95 BO BURNHAM | FOSTER THE PEOPLE | FRANCIS CHAN W. K A M AU BELL | CHRISTINE CAINE | M A X LUCADO HILLSONG YOUNG & FREE | FIRST AID KIT | FALL TV 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
Johnnyswim How the duo channeled their passion for each other—and their faith —to become music’s SEPT-OCT 2018 // $6.95 US
next big thing.
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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
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 //ISSUE 95
September/October 2018, Issue 95 Building Just Bridges keep swimming. Since 2003
Publisher & CEO | CAMERON STRANG Brand Director | JESSE CAREY Senior Editor | TYLER HUCKABEE Production Editor | KATHY PIERRE
52
Senior Writer | TYLER DASWICK Social Media Coordinator | LESLEY CREWS Contributing Contributing Writers: Writers: Joseph Jill Adkins, Riggs, Andre MattHenry, Adkins, Townes Sarah James, Prescott RachelIIIGivens
Features
Creative Director | JOHN DAVID HARRIS Designer | JORDAN WILLCOX Director of Web Development | DANIEL MARIN
Johnnyswim
Production Manager | MARK JACKSON
p.52
Audio Editor | CHANDLER STRANG Video Editor | CLARKE FLIPPO
They make being one of the most exciting duos in pop music look easy. The truth is, it’s been anything but.
Contributing Photographers: Bommy Cara Robbins, Kwon,Bao A24,Ngo, Michael Joe Newsted, Gonzales, Jack John McKain, Nowak,Märta Neil Krug, Thisner, Hunter Jabari Holder, Jacobs, Lauren Arden Dukoff, Wray, Daley AbbyHake, Young, Darren Sherwin Lau,Lainez, Everlane, Gabriel ADIDAS, Rivera Linda Kallerus
3 4 // BACK-TO-CAMPUS BACK TO SCHOOL GE GE AR ARGUIDE GUIDE
Director of Business Development | AME LYNN FUHLBRUCK
Everything you need to go back to class, with class.
Director Senior of Business AccountDevelopment Manager | HEATHER | AME LYNN VOORHEES FUHLBRUCK
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4 4 // A GUIDE TO GET TING OUT OF DEBT WITHOUT HATING YOUR LIFE
We spoke with experts on tackling one of our generation’s biggest obstacles.
4 8 // DON’T WORRY ABOUT BO BURNHAM
Who picked this stand-up comedian to make one of the year’s best movies?
Senior Account Account Manager Manager | FELICHIA | HEATHER WRIGHT VOORHEES Account Traffic Manager | CAROLINE FELICHIA WRIGHT COLE Traffic Manager | CAROLINE COLE
Foster the People p.38
Operations Operations Coordinator Manager | |JESSICA GABRIELLE COLLINS HICKEY Project Manager | BRIDGET DOMBKOSKI Operations Finance Director Manager | MICHAEL | JESSICABOWLES COLLINS Project Manager | BRIDGET DOMBKOSKI
The festival staples have returned with their trademark big, gooey pop hits, laced with thoughtfulness, honesty and redemption. Not a moment too soon.
Finance Director | MICHAEL BOWLES ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: www.RELEVANTmagazine.com/advertise ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: www.RELEVANTmagazine.com/advertise
5 8 // WHY YOU NEED A SPIRITUAL MENTOR
It’s more than just a good idea. It’s a spiritual necessity.
6 2 // SCARE TACTICS A new wave of horror movies take the phrase “faith-based film” to a new level.
6 6 // VOTE YOUR FAITH How should Christians act in a divided election season? Some experts weigh in.
7 2 // FIRST AID KIT The Swedish folk duo are back from their sabbatical with a new passion.
7 4 // FRANCIS CHAN Why is Francis Chan so determined to stay out of the spotlight? RELEVANT MEDIA GROUP 55 W. Church St., Suite 211, Orlando, FL 32801 RELEVANTmediagroup.com
7 6 // W. K AMAU BELL He’s a comedian and a writer. But Bell really just wants to change the world.
8 0 // HILLSONG YOUNG & FREE Ready or not, the next generation of Hillsong worship is taking center stage.
8 2 // THE SUICIDE EPIDEMIC The American crisis of suicide is only getting worse. Can we turn the tide?
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 mvitetta@curtiscirc.com
1 2 // FIRS T WORD
7 6 // RELE VANT SELECT S
1 4 // CURRENT
film.
Our curation of the best in music, books and
1 4 // CURRENT
Pratt’s speech on MTV, Christine Caine, the the women leaders you need in your life. country’s best coffee roasters and much more.
SEPT-OCT
is published 6 times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November for $26.99 per year by RELEVANT Media Group, Inc.,
Date-themed sermon ideas, Steph Curry’s Christian movies, Fall TV guide, Chris
Issue #95 September/October 2018 (ISSN: 1543-317X). RELEVANT
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N O W AVA I L A B L E : A N E W R E S O U R C E F O R S T U D E N T S !
Si m pl e a nd i nnova t ive s ol u t ions to re duc e st re ss, a n x iee a nd depre ss ion a nd ex p er ienc e new me a n i ng i n Chr i st .
V i s i t u s o n l i n e a t : w w w. m e n t a l h e a l t h g r a c e a l l i a n c e . o r g M E N TA L H E A LT H G R A C E A L L I A N C E
MHGRACEALLIANCE
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THEGRACEALLIANCE RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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Filled With Purpose EVERDAY CARRY. ELEVATED.
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“Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference.” Fre de ri ck Do ugla ss, 1845
Dr. Eric Mason calls the evangelical church to a muchneeded reckoning. In a time when many feel confused, complacent, or even angry, he challenges the church to be Christian–to be aware, be redemptive, and be active. AVA I L A B L E E V E RY W H E R E O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8
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FIRST WORD a letter from the publisher
We Can Do Better. We Have To. The fall of Willow Creek and so many others needs to be a wake-up call for our generation.
they’re surrounded by Yes Men with
CHARACTER IS
no checks and balances, and they
WHAT YOU DO
are not held accountable for their actions. This isn’t exclusive to the Church, obviously (Trump comes to mind), but it’s especially problematic in a spiritual institution. 2) We must listen to the victims. Even if allegations seem “minor,” which is how Willow leadership initially treated the claims against
THE TRAPS OF
We have to break the cycle generation steps into more
have my phone out during worship—stop
influence and leadership,
judging me.)
we need to be intentional to accountability. Character is what
Creek Church in Chicago. New, and especially disturbing,
you do when no one is looking, but
allegations about long-running improper behavior with
we need to realize we’re all human,
women had emerged, and it was now national news.
and no one is too holy or important or ego. So, before there are problems in our lives, we need to intentionally
he could no longer serve at the church given how they’d
surround ourselves with people
handled the situation up to that point, essentially sweeping
who know us, will call us out if
it under the rug and casting doubt on the validity of the
we get out of line, who will love
victims’ claims. Leadership could no longer be trusted.
us, push us, counsel us and not let us fall. When leaders isolate
where an elder apologized for how church leadership had
themselves or get so powerful they
handled the allegations and announced lead pastor Heather
feel they’re above correction or
Larson and the entire elder board would step down.
accountability, the damage can be
Full disclosure: The scandal at Willow Creek hits particularly close to home. Hybels’ daughter, author Shauna
EGO.
to fall into the traps of greed, lust
in the year, abruptly resigned. He penned a blog post saying
Three days later, Willow Creek called a “Family Meeting,”
GREED, LUST OR
live transparently and with
pastors of the last 40 years, Bill Hybels, founder of Willow
the teaching pastor who became Hybels’ successor earlier
IS TOO HOLY
of accusers. Almost always, where
from The New York Times. (No, I didn’t
effects on the American Church for a long time. Steve Carter,
AND NO ONE
to respect and validate the voices
of what we’re seeing. As this
What happened in the ensuing days will have ripple
REALIZE WE’RE ALL HUMAN,
OR IMPORTANT
early August, and my watch got an alert
The headline was about one of the most influential
WE NEED TO
TO FALL INTO
rocket science.
I
LOOKING, BUT
Hybels, our first posture must be
there’s smoke, there’s fire. This isn’t was at church on a Sunday morning in
WHEN NO ONE IS
catastrophic. Our generation needs to be
Niequist, is a long-time contributor to RELEVANT, was a
watching closely. If we don’t learn
cast member on our podcast for several years and is a
from what’s happening, we might be
close friend. Additionally, Carter is a friend and co-host of
doomed to repeat it.
RELEVANT’s sports podcast. There are a few things we need to learn from the situation and so many others like it. 1) Powerful men + no accountability is a problem. We’ve created a system in the American Church where some of our most acclaimed churches are essentially cults of personality.
C A MER ON S T R A NG
The leaders can do no wrong, they build institutions where
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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
Turns Out This Generation Doesn’t Hate Christianity After All New research has found that Generation Z is actually fearlessly reshaping conversations about spirituality.
Y
OU MAY HAVE HEARD young
Christianity—not a majority,
people just aren’t into
but nothing to sneeze at
religion. If so, you’ve heard
either. Just 10 percent of
wrong. The old narrative
those surveyed thought
about Christianity slowly
religion had a negative
fading from the public sphere has hit yet another snag, as a new survey out of the U.K.
TO 24-YEAR-OLDS SURVEYED SAID THEY HAVE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH CHRISTIANITY.
influence on society. The survey doesn’t exactly
suggests young adults may actually be more
push back on the idea that
interested in religion than older generations.
younger generations are
That’s according to a ComRes survey
MORE THAN HALF OF ALL 18-
leaving organized religion.
which found that just over half of the 18- to
They are. A 2016 study also conducted in the
religion in the workplace—more than any
24-year-olds surveyed actually had a positive
U.K. found that 71 percent of 18- to 34-year-
other age group.
experience with Christianity—including the
olds have no religion, a 9 percent leap from
33 percent that attend church services.
the previous year. But it does counter the idea
Christians do have some work to do: looking
that young people are antagonistic toward
chill. Across all age groups, only 7 percent
religion or have no interest in talking about it.
said Christians are more fun than atheists.
What’s more, the survey found that negative perceptions of Christianity aren’t exactly the norm. Forty-four percent of
In fact, the majority of 18- to 24-year-old (62
There is one area the survey found where
Guess 93 percent of people have never
those surveyed said they had a generally
percent) respondents in the ComRes survey
participated in a rousing youth group
positive experience with Christians and
said they were comfortable talking about
sword drill.
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THE HOT LIST The Definitive Cultural Power Rankings Former Houston Texans cheerleader Angelina Rose discusses a lawsuit the cheerleaders are filing against the NFL franchise, speaks as attorney Gloria Allred
A B BA
looks on.
[Hottest]
After spending years as a critical joke, the Mamma Mia! sequel made them the hottest thing in music. NAILED IT! [Hotter]
Netflix’s low-budget tribute to culinary failure is a huge success. B O OTC U T J EA N S [Hot]
NFL Cheerleaders Are Fighting Back Against League Misogyny
Update your jean fit.
Cheerleaders are taking teams to court
Skinny is on the way out.
to stop workplace abuse. he Washington Redskins,
T JOHNNY DEPP [Cold]
Houston Texans, Miami
according to several cheerleaders. A lawsuit filed by Texans cheerleaders
Dolphins and New Orleans
revealed how bad working conditions are: It
Saints are all facing lawsuits
alleges that Angelina Rose (above) was body
or formal discrimination
shamed by superiors and forced to duct tape
He’s still promoting the
complaints by cheerleaders. What is emerging
parts of her body during games to make her
new Fantastic Beasts
may be a pattern of workplace abuse across
body appear tighter. “We were harassed,
movie despite serious
the league.
bullied and body-shamed for $7.25 an hour,”
allegations of assault. Stand down, dude. DA L L AS COW B OYS [Colder]
The NFL as a whole
Redskins cheerleaders were flown to an
she explained to The New York Times. Another
event in Costa Rica where they were forced
Texan cheerleader said the team ignored
to go on “dates” with high-paying team
incidents when a fan assaulted her.
supporters and then pressured into a scantily
Now, they are fighting back.
clad photoshoot while the men watched,
froze its policy requiring players to stand for the national anthem, but the Cowboys are enforcing it anyway. Way to read the room. FAC E B O O K [Coldest]
Mark Zuckerberg personally lost $16 billion in one day in July.
Netflix Is Making a Show About Jesus Coming Back ... As a 12-Year-Old
Sixteen. Billion.
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IN MARK MILLAR’S graphic novel American Jesus, a 12-year-
old boy with miraculous abilities discovers he is actually Jesus reincarnate. Now, Netflix is bringing the story to audiences in a new TV show. Millar is a legendary figure in the world of comics (his stories have been made into films like Logan, Captain America: Civil War and Kingsman). He’s also a devout Catholic who says he wrote the story with Christians in mind.
2018
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6 Date-Themed Sermon Ideas That Couldn’t Be Any Worse Than Real Ones We’ve Heard CHURCHES ARE home to the
painful dating puns and extremely awkward sermons: a deadly combo. Roads?! Where Elon Musk is
1
2
3
4
5
going in Chicago, we won’t
“SEX!”
need roads.
Now that we have your attention, let’s talk about purity. “TWIN FAWNS OF A GAZELLE”
Why Song of Solomon wasn’t actually about sex, and if it was, it was mostly about how you should never have it. “CALLED TO SINGLENESS?”
How to know it’s time to settle for dating Jesus.
A ‘Boring’ Innovation That Might Help Save the Planet These high-speed travel pods could decrease traffic jams.
“HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?”
Remembering the 3 H’s: Hugs, Handholding and Hell.
ELON MUSK is on a
few minutes to travel
tunnels which travel back
mission to change the
from downtown Chicago
and forth between the
way we travel, and we’ll
to O’Hare airport) and
destinations like “skates”
“BATHSHEBA IN THE
soon know if one of his
prove that the technology
on high-tech rails.
MOONLIGHT”
most ambitious ideas—
can reduce carbon
The dangers of Instagram.
underground “skates”
emissions.
that move upwards of
6
It sounds outside the box, but as Musk
Passengers will board
explains, that’s the whole
150 MPH—is actually
them on the street level,
idea. He explained, “To
“KISSERS IN THE HANDS OF
possible. The initiative
where they will then
solve the problem of soul-
AN ANGRY GOD”
hopes to save commuters
be lowered to different
crushing traffic, roads
Physical boundaries in dating.
time (it will take just a
levels of underground
must go 3-D.”
MISC.
SEPT-OCT
Facebook is under fire for removing
Apple became the first U.S. company
The Greater Purpose Community
a picture of a 17th-century painting
to be worth a trillion dollars in August
Church in Santa Cruz is serving beer
of Jesus called “The Descent from
following strong Q3 earnings. So why
during church and building a brewery.
the Cross.” Apparently, Jesus wasn’t
can’t they make a computer charger
Pastor Chris VanHall says a church is
wearing enough clothes.
cord that doesn’t fray at the end?
“not brick and mortar.”
020
2018
PURSUE A RIGHTEOUS LIFE—A LIFE OF WONDER, FAITH, LOVE, STEADINESS, COURTESY. From 1 Timothy 6
Surprise and Wonder
THE MESSAGE, THE MESSAGE logo, NAVPRESS, and the NAVPRESS logo are registered trademarks of NavPress, The Navigators, Colorado Springs, CO.
021
Experience it at MessageBible.com. RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
04/10 05/14 02/10
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Good Work: Charitable Giving Has Never Been Higher FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER,
Steph Curry’s Next Challenge: Making a Good Christian Movie The Golden State Warriors superstar is taking a surprising foray into faith-based film.
NBA SUPERSTAR Stephen Curry is taking
Easter and Christmas holidays and some
his talents to Hollywood. He recently
family-friendly sports flicks, they are also
announced that his new company,
producing Bible-themed animation and
Unanimous Media (Curry is the only player
even a family-friendly Wedding Crashers-
in NBA history to be unanimously voted the
style comedy called Church Hoppers. The
league’s MVP), has partnered with Sony for
film follows a group of dudes who visit
a series of new faith-adjacent movies.
churches to help find a wife for their
Curry explained the vision to Variety saying, “It’s not about me hitting people
heartbroken friend.
[T H E N U M B E R S]
CHARITABLE GIVING 2016 $389 BILLION 2017 $410 BILLION
The projects may sound a little cheesy,
over the head with a Bible and telling them
but Curry doesn’t mind. “I don’t mind being
they have to believe a certain thing.”
called corny,” he said. “I’m comfortable with
Along with films that center on the
charitable giving in the United States surpassed $400 billion in 2017. As Giving USA Foundation Vice-Chair Rick Dunham’s explained, “The size of the charitable sector in America, at $410 billion, if you were to put that into a larger context, if it was its own country, it would have an economy bigger than Greece, or Austria, or Norway or Portugal. Charitable contributions make up 2.1 percent of our GDP.” Not only that, but the largest segment of charitable giving went to religious organizations with more than $127 billion in contributions.
who I am.”
GIVING TO RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS ALONE $127 BILLION
MISC.
SEPT-OCT
Shoppers with strong religious beliefs
Kelsey Grammer, star of the old NBC
Holy smokes. According to a report
are much less likely to go on an
sitcom Frasier, is fielding pitches and
from Gallup, only 16 percent of adults
impulse spending binge, according
ideas from writers about a reboot of
say they smoked a cigarette in the
to recent research published by the
the acclaimed ’90s series following its
past week, which is the lowest level on
Harvard Business Review.
recent popularity resurgence.
record since 1944.
022
2018
“Loving connects people to each other through prayer, worship and covenant.”
Iosmar Alvarez Senior Pastor at Fuente de Avivamiento UMC, Lexington, Ky. Asbury Seminary, 2017.
THE NEW LOVE DOCTORS:
Visit asbury.to/voices to read Iosmar’s story.
ARE YOU CALLED TO JOIN GOD IN HIS MISSION? Download your free ebook YES!?, from Asbury Seminary. Visit: asbury.to/RE Kentucky
•
Orlando
•
Memphis
•
Online
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CURRENT
[ R E L E V A N T R E C O M M E N D S]
Fall Guide to Good TV From network sitcoms to the latest prestige TV, here are the new shows that should fill your DVR this season.
O
NE OF THE DOWNSIDES of the
era of “peak TV” we’re in is there are too many great shows to keep up with. Never
fear, though. The RELEVANT editorial team is here to help curate some of this fall’s best new offerings. This year, the big story is Netflix’s rise to become the most valuable media company in the world, officially surpassing powerhouses like Disney and Fox. The streaming giant is adding dozens of original new shows and movies every month, many to critical acclaim. But traditional networks aren’t laying down. Along with releasing their own new series, networks are relying on popular franchise reboots (Murphy Brown, Frasier, Will & Grace just to name a few), and cable channels are embracing big-budget limited series with A-list talent (like Jim Carrey) to keep viewers tuned in. Here is our look at the shows you’ll want to binge and set the DVR for in the coming months.
NARCOS: MEXICO
navigate a social life, career and volunteering at his
[N E T F L I X]
kid’s school while also trying to be a great dad. It’s a
In the new season of the Netflix hit true-crime series,
surprisingly earnest look at being an adult, loneliness
Michael Pena (above) plays an undercover DEA agent
and parenthood.
who risked his life to take down the Guadalajara Cartel I FEEL BAD
in the 1980s.
[N B C]
SEPT-OCT
SINGLE PARENTS
This comedy is based on an interesting, not-so-funny
[N B C]
theme: shame. The sitcom—from executive producer
Former SNL cast member Taran Killam stars as
Amy Poehler—is all about imperfection. It’s about
a goofy, 30-something single dad attempting to
dealing with flaws and grace.
024
2018
THE ALEC BALDWIN SHOW [A B C]
After airing a sneak peek back in March, ABC is officially bringing the talk show to primetime on Sunday nights. Like his podcast, Here’s the Thing, instead of focusing on comedy, the show will center on long-form interviews with interesting influencers, activists, artists and thought leaders. KIDDING [S H O W T I M E]
Jim Carrey has become so selective at this stage of his
GOD FRIENDED ME
REBOOTS & REMAKES
career, any role
[C B S]
he takes has to be
The new CBS sitcom is about a vocal atheist whose
treated like a big
life is changed when “God” befriends him on Facebook.
MURPHY BROWN
deal. Showtime’s
The show—while fully a CBS sitcom—presents some
[C B S]
Kidding sees
interesting commentary on faith and doubt.
If there’s ever a time that TV
the comedy icon
needed a fearless, sharp-witted,
playing a children’s
CHERNOBYL
brilliant female journalist, it’s
TV star who
[H B O]
now. Candice Bergen will once
receives a reality
If you’re looking for something more highbrow
again star in the continuation of
check after his personal life starts to implode. It’s like
than sitcom fare, HBO’s new docu-series about the
the mega-hit sitcom that first ran
Mister Rogers, but sad.
Chernobyl nuclear disaster has everything you’d want in
for a decade starting in 1988.
a historical epic: lessons about corruption, technology, THE GOOD COP
humanity and survival.
[N E T F L I X]
WATCHMEN (COMING SOON) [H B O]
There’s no shortage of mismatched cop duos, but
RAISING DION
Watchmen is one of the most
the names behind this one put it in another category.
[N E T F L I X]
beloved graphic novels in
Netflix’s The Good Cop stars—you ready?—Tony Danza
The new genre-melding Netflix show starring Michael
history, and in HBO’s hands,
as a street-wise NYPD veteran and—here comes the
B. Jordan, Jason Ritter and Ja’Siah Young is about a
with Jeremy Irons in the starring
follow-up—Josh Grobin as his by-the-book son. It’s an
single mom (we’re listening) raising her son alone
role and Damon Lindelof as the
old-fashioned sitcom, and honestly? We’re in.
(OK, sounds familiar) who happens to discover he has
showrunner, it may finally get the
strange powers (now we’re talking).
screen adaptation it deserves.
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CURRENT
MISC.
A Bible that was on Apollo 14 for its 1971 trip to the moon [ D I G T H I S]
was auctioned off last summer for a cool $50,000. The
5 Weird Archaeological Discoveries That Help Prove the Bible These strange artifacts might confirm your Sunday school stories.
catch: You need a microscope to read it, since it was printed on microfilm and is 1.5 inches wide.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND a lot of weird stuff in
digs around the Holy Land, as well as discoveries that have provided evidence for the historical accuracy of Scripture. And sometimes they find both. Here’s a look at five of the strangest, and most important, artifacts recently uncovered.
Need a new gig? The rural village of Iga in Japan prides itself on being the birthplace of the
THIS TINY HEAD OF AN OLD TESTAMENT KING
A FOOT WITH A NAIL IN IT Some skeptics doubt Jesus’ resurrection because
No one knows who this 3,000-year-old
crucified criminals weren’t given honorable burials. But
glass head depicts, but its existence
researchers found a body inside an ossuary with a nail
may confirm Samuel’s mention of the
driven through the foot. The implication is that those
area during the time of David.
executed by crucifixion could be honorably buried.
AN ANCIENT FEMALEEMPOWERMENT MOSAIC
KING HEZEKIAH’S THRONE
Mosaic inscriptions near Galilee honor
A toilet was found among smashed
a woman who helped build a church
idols, likely to desecrate the altar. 2
in the fourth century, meaning women
Kings says Hezekiah “tore down the
played a prominent role in the early
temple of Baal, and people have used
Church, just like Acts suggests.
it for a latrine to this day.”
ninja, and they’re recruiting new ones. According to them, the job can earn you $85,000 a year.
[AND BY THRONE, WE MEAN TOILET]
Chick-fil-A is getting into the meal-kit game. The fast food chain is testing a new program where customers can pick up five different
3,000-YEAR-OLD DONKEY DUNG
recipe boxes, all centered around
Researchers found that the dung contained feed from an
chicken. Finally, a
area a hundred miles away in a town that contained copper
way to eat Chick-
mines. It could have been a source of Solomon’s vast
fil-A on Sunday.
wealth, a biblical tale which used to invite skepticism.
SEPT-OCT
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2018
Our Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership is a flexible program designed specifically for you to choose your own path Scholarships Available!
Contact Jean Adler Stean at steanj@seattleu.edu or 206-296-5333 for more information
SCHOOL OF
THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY Six graduate degree programs and three professional development certificates 027
seattleu.edu/stm RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
08/10
CURRENT
Chris Pratt: America’s Coolest Youth Pastor? The actor preached a mini-sermon to an MTV audience about God’s love and, yes, toilet jokes. ACTOR CHRIS PRATT CONTINUES HIS FAST TRACK to becoming pop culture’s
unofficial cool youth pastor. After being given the “Generation Award” at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, Pratt launched into a mini-sermon that combined a healthy amount of potty humor with deep spiritual truths. He discussed the power of prayer and good character (“If you’re strong, be a protector. If you’re smart, be a
“You are imperfect. You always will be, but there’s a powerful force that designed you that way, and if you’re willing to accept that,
humble influencer. Strength and intelligence can be weapons.”), and then about grace and God’s love for his children. “God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that. I do … Nobody’s perfect. You are imperfect. You always will be, but there’s a powerful force that designed you that way, and if you’re willing to accept that, you will have grace. And grace is a gift. That
you will have grace.
grace was paid for with somebody else’s blood.
And grace is a gift.”
next time he’s hosting a lock-in, count us in.
Odell Beckham Jr. Was Just Baptized in the Jordan River
Don’t forget it. Don’t take it for granted.” The
Just before the new football season started, NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr. visited the Holy Land, where he was baptized in the Jordan River. Along with photos he posted on Instagram, the New York Giants star wrote: “I couldn’t
[have] asked for anything more! God I can’t thank you enough for this one. My journey is just beginning ... Fresh start. I’m forgiven.” Beckham, who has faced legal troubles and a devastating injury last season, also wrote, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
MISC.
SEPT-OCT
Fortnite is officially a blockbuster
The economics consultancy
The future has arrived. Segway,
game. Even though it’s free to
Frontier has made a depressing
the company behind those goofy
play, it sells millions of in-game
finding: Former reality show
scooters, is now selling $400
items every day. It’s expected to
contestants in the U.K. make more
“e-Skates” designed for both feet to
earn $2 billion this year.
than Oxford graduates.
stand on single-wheels. Cool?
028
2018
09/10
CURRENT
[ R E L E V A N T R E C O M M E N D S]
The 5 Best Coffee Roasters in America Coffee can be more than just coffee. It can be a way to do a lot of good. WE ALL KNOW THE DILEMMA. We want good coffee, but we hear stories about farmers working long hours for little pay or unfortunate conditions in global coffee-roasting factories. We want to make sure our cup of joe tastes great, but is ethically sourced as well. Fortunately, the coffee industry was one of the first to respond to growing consumer awareness about things like fair trade, and many companies today have transparent practices without sacrificing an ounce of quality. Here are our five favorite coffee roasters, not just for great taste, but great ethics too.
Equator Coffee & Teas
Counter Culture Coffee
Revelator
[C A L I F O R N I A]
[N O R T H C A R O L I N A]
[G E O R G I A]
Equator was the first coffee
Based in North Carolina, Counter
One of the most respected coffee
company in California to become
Culture delivers a top-notch bean
roasters in the South, Revelator
a certified B Corporation, meeting
and an annual sustainability report.
makes a great cup of coffee, and
rigorous standards of social
With a reliance on wind energy
puts as few processes between
transparency. One taste and you’ll
credits, Counter Culture is making
the farmer and the purchaser as
see why they won California’s small
some of the best coffee in America
humanly possible, working directly
business of the year.
with the lowest carbon footprint.
with producers.
Peace Coffee
Portland Roasting Coffee
[M I N N E S O TA]
[C A L I F O R N I A]
The Institute for Agriculture and
A pioneer of sustainability,
Trade Policy owns this nonprofit
Portland was an early adopter
coffee company that makes all its
of Specialty Coffee Association
local deliveries by bike and works
of America’s program to change
out of an eco-friendly building with
their environmental footprint. They
a garden on the roof. Hey, it’s the
donate a chunk of their proceeds
little things.
to planting trees in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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2018
Create a New Family Tradition This Christmas These beautifully illustrated stories can be read aloud as a family each day in December, painting a sweeping picture of God’s plan to rescue broken humanity. Discover the beauty and grace of Jesus, our Rescuer, who came to make everything good and new again, like it was in the beginning.
Visit your local Christian retailer or Amazon.com today!
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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
10/10
CURRENT
[ T H E R E L E V A N T Q + A]
Christine Caine: Be Ready for the Unexpected The author, preacher and activist is opening up about a difficult season—and why she’s hopeful about the future. HERE’S NO E ASY way
T
to overcome the most difficult parts of life, and Christine Caine knows that better than
almost anyone. In her new book, Unexpected, she opens up about unexpected challenges she’s facing and how she’s working to overcome them. We wanted to know more: UNEXPECTED TALKS ABOUT THE FE AR OF CHANGE AND UNKNOWN. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO OPEN UP IN THE BOOK?
There were a lot of things. I was having this awesome birthday party with 150 friends on a boat in Southern California, and on the way home I noticed I had 26 missed calls from my brother, telling me that my mom had passed away that night. And, say, when I got my cancer report. I didn’t know if it was stage one or four, whether I was going to be healed instantly through medicine or die and go to Heaven. But I could have a faith-filled attitude that would mean my condition and diagnosis did not need to define me, but my identity in Christ could. YOU DIDN’T KNOW HOW IT WAS GOING
And when we can’t control things … we have this picture in our head of how things should turn out. And the Scripture promises His grace will be sufficient for us. In this world, we will have trials. Here I am trying to make a difference by teaching and preaching, and now I have a growth between my trachea and my larynx. That’s my voice box. I’m like, uhhh where is this supposed to fit? This is what I do! What do you do in that moment? Are you going to let that unnecessarily derail you for the rest of your life? Hang on a minute. This is what faith is for.
TO TURN OUT, BUT YOU WERE ABLE TO
SEPT-OCT
EMBR ACE THAT UNCERTAINT Y?
HOW DO YOU THINK PEOPLE CAN LOOK
I think we have this need for control.
THOSE THINGS IN THE FACE AND STILL
032
HAVE HOPE AND TRUST GOD IN THE MIDST OF THOSE THINGS?
It’s not saying, “I’m not sick, I don’t have cancer.” That’s not called faith, that’s called lying. That’s not helping anybody. Faith is calling those things that are not as though they are. So I stood on verses of Scripture about healing and the promises of God while I was walking through a cancer journey. In the midst of it, you can still be full of hope because your hope is in who Jesus is. My reading of Romans 8:28, he says, even when bad things happen, God doesn’t call bad things good, but He can work even those bad things together for good and for His glory. I’ve seen that in my own life.
2018
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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
RELEVANT’s Essential
Back-to-Campus Gear Guide I
t’s that time of year. The air gets cooler. The days get
Whether you’re headed back to the classroom or just
shorter. And you have an excuse to stock up on cool
wanting to restock your closet after summer, we’ve
new back-to-campus gear. But even if your college days
found some of the most innovative gear that not only
are behind you, there’s always a reason to get a new
looks great, but also contributes to causes making the
fall jacket, a fresh backpack or supplies for your office.
world a better place.
Ecojot Notebook
LifeStraw
These uniquely designed journals and notebooks are made from 100 percent wastepaper and use only vegetable-based glue. They’ve also donated thousands of books to kids through their buy one-give one model.
Need the perfect item for your outdoorsy study break? LifeStraw’s filter makes almost any water source drinkable. They also fund global clean water projects. $44.95 LIFESTRAW.COM
$14.95 ECOJOT.COM
Everlane Packable Backpack
Not only are Everlane’s apparel and bags made from high-quality materials and have cool design features, they also guaranteed to be ethically made. Each item contains information about the factory where it was made, which are all held to the highest workplace standards. $35 EVERLANE.COM
SEPT-OCT
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2018
Parley Adidas Ultra Boost Sure, Adidas’ Boost technology makes walking around campus a lot more comfortable. But this new line is made from trash recycled from waterways and beaches around the world through a partnership with the organization Parley for the Oceans. PRICE VARIES ADIDAS.COM
Reveal iPad Cover
REVEALSHOP.COM
Sprout Pencils Instead of throwing this pencil away when you’re done with it, you can actually plant it in the ground. Each one is built with seeds that will grow into a new plant. $14.95 (8 Pack) SPROUTWORLD.COM
Cotopaxi Jacket Passion Planner This daily planner is designed to help you achieve your goals, with built-in milestones, organization tips and work-life balance zones.
The perfect fall windbreaker is also making a difference. A portion of Cotopaxi’s revenue goes toward poverty alleviation efforts for communities in the Andes. $79.99
$25-35
WWW.COTOPAXI.COM
PASSIONPLANNER.COM
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BACK TO SCHOOL GEAR GUIDE
$45
BACK-TO-CAMPUS GEAR GUIDE
Made from sustainably harvested cork, this iPad cover will keep your device safe and make it stand out from your roommate’s.
Jewel Garden Give your dorm room a hint of the outdoors with these easy-to-maintain mini gardens. LuLa’s Garden also helps to provide clean water in developing countries, so buying one will do more than just make your room look better. $35 LULASGARDEN.COM
Seattle Chocolate Bar BACK-TO-CAMPUS GEAR GUIDE GUIDE BACK TO SCHOOL GEAR
Seattle Chocolate carefully sources the ingredients for their delicious snacks to ensure they are sustainably and ethically produced. And for each bar sold, healthy food is donated to a food bank. $4.50 SEATTLECHOCOLATE.COM
Box Lunch Tea Forte Sipscription Need a healthy pick-me-up for your finals cram session? Ditch the Red Bull for these healthy teas that taste great and support the organization Feeding America. PRICE VARIES BOXLUNCH.COM
The Green Wave Original
Hand in Hand Salt Bar Soap Hand in Hand’s sustainable suds are not only eco-friendly, they also smell awesome. And for each one sold, one is donated and clean water projects are funded in Haiti.
Green Wave’s surf-inspired gear is made from organic materials in a process that is 100 percent sustainable. You won’t just look good at the beach, you’ll also help save it.
$6 HANDINHANDSOAP.COM
$58 THEGREENWAVE.CO.UK
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2018
Harlan Sunglasses
Regional Field Guides
The buy one-give one pioneers at TOMS now make killer shades. And for each pair sold, they help restore sight to a person in need of medical care.
Made in partnership with the travel publication company Wildsam, Public Supply’s gorgeous field guides will help you navigate America’s coolest areas.
$159.95 TOMS.COM
$34 PUBLIC-SUPPLY.COM
BACK TO SCHOOL GEAR GUIDE
BACK-TO-CAMPUS GEAR GUIDE
Love 41 Bookmark Inspired by Psalm 41’s call to serve the poor, Love 41’s finely crafted leather goods help support in-need communities in Rwanda. $19 LOVE41.COM
Shinola Detroit Arrow Woodbuds Made from real wood, these crisp-sounding earbuds support the source from which they came: For every 100 products they sell, Woodbuds plants a new tree.
Detroit-based watchmaker Shinola believes in promoting craftsmanship and creating quality jobs for American workers. They partnered with Wisconsin’s Waterford Precision Cycles to create this versatile steel-frame bike that’s designed to not only be comfortable while riding around your campus but to also last for a really long time.
$33
$1,000
WOODBUDS.COM
SHINOLA.COM
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F T T P P
O S E R H E E O L E
The band returns with huge hits laced with subversive messages of redemption. BY J E S S E C A R E Y
SEPT-OCT
038
2018
IF
you caught Foster the People on tour this summer, you may have witnessed a powerful moment, like what happened at the massive Hangout Festival where the
band was one of the headliners. In the middle of the set, the music stopped, and frontman Mark Foster talked about the importance of reaching out to people who are lonely, who are outsiders and who are being picked on. And the words landed with some extra poignancy. In the days leading up to the concert, gunmen had claimed victims at a church in Texas and several high schools. “Talk to them,” he said. “Sit next to them. Reach out because that’s how we change things— from the inside out.” He continued: “I’m not here to talk about guns. I’m not here to talk about laws. I’m here to talk about love … I’m here to stand in unity with the families from Texas that lost their kids a couple of days ago, and brothers, and sisters and best friends. And a kid yesterday in Georgia, I want to stand with his family, too.” He went on to talk about the need to stand with the first responders, the police officers and teachers involved in the aftermath of the school shootings, as well as the families of the shooters themselves. As he got ready to strike the band up again and get back to the set, Foster said, “We need to pray for all of those people because God is bigger. And love is bigger.” Almost a decade after a breakout single launched their careers, Foster the People is back with new hits (their latest single, “Sit Next to Me”
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has landed on charts around the world and has
Florida; and Sutherland Springs, Texas.
racked up nearly 100 million Spotify streams), as
With the body counts piling higher and higher,
well as a renewed purpose. They aren’t just on
Foster found himself in a place where he needed
a mission to prove they’re not just one-hit won-
to say something.
ders. They are on a mission to change lives. This isn’t the story of a comeback. It’s one of redemption.
“I think artists have a duty to speak culturally,” he says. “I think
artists
throughout PUMPED UP SENSATIONS
the history of
In 2010, Foster the People became an internation-
time have al-
al sensation when “Pumped Up Kicks” became an
ways been at
unexpected sleeper hit after the then-unsigned
the forefront of
band dropped it online. The song landed them
social
a major record deal, a Grammy nomination and
They’ve always
ended up going multiplatinum in the U.S., Aus-
been a voice …
tralia and Canada.
We’re
change.
[some]
However, beyond its commercial and crit-
of the only peo-
ical success, the song—chronicling the inner
ple that don’t
“Artists have a duty to speak … Artists throughout the history of time have always been at the forefront of social change.” thoughts of a bullied student considering com-
have to rely on
mitting an act of violence—also put the band in
a
the debate about gun violence.
or lobbyist or
“It stuck us in the center of the conversation
voters or oth-
of gun reform and gun violence, isolation, teen
er people that
angst and all of those things,” Foster says. “I
have say over
wrote that song in response to what I saw hap-
our
message.
pening back then, and I knew things were going
Our
message
to get worse before they got better. I never pic-
can come pure-
tured, asked for or thought that I’d have a plat-
ly from us. And
form to speak on something like that, but it kind
I think there’s a
of naturally happened over time.”
huge
When the band was touring their latest album Sacred Hearts Club, America would face one of
SEPT-OCT
corporation
freedom
in that, but I also think there’s a responsibility in that.”
the deadliest rashes of mass shootings in its his-
But if you hear Foster’s message, he’s not advo-
tory, leaving the nation stunned in the wake of
cating for any specific policy or legislation. He’s
horrific killing sprees in Las Vegas; Parkland,
thinking bigger than that. He wants to use his
040
L-R Isom Innis, Mark Foster, Mark Pontius, Sean Cimino
2018
platform and his music to bring people together.
synth-fueled ballad that centers around the lyric,
“Right now, the biggest thing that I want to say
“I want to live in your love, forever.” In a slow,
is this division, at least in the U.S., is really rip-
haunting moment, Foster sings, “When the night
ping our country apart,” he explains. “And I want
will come and take us home / And people change,
... to encourage people to not choose party over
we fade from youth / And evolve into eternal life /
humanity.”
Don’t slip away, well I’m begging you / To let me
Years
after
“Pumped
sing with angels.”
Up
Foster says the idea for the song came from
Kicks” launched
his bandmate Isom Innis. Innis was born with
his career, Fos-
a heart defect that led him to need open-heart
ter believes he
surgery as a newborn and again at 19. “He has
must
a valve that he can hear clicking throughout the
use
his
platform—and his gift as a mu-
day,” Foster says. It’s the kind of experience that can give some-
sician—to
help
one a unique perspective on the gift of life and
people
heal.
power of death. Foster himself hasn’t experi-
Because it’s his
enced any health issues at that scale, but he has
music that has
had to come to terms with life and death in his
helped him find
own way.
the healing he was looking for.
When he was 18, he moved to Los Angeles to try to make it in the music industry and, like many such aspiring creatives in Hollywood, soon
REDEMPTION
began to struggle with addiction issues and a
SONG
party lifestyle. His churchgoing roots left far
Like
much
of
behind him in the Midwest, Foster was hanging
catalog,
with celebrities—some of whom were battling
Hearts
their own addictions. Foster even roomed with
Club is a dancy,
actor Brad Renfro, the former child star who suc-
upbeat
cumbed to his struggle with addiction and died
their Sacred
that
album
fuses
die-pop
inwith
of a drug overdose at just 25. The experience woke Foster up.
club-thumping
He says that one evening, he and Innis were in
beats. The single
the studio, and they began to work on the song
“Sit Next to Me”
that would become “III.” They started talking
is a fun, top-40
about these ideas—not just about life and pur-
hit,
pose, but what comes after we die.
like
and
tunes It
“We got into this big conversation about life
for the Money”
and death,” he says. “Not in a morbid way. But
and “Harden the
basically in a, if something were to happen to
Paint” work just
one of us, what would you want the other person
as well on a sum-
to do? Like, ‘If I die first, this is what I’d want
mer drive with
you to do.’”
the
“Doing
windows
down as they do on the dance floor.
It was a heavy conversation. Foster says that the line “Age is a trap, I wonder why I hold back”
That’s partly what makes the album’s clos-
is about the idea that “we only have a limited
ing track, “III,” so powerful. A departure from
amount of time in life, why on Earth would we
the pop and dance beats, it’s a dreamy, slow,
hold back because we have this gift? And we
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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
don’t know how much time we have.”
the weight of being placed in the middle of a con-
In the bridge, he sings, “I won’t be afraid, it’s true
versation about something as heavy as gun vio-
/ We’ll never know when the night will come and
lence has given Foster and his band a renewed
take us home / Don’t slip away, I’m begging you.”
purpose. Yes, they write really catchy pop songs.
Except this is where the conversation chang-
But that’s not their sole mission anymore. This is
es. It’s no longer about Foster and Innis. This is
about using their experiences and talents to actu-
Mark Foster thinking about life, addiction, death,
ally change the world.
purpose and redemption, and starting to pray. This is a conversation between Mark Foster and his Maker. “That’s me talking to God,” he says. “Because I was really going through something at that moment, too. Struggling with some stuff, struggling with addiction stuff. And was just in this very honest, vulnerable conversation with God
“Music is this beautiful medium that has the ability to unify people ... We’re in this together. We need each other.” — Mark Foster
that was just like, ‘I know that we’re not close right now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wanna be close
The song “III” ends with an outro that serves
to You. And if something were to happen and if I
as the final words on Sacred Hearts Club. As the
were to die now, I hope I’ll be able to spend the
final notes of the song ring out, Mark Foster sings,
rest of my time with You. I hope that I’m not so
“Wake the sleeping from their dreaming ... we all
far away that You’ll turn Your back on me.’”
want more.”
When you hear the song, you can hear the des-
The band has found success. But spiritually
peration and emotion but even more than that,
and missionally, they know they want more. And
you can hear the hope of someone who believes
Foster the People is going to keep going after it.
in redemption.
“Music is this beautiful medium that has the
“I sang that song so many times,” he remem-
ability to unify people,” he says. “If I have a mi-
bers. “It was [me and Isom] in the studio, and
crophone in my hand, I can remind people, ‘Hey,
it took a lot of times for me to get through that
we’re in this together. We need each other. Life
bridge vocally without crying. Because it would
is hard enough as is for us to be picking on each
just stop and there would be just silence between
other over things that don’t really matter. If we
us. And it was kind of awkward, actually, because
can see beyond all of that stuff and stop fighting
it was so emotional and so real and I’d get choked
about stuff that’s trivial, we can put our hand out
up and stop singing and he’d stop the song. And
to things that are more important.’ And that all
I’d basically gather myself, he would press re-
comes from, if you boil it down, it comes from a
cord and I’d try to get through it again because I
place of love and respect toward each other, so
really did come from a spiritual place of, I guess,
it’s gonna be pretty hard to go wrong.”
the deep, deep core, like our deep core.” IN THIS TOGETHER
The experience of writing “III,” coming to terms with big questions about God and dealing with
SEPT-OCT
JESSE CAREY is the brand director at RELEVANT. You can find him on Twitter @jessecarey.
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2018
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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
A Guide to Getting Out of Debt Without Hating Your Life If you’re a typical millennial, you’re in a massive amount of debt. Now what?
SEPT-OCT
044
2017
BY TO W N E S P R E S C OT T I I I
J
ust
22
percent
Americans
of
percent reporting car loan debt. The issue here could be
between
described as false projection or, curiously, a symptom of
the ages of 18 and 34
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
claim to be debt-free.
According to a recent survey by the group CreditKar-
A quarter of the rest
ma, 40 percent of millennials have spent money they
of that age group has
didn’t have in order to keep up with the social life of their
at least $30,000 in debt and 11 per-
peers. There’s not only a social pressure at work, there’s
cent have over $100,000 in debt. The
a false dichotomy: If this person can afford to do X, and
numbers come from new findings
that person is similar to me in life stage, I should be able
from a NBC News/GenForward sur-
to afford X, too. Out comes the credit card.
vey, and reveal a concerning trend among
many
young
“It’s easy to assume it’s fine to use debt to support cur-
Americans:
rent spending because ‘everyone is doing it,’” says Dr.
They are in serious debt, and it’s
Sonya Britt-Lutter, a personal financial planner and pro-
causing them to put much of their
fessor and researcher with Kansas State University. “The
lives on hold.
same applies to student loans and mortgages. If friends
One-third of the group has put off
are using student loans to pay for college, it seems ratio-
buying a home due to reported debt,
nal for us to do that, too. The use of debt cannot be an
and 31 percent aren’t saving for re-
isolated decision. It is directly tied to current and future
tirement for the same reason.
income.”
The good news: There is a way out.
Isolated decisions often are based on emotions rather
This generation also happens to be
than common sense or critical thinking. When our prima-
more educated, geographically mo-
ry reason for buying something is how we feel in the mo-
bile and vocationally ambitious than
ment, that—no surprise here—is when we act our most
any previous generation. In fact, no
rash and least logical. We’re thinking about our emotions
age group could be better equipped
instead of our values.
to handle the burden than those raised amid the Great Recession.
Rafael Robert, director of The Love & Money Project at brightpeak financial, attributes this trend to a “culture of enjoy now and pay later.” The world tells us to keep up
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
with our friends, please others and aim for instant grat-
Debt is insidious. Its gradual accru-
ification, but—again, not a shocker—that’s poor financial
al means it’s hard to anticipate until
planning. Plus, that gratification often never comes at all.
the damages hit. But by anticipating
“That culture actually brings us less joy,” Robert says.
some of the pitfalls many fall into
“Several studies have shown how the principle of ‘pay
while accumulating debt, it’s possi-
now and enjoy later’ actually leads to greater happiness.
ble to make proactive changes now
It’s a triple win. You enjoy the anticipation of having the
that can prevent financial constric-
thing you paid for, the thing itself because, being paid, it
tion later.
now feels ‘free,’ and you enjoy not paying for that thing
The most common form of debt
for the next several months or years. So, a cultural shift
among 18- to 34-year-olds is credit
toward delayed gratification would actually make us a
card debt. Forty-six percent of Amer-
more joyful people.”
icans in that age group report credit
So you were leading with your heart instead of your
card debt, compared to 36 percent
brain. You haggled and made justifications you shouldn’t
reporting student loan debt and 34
have and made impulse purchases that are still nipping
045
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
at the heels of your bank account. A cultural shift, as nice
you manage to clear that debt, allocate that $250 a month
as that sounds, isn’t going to fix your problem. It’s time to
toward your credit card debt next, instead of just banking it
make things right.
for more spending. That keeps you on a consistent monthly budget while maintaining a level of proactivity.
HOW DO I DIG MY WAY OUT OF HERE?
There are short-term, more fast-acting solutions, too.
First off, it’s easy to see debt as evil, but in reality, debt can
Britt-Lutter is an advocate of “spending diets” as a way to
be a positive thing. Debt enables life-event purchases like
help you save a bit every month. Pick a weekend in which
a car or a home, things most people aren’t able to pay for
you won’t spend on entertainment, or take a month off from
in cash. The mindset, then, is to become the master of your
eating out or buying coffee from the morning drive-thru.
debt instead of the alternative.
“A spending diet is just like food dieting,” she says. “It’s
“A lot of people make debt the devil,” Robert says. “It
hard to stay the course long-term because it’s just not fun.
comes from a good place, but it’s as misguided as saying,
It’s easier to stick to it when you know it’s only temporary.
‘Money is the root of all evil’ as opposed to, ‘The love of
Instead of going to the movies, find a new park you haven’t
money is the root of all sorts of evil’ from 1 Timothy. A loan
visited and pack a picnic.”
doesn’t inherently have to be bad. It’s just wise to be cau-
But it’s important to tap into your psychological needs
tious with how we use debt, and to be honest about our own
as well, says Robert. If you can recognize when you feel re-
limitations.”
warded or in control when it comes to money, and those
The key to wising up lies in foresight and communica-
are healthy feelings, tap into them so the process of paying
tion (two things that might have been absent while your
off debt is better suited to you. This can free you from com-
debt piled up). At the same time, you shouldn’t throw out
monplace feelings of entrapment or worthlessness that can
everything you’re excited about in the short-term so you
come from being burdened with debt.
can clear the slate. Aggressive debt management shouldn’t
For instance, if you like the gratification of completing
come at the expense of a reasonable quality of life.
a task or tackling things through small, easy-to-accomplish
For starters, there are some general rules of the road to
steps, maybe knock out your smaller debts with lower in-
follow: Pay off your loans with the highest interest rate first
terest before orienting toward the big-picture, high-interest
so you’re paying the minimal amount in the long run, and if
loans. Other people might need a total lockdown to keep
you have extra money, allocate it to paying off debt before
themselves accountable.
savings because debt generally has a higher interest rate
“Debt causes us to struggle with ‘not-enoughness,’” Rob-
than savings.
ert says. “It’s hard for many folks to embrace abundance
From there, your actual strategy should fit within your
and contentment when they’re struggling with debt. The
personal means. Britt-Lutter advises budgeting an amount
key here is to have a plan to reduce and keep off that debt,
each month you’ll allocate toward debt repayment, but
then center ourselves in gratitude and generosity not de-
keeping that amount consistent even when a debt is paid
fined by our financial circumstances. There’s not a one-size-
off. So if you pay $250 a month to pay off a car loan and
fits-all answer. You have to know your story and own it.”
How Debt Affects Your Health
74%
SEPT-OCT
USA Today reports 74 percent of millennials say debt has a negative impact on their rela-
20%
You might be feeling your debt—literally. An AP survey reported those with high debt
33%
Researchers from the University of Southampton found those without debt are one-third as
tionships. Don’t hide it, Robert
stress are 20 percent more
likely to have a mental health
says: “Communicate on how
likely to suffer physical ailments
problem. “We tend to see debt
you’ll approach debt. Better to
associated with that stress,
as a negative reflection of our
gain positive momentum and
like digestive problems and
character,” Robert says. “God
take longer than to pay faster
blood-pressure spikes. A grad-
is enough. We have worth
but be in a broken relationship.”
ual action plan can bring relief.
regardless of our ‘debts.’”
046
2017
“Because it sometimes turns out that we can almost make up a need because there’s something we like to do.”
HOW DO I ENSURE I STAY OUT OF DEBT? Debt management really is like nutrition, and harkening back to Britt-Lutter’s diet comparison, a “crash diet” strategy that takes a short-term extreme approach makes you suitable to relapse. In fact, Britt-Lutter says to expect a stumble. “Realize that mistakes happen and move on,” she says. “You got out of debt once before, so you can do it again. The key is not feeling shameful and not hiding the issue to where it grows out of control.” Confront yourself in the moments you do mess up,
Just 22 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds say they are debt free. A quarter have at least $30,000 in debt and 11 percent more than $100,000 in debt.
but then take proactive steps to make sure you don’t do it again. A radical approach needs to be augmented by maintenance plans to support both your budget and lifestyle. Clint Hodgdon, director of financial products and advice at brightpeak financial, encourages keeping a cash reserve to use on unexpected expenses and a general savings fund devoted to future goals like vacations or a car or a home, even if those things aren’t in your explicit plans yet. And of course, when it comes time to use debt, write down your plan to pay it off so you can see if the payments fit into your budget. Hodgdon puts it simply: “Keeping out of debt requires planning ahead.” For couples, it also requires communication, Robert says. Couples need to be in agreement about debt strategy before they start wheeling and dealing with the payments. The solution is to go on a money date. Really. Every six months, sit down with your partner to review and refine your debt strategy together, come to an agreement, and when you do, celebrate with something definitively more date-like. Including trusted friends and partners in accountability-focused, intentional financial conversations is key, too. “Accountability is critical to sustained success,” Robert says. “Be intentional and have a plan you’re likely to stay on because it fits your life and your story. If you stick with your principles, you’ll find you can continue to live, give and save the way you want today and tomorrow.”
TOWNES PRESCOTT III is an editor living in Kentfield, California, with his wife, Courtney, and his bulldog, Dixon.
047
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
Don’t Worry About Bo Burnham The Eighth Grade director quit stand-up at the peak of his powers. He’s better for it.
BY T Y L E R D A S W I C K
A
FTER A NEAR-DECADE OF PERFORMING
an opportunity. “I don’t think the internet asked deep
onstage and on the
questions of us when I was [16],” Burnham
internet, Bo Burnham
says. “It used to be a fun little talent show-
vanished. He stopped
slash-bulletin board. It was like, make a
posting videos to his
MySpace page, make a Facebook page,
1.4 million YouTube subscribers, and he
make a funny little website or post a funny
stopped the theatrical brand of stand-up
little video about yourself. Now, it asks base
comedy that earned him three specials by
questions that are very deep and strange.
the time he was 25. People thought he was
Now it’s Twitter: What do you think?
dead. With the way he went out, can you
Instagram: What do you look like? I think
blame them?
the internet’s become primal in what it asks
Bo Burnham is not dead. He’s 28. July marked the release of his directorial debut
of people emotionally. It’s more personal.” But through his teenage years, Burnham
film, Eighth Grade. A coming-of-age movie
thrived on any platform. His first stand-up
from independent studio A24, Eighth
special debuted on Comedy Central when
Grade is wonderful—funny, sweet, full
he was 19. Two more would follow via
of empathy—and it’s a reflection of the
YouTube and Netflix: what. in 2013 and
struggle Burnham experienced onstage: He
Make Happy in 2016. Burnham’s material
was terrified of performing.
grew out of his YouTube channel. He
“On the internet, if you don’t put things
sang, recited poetry, unleashed an assault
out every week, you’re dead,” Burnham
of musical cues and lighting effects and
says. “That’s terrifying. People need space
offered up scathing zinger after scathing
to disappear.”
zinger. It was barely stand-up, but it was
And as soon as Burnham found space, that’s exactly what he did. *** Burnham’s fame arrived in an instant. When he was 16, he wrote a comedy song and put it on YouTube to show his older brother. The video was discovered and redistributed by Break. com, and Burnham had an
“People need space to disappear. ... I’m still getting tweets every day: ‘Did you die?’”
internet hit on his hands. He kept posting music— always irreverent, always funny—and within a year he had a four-album deal
certainly a performance. And Burnham’s act was meta because
with Comedy Central Records and the same
he made each performance in its own
talent agent as Dave Chappelle and Drew
way about performing. He often twisted
Carey.
the dynamic between himself and the
It was an easier time to exist online. The internet wasn’t as nuanced then. It was just
049
people watching him, exploiting audience expectations to deliver commentary on
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
about it. Part of me loves you. Part of me hates you. Part of me needs you. Part of me fears you. And I don’t think that I can handle this right now.” It’s a stunning turn. When the song ends, Burnham bows and thanks the crowd and tosses his microphone to the floor. Then he leaves the stage. That was two years ago. He hasn’t been Burnham with Eighth
the whole charade.
Grade star Elsie Fisher.
In one bit in what.,
“This movie’s not her
out of breath.
back onstage.
“I mean, have you stood in front of
Now, he doesn’t have much to say
parent,” he says. “It was
Burnham fumbled a
3,000 people before?” he asks. “That’s
about the performance: “I meant it.
about my feelings.”
water bottle, only for
already terrifying. It’s just the way
The entire endeavor of getting onstage
the mistake to trigger
anxiety is, to everybody. I needed to
was terrifying, so talking about it
a musical cue announcing, “He meant
talk about my anxiety onstage, or I was
being terrifying made it slightly less
to knock the water over, but you all
never going to do it again.”
terrifying. It was more therapeutic.”
thought it was an accident. Art is a lie. Nothing is real.” Every facet of Burnham’s act was
Burnham’s final special, Make Happy.
Even so, he still had to leave. “Stand-up wasn’t going to work for
It’s a blistering and, in some ways,
what I needed because I was exploring
choreographed. His sets were as
vindictive hour, but Burnham doesn’t
myself through myself,” he says. “I
precise as anything comedy had seen,
present his anxiety in full until the
was never going to get out of my own
and that level of control—from the
last segment, an eight-minute auto-
head when I was looking to myself for
music to the stage direction to the
tuned rant in the style of Kanye West.
inspiration. That’s why I wanted to
“improvised” interactions with the
The first four minutes are satirical
direct: to feel like I’m talking about an
crowd—makes sense given Burnham’s
and comedic, but halfway through,
idea with other people.”
anxiety. The comedian was crippled
Burnham stops the pettiness and
by stage fright. He was having panic
begins a confession:
attacks onstage. “I’m not naturally wired in the way
SEPT-OCT
That was the impetus behind
“I can pretend my biggest problems
Anxiety is at the core of Eighth Grade. About a modern middleschooler named Kayla who
are Pringle cans and burritos. The
struggles to make friends and be
a lot of performers are, where they
truth is, my biggest problem’s you. I
herself, Burnham’s movie is full of
just feed off [the attention],” Burnham
want to please you, but I want to stay
mortification and awkwardness and
says. He’s usually an analytical, dense
true to myself. I want to say what I
fretful anticipation—the emotions
speaker, but here, it sounds like he’s
think, and not care what you think
baked right into the characters’ phone-
050
2018
centric, image-focused setting.
her endearing, courageous social
because like Burnham’s stand-up, our
ineptitude, but that pain you feel
processing system for all those feelings
Eighth Grade—that’s Kayla—but it is
communicates her struggles were your
is ourselves. We can’t exorcise our
the backdrop. It’s been the backdrop of
struggles, too. Really, they might be
anxieties because we’re anxious about
Burnham’s performing career, too, and
your struggles right now.
ourselves. We know the internet’s
The internet isn’t the center of
that parallel is by design. “I wanted to take inventory of the
“I think the internet makes eighth-
redeeming qualities—it’s changed
graders of us all,” Burnham says.
lives, including Burnham’s—but the
way the internet felt,” Burnham says.
“At that age, you’re just so open and
prospect of chasing those opportunities
“The internet is everything to me. The
vulnerable, and feelings register
is marred by fear and pressure.
internet is good and bad and weird
as more intense. I wanted a movie
“I worry my generation can’t work
and strange. It makes us, connects us,
that felt visceral, and made intense
on longform stuff because the internet
isolates us, stimulates us, numbs us, all
moments out of very small things that
demands a constant stream of content,”
those things. But I didn’t want to make
weren’t really that consequential.
Burnham says. “I’m still getting tweets
a movie that was some big overarching
That’s the story of being 13. The
every day: ‘Did you die?’ You have to
statement. I wanted to make something
average day is life and death. And
not prioritize people’s perception of
granular and emotional.”
that’s the story of anxiety. Anxiety
you. You have to try to just build the
overlays onto really mundane stuff and
relationship with the work and not the
A departure from high-minded
relationship with the audience ... which is kind of the opposite of the YouTube
“The internet is everything to me. ... It makes us, connects us, isolates us, stimulates us, numbs us, all those things.”
stuff,” he adds. It’s clear Burnham is proud of Eighth Grade. He’s hopeful for the movie but not fretful about it. It seems disappearing did him some good. “The solution to all anxiety is to actually get out of your own head and communicate and share with other people,” he says. “That’s cathartic, and that’s what the movie did. Anxiety makes me feel like a 13-year-old, but honesty helps you realize these
youth movies like Dead Poets Society or The Perks of Being a Wallflower or
makes it almost unbearable.” The internet brings us down to that
feelings are shared by other people. It illuminates your experience when
Stand by Me, in which kids go through
primal state Burnham mentioned
intense traumas to gain wisdom, Eighth
before. We don’t see it as a creative
Grade’s world-changing moments are
outlet so much as a reflection of self.
everyone was watching him. Now,
low-stakes and common. There aren’t
It asks us who we want to be, and that
he’s battling his confusion with truth,
any teen pregnancies or life-changing
makes the minutiae of life feel huge
and in doing so he’s marking a path
rebellions here. Instead, there’s a pool
and significant again. Those little
for how we can redeem the toxicity of
party full of unfamiliar kids and an
insecurities we felt on the outskirts of
the digital world. Eighth Grade is an
assembly where you’re called out in
the birthday party or when we stood
artifact, but it’s timeless. The internet is
front of the whole school. It might
up to speak in front of the class are
that way, too.
seem small-minded, but these scenes
brought back to life every time we post
are excruciating for their familiarity.
on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Eighth Grade is a participatory
Will people like me? Will they think
experience. It will make you hug
I’m funny? Do they think I’m cool?
yourself. You fall for Kayla and
Those are all deep, lonely questions
051
people are honest about themselves.” Bo Burnham used to feel alone when
T YLER DASWICK is RELEVANT’s senior writer. He’s on Twitter @tylerdaswick.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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052
2018
BY T Y L E R D A S W I C K
Boy meets girl. Boy and girl make music. Boy and girl become the next big thing.
A
bner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano were down to their last $20 when they joined the line of people at the Paris bus stop. They weren’t married yet, and Johnnyswim was still in its
youth. Amanda was in France for a modeling job and Abner was posing as her manager so he could go, too. The couple couldn’t afford a real vacation, but this was close enough. Neither of them knew where the bus was going. They bought two tickets. The bus took them to the town of Greve in Chianti. It was the annual Chianti Classico wine festival, and local merchants had set up shop in the village. Abner and Amanda bought two sampling glasses with the last of their money and spent the day exploring. They ate cheese and olives and bread and drank the local wine. It was, in their minds, a perfect day. “There’s something so beautiful about that time, when we hadn’t seen any dreams come to fruition yet,” Amanda says. “We were the richest poor kids ever.” That was 2010. Amanda and Abner—27 then, 35 now—were so broke they had to use money from their church’s charity fundraiser to buy snacks for Bible study (“It was still a nonprofit using it. We didn’t have any profit,” Abner jokes.). Amanda was working at Starbucks to make ends meet while Abner bussed tables at P.F. Chang’s. “We were fighting hard for our dreams,” Amanda says. “But that doesn’t mean we didn’t love where we were. At some point, hopefully, we would have money to buy food regularly, and go to Paris just because, but until then, it was awesome to spend our budget on whatever we could and be together.” When you’ve found the right person, nothing else feels like enough. The Johnnyswim story actually begins in 2001.
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Abner was sitting next to his then-girl-
drive had different manifestations for
“Not all the girls out there were just try-
friend in a Nashville church lobby
each of them. Abner was like a tree frog
ing to be friends. It felt unsafe. There
when he saw Amanda across the room
leaping from leaf to leaf, never settling
was a part of me that felt he liked the
and said aloud, “That’s the girl I’m
and rarely threatened.
attention, and I wasn’t sure I could
going to marry.” That’s when the girlfriend became his
trust him.”
former girlfriend.
younger self. “He knew what he want-
If some people wear emotions on their
ed. And what I’m most proud of is he
sleeves, Abner's heart comes bursting
was willing to be broken. Sometimes
“I’m the baby of my family, and the
out of his chest.
I envy the bright-eyed hopefulness he
babies end up being the performers be-
Abner says all of Amanda's fears were justified.
Amanda saw Abner, too. He was
had. There’s things I would flinch at
cause they can create their own reality
surrounded by girls. “He’s trouble,”
now I would never have flinched at
in a way,” he says. “But I had somebody
she thought. She was on a mission to
then. There was something exciting
I loved with all my heart present me
be a professional recording artist, and
about that.”
with a truth I couldn’t ignore. It was
if some people fight for their dreams,
And if Abner was a tree frog, Aman-
Amanda is a one-woman army. She
da was a snapping turtle, singular and
didn’t have time for a guy trying to hit
defensive, a fighter.
on her at church.
time for me to soul-search. I had to be wrong in a way I wasn’t used to.” Amanda and Abner broke up, but
“That girl wanted the best,” Amanda
while they worked through their trust
The two made eye contact. Abner
says. “She was willing to work hard for
issues, Johnnyswim stayed together. It
stood up, but Amanda cocked one of
the things she believed in. She worked
was a deal the couple made in the be-
her deadliest weapons: a vicious eye
at Starbucks. She moved in with her
ginning: Regardless of their relation-
roll. It sent Abner right back into his
parents. She made herself seem like
ship status, Johnnyswim would persist.
seat. They didn’t say a word to one an-
a failure to the people
other, and they wouldn’t see one anoth-
around her in order to
er again for four years, when they met
get the best. I’m proud of
in a studio and formed Johnnyswim.
her for that.”
The reunion came in 2005, and this
SEPT-OCT
“That kid was brave,” he says of his
While
Amanda
dug
time, their connection was obvious.
in, Abner kept playing
Amanda felt a freedom with Abner she
things fast and loose,
hadn’t felt in any of her past recording
even when they began
sessions, and Abner, well, he remem-
dating. He had always
bers a lot about what Amanda wore in
been around women. He
those days (a certain red dress of hers
grew up in a house full
sticks in his mind). Regardless, their
of them—his mom, two
differing attentions merged onto one
sisters, his grandma—
wavelength. They had something.
and held many close fe-
“It felt so refreshing,” Amanda says.
male friends. One friend
“It wasn’t about being cool. It was about
was too close. She would
expression. With him, I could be cre-
come onto Abner and
ative in the way I wanted.”
Amanda would flag it,
Abner had another takeaway: “I just
but Abner would brush it
remember [thinking] our voices sound-
off. It reached the point
ed good together.” He smiles. “I pro-
where
cessed that to mean I could spend more
trust him to keep proper
time with her. That worked for me.”
boundaries.
Amanda
didn’t
Johnnyswim came together because
“Abner didn’t realize
Abner and Amanda had the same
the power he had over
dreams and the same drive, but that
other girls,” she says.
054
2018
So while the couple was split, they kept
a year after the breakup.
insecure.”
touring, recording and doing photo
“If that break didn’t happen, we
Nothing tested Amanda and Ab-
shoots. Their dream was too important.
would have carried a lot of those trust
ner's resilience more than a 10-month
During one shoot, the photographer
issues into our marriage,” Amanda
stretch between 2011 and 2012, when
asked Abner and Amanda to stand face-
says. “The term ‘speed bump’ is a good
the sudden death of Abner’s father co-
to-face. It was too much for Abner, and
one when you’re talking about rela-
incided with a terminal-cancer diag-
he screamed in frustration, but Aman-
tionships. We try to slow down and
nosis for Amanda's mother, legendary
da stood her ground, poised and regal.
make sure we’re on the same page, and
disco singer Donna Summer. When loss
The camera snapped, and the couple
that’s what speed bumps are for. I think
is sudden, it’s more painful but more
kept the picture. To this day, Abner says
we look at obstacles as ways to make us
revealing. You don’t have time to calcu-
it’s his favorite photo. It’s them.
stronger instead of things that make us
late your reaction to the pain, so what
Abner wanted Amanda back, but his passion needed discipline. So he gathered
his
emotions,
reined them in and recommitted himself to her. The couple was back together after two weeks, and it was forever from there. Johnnyswim was married
emerges is the most
“Sorrow is going to happen, but despair is, in some ways, a choice.”
honest,
unfiltered
version of yourself. Abner's father was in the intensive care unit after a severe stroke. It was going to take a miracle. Abner's emotions were running hot, and he vowed to stay at the hospital until his father walked out. His family, say
gathered
goodbye,
to
ques-
tioned him. “My hope brought up
these
from
my
questions family:
‘What’s going to happen to your faith if he dies? How can you put all your hope in him surviving this thing?’” he remembers. “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know, but I’m going to hope.’ Any theology I have has taught me that, even if I’m about to be thrown into a literal fire, I can have hope I’ll be brought out without even smelling like smoke.” After eight days with his father in the ICU, Abner was thrown in the fire. “The worst case scenario happened,” he says. “He was gone.” There’s a Bethel worship song called "God, I Look to You." While Abner was with his father, Amanda was outside, praying and singing. She sang that song
055
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
every day, and she sang it the day Abner's father died. Abner remembers after his dad’s death, he and Amanda and his family walked by the river in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. They sang the song together: “God I look to You / I won't be overwhelmed / Give me vision to see things like You do / Hallelujah, our God reigns.” “I realized in time all those prayers of healing didn’t just evaporate into the sky,” Abner says. “The hope we held on to dug a well of joy that to this day, seven years later, we’re still drinking from. We weren’t destroyed by the passing of my father, and we weren’t destroyed by the passing of Amanda’s mother. I believe those prayers did something greater than healing, they showed us even when the worst happens, hope is still here.” Amanda broadens his point: “Sorrow is going to happen, but despair is, in some ways, a choice,” she says. “You can get lost in despair because despair is hopeless, but sorrow you can carry with joy. There was grace in walking through that time together. We learned how the other one hurts.” Amanda was born into a legacy of music, but in many ways, she's selfmade. She’s always been steady, but in that season, she had to be solid enough for another person to lean on her. That's why she stood outside that room in the ICU. And when her mother passed in 2012, she had to let Abner be strong for her, too. “If you put pressure on something, it becomes real and lasting,” Amanda says. “I believe there are generations of healing because we pressed in instead of letting ourselves sink into despair. Even in times when there’s incredible pressure on you and your family and the dreams you’re pursuing, even in those tough moments, there are diamonds.”
SEPT-OCT
056
2018
In 2014, after nine years of working,
like. They’re joined on the road now by
tion. “If it's a sad song, I want you to feel
recording, going on pseudo-vacations
their son, Joaquin, 3, and their daugh-
known in the hurts that you have," he
and learning how to trust one another,
ter, Luna, 4 months. Joaquin listens to
says. "If it's a happy song, I want you
Johnnyswim released their first full-
all his parents’ music, and Abner and
to feel that, too. The magic of art is the
length album. It reached No. 1 on the
Amanda play him the music they re-
ability to capture a feeling and deliver
Singer-Songwriter charts and stayed
cord to see if he likes it. Sometimes, late
it to people. I can almost see that thing
there for weeks. It was Diamonds.
at night, they hear him singing their
that comes out of us.”
Johnnyswim’s music is a moment in
songs to himself over the baby monitor.
Johnnyswim's feelings for each oth-
“I hope when our
er are obvious. When they perform to-
kids hear our music
gether, Abner can't take his eyes off his
they have a sense of
wife. He might unleash a half-smile and
who we are,” Aman-
she’ll walk over and undo a button on
da says. “I hope in
his shirt, and his half-smile will spread
those
across his entire face. She anchors his
“Even if I'm about to be thrown into a literal fire, I can have hope I'll be brought out without even smelling like smoke.”
songs
they
know how cherished
emotions. He crumbles her defenses.
and loved they are.”
Amanda and Abner have known one
“In every song we
another for 17 years. They’ve made mu-
write, we leave a lit-
sic together for 13 and have been mar-
tle bit of ourselves
ried for eight. Their story is defined,
inside,” Abner adds.
through the triumphs and the failures,
“We pour ourselves
by passion. Some might say passion
into our music in a
runs out on you. For them, it never will.
real way. I hope they
“Passion doesn’t feel like something
hear us, our being,
that has to keep getting refilled,” Aman-
ourselves.”
da says. “I see it like a well. It’s some-
J o h n ny s w i m ’s music
is
timeless,
thing I have to keep open, so the water can keep coming up from the ground.”
too. It reaches back-
Abner agrees. “I don’t think you have
ward and forward. It
to conjure passion, you just have to
captures who Abner
make yourself available to it,” he says.
and Amanda were
“And you can’t be cynical about your-
in the past, who they
self or others. I think the most cynical
are now and the art-
people are also the most still. Passion
ists,
moves you to do something and say
partners
and
parents they aspire to become.
something.” Johnnyswim has never stopped mov-
“I had all these
ing, even through challenge, heartache
dreams as a kid,”
and the unknown. Sometimes they
Amanda
says.
don't know where the bus is going, but
time. It’s specific and detailed. With two
“Dreams of singing and of who I want-
it doesn’t matter. They have a seat next
studio albums and three EPs released
ed to be, but I didn’t know how to get
to someone they love—with depth, with
so far, plus a third full-length on the
there. I remember being overwhelmed
honesty—so much.
way, Abner and Amanda have created
about this future version of myself.
a series of time capsules marking each
Sometimes I’ll write for younger me
period of their lives.
and make sure I live up to what I
The couple has said often they want to make music their children would
dreamed.” For Abner, it's about evoking an emo-
057
T YLER DASWICK is RELEVANT's senior writer. He's on Twitter @tylerdaswick.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
Why You Need a Spiritual Mentor
{ Yes, You }
BY A N D R E H E N RY
J
ENNIFER KENT WAS NOT
internet where she first heard about the idea
maturity is something like the process of
PREGNANT but felt the
of a spiritual director.
recovery, or at least it should be. He argues
need for a sort of “doula.”
that we are all addicts in a way: “The Bible
For the unfamiliar, doulas
RECOVERING IDOLATERS
word for addiction is idolatry, so we all
act as a kind of guide for
The average churchgoing American
wrestle with it.”
women during childbirth and sometimes
Protestant is not weird or rich enough, by
At the end of an Alcoholics Anonymous
afterward. They do more than just help. They
conventional standards, to have a spiritual
meeting, participants are told, “Keep coming
“walk alongside, providing information when
director. We think of someone like Madonna
back. It works,” Ortberg explains. He’s been
necessary, and act as a sounding board,”
having access to that kind of utility, not Jill
observing the process of AA a lot recently.
Kent explains. Doulas generally know more
from accounting. But Jill from accounting
about the process of birth and the emotional
could probably benefit from spiritual
is not mechanical or legalistic, but is very
and physical aspects of the journey than the
direction. We all could.
concrete and tangible,” he says. “And if
women they coach, and they act as a sort of Sherpa across the terrain.
Kent’s comparison between a doula and
“They know they found a way of life that
they engage in that way of life deeply, they
a spiritual director is apt. It is a primary
will receive power and be saved, and if
metaphor for the Christian life. Jesus says to
they don’t, they will drink and die. And the
when they’re giving birth when they’ve
Nicodemus, to be saved “you must be born
great problem in the Church is that we have
come to the end of all of their resources,
again” (John 3:3). But birth is a process.
largely lost a way of life in following Jesus
and they think they can’t do it anymore,”
We’re well aware of that physically. And
that we know works.”
she explains. “They end up pushing through,
yet, America’s unique brand of evangelism
coming to this other side where there’s this
tacitly suggests Christians are born in an
essentially recovering idolaters, like addicts,
euphoria.”
instant: at an altar after praying a prayer.
every disciple needs a sponsor.
“There’s this moment that I see in moms
Kent knows the details of birth and doula
But the New Testament writers speak
Ortberg contends that since disciples are
“A sponsor is not a life coach,” he
work because she is one herself. And after
of salvation as a process: referring to
explains. “A sponsor is somebody who has
eight years of Job-like suffering—a broken
Christians as “those who are being saved” (1
practiced the way enough that they can help
engagement, years of unemployment, deaths
Corinthians 1:18).
you find out how to practice it.” This kind of
of loved ones, all followed by a cancer
Pastor and author John Ortberg points out
relationship, he says, is essential.
diagnosis—with no spiritual answers in
that the Apostle Paul describes himself as
sight, she wanted to find someone who could
being “in the pains of childbirth until Christ
EVERYONE NEEDS A DOULA
play the kind of role she plays in young
is formed in you” as he leads his disciples to
Jeanne Mayo is the founder of Youth
mothers’ lives in her own spiritual life.
maturity (Galatians 4:19). And according to
Leader’s Coach, a nonprofit that coaches
Ortberg, we all need someone in that kind of
youth and young adult pastors through a
help me get to that [euphoric] place, like
role Paul describes—to be a coach, a doula,
style of spiritual mentoring. In order to
almost doula me through the spiritual [crap]
a mentor.
accommodate the annual, two-day advances
“I thought, if there’s somebody who could
I was sludging through, then I wanted that,” she says. She eventually found “that” on the
Ortberg, who literally wrote the book on
called The Cadre she hosts in her home, she’s
spiritual growth (The Life You’ve Always
knocked down a couple of walls to expand
Wanted), says the journey toward spiritual
her living room. Mayo is the kind of sponsor
059
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
Ortberg describes. With 40 years of
expressing
ministry under her belt, she’s knows
their doubts
the terrain of pastoral work and is able
about the
to guide. But these advances aren’t just
faith, sharing
for talking shop.
their questions
There’s an axiom that says, “A man
about their
“The great problem in the Church is that we have largely lost a way of life in following Jesus that we know works.” – John Ortberg
who is his own doctor has a fool for
sexuality—
a doctor.” Mayo agrees that the same
there are as
applies for pastors. The leaders who
many stories as
enter her home are expected to coach
people in the
others into Christian maturity, but they
room. They all,
also need coaches. That’s where she
like Kent said,
comes in.
are in need of someone to “almost
played favorites with three. And out
doula them through the spiritual junk
of the three, He had one, John the
they are sludging through.”
Beloved. He did not think His main
She says the reason she hosts these cohorts in her home, rather than in a church or some other space, is for the
Throughout the year, these leaders
sake of human connection. “People
have personal access to Mayo through
want to feel connected to an actual
email, conference calls and meetings
person,” she says.
like The Cadre.
During each advance, there is a
impact was the masses. He didn’t have the Last Supper with the masses.” She recalls a story about Billy Graham. She says the famous
Inspired by the New Testament
evangelist was asked what he might do
night where the leaders gather around
model for spiritual growth— that is,
differently in his ministry if he could
and are told, “Tonight, it’s OK not to
a rabbi-disciple or group of disciples
do it all again.
be OK.” They are invited to share the
relationship—Mayo believes that such
things that are “sucking the spiritual
a relationship, one on one, is essential
put less focus on my public ministry,
life out of [them],” whatever is shared
to spiritual growth. She argues that
and put more focus on discipling
in the circle stays in the circle—a rare
Jesus models this mentor-mentee
individuals around me that could
opportunity for spiritual leaders.
relationship in His ministry.
multiply my efforts. I would choose
What Jeanne finds are people who
“He prioritized personal
She paraphrases: “He said, ‘I’d
one man each year and I’d bring him
are struggling to grow. They open up,
relationship with 12 guys,” she
up close to me. Then after that year,
confessing affairs and porn addictions,
explains. “And out of the 12 guys, He
I’d send that man out into the harvest
HOW TO FIND A MENTOR
1
SEPT-OCT
IDENTIFY POTENTIAL CANDIDATES
2
MAKE THE ASK
You’d be surprised how many
3
DETERMINE THE TERMS
This is crucial. You want to
A spiritual coach should be
mature Christians would be
decide together what the
someone who has more
happy to journey alongside you.
relationship will look like in
life experience than you,
Just tell them about your desire
a realistic and sustainable
understands the spiritual journey
to grow spiritually and what
way. Will you meet once a
and has Christian character that
inspired you to seek a mentor.
month? Once a week? Will
you admire.
They’ll probably be honored you
you correspond via email or in
chose them.
person?
060
2018
field to whatever he felt he could do
to be teaching others ... You are like
meetings on Skype to discuss the road
for Jesus Christ.”
babies who need milk and cannot eat
to spiritual maturity. She describes
solid food” (Hebrews 5:12).
herself as “working out what she
BECOMING A SPIRITUAL ADULT
It is a sentiment that ministers today
The goal of discipleship is spiritual maturity. Spiritual directors help us
still share.
believes” with her spiritual doula. She says this relationship has become
Mayo points to the statistics that
essential to her walk with God. But it
become spiritual adults. But what does
suggest a decline in Christian faith to
a spiritual adult look like? The same
indicate that the American Church
way one can look at a chart and know
hasn’t won “the gold medal for
directed,” she says. “I assumed there
that a mature caterpillar looks like a
discipleship,” and she agrees with the
would be a lot more homework and
butterfly, Ortberg argues that a mature
Hebrews author that mature disciples
things to do, but it’s not that at all.
Christian looks like Christ.
make disciples. So does Ortberg.
It’s just somebody years ahead of me
“Having the character of Jesus
wasn’t exactly what she expected. “I thought it would be a lot more
“One of the ways you maintain
kind of having me process what my
formed in us is a helpful way to think
sobriety [in AA] is by helping others
spiritual journey is like and giving
about spiritual growth,” he says. “That
become sober,” says Ortberg. “In the
me space to process that and offering
is primarily defined by love, which is
Christian Church, we tend to think
me gentle nudging here and there. I
to will the good for other people as God
of spiritual directors as this subset of
thought it would be a lot more guided,
understands the good, to will that good
people that have received some sort
and I wanted that, but maybe that’s
for people and to work for that good
of special training. But in AA, the very
not what I needed. I needed to know
in people and increasingly become
nature of following the way is also the
that I could find it in myself.”
the kinds of persons who habitually
way to become a guide to somebody
and automatically will the good. That’s
else. And I think that if we get it right,
relationship looks different in each
spiritual growth.”
it will look a lot more like AA.”
case as a necessity. Although he
And what does a spiritual adult do?
A spiritual mentor-mentee
contends for a “coherent way of
According to the experts and the Bible,
THE END GOAL
life,” Ortberg says that each person’s
simply put, they help other Christians
Years ago, Kent reached out to the
journey has to be “individualized.”
grow up.
author of an article about spiritual
The writer of Hebrews laments as he
Every person and coach is different,
direction she’d stumbled across online.
and determining what a program for
writes to the Church: “You have been
She needed to know more.
spiritual growth will look like will
believers so long now that you ought
Today, the two of them have
vary. But the end goal is always the same: becoming like Jesus. At the end of her maturation chart, Jennifer sees herself becoming a hospital chaplain, inviting people to wade into the depths of the spiritual life. She’s receiving spiritual direction, in part to make spiritual sense of all that is happening in her life, but also as preparation to one day provide
4
SHOW UP
You will get out of this
5
spiritual direction to others.
PAY IT FORWARD
As you continue this journey,
relationship what you put
keep an eye out for people who
into it. If you agreed to read a
are, like you once were, looking
book together, read it. If you
for direction. The point of the
schedule a conversation, keep
journey is that we become
the meeting. If you commit to
disciples who make disciples.
A NDRE HENRY is a writer and activist based in Los Angeles and tweets @andrehenry.
a spiritual practice, do it. No excuses.
061
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
The most shocking trend in Hollywood right now might be just how faith-focused horror films have become.
BY T Y L E R D A S W I C K
They say people died of heart attacks while watch-
faith and the supernatural in the same way he and
ing The Exorcist. The consensus is the scares killed
his brother are.
them, but perhaps it was the sacrilege. With bound-
“[At the time], The Conjuring was the second-high-
ary-pushing intensity (including a scene in which a
est grossing genre film ever, and first was The Exor-
young girl mutilates herself with a crucifix) and dis-
cist,” he says. “So we have a possession story followed
turbing subliminal messaging (listen close at times
by another possession story. It makes me feel like the
and you can hear pigs squealing), The Exorcist is
interest is worldwide. These stories cross over into
still considered one of the scariest and most contro-
virtually every religion. It’s good versus evil.”
versial movies ever made. And yet, alongside the
The days of teenagers running from masked mur-
spider-walks and yellow eyes is a complex, nuanced
derers and chainsaw-wielding hicks are long gone,
portrait of faith, one that rivals anything on PureFlix.
for the moment. Scary movies are shouldering a spir-
It’s a movie about fighting the devil as much as it is
itual angle, tapping into the universal fear of the un-
about the devil himself. Now, 45 years later, supernatural horror movies have resurrected the intention of The Exorcist to create a legion of smarter (and scarier) fright flicks. Scare-driven blockbusters like those in The Conjuring universe (including the upcoming film The Nun) make up the spine of the new-horror skeleton while arthouse terrors like A24’s Hereditary or The Witch branch
T
known to figure out what it is about the great beyond that frightens us. Christians like Chad and Carey Hayes are beginning to tell these stories, too. In fact, Chad says their film The Reaping (which stars Hillary Swank as a former Christian missionary out to debunk supernatural occurrences) “was actually based on an aunt who had become a missionary in India. She served 10 years there.”
off into spindly limbs. These movies are out to scare
The Hayes brothers aren’t the only filmmakers
you, and they do, but they’re also here to ask ques-
who use their personal faith as inspiration in the
tions and provoke thought in the tradition of the hor-
genre. “I buy into [the supernatural]. I always have,”
ror film that started it all.
says Gary Dauberman, an outspoken Christian and
“The Exorcist has a balance between the psycho-
screenwriter for horror movies like The Nun and the
logical and the physical,” says Corin Hardy, director
blockbuster It. “I gravitate toward things like this be-
of The Nun, an upcoming prequel to The Conjuring.
cause it affirms death is not the end. It’s more of a
“It taps into our fears of religion and demons and
paragraph break. I think it’s important to establish
possessions. It feels grounded. It can really shake you
there’s something else out there.”
with this underlying sense of good and evil.”
For people like Dauberman, the supernatural ele-
Chad Hayes and his brother Carey wrote horror
ments of some horror stories are legitimate threats,
movies like The Conjuring, House of Wax and The
but that’s part of what gives his job meaning. Some-
Reaping. These guys grew up in a family of ministers.
times it takes a near-death experience to change your
They’re Christians.
perspective about life.
Chad says audiences are drawn to stories about
063
Psychologists say humans are born with two in-
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
nate fears: loud sounds and falling. Everything else—spiders, snakes, deep water— comes from world experience. Over the course of our lives, our brains engineer themselves to be afraid of certain things we might or might not be aware of. In other words, we can’t control what frightens us, and that’s why horror movies can turn us into puppets. Fear begins in a part of our brain called the amygdala, which scans the environour emotions and nervous system, to
effect those extreme
paranoid. When it senses a threat, it or-
tell the rest of the body to either defend
emotions
on
manifests as something
ders the hypothalamus, which controls
itself or run away (psychologists call
the family. I wanted
awful and supernatural.
this response “fight or flight”).
to make a film that
“What’s nice about genre is you can smuggle more difficult themes into the work ... [and] what first serves as a deterrent for the audience becomes a virtue in this other form.”
SEPT-OCT
In A24’s Hereditary,
ment for threats. But the amygdala is
have
a family’s struggle with tragedy and loss
It’s a useful survival tool, but the
took suffering seriously. If you take that
amygdala and the hypothalamus are
story and fit it into a genre, what first
irrational agents. They don’t give the
serves as a deterrent for the audience
brain time to consider context or cir-
becomes a virtue in this other form.”
cumstance, and that’s how scary mov-
Horror manifests natural fears in
ies manipulate us. The fear reaction
unnatural ways. It embodies tangible
doesn’t let us remember that what’s
threats like demons with intangible
happening on screen isn’t real.
anxieties, and that surrogacy amplifies
“If you hear whispering behind a
the scares. Hereditary is an excruciat-
door, you can imagine a hundred things
ing movie. As the characters suffer, the
that could be,” Hardy explains.
viewer suffers because even the fan-
This is where smart horror mov-
tastic horror is grounded in something
ies distinguish themselves from the
relatable. That means those irrational
rest, because while most horror mov-
reactions of our brains are still fright-
ies operate on this base psychological
ening after we’ve processed them be-
instinct, the best of them twist these
cause even a rational look at the movie
primal instincts to orient audiences to-
is scary and traumatic. A locked base-
ward deeper, real-world ideas.
ment is scary, but if that fear is shown
Hereditary is one of the most ac-
to be justified, it makes opening that
claimed horror films of 2018. On its face,
door and descending into the darkness
it’s about a demon preying on a fami-
much, much worse.
ly, but according to director Ari Aster,
Those abstract ideas—loss, trauma—
those sinister overtones are a cover for
can be elusive, but these spiritually
the tragic family drama underneath.
adjacent horror movies are designed
“What’s nice about genre is you can
from the ground up to build a bridge
smuggle more difficult themes into the
for viewers between the story on the
work,” Aster says. “I wanted to make a
screen and the ideas in your head.
serious meditation on trauma and the
064
Grace Yun served as production de-
2018
signer on Hereditary. She oversaw ev-
and evil do exist, but so do forces like
and say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to support
erything from set construction to the
doubt, skepticism and feeling distant
horror movies. They’re about darkness
prop design and visual framing. She
from God.
and the devil,’” Chad says. “Well, this is
knows what makes you afraid.
“Horror films are always about the
about beating the devil ... Horror mov-
“We wanted to create environments
fight between good and evil,” Bichir
that harness an unsettled feeling,” Yun
says. “It’s fantasy, but it has a lot to do
In a paradoxical way, horror movies
says. “The house is almost like a doll-
with things we deal with daily. Those
are safe. The real world is unpredict-
house, and the characters are being
demons are our own fears, our own
able and complicated, but being able
played with. They’re under the spell of
weaknesses and our own flaws, and we
to enter a movie theater and watch
a more powerful force they can’t break
constantly
away from.”
to fight those in-
have
That’s why when you watch Heredi-
ner ghosts and
tary, you might feel in a subconscious
demons in order
way like you’re being played with, too.
to
In The Nun, the protagonists—a
ies are scary, but they’re still truthful.”
survive
our
daily lives.”
priest and a Catholic novitiate—battle a
As the forces
demonic force that manifests as the tit-
on-screen compel
ular nun. Nuns are beautiful, says Jen-
the
nifer Spence, the movie’s production
to confront the
designer, but there’s a way to warp the
weakest
serene image of a devout sister to make
of
her frightening.
the horror mov-
characters parts
themselves,
“For the Demon Nun, we elongated
ie asks the same
her face and set her eyes back,” she
thing of the view-
explains. “We made things longer and
er.
more gaunt. We lengthened her nails.”
positions the au-
Hereditary
Indeed, the nun of The Nun is terrify-
dience alongside
ing, but in indelicate hands, she could
the grief of its tor-
be an offensive, exploitative symbol.
mented
That’s why a script should give nu-
onists. The Nun
anced, complex reasons to position the
compels viewers
characters (and the audience) against
to consider the
something like a “Demon” Nun.
same questions as the characters: How
real-world
With honest intention on that front,
strong is your faith? Do you question
gles,
even a satanic sister can serve a re-
the Lord? How much are you willing
real-world
demptive purpose, explains Demian
to fight for Him? There’s conviction at
gles, made manifest
Bichir, who plays Father Burke in The
work, but there’s also hope. After all, if
through a piece of
Nun. Father Burke is a known demon
the characters can win, so can you.
entertainment is in a sense a comfort.
protag-
maybe
strugyour strug-
The Exorcist was controversial upon its release, but now, its ambitious faith ideas make it a classic.
fighter, but in this movie, his spirit is
“Sometimes you want a film that ac-
Because every horror movie has the
wracked by doubt and anxiety. He’s
knowledges how dark things can get,
same ending: You leave the theater.
fighting a real external evil, but also
and that makes you feel less alone and
You survive the experience. Maybe in a
has a spiritual war raging in his heart.
seen in your pain,” Aster says.
small way, you’re stronger for it. Now
The Demon Nun emerges to make that
Horror movies aren’t the black sheep
internal struggle tangible. By fighting
of cinematic storytelling anymore. They
this physical threat, Father Burke can
represent a rich soil for complex ideas
also fight the battle for his soul.
and difficult topics, even with, maybe
For Christians, these parallels work on two fronts. Yes, the supernatural
especially for, faith audiences. “People out there might pre-judge
065
you can exorcise demons of your own.
T YLER DASWICK is RELEVANT’s senior writer. He’s on Twitter @tylerdaswick.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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2018
BY J I L L A D K I N S
As November approaches and the nation is as polarized as ever, the question remains: How should Christians vote?
F
ollowing the elec-
on a platform of criminal justice re-
to the same faith and come to such dra-
tions of 2017, out
form: “Innocence, in its mercy, partly
matically different conclusions about
of the 535 sitting
excuses us from having to fully reckon
how it informs their politics?
members of Con-
with the spiritual gifts of forgiveness,
What does the Bible really say? In an
gress, 485 are pro-
grace and redemption at the heart of
increasingly polarized political land-
fessing Christians.
the Catechism: I believe in the forgive-
scape, how can a Christian actually vote
ness of sins.”
their faith?
That’s 91 percent. Though there is a slightly higher percentage of Christians among Republican lawmakers than Democrats (99 percent vs. 80 percent),
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is also a CALLED TO VOTE
Democratic Socialist. long
One of the tricky things about trying
the current Congress of the United
been lobbed as an insult by conserva-
to figure out how to vote according
States is almost as “Christian” as it’s
tive politicians. Politicians like former
to one’s faith and values based on the
ever been.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is
example of Jesus is that the system of
But what does that actually mean?
a Southern Baptist, and current Vice
government operating in Jesus’ time is
This summer, a 28-year-old woman
President Mike Pence, who is an evan-
dramatically different than the Amer-
from the Bronx unseated a long-serving
gelical, hold to the same faith as Oca-
ican democracy, says Dr. Alan Noble,
Congressman for the party’s nomina-
sio-Cortez, but have a polar opposite
a college professor and conservative
tion in her district, and may get elected
view of politics and policies. But in
writer and thinker.
to one of those seats in November.
terms of their religious beliefs, they
In a column she wrote for Jesuit
That
word—socialism—has
agree on far more than they disagree.
He says that yes, the Bible is clear that “we are supposed to submit to gov-
magazine America, she explained that
The paradox raises interesting ques-
erning authorities … to honor the au-
it was her Catholic faith and the teach-
tions: How could people read the same
thority … to obey the law,” but context
ings of Christ that led her to run, partly
religious teachings, devote their lives
is important.
067
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
At the time, Jesus lived under the
government invites us to share our
Jesus followers to vote for those can-
rule of the Romans and was subjected
opinion about what [it] should do, and
didates whom they believe will do the
to their policies. A democracy—which
so long as Jesus-followers are careful
most to alleviate the pain of the afflict-
is made up of the people it rules and
not to get sucked into the polarizing
ed, address issues surrounding home-
whose laws are created by individu-
partisan politics that afflicts our cur-
lessness and poverty, alleviate oppres-
als voted on by the citizenry—is much
rent political atmosphere, I see no rea-
sion and discrimination, address the
different. Noble says the starting point
son why we shouldn’t give it.
injustices of our current justice and
for determining how Jesus would vote
“Indeed, since we are called to be
prison systems, and eliminate discrim-
is to look at a teaching that transcends
in solidarity with ‘the least of these,’
ination against those who are the most
politics, policy and legislation: the
treating them as we would Jesus Him-
judged and looked down upon in our
command of loving our neighbor.
self, I don’t see how we can refrain
society.”
“Part of loving our neighbor means
from giving it whenever our govern-
However, even if you start with
we can’t just say, ‘Politics are such a
ment’s policies are oppressing, mar-
those two basic ideas—that our call to
mess, it’s just so depressing,’” he says.
ginalizing or otherwise discriminating
love our neighbors means we are re-
“That’s not an option. Being an Ameri-
against people who are largely, if not
quired to be involved in a democracy,
can citizen ... you don’t just get to relax
entirely, defenseless.”
and Jesus aligns with society’s “least
and follow orders. You’ve got to pay at-
For Shane Claiborne—who advo-
of these”—the challenge arises when
cates for immigra-
voting comes down to essentially two
tion
gun
parties, neither of which perfectly en-
control and the abol-
capsulates both of these ideas. What
ishment of the death
happens when Jesus’ principles don’t
penalty—what that
fall cleanly down partisan lines?
“You’ve got to pay attention to what’s going on. You have an obligation to act.” – Alan Noble
obligation looks like starts most
with
Jesus’
VOTING FOR LIFE
well-known
Aimee Murphy is the founder of Re-
teachings: the Ser-
humanize International, a group she
mon on the Mount.
says is “dedicated to bringing about a
That
sermon
culture of peace and culture of life and
opens with praise
working to bring an end to all forms of
for the poor in spir-
aggressive violence against humanity.”
it, those who mourn,
Though the organization itself doesn’t
the meek, those who
have a religious affiliation, Murphy is
tention to what’s going on. You have an
seek righteousness, the merciful, the
obligation to act.”
pure in heart, the peacemakers and
Greg Boyd, the senior pastor of
SEPT-OCT
reform,
the persecuted.
a devout Catholic. “Our central philosophy is that every human being has inherent dignity
Woodland Hills Church and vocal crit-
“We don’t really have to wonder
ic of the Christian Right, agrees that
how Jesus would vote because He
and inherent worth,” she says. She understands the dilemma of
engagement shouldn’t be optional for
tells us,” Claiborne explains. “I think
voting when principles don’t break
Christians.
the Beatitudes are pretty beautiful in
neatly on political lines. Though the
“‘Politics’ comes from the Greek
showing literally who God is aligned
group stands against things like the
word ‘polis,’ which means ‘city-state,’
with: the poor, the merciful, the meek,
death penalty and torture (views that
but can refer to any defined people
the pure in heart, the peacemakers,
tend to align with Democratic Party
group,” he explains. “Anything that af-
right?”
principles), they also oppose abortion,
fects society, then, is ‘political.’ Voting
Boyd agrees that Scripture is clear
embryonic stem cell research and eu-
and protesting is one way of affecting
about serving less fortunate people:
thanasia (issues that mostly align with
the polis. We happen to have the good
“While political issues are always com-
Republican candidates).
fortune of living in a society in which
plex, I would think this should incline
068
Before choosing to vote for a can-
2018
didate, she starts with the questions, “What do they have an effect over? How many lives will that affect? What sort of moral calculus do you have to do in this situation?” When it comes to voting for city council, for example, there’s a big difference in how their influence will be applied to communities than when voting for president. Understanding not only a politician’s position—but also their ability to actually have any effect on implementing
it—is
essential,
Boyd explains. “Even if a Christian finds a candidate who stands for many of the things they stand for, they still must consider whether this candidate has the kind of character and competency to actually advance these causes,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
he says. “For as we all know, political
home to a local immigrant detention
mises on both
candidates have been known to some-
center—something she is passionate
sides seemed
her primary. She credits that to
times claim to stand for things only be-
about reforming. And state officials
too great, and
running a grassroots, community-
cause they know this is what the vot-
could also create policies that affect
she
ers they’re appealing to want to hear.
the death penalty and abortion.
to vote for a
decided
pulled off a stunning upset in
focused campaign.
“Voting for a candidate who agrees
“If I’m going to vote for the pro-life
with you but is unwilling to compro-
candidate—because more lives are
mise and work with others to get things
affected by abortion—then the thing
The outcome is similar to the sit-
done may simply ensure that none of
that I am going to do is, I am going to
uation many Christians have faced
what you hoped would get accom-
write a letter to his office every week
when they enter the ballot box and are
plished actually gets accomplished.”
about why, as a pro-life person, he
forced to decide between two flawed
Murphy gives the example of a re-
should end the death penalty in the
candidates who represent two flawed
cent election in her home state of
state of Pennsylvania,” she explains.
parties.
Pennsylvania.
“That was the moral commitment that
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is the
First, she looked at the stakes of the
I made to myself, because I was like,
senior pastor of New Seasons Chris-
election based on her values of nonvi-
‘OK, if I am going to make a compro-
tian Worship Center, the president of
olence, justice reform and peace. She
mise on this, I have to do something to
the National Hispanic Christian Lead-
noted that because it was a local elec-
make sure that I do not become com-
ership Conference and is one of Presi-
tion, the candidate didn’t have control
placent on this issue.”
dent Trump’s evangelical advisers. He
over going to war, but the county was
In this case however, the compro-
069
third-party candidate.
also prayed at Trump’s inauguration.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
THE CHRISTIAN CAUC US H e re’ s a l o o k at h ow o n e of th e m ost “Ch r i sti a n” Co n g res ses i n h i sto r y b re a ks d ow n a cco rd i n g to p o l iti ca l p a r t y.
He believes that though issues like
ted to a higher vision of what a good
religious liberty and biblical justice
society looks like,” he says. “You need
should be important to Christian vot-
to be able to say, ‘Whatever this per-
ers, the starting point should be the
son does, I’m not going to be your
sanctity of life.
cheerleader or their fan. I am holding
“It truly does begin with life,” he
them accountable. Whatever they do
says. “Every skewed, deviated, egre-
right, I will hold them accountable.
gious public policy or political ideol-
And when they go astray, I’m going
ogy begins with negating that every
to look at it critically, and I will write
life is sacred in and out of the womb.”
and call and publicly critique.”
However, he is clear that this
THE HOUSE O F R E P R E S E N TAT I V E S
45%
however,
with a party or a candidate that they
engage but not marry. We must en-
DEMOCRATS
comes,
have a single political allegiance. one political party,” he says. “We must
REPUBLICANS
problem
when a voter becomes so identified
“[We must] not marry politics or
55%
The
doesn’t mean that Christians should
see an ideological threat to their party as a threat to their own identity. Noble
says
political
affiliation
gage with the understanding that Un-
makes us feel “like we belong to a
cle Sam may be your uncle but he will
tribe, we have a place, we’re making
never be your heavenly Father.”
a difference, we’re important, we’re
It begs the question, is the current system one that represents the way of Jesus?
significant.” However, he explains, “The problem is, when you tie your identity to a political movement or a politician,
91%
CHRISTIANS
T H E S E N AT E
LEAVING THE PARTY
and then as inevitably will happen,
In the modern American political sys-
that movement, that group’s politi-
tem, two main parties have emerged
cian party fails you. You don’t have
as the most dominant. And in the age
the freedom to criticize them because
of marketing and branding—where
it’s like criticizing and betraying who
consumers frequently tie their iden-
you are.”
tity to the companies, products and
Claiborne recalls an approach that
brands they like—those parties have
activist and public intellectual Cornel
developed large bases of supporters
West took prior to the last presiden-
who have made their partisan affilia-
tial election. West said, “We’re gonna
tion part of their personal identities.
vote for Hillary and start protesting
Instead of saying, “I voted for the 47%
DEMOCRATS
51%
REPUBLICANS
88%
CHRISTIANS
SEPT-OCT
her in January.”
Republican or Democrat candidate,”
Claiborne suggests that the ap-
many voters say, “I am a Republican
proach shows how loosely we should
or Democrat.” That “I am” can become
hold our “support” for candidates.
an extremely loaded phrase, because,
“You don’t have a party that has a
as Noble points out, it ties a political
consistent life ethic so you always feel
party to an individual’s identity—an
like you’re choosing the evil of two
identity that, if you are a Christian,
lessers,” he says.
should only be found in Christ.
Both Claiborne and Noble agree
“When we go [to] the polls, and we
that democratic elections—which, by
have to make a decision between two
design, allow the values of the major-
bad options, you need to be commit-
ity to be placed on ideological minori-
070
2018
ties—are part of an imperfect system,
tive to enact change isn’t necessarily
but what happens in the ballot box
through partisan politics but by engag-
isn’t the only way to effect change.
ing with the people who are actually
“I can’t tell you how many times peo-
affected by policy.
ple said things like, ‘Oh, Jesus would
“One thing we have noticed is that
vote Republican because of abortion,’
stories can be very disarming,” she
or ‘Jesus would vote Democrat because
says. Through their site, publication
war and poverty,’” Murphy says. “My
and visits to political events, they en-
gut tells me that Jesus would probably
gage people in the stories of families
be more involved in just encountering people.” Yes, Christians should take part in elections— knowing that their vote isn’t an endorsement or a pledge of support. But that there are other ways we can vote our faith.
“We can vote with our voice, vote with dollars, vote with our time and emotional investment.” – Shane Claiborne
VOTING OUTSIDE THE BOX
“Vote, voice and devotion all sort of share the same root,” Claiborne explains, breaking
who have been affected by inequali-
down the linguistic origins of the
ty in the justice system, by having an
words. What that means is voting is
abortion or even assisted suicide legis-
more than casting a ballot. We can
lation. Their goal is to tell real people’s
vote with our voice, vote with dollars,
stories.
vote with our time and emotional investment. “Another of the imbalances that folks would have, [is saying] the only
Ultimately, effecting major change starts by making very small ones. Not by changing the government, but by being willing to change oneself.
chance we have to change the world
“The only way for a Christian to
is once every four years or every two
ensure that their decision on who
years—and I think that’s also a lie,”
to vote for reflects the teachings of
Claiborne explains. “We change the
Christ and the values of the Bible is
world all the time by where we put our
to allow these teachings and values
money or withhold our money. I think
to fundamentally shape their char-
how we vote on the day after and the
acter and mindset over a long period
day before the election is just as im-
of time, and in community with other
portant as what we do on election day.
disciples,” Boyd says.
And we can never confine our voice
“When that is in place, all of a Chris-
to a ballot box. We have a lot of ways
tian’s decisions, including their politi-
of being a voice for things and people
cal decisions, will naturally reflect the
that matter.”
teachings of Christ and the values of
Murphy says the strategy her organization has found the most effec-
the Bible, for decisions always flow out of a person’s character.”
071
JILL A DKINS is a writer and political reporter who lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and son.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
FIRST AID KIT SEPT-OCT
THE SODERBERG SISTERS began their musical career performing in the streets of Stockholm to earn extra cash for hair dye. But what started as a way to earn extra money and spend time together led to a rapid rise and an acclaimed career for which neither sister was truly prepared. “We just ran out of fuel,” Klara, 25, explains. “We didn’t feel inspired when we were performing on stage anymore, and we don’t want BY
to lose that feeling. So instead of burning out
LESLEY CREWS
completely, we decided to take a year off and
072
2018
crooners like Emmylou Harris and Conor
“Our previous albums were pretty and pol-
Oberst, as well as iconic singer-songwriters
ished, so we wanted to let this one be more
like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Leonard Co-
raw. We kept some of the mistakes and flaws
hen. The band has been applauded for their
in the performance. I like when something
Americana-folk vintage sound and their abil-
feels real and authentic. Like there’s a real
ity to keep their sound authentic.
presence on the recordings.”
However, in 2015, spending the better part of a decade on the road without taking a
REINVENTED
break started to wear on Klara and her older
While many bands turn to a radio-friendly
sister, Johanna.
pop sound after signing a deal with a major
The time on the road not only took a toll
label, First Aid Kit, rejuvenated by their time
creatively but also affected their personal
off and re-evaluating their own priorities,
lives. Klara’s long-term relationship ended
took a different approach after leaving their
abruptly as they toured, causing more tur-
indie label for Columbia Records. The band
moil and heartache. The sisters realized they
pushed back against suggestions for easy pop
were long overdue for a break.
music and leaned in more intensely to their
However, it’s that heartache that ended up
folk roots. The final product was a hybrid al-
providing the creative inspiration for their
bum that finds the duo experimenting with
return to music with their new album, Ruins.
new sounds and a hold-nothing-back vul-
Klara explains: “It’s the ruins of the relation-
nerability fashioned by reflections on their
ship: how sad it is, but also how beautiful it
sudden rise, heartbreak, burnout and finally,
was. That’s all you have left in the end.”
their renewed sense of creative authenticity.
REINSPIRED
with bold stylistic departures. The sisters
recharge our batteries. We wanted to gain
After a hiatus, the sisters reconvened far out
manage to bridge the gap between the catch-
new inspiration and find a calm because we
of their comfort zone in Los Angeles. Their
iness of mainstream hits and the tender,
needed that.”
broken routine in a new place offered them a
folk-inspired sound that launched them to
fresh perspective. The album’s first single “It’s
stardom all those years ago. Yes, the lyrics
a Shame” touches on how the shining sun in
touch on thoughts about life, love and re-
REINTRODUCED
L.A. brought them a new sense of happiness
morse, but they also embrace ideas like re-
Influenced by American folk music in the
during a time of sadness and grief.
demption and the courage to stand up and
Ruins is a showcase for new harmonies,
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
wake of the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
“It’s such a creative city,” Johanna says.
boom, the sisters began writing their own
“There are so many musicians and artists and
find yourself again. Ironically, it was only after finally taking
Americana-style tunes and uploading them
[so much] art arising that it’s hard not to be
the time off the road, and allowing them-
to MySpace where they garnered some radio
inspired when you’re there. We love the cul-
selves to finally be still by themselves that
play in their home country.
ture. As Swedes, it’s extremely exotic.”
the sisters realized what kind of album they
But when their cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Ti-
Inspired by the new surroundings and
ger Mountain Peasant Song” went viral on
looking to reboot their own personal lives,
their audience feel less alone.
YouTube, the duo became a sensation as the
the Soderbergs’ intention with the new re-
“We want to connect with people, to feel a
cover took off internationally. The breakout
cord was to make major changes: more edge.
little less alone in this world,” Johanna says.
video landed them a record deal in the U.S.
More pungency. More authenticity. And that’s
“That’s the most powerful thing. When you’re
what they did.
listening to music, and it suddenly just clicks.
The two remained reverent of a musical genre best associated with a time before
To live up to the expectation, the album
theirs, and a genre entirely out of their realm,
was recorded live in studio, leaving plenty of
native to a country an ocean away.
room for purposeful errors.
Since their discovery back in 2008, First
“At our live shows, there’s lots of live ener-
Aid Kit has released four albums of original
gy, and we wanted to capture that on record,”
music, inspired by the likes of contemporary
Johanna explains.
073
really wanted to make: one that would make
It’s a really magical aspect of music.”
LESLEY CREWS is RELEVANT’s social media coordinator. Find her on Twitter @lesrcrew.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
RANCIS CHAN HOPES HE NEVER writes another book.
He’s been trying to avoid the spotlight since he resigned as the pastor of the megachurch he founded. So when he announced he would be releasing a new title—one he intends to be his last—it had to be important. In Letters to the Church, Chan shares what he’s learned about what the modern church should look like. FIRST, WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE MEGACHURCH YOU PASTORED?
I was having discussions in elder meetings about what is most biblical, what God calls us to and what does He want of His Church. If we just went with the Scriptures, what would we get from it? And realizing, gosh, I didn’t think that deeply about [those] things. And I did a lot of things because it was a pattern set before me in culture and in other churches. And as we just considered the obvious teaching of the New Testament, it started to concern us as an elder board, especially me as an individual, going, “We have to change this.” And as we tried to change it as a church, I didn’t even know how to do it.
After leaving his megachurch, the pastor has found a new way of “doing church.” He wants you to join him.
Francis Chan Wants You to Forget Everything You Think You Know About Church SEPT-OCT
F
And in a lot of ways, I felt like the church may be healthier without me because there was just too much attention on me. YOU HAVE A REPUTATION OF BEING ELUSIVE. WHAT MADE YOU PUBLISH LETTERS TO THE CHURCH?
I wrote it thinking, “I want this to be the last thing I write. This is what I believe is God’s heart for the Church.” And also out of—gosh!—I have so loved the fellowship of my church these last couple of years, and I want this for everyone, and it’s
074
2018
“The Church exists to please Him, not us. And we’ve lost that.”
right here in America, and it’s possible. And I guess, for me, years ago there were doubts of whether we could even do this here, and everyone’s telling me, “Yeah, that was New Testament times” or “That’s only overseas.” And I’m thinking, no, this is happening here, we just have to choose this. WHAT’S THE ‘THIS’ YOU’RE REFERRING TO?
the Gospel in the greatest way? Somehow you’ve got millions
“Oh, I love Jesus. I was alone with Jesus this morning and
of believers in China, and it
the power of the Holy Spirit is
wasn’t about all these paid
flowing through me.” I don’t
clergy [doing this as] their
hear about that. And that’s a big
business, and even in the inner-
problem.
cities in America where most of those pastors are bi-vocational.
And the other thing is that we’re not hearing about these churches where the people are deeply in love with one another. And Jesus says, “This is how the world is going to know that you’re My disciples is your love for one another.”
Our pastors are
That’s what the
all working and
Church was supposed
none are paid by
to be.
the church, and we have a church with
IF JESUS WERE WRITING
zero budget. So, all
A LETTER TO THE
of the money goes
CHURCH IN AMERICA,
to the poor and to
WHAT DO YOU THINK
missions, and it’s
ARE SOME THINGS HE
all fine.
WOULD SAY?
I did make
I think we’ve neglected
decisions in the
the holiness of God
past based upon
and prioritizing Him.
finances, and I
In other words we’ve
think we’d be
started to create this
surprised how
man-centered church
many decisions
and man-centered
we make are based on financial
they hit 20 people—those
YOU MENTION THAT YOUR
considerations. It’s kind of like
wrestles of greed and popularity
CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF
you say, “How’s that gonna
and pride are kind of taken off
CHURCH IS BASED ON SOME
Him, not us. And we’ve lost that.
work without money?” [It’s]
the table as we deal with other
VERY CLEAR NEW TESTAMENT
We have become consumer-
the first thing that comes to our
things.
COMMANDS. WHICH ONES?
driven and in our heart to be
We are supposed to be
compassionate toward people,
mind, and if it’s not first, it’s
[It] would be going against
theology. The Church exists to please
definitely a consideration. It’s
Scripture to say that ministers
producing men and women
we’ve forgotten that God’s Word
amazing when you take pride
cannot be paid by the Church.
who love the person of Jesus
should just really be so far
and money off of the table, how
I am just saying that in a lot
deeply. There should be people
above everyone else’s opinion
differently you make decisions.
of countries, that’s the way it
walking out of our gatherings,
and everyone else’s feelings.
So now, when we have pastors
is. You do what’s best for the
and all they can talk about is
And it’s gotten to the point
who aren’t paid and will never
Gospel. You don’t do something
Jesus and their intimacy with
where we think about what
grow a big church—we try to
because it’s best for you. You ask
Him. And I’m not hearing that
people want more than what
multiply our churches as soon as
in what way would you spread
in the Church. I’m not hearing,
God wants.
075
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
W. Kamau Bell Wants to Change the World The comedian and United Shades of America host is making sure everyone gets a seat at the table— no exceptions.
BY J E S S E C A R E Y
20
YEARS AGO, W.
“Before my family and I have meals
and being introduced to members of
Kamau Bell had
together, we say grace as I was taught
the hate group, he meets an unmasked
one of the last
to say,” he says (Bell has two young
member of the Klan at a diner.
conversations
daughters). “We have a very short
The Klansman, with a soda in
he’d ever
prayer that was taught to us by a
front of him, casually explains his
have with
friend that goes, “God bless everyone,
views on white supremacy and why
no exceptions. Amen.”
he supports the KKK. Bell sits across
his grandmother. Before she died, she made a simple request of her
It’s a short prayer, but it’s also a
from him, nods to acknowledge he
grandson—who was 25 years old at the
powerful one. Because at its core is a
is listening, tells some jokes and
time. She told him, ”Be a good boy.”
message that Bell not only believes, but
graciously challenges him on his
has made a career out of expressing
hateful ideology—even after the man
says, looking back. “I think when she
through comedy: Everyone deserves a
said he wouldn’t accept a hypothetical
told me to be a good boy, that was her
chance to be heard—no exceptions.
invitation to the Bells’ home for dinner
“I was like, ‘I will, grandma,’” Bell
telling me to be Christ-like.” His grandmother took faith very
because he “likes being around his A SEAT AT THE TABLE
own kind.”
seriously. Bell jokes, “At her house we
On the very first episode of Bell’s
would go to church from 9 a.m. to ... I
Emmy Award-winning CNN docu-
reacting,” Bell says. “If I react, they
don’t know, Thursday?” But today, all
series United Shades of America, Bell
win. And for me, the power is in sitting
these years later, her simple message
meets with members of “the new
in that chair and holding the space.”
is one he still carries with him.
KKK.” After witnessing a cross burning
077
“I know the power is in not
When the show first aired, Bell says
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
he got criticized from some for the interaction. “I’ve heard people say, ‘How come you didn’t punch him in the face?’” Bell says. “And honestly, there’s nothing about talking to those people that makes me want to punch them in the face, because I’m like, ‘I want everybody to hear what you’re saying.’” In each episode of the show, Bell visits different areas around the country—from Sikh and Muslim communities, homes for the elderly, Latino neighborhoods, gang headquarters, coal country, Native American reservations and more. Yes, there are times when he will challenge people’s ideas, but he’s not there to debate them. He’s there to hear what they have to say. Sometimes, like in the incident with the Klansman, it exposes their views, but most of the time, he’s there to listen and to try to understand. his narration—which is spiked with
the best way to understand the world
super-villains out there in the world,”
“I’m aware there are only a few
good-natured sarcasm and jokey
around him.
he says. “There are nowhere near as
one-liners—fuels the narrative. It’s
many as we want to think there are.”
the funniest hour of TV you can watch
A CONVERSATION CHANGER
while still getting an education on a
This summer, Bell’s latest stand-up
heavy and looks at dense, important
topic like Puerto Rico’s relationship
special, Private School Negro, came out
topics, like everything he does, it’s
with mainland America.
on Netflix. In it, he tackles topics like
Though Bell’s show is at times
also really funny. Between segments,
For Bell, humor has always been
racial tension, the divisive political climate and how to get along
“I understand there is a God. I’m past asking, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ ... It’s more about, ‘What does it mean in my life and for the kind of person I want to be in the world?’” SEPT-OCT
078
with people who are different from you. Like United Shades, it’s concerned with a lot of big ideas. However, it’s never preachy. That’s not Bell’s style. “I want the special to be a conversation starter and a conversation changer,” he explains. “I can hope the special ends racism, but that’s like a ridiculous hope. I can put all the
2018
which Bell moderated a debate between an atheist and a Christian—
time in church,” he says. “But I still
upbringing in the Church.
am very clear that the things I learned
we ever did on the show,” he says,
from those places are still inside me.” When you see his comedy or his
looking back at the episode. “I was also
show, it becomes clear the lessons he
kind of going, ‘Where am I?’ And also,
first encountered in the church pew
‘Am I OK? Am I OK with claiming this
aren’t far below the surface. Yes, he
in public?’ And that’s when I started to
cares about exposing injustice and
claim it in public.”
combating ignorance, but he’s also
However, when he was young, Bell says he went through a time of wrestling with the idea of God. “You
concerned about listening and actually caring for other people. And after meeting people around
go through that thing as a teenager,
the country, being at the forefront of
[when] you’re like, ‘Do I believe
divisive political debates and seeing
in God? Am I an atheist?’” he says.
the good, the bad and ugly of different
“Sometimes saying you’re an atheist
ideas, his faith also has created another
sounds like the ‘cool’ thing to say. I’m
posture: hope for the future.
not speaking for all atheists, I’m just
“If you look back to the founding
thinking from a teenage version of
of this country, things are a lot better
atheism, and it never sat well with
than they were then, but they still
me. ... At some point in my adult life,
aren’t where they should be,” he says.
especially having kids, I was very race, parenting and the
“As an adult, I don’t spend as much
that Bell started to think about his own “That was one of the biggest things
Bell addresses politics,
other Christians.
It’s almost like a game of football,
energy in there to hope
aware that, though I’m not going to
where we all must constantly fight
it does that. But I want
church regularly, God still works well
through the defense in our work to
experience in his new
people to have better
for me. I still feel like the God that was
make the world a better place.
Netflix stand-up special,
conversations after the
put into me as a child is still doing a
special than they did
good job.”
world’s worst flight
Private School Negro.
during the special.” Starting
“I think if we do the work, things can get better. But sometimes it’s about
Bell now has no problem talking
football—we take some downs off;
about his belief in God, even though
we’re not always trying to push the ball
conversations, listening and making
there are still ideas about religion that
forward. So I think if we do the work
people think is a hallmark of his
he wrestles with.
and if more of us engage in the work
comedy and his approach to United
“I’m not saying I don’t struggle
that needs to be done then, yes, I am
Shades. It’s an approach that also
with faith,” he says. “And because I
caused him to rethink something
understand there is a God, I’m past
that’s become important to his life and
asking, ‘Why do bad things happen to
difficult conversations is a decidedly
worldview: his faith.
good people?’ I’m past those questions
simple idea: W. Kamau Bell believes
and now it’s more about, ‘What does
the world can be a better place for
QUESTIONS OF FAITH
it mean in my life and for the kind of
everyone—no exceptions.
Back in 2012, FX aired the talk show
person I want to be in the world?’”
Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. Like
However, even though God is a big
United Shades, each episode featured a
part of his life, his faith looks different
discussion of issues and current events.
from the way it did when he was young
It was on one of those episodes—in
and constantly spending time around
079
hopeful.” At the core of the biting comedy and
JESSE CAREY is the brand director at RELEVANT. You can find him on Twitter @jessecarey.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
HILLSONG
YO U N G & FREE IS BACK
SEPT-OCT
080
2018
The band has created a completely new lane for itself with its reinvention. HOW DOES A REVOLUTION STAY
Free gets around this trope the organic
banging on our door to do it, but we still
REVOLUTIONARY? It’s the question and
way, bringing in a lot of members with a
are compelled to do it because we had
curse of anything that becomes a big
variety of music tastes and giving them a
something to say.”
deal. For every Spotify, there are a dozen
voice in how the songs come together.
Napsters. For every Billy Joel, there are
“We’ve got people who love hip-hop,
King’s being a bit humble here. People are banging down Young & Free’s
50 Barry Manilows. It’s the rare sensation
right through to liking rock,” King says. “I
door. Their 3 million YouTube channel
that gains its sea legs to weather the
think you just gotta bring what’s real and
subscribers aren’t there out of pity. But
storms of time and short public attention
that’s just how we’ve overcome that.”
his point is there’s no point in creating a
spans. Rarer still: the sensation that learns how to self-replicate its success. But Hillsong Church, Sydney,
King talks about staying “real” a lot. It’s something he says the band works hard at, and if you listen to the band’s latest
worship album if you’re not finding new truths to articulate. “I don’t want to write a song that I don’t
Australia’s worship music giant, seems to
album, III, it shows. There’s a wide variety
feel like is a story that was real to me,” he
have cracked the code. In 1998, following
of genres at work, including tons of the
says. “So I do think [we have] some sort of
a decade of setting the global standard
sort of dub-y samples that have become
responsibility to bring worship music to
for contemporary praise and worship
commonplace in clubs and music festivals
the young generation. That’s what we feel
music, they launched Hillsong United—a
but still send a lot of church worship
called to do and within that, I feel like we
band made up of feisty young upstarts
bands whining about kids these days. And
need to teach people what we’ve learned
who had been dyed in the Hillsong wool
that gets at something else that sets Young
on the journey.”
but brought a fresh perspective and savvy
& Free apart—something deeper than just
ear for newer trends in the mainstream
stylistic flourishes.
music industry. And since one good turn
“When we started Young & Free, we
deserves another, 2012 saw the next
were a lot younger,” King says. “And so I
iteration: Hillsong Young & Free.
think a lot of our songs were quite lovey-
“This is more than just us bringing our cool songs and our stories,” he continues. “We do feel like we’re called to reach young people.”
dovey God songs, which are amazing
UNBOUND
when we were starting Young & Free,”
because it was true to us at the time.
So this is how a revolution becomes a
says Aodhan King, the band’s worship
That’s five years ago. We’ve gotten older
legacy. Not by overextending its own
leader and songwriter. “With Revival and
and I think we’re starting to realize that
relevance, but by passing its relevance
the last album we did, there’s always a
life actually is crazy and has highs and
along to others who feel called and
conversation. How are we going to be
lows. It’s this wild journey. You don’t
committed to do right by it. It’s not easy
different? What are we going to bring?”
understand that when you’re young.”
and it takes some humility but if you can
“We battled throughout a lot of things
The answer to that question is both
pull it off, you might wind up with a band
complicated and simple. Complicated
UNOBLIGATED
because we live in complicated times,
And that’s the trick of being “young and
and King understands that. But the
free.” What do you do as you start to
understood God’s faithful through it all,”
solution to writing worship during times
grow up and realize a lot of the things
King says. “I think the coolest thing about
of division and turmoil might not be that
you believed when you were younger
[III] is I can look at the songs and go, ‘I
complicated at all, he says.
are actually more complex than you
know who wrote that because I know
thought? This is especially complicated
what they were going through last year,
UNBOXING
for bands of the Hillsong variety, singing
and I know this is a prayer answered or a
“Obviously the Christian genre is pretty
about something as vulnerable as their
prayer for a season they’re going through
boxed in music-wise,” King says. If you
collective faith journey.
and maybe the next record will be a
listen to a lot of Christian music, you
like Young & Free.
“We want to remain open to what God
know what he means. There are still
wants to do,” King says. “That in itself
a lot of well-meaning Christian bands
sounds cliche, but, you know, we don’t
out there making music that sounds
have to write albums. We don’t have to
like overproduced Rush of Blood to the
put out another record. We didn’t have
Head-era Coldplay. Hillsong Young &
to put out this record! There’s no one
081
“I think as we’ve grown older, we’ve
prayer answered shown in there.’”
T YLER HUCK A BEE lives in Nashville and is the senior editor at RELEVANT.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
One hundred twenty-three people in the U.S. will die by suicide today, and numbers are only going up. Can something be done?
SEPT-OCT
082
2018
BY T Y L E R H U C K A B E E
A
nthony Bourdain was in
revolutionary radical of the
northeast France when he
culinary world—a Mick Jagger-
“We were in touch with
died, spending a few days in
meets-Indiana Jones luminary
her the night before and she
a former commune called
of food and travel.
sounded happy,” her husband,
Kaysersberg. Kaysersberg is
Anthony Bourdain was,
her death in June.
Andy, wrote in a statement
in the Kaysersberg-Vignoble
in short, a guy who seemed
about his wife’s long struggles
department in Alsace. It’s
like he had a lot to live for,
with anxiety. “There was no
a small city built around a
which is why the national
indication and no warning
stony old fortress that serves
conversation around tragic
that she would do this. It was a
as a reminder of its strategic
suicide was mixed with not
complete shock.”
importance during the Franco-
just sorrow but shock. Why?
Statements like these
The unspoken question
and many others provide a
Prussian War. Today, it’s simply a place to take in the views which
underneath all the mourning
window into our national
and eulogies seemed to be,
understanding of suicide.
The CDC found that between 1999 and 2016, suicide rates jumped in every U.S. state except Nevada.
Why would Anthony
An understanding which,
Bourdain take his own
for all the ubiquity of its
life?
subject, remains fraught with
His own mother,
misinformation and incorrect
Gladys, told The New
assumptions. And those gaps
York Times that her
in knowledge are costing lives.
son was “absolutely the last person in the
A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS
world I would have
“These people had money
ever dreamed would
and influence,” says Jamie
do something like this.”
Tworkowski, of Bourdain and
Similar questions
Spade. “They were probably
were raised around the
living their dreams in terms
suicide of people like
of living with purpose and
Tim Bergling, better
having a career that they were
known as the chart-
excited about. They had so
are, as you might suspect,
topping DJ Avicii, who took his
many things going for them.
lovely—emerald vineyards
life in April at the age of 28. Or
And yet, the reality is just that
producing some of the finest
Frightened Rabbit frontman
you never know.”
wines in the region. Bourdain
Scott Hutchison, who died
was there with his friend,
by suicide in May. And then
of To Write Love On Her
acclaimed chef Éric Ripert,
there’s Kate Spade, a New York
Arms, a nonprofit that raises
filming new episodes of his
fashion icon whose success
awareness about self-harm
popular show Parts Unknown,
and influence had made her
and offers resources for people
a series that further cemented
a popular staple among NYC’s
struggling with depression and
his living legend-y status as the
tragically hip, right up until
suicidal ideation.
083
Tworkowski is the founder
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
“I think it was interesting
among white men.
(which, despite a slight decline,
sudden, [after Bourdain and
still faces a higher suicide rate
the opioid addiction crisis
Spade’s suicide] the whole
than the national average). In
as a huge factor, though it’s
world was talking about
2016, 45,000 people committed
not always easy to discern
mental health and talking
suicide. That’s twice the
between deaths resulting
about suicide,” Tworkowski
number of people who were
from accidental overdose
says. “And the challenge is,
killed by homicide.
and people whose struggles
two weeks later, a month later
The CDC also points to
In half of the U.S., suicide
with addiction drive them
as the news moves on and
among people aged 10 and up
to intentionally take their
the headlines are different,
spiked by at least 30
is it still OK to have those
percent.
conversations? I think the
At what point does
challenge and the hope is that
an issue become
that can continue to be true
so dire that it’s no
and we don’t have to wait for
longer a macabre
those tragic headlines.”
curiosity but a
If you heard there was a
“These people had money and influence ... They had so many things going for them. And yet, the reality is just that you never know.”
national concern?
disease in the United States
How bad do numbers
that had claimed the lives of
have to get before we
45,000 people in 2016, you’d
talk about suicide as
probably consider it to be a
a grim specter that
big deal—and a frightening
casts a shadow over
one. If you heard this disease
the entire country?
was particularly prominent
Simply put: At what
among 10- to 34-year-olds—
point do we admit that this is
own lives. However, a 2014
the second-leading cause of
a crisis?
survey found that people with
death among that age group—
The reasons for the rising
prescription opioid addictions
you might be even more
suicide rates are difficult to pin
are at anywhere from a 40
concerned.
down, but sociologists have
to 60 percent higher risk of
highlighted a few possible
suicide, and are twice as likely
suicide in America right now.
factors. One big one: the Great
to attempt suicide as people
And if current trends continue,
Recession.
who don’t use opioids.
These are the facts of
things will only get worse.
SEPT-OCT
U.S. state except Nevada
because it felt like all of a
A 2017 study from the Social
These studies are
A 2018 study from the
Science and Medicine journal
important, but all experts
Centers for Disease Control
found a relationship between
agree that suicide is not
and Prevention found that
rising foreclosure rates and
always attributable to obvious
between 1999 and 2016,
suicide rates; a relationship
causes. In fact, people with
suicide rates jumped in every
that grows particularly notable
no diagnosed mental health
084
2018
condition commit 54 percent
“I think a lot of times when
is not just an issue for people
of all suicides, according
it comes to mental illness, we
wrestling with depression,
to numbers provided by
assume this is a character flaw.
anxiety or other mental
the National Violent Death
A weakness. A lack of faith,”
illnesses. There is no “type”
Reporting System, which
Tworkowski says. “I feel like
of person who is or is not
catalogs deaths in 40 states in
it’s important to point out that
immune to suicide. It can be
the U.S. Some of that may well
those ideas are false. This stuff
a struggle for anyone, even
is simply part of being alive on
people who seem like they
this planet no matter where
have “everything to live for.”
you live or what you grew up believing, what your house
EVERYTHING TO LIVE FOR
looked or felt like, the story of
One thing that’s becoming
your family.
increasingly, uncomfortably
“There are 40 million
rising suicide numbers is that
a mental illness this year. This
traditional ideas about what
is so incredibly common and
helps and what doesn’t may
I think we are hoping and
be a bit outdated. It’s common
dreaming of a world and a
enough after high-profile
country where it’s just totally
suicides to take to Twitter and
OK to admit that this is part
Instagram posting messages
of life.”
encouraging those struggling
But clinical depression doesn’t necessarily have to be a factor. The issues most
After Anthony Bourdain’s suicide in June, his mother told reporters she never thought he would’ve killed himself.
clear in the wake of the
Americans who will deal with
to just “reach out” or “talk about it.” Tweets with a phone
frequently associated with
number to a suicide hotline
suicide tend to be relatively
rack up thousands of retweets,
be attributable to the lingering
common ones. Relationship
reinforcing the conventional
stigma around mental
struggles, like a bad breakup
wisdom that if people would
health, which can prevent
or a struggling marriage.
just talk about their struggles a
people (especially men) from
Career and financial tension,
little, maybe they’d go away.
recognizing warning signs of
like a career hiccup or
serious depression and seeking
mounting debt. Physical
totally incorrect. Experts
help.
sickness, general stress,
say that communication is
impending crises—all of
key for anyone struggling
depression and anxiety may be
these things are possible
with suicidal thoughts. But
committing suicide before ever
contributors.
the emotions driving people
In other words, people with
getting their mental health issues clinically diagnosed.
All of this points to an uncomfortable truth. Suicide
085
It’s a nice idea and not
contemplating suicide are complex. Oftentimes, it’s
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
something like ambivalence—
Elton John’s
an inability to come up with
go-to lyricist
a good reason to go on living.
Bernie Taupin
If that’s your battle, then the
walked in on
encouragement to reach out
John sticking his
and seek help is likely to be
head in an oven.
met with a simple, stubborn,
Halle Berry left
“Why?”
her car running
There’s also the reality
while she sat
that many people who’ve
inside, inhaling
been struggling with suicidal
the fumes. All
thoughts have been thinking
of these people
about it for a long time—
survived their
possibly years. In such cases,
attempts, went to therapy and
coped and survived open
they may have stopped
came through with healthier
up other possibilities—of
thinking rationally about the
outlooks on life. And this is
struggling through your season
decision and are stuck in more
to say nothing of people like
of depression and finding the
of a fight-or-flight decision
Oprah, Michael Phelps and
will to struggle through. Telling
with life. In such cases, suicide
Demi Lovato, who have opened
those stories and shining a
may start to seem like the best
up about struggling with
light on them could be a big
option, and there’s very little
suicidal thoughts.
step forward toward course
that the simple command to
“Attempted suicide” isn’t
correcting the United States’
“talk to someone about it” can
as juicy an internet headline
disastrous downward spiral.
do to dissuade them.
as “died by suicide,” so those
In fact, studies show
“Honesty is contagious,”
stories don’t get the same
Tworkowski says. “So when
that what really does help
type of press. But according to
we realize other people are
dissuade people from suicide
studies, they should.
struggling and talking about
is hearing the stories of others
When media outlets focus
how they’re feeling and what
who’ve grappled with the
on suicide itself, it creates
they’re dealing with, I really
question of whether or not to
a contagion effect that can
do believe—and we see time
kill themselves and decided
nudge others struggling with
and time again—that it gives
against it. For every high-
suicidal thoughts further to
other people permission to be
profile suicide like Anthony
following through. (This was
honest and admit how they’re
Bourdain or Kate Spade,
a major criticism of Netflix’s
feeling and to put a hand up
there’s another, less-told story
hit series 13 Reasons Why,
and say, ‘Hey, I need to talk to
about a celebrity who chose
which drew the ire of no less
someone.’”
against suicide or survived a
than The National Association
suicide attempt.
of School Psychologists for
Drew Barrymore cut her wrists when she was 14.
SEPT-OCT
“I think the challenge and the hope is that that can continue to be true and we don’t have to wait for those tragic headlines.”
“romanticizing” suicide.) But stories of people who
086
T YLER HUCK A BEE lives in Nashville and is senior editor at RELEVANT.
2018
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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
R E L E VA N T SELECTS
FILM/TV MUSIC BOOKS
NEW RELEASES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Lauren Daigle L
AUREN DAIGLE IS ALREADY THE
sort of music people are always saying Christians
fastest-selling CCM artist of this
don’t make anymore, and it’s terrific.
decade, and it’s easy to see why. Just
The rest of the album follows suit, delivering
listen to “You Say,” the electrifying
messages that are so deeply personal they end up
first single off of her highly anticipated
feeling universal. And instead of being cloaked in
sophomore album, Look Up Child. It’s not just
over-produced knockoff riffs, the music is earthy
the potent, anthemic melodies, calling to mind
and worshipful, evoking a sense of real craft.
the likes of Florence + the Machine, but the
No instrument on Look Up Child is as powerful
lyrics, which transcend the usual Contemporary
as Daigle’s voice, which can flow from strong
Christian banalities to address uncomfortably
and bracing to cracked and intimate with jaw-
authentic feelings of shame and insecurity. It’s the
dropping ease.
SEPT-OCT
LOOK UP CHILD [CENTRICITY MUSIC]
Daigle marries sweeping orchestral ballads with pop sensibilities for an unforgettable ride.
088
2018
Wild Nothing The outfit’s latest proudly wears its ’80s influences on its sleeves.
J
ACK TATUM’S GOALS for Indigo were
simple: Create feeling and sonic tension. Backed by his bandmates in Wild Nothing, Tatum allowed himself
to get personal on this album. “I realized at a certain point in this record the things that I was writing about were largely these domestic scenes from my own life, and how important the sense of home and belonging was to me,” Tatum says. “It became a record of finding beauty in these mundane details.”
INDIGO [CAPTURED TRACKS]
“IT BECAME A RECORD OF
Wild Nothing’s fourth album finds
FINDING BEAUTY IN THESE
Tatum at his most efficient, resulting in an artful blend of hi-fi humanity and
MUNDANE DETAILS.”
technology that fires on all circuits.
HEARTS BEAT LOUD
college-bound daughter
BLESSED ARE
extroverted? That’s the
BRETT HALEY
to start a band with him
THE MISFITS
question at the heart of
[BURN LATER]
after one of their songs
BRANT HANSEN
finds its way to a popular
In this uplifting indie film,
Spotify playlist.
a Brooklyn record store
owner (Nick Offerman) tries to convince his
[THOMAS NELSON]
Hansen’s book, which shows why those who don’t always “fit in” are
Why are so many church
uniquely positioned to
a journey of love, growth
programs and ministries
do big things for the
and musical discovery.
geared toward the
Kingdom of God.
Brett Haley’s latest is
WHATUPRG MJ RAUL GARCIA is a rapper, producer and writer, and that’s just the start of how tough it is to label this guy. He was raised in Georgia, the son of Mexican immigrants. He counts everything from Reggaeton and Latin music to hip-hop and trap as major influences. And on his debut album as WHATUPRG, Pleasant Hill, he explores ideas that aren’t always easy to pen
PLEASANT HILL
down—including his faith, identity and lost
[REACH RECORDS]
love—but that’s part of what makes him so
His debut EP invites fans
compelling.
and new listeners on a personal journey.
089
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
02/03
SELECTS
HEAVEN’S ONLY WISHFUL
THE PRODIGAL PROPHET
MORMOR
TIMOTHY KELLER
[DON’T GUESS]
[B&H BOOKS]
Toronto’s MorMor’s new EP is a collection of emotional soft rock tunes that are the work of truly gifted lyricists. “Heaven’s Only Wishful” is
CLOCK DANCE
poetry set to indie pop.
Using the familiar story of Jonah and his abrupt journey, Timothy Keller urges Christians to listen to God’s call even when it takes them to uncomfortable places.
ANNE TYLER [PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE]
Anne Tyler nails the complexities of family in this story of a woman who decides it’s never too late to change direction despite her
Mitski
past.
The former rock ‘n’ roll sad girl is ready to cast a little sunshine. SOLAR
AT 27 YEARS OLD, Mitski may
NOBIGDYL.
be considered young to the
[CAPITOL]
world, but in approaching
On Solar, rapper
the release of her fifth
nobigdyl. collaborates
album Be the Cowboy, she’s
with the likes of John Givez, WHATUPRG,
going through a mid-career
Sarah Juers and others
crisis. The singer-songwriter
for fun, breezy jams
has previously been pegged
about masculinity,
as the indie genre’s favorite
theology and even
“rock ‘n’ roll sad girl,” and
technology.
her lyrics about isolation, desire and boredom make being bummed out almost sound fun. Be the Cowboy is still a continuation of her past albums’ varying themes of darkness, but the outlook BE THE COWBOY [DEAD OCEANS]
READY PLAYER ONE STEVEN SPIELBERG
After albums of darkness, Mitski is ready for new light.
here is much sunnier. This time, Mitski fans expecting lovelorn sad songs might be surprised at first. But with the reinvented sound and new outlook, they won’t be
[WARNER BROS.]
disappointed for long.
Spielberg is back with another killer sci-fi adventure, based on Ernest Cline’s best-seller. The film is set in 2045 with the world on the brink of collapse.
SEPT-OCT
090
2018
TULLY
MOODIE
CHARLIZE THERON
YUNO
[UNIVERSAL PICTURES]
[SUB POP]
Not all adults have been through the
Fuzzed-out guitars and driving beat
rigors of motherhood, but most will
machines underlay Yuno’s EP. The al-
find something to relate to in Tully. Trust
bum features the Florida singer work-
FEELINGS
us, this movie will make you want to
ing through a breakup, with emotional
ALICE SKYE
call your mom and just say thanks.
tunes that will get stuck in your head.
FRIENDS WITH
[CA AMA MUSIC]
Transforming her journal-entry scribblings into well-crafted lyrics, Alice Skye’s songs sparkle with a sense of maturity beyond her years.
A MAN OF HIS WORD WIM WENDERS [NEUE ROAD MOVIES]
In this stirring interview-
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? WATCHING THE LIFE AND LEGACY of
This one will hit you right in the
Fred Rogers unfold right in front of
nostalgia. A lump will form in your
you is like coming up for fresh air
throat during the first few scenes,
among the troubled times in society.
and you’ll find yourself sobbing as
Filmmaker Morgan Neville takes
the final credits roll.
WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR
us on a journey in Won’t You Be My
But this isn’t just a film about
Neighbor, a vital documentary that
the personal life of Fred Rogers. If
[TREMOLO FILMS]
beautifully represents a good man
you’re looking for Neville to uncover
Mr. Rogers might have
with a great gift: kindness.
off-screen secrets, you won’t find it.
passed, but his legacy
Instead, you’ll find what you already
will continue to live on
captivating and inspiring new
know to be true: Mr. Rogers was (and
for decades to come.
documentary, we have to warn you:
still is) a gift to us all.
When you’re watching this
based documentary, viewers are offered a vivid sense of what it’s like to follow Pope Francis as he embarks on a journey to answer today’s global questions about social justice and the call for peace.
WHAT THE EYES DON’T SEE MONA HANNA-ATTISHA This is an inspiring story of how Dr. HannaAttisha proved that Flint’s kids were exposed to lead and fought the backlash to expose the truth to the world.
091
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
03/03
SELECTS
Lovelytheband WHEN YOU HEAR LOVELYTHEBAND’S DEBUT, you probably won’t be surprised that
FINDING IT HARD
they hail from southern California. The three-
TO SMILE
Electro-pop fuses
piece brings sunny guitars and catchy vocals
[ANOTHER
with indie-rock on
to a combination of indie-pop and yacht-rock.
CENTURY]
the windows-down
But behind the bright sounds are hints of darker
collection of songs
The catchy album
themes like loneliness and heartbreak. Their pop
is the year’s most
sensibilities will make you want to hear it, but their
ironically titled
emotional depth will keep you listening.
release.
COAST MODERN [+1 RECORDS]
about falling in and out of love.
HOPE IN THE DARK
to believe God is good,
HIVE MIND
outfit. Former Odd Future
CRAIG GROESCHEL
even when life is not.
THE INTERNET
members Syd and Matt
[ZONDERVAN]
In his latest book, he
[ODD FUTURE RECORDS]
explores the story of the
Martians are in lock step, mixing soul and hip-hop.
Pastor and best-selling
father who brought his
Hive Mind is a fitting name
It’s their fourth album, but
author Craig Groeschel
demon-possessed son to
for the latest release
they finally sound like they
encourages Christians
Jesus to be healed.
from the acclaimed R&B
are really in sync.
Encounter God Register early for $69 until October 31
ONETHING18.COM
SEPT-OCT
092
2018
Jesus Culture O
n the title track to their latest album, Jesus Culture singer Chris Quilala sings, “I’m living with a fire burning inside of me.” The line captures the
sense of urgency that the band brings to their latest record of live worship. Yes, it’s their 11th full-length album, but along with singer Kim Walker-Smith, Quilala and the group have never sounded more passionate. Though there’s deep spiritual truth throughout the album, it’s fueled more by cries for experiencing God and a raw passion for getting closer to Him. When Walker-Smith sings, “Come out of the dark just as you are / Into the fullness of His love Into the fullness of His love,” you don’t just hear it—you really feel it.
LIVING WITH A FIRE [JESUS CULTURE MUSIC]
This collection of songs carries hope, joy and pursuit of the presence of God.
COMMUNITY. SCHOLARSHIP.
CHURCH.
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RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
Faith & Community At Southwestern Assemblies of God University you’ll find that small campus size is a huge benefit. Engage with professors who know your name, and form friendships that feel more like family. Together, we can change the world for the better.
Find your uncommon. WWW.SAGU.EDU
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LAST WORD A Thought Before We Go
power, the glory, the victory, and
about God. I’d limited my world
the majesty. Everything in the
to my strength, wisdom and
heavens and on Earth is yours, O
power. No wonder I was in a
Lord, and this is your kingdom.
tailspin.
We adore you as the one who
Your Inheritance Is Waiting for You to Claim It God’s plans for your life are ready for you to start following them.
this promise: “We are heirs—
29:11).
heirs of God and co-heirs with
You will never exhaust His resources. At no time does He
T
Christ” (Romans 8:17). The cronies of dismay, gloom
wave away your prayer with,
and dejection have no answer
“Come back tomorrow. I’m tired,
for the promise of inheritance.
weary, depleted.”
Tell them, “My Lord will help me.
God is affluent! Wealthy
Strength is on the way. The gauge
in love, abundant in hope,
may be bouncing on empty, but
overflowing in wisdom.
I will not run out of fuel. My
Your imagination is too timid
Father will not allow it. I am a
to understand God’s dream for
child of the living and loving God,
you. He stands with you on the
and He will help me.”
eastern side of the Jordan River,
To Timothy Gray we would
He gestures at the expanse of
have said, “Hey, Mr. Gray, you
Canaan, and He tells you what
are a descendant of wealth, an
He told Joshua: Be strong and
heir to a fortune. Get out from
of good courage, for this is your
under this bridge, and make
inheritance (Joshua 1:6).
your request.”
I recently spent the better BY M AX LU CA D O
For such moments God gives
is over all things” (1 Chronicles
To us, the angels want to say:
part of an hour reciting the
“Hey, Lucado! Yeah, you with the
woes of my life to my wife. I felt
rotten attitude. You are an heir
overwhelmed by commitments
to the joy of Christ. Why not ask Jesus to help you?”
he 60-year-old body of
him to investigate a potential
and deadlines. I’d been sick
Timothy Henry Gray was
inheritance?
with the flu. There was tension
Understand your place in the
found under a Wyoming
Let’s talk about yours.
at the church between some
family. You come to God not as
overpass two days after
Glistening in the jewel box
coworkers. I’d just returned
a stranger but as an heir to the
Christmas in 2012. There was
of God’s promises to you is a
from an international trip,
promise. You approach God’s
no sign of foul play. A homeless
guarantee of your inheritance:
and jet lag was having its way
throne not as an interloper but
cowboy who had died of
You are an heir—an heir of God
with me. We’d received word
as a child in whom the Spirit of
hypothermia, Gray was a victim
and co-heir with Christ (Romans
of friends who were getting a
God dwells.
of bad breaks and bad luck.
8:17).
divorce. And then, to top it off,
Except for this detail: He stood to inherit millions of dollars.
You aren’t merely a slave,
I received a manuscript from
servant or saint of God. No,
my editors that was bloody
you are a child of God. You
with red ink. I actually looked
a wealthy copper miner, railroad
have legal right to the family
for a chapter that didn’t need a
builder and the founder of a
business and fortune of heaven.
rewrite. There wasn’t one. It was
small Nevada town you might
The will has been executed.
a train wreck.
have heard of: Las Vegas.
The courts have been satisfied.
Gray’s great-grandfather was
As things turned out, the man
After several minutes,
Your spiritual account has been
Denalyn interrupted me with
found dead under the railroad
funded. He “has blessed [you]
a question. “Is God in this
overpass wasn’t poor after all.
with every spiritual blessing in
anywhere?” (I hate it when she
He may have been worth $19
the heavenly places in Christ”
does that.)
million.
(Ephesians 1:3).
How does the heir to a fortune die like a pauper? Surely Timothy Gray knew his family history. Did it ever occur to
SEPT-OCT
You have everything you need to be everything God desires. Your father is rich! “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the
What had happened to me? I was focusing on my resources. I wasn’t thinking about God. I wasn’t consulting God. I wasn’t turning to God. I wasn’t talking
096
M A X L UCA DO is the author of dozens of books that have sold more than 100 million copies, including his latest, Unshakable Hope from which this was adapted.
2018
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