

JULY-AUG

074

2018

ETHIOPIA SOMALILAND

A C H A NG E I N C L I M ATE S o m a l i l a n d ’s g e o g ra p h i c l o cati o n o n th e h o r n of Afr i ca m a kes it, a n d s u r ro u n d i n g co u ntr i es , u n i q u e ly v u l n e ra b l e to eve n s m a l l r i ses i n se a s u r fa ce te m p e ratu re ca u se d by c l i m ate c h a n g e. U n l i ke m a ny a re a s l o cate d n e a r th e e q u ato r—w h i c h a re wa r m , wet a n d l u s h—th e tra d e w i n d s p u s h ra i n to th e n o r th . A s se a s u r fa ce te m p e ratu res r i se, th i s effe c t i s a cce l e rate d a n d p ro l o n g e d , w ith d eva stati n g effe c ts to p l a nts a n d a n i m a l l ife.

SOMALIA UGANDA

KENYA

VE G E TATIO N C OVE R AG E 2016

2017

TANZANIA

pregnant women and this is just a very direct thing.” In parts of the developing

taken an interesting posture: hope.

like Haha Ahmed Buni.

“I think another thing to impress on

the

about climate change. “When you put

to

opportunities for hope; people are

carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,

making a difference,” he says.

you’re going to get global warming,”

young

children

and

pregnant

women.

people

though,

is

all

of

There’s also combating ignorance

world, this kind of heat can be ruinous

And in rural Somaliland, where

The average Western person could

World Vision has constructed dozens

make a huge difference by tackling the

of maternal and prenatal care centers

issue on three fronts: understanding

to offer medical services to local

the

change,

problem can lead to people making

communities, this need is becoming

advocating for greater international

decisions that reduce it, like wasting

a daily reality. The centers—though

aid and donating to NGOs doing work

less

stocked with basic medicine and run by

on the front lines.

environmental policies.

trained medical experts—are quickly becoming overwhelmed, as more and

But

reality

it

of

starts

climate

with

combating

misconceptions.

Funk says. “It just falls out of the basic physics.”

Further

and

And,

understanding

advocating finally,

of

for

the

more

supporting

organizations like World Vision that

more people flock to them to receive

“If you were to ask the average

are on the ground in the country, can

treatment as conditions around them

American, they think we spend 20

help provide direct assistance to the

become more extreme.

percent of our national budget on

people who truly need it most.

“If we wait 50 years and don’t do

foreign assistance, and it’s actually less

anything, you’re gonna find billions of

than 1 percent,” Funk explains. “We

people being really hurt,” Funk says.

are the richest nation on Earth, and we

In places like Somaliland, climate

For the people of Somaliland, this is a crisis that must not be ignored.

really don’t do much.”

change is already a reality and the

Even marginal increases to foreign

stakes couldn’t be higher. But despite

aid—increased by electing officials who

knowing the data and understanding

will make it a priority—could have life-

what the outcome could be, Funk has

changing effects on the lives of people

075

JESSE CAREY is the brand director at RELEVANT. You can find him on Twitter @jessecarey

RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM

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Bishop Briggs B

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of following your dreams. And the music is as

bleeds right into her music. Born

diverse as its themes. The instrumentation can

Sarah Grace McLaughlin in London,

shrink down to fill a midnight lounge or swell to

Briggs sang for the first time in

fill a stadium, but on either end of the spectrum,

a Tokyo karaoke bar. When she was 10, she

Briggs’ voice matches the tone to glorious,

moved to Hong Kong, and when she turned 18,

elevating effect. There’s a savvy balance to the

she packed up and moved across the Pacific to

record that ties Briggs’ voice directly to the other

Los Angeles. Now 25, all those adventures feel

instruments, and the result is that everything

obvious on the sound of her debut album, Church

sounds more in sync.

of Scars.

The album’s lyrics range from being about the frustration of heartbreak to the challenge

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Worship leader Phil Wickham admits that “even though [following Jesus] is this crazy, beautiful, amazing thing,” if one isn’t careful, worship songs can turn out predictable and contrived. It’s a pitfall

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Questlove’s third book

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CANCEL THE

audiences. It’s dangerous, but they know music is ultimately about feeling, and their new album Cancel the Future is bringing it.

Fuzzy guitars, big drums, stacked vocals and washy reverbs create soundscapes you can swim in. It’s all about creating energy, the guys said. “For us [the music] is intuitive. We

FUTURE [GAGA MUSIC]

If music is part vibe curation, Pretty City are masters of electricity.

don’t sit around analyzing it.”

ADAMANT

the question, “What

LISA BEVERE

is truth?” arguing

[BAKER]

that once we get

TOMB RAIDER

but the action delivers,

ROAR UTHAUG

and Alicia Vikander

[WARNER BROS.]

the answer to that

embodies the franchise’s new focus on a compli-

Author and

question right, it can

We know, it’s not much

cated female hero. It’s a

international speaker

be an anchor in our

to say this is the greatest

refreshingly new take on

Lisa Bevere takes on

tumultuous times.

video game movie ever,

the franchise.

LEAVE FEAR BEHIND. M OV E F ORWARD IN FAITH .

EMBRACE THE ADVEN TU R E .

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Using dramatic examples from her own journey, Christine offers real-life strategies and biblical inspiration to help move us from fear and anxiety to hope and trust in God, fully embracing the unexpected every single day.

Learn to live in the joyful freedom of complete trust in God.

`

JULY-AUG

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Father John Misty I

f the title to God’s Favorite Customer’s first single, “Mr. Tillman,” isn’t enough of a clue (his real name is Josh Tillman), the new album is

his most personal to date. Yes, he still maintains the moniker, but unlike his previous albums as Father John Misty, much of the irony is gone, with Tillman genuinely wrestling with ideas about love and hope.

Written about a brief time when he lived in a

hotel, the album focuses on the power of being alone and the danger of loneliness. And with song titles like “Hangout at the Gallows,” “Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All” and “Please Don’t Die,” Father John Misty shows that behind all

GOD’S FAVORITE CUSTOMER [SUB POP]

Trading in folk for piano ballads, the

the laughs he’s been known for is someone ready to

album is a deeply

get vulnerable with his listeners.

personal effort.

“

my Home

GOD GAVE ME HIMSELF AS

”

Available Wherever Books Are Sold

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LAST WORD A Thought Before We Go

you and me, with our particular

give you unique opportunities

gifts, personalities and passions,

to speak to those He’s lined up

for such a time and place as this

for you to meet about the God

(Psalm 139:13-16).

who has done all this. God could

He has built us for the life

Hope for Such a Time As This God put you and I here (and now)

Augustine, a Martin Luther,

He wired you physically. He

a Jonathan Edwards, an Amy

wired you emotionally. He wired

Carmichael, a C.H. Spurgeon,

you with personality: your

an Elisabeth Elliot, or a [insert

fight-or-flight response, your

your favorite hero from church

harmonizing, your persisting,

history here]. But he didn’t. He

your achieving. All of that is

gave today’s church, in this age

hardwired into you by God.

of unbelief, you and me. That’s

You’ve been uniquely wired by

our calling. That’s our privilege.

a divine hand. And God doesn’t

That’s our responsibility.

make mistakes. He didn’t get distracted while He was knitting

for a reason.

you together and drop a stitch.

We’re uniquely wired. And we’re

BY M AT T C H A N D L E R

WHEN WE LEARN

uniquely placed (Acts 17:24,

TO LOOK UP MORE

26-27).

THAN WE LOOK

his is a great time to

out of fear, whether that’s fear

be a Christian. Not

over our jobs, our reputation,

Him and live faithful to Him

an easy time—but an

our children or our freedom.

right where you are, right when

AROUND, WE’RE

you are. He is not looking at

UNLEASHED TO BE

exciting one.

God made you to worship

When we learn to look up

I know it doesn’t look that

more than we look within or

the age of unbelief and wishing

way. When I think about

look around—so that we put

He’d played His A-team for

our cultural moment, I can’t

our hope and trust in God—

this era, rather than you and

help but see parallels with

we’re unleashed to be bold in

me. And knowing that should

Christopher Nolan’s sinister

and for Him. We move beyond

comfort us. God knows what

Batman universe—a society

seeking to convert the culture,

He’s doing. Knowing that should

plagued by fear, a society where

condemn the culture or consume

also eradicate any sense of

the line between good and evil

the culture. We walk with

boredom in our lives. What I

has faded, a society marked

courage—with a deep, optimistic

mean is this: God is at work

by skepticism and cynicism, a

confidence—for we know how

behind everything, setting us

society with very little hope.

this story ends and we know

up as heralds of His Good News

why we are in this story.

to everyone. He is at work in

It’s what the cultural commentator Mark Sayers calls

As His people, we get to show our great God to this dark world

neighbors, our co-workers and

no sense of true and meaningful

in how we live and what we say.

potentially all those we come in

morals, relationships or identity.

That’s exciting. And God put

contact with.

But God’s people are called to

you—yes, you—here to do just

None of our conversations

live by faith, not by sight. And

that. It’s no mistake that we’ve

and interactions and situations

our faith tells us that none of

entered the age of unbelief—it’s

are by chance (Christians don’t

this is an accident. Our God is

all part of God’s plan.

believe in chance). They are

greater than us, and our God is

And it’s also no mistake that

by divine appointment. God

greater than any cultural norm

you are part of the Church in

has uniquely wired you with

or pressure. Our God has this.

this age of unbelief—that is part

specific gifts and tendencies, and

of God’s plan too.

uniquely placed you where you

When we live by faith in that God, we are freed from living

God has specifically designed

WITHIN OR LOOK

BOLD IN AND FOR HIM.

our families, our friends, our

a “non-place”—a culture with

JULY-AUG

have given today’s church an

He knew He would give to us.

live, work and play in order to

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M AT T CH A NDL ER is lead pastor at The Village Church in Dallas/Fort Worth and author of several books, including Take Heart: Christian Courage in the Age of Unbelief.

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