LECR AE MEGADETH’S REDEMPTION JONATHAN MARTIN THRIVING IN THIS ECONOMY
JEREMY LIN DEREK WEBB WASHED OUT CHRIS TOMLIN THE 3-D PRINTING REVOLUTION
FA ITH, CULTURE & INTENTIONAL LIVING
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
RACISM CHURCH IN THE
12 YEARS A SLAVE IS OPENING EYES ABOUT RACE & RELIGION IN AMERICA
TAKING SEXY BACK
IT’S GOOD TO BE
INSIDE THE ABSTINENCE MOVEMENT’S NEW APPROACH
ELLIE GOULDING
ISSUE 66 / NOV_DEC 2013 / $4.95
HOW MINDY KALING IS BREAKING THE MOLD & WINNING HOLLYWOOD
THROUGH THE GLASS | JUSTIN JARVIS
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“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.� John 15:5
Seeds do not become well-rooted plants without careful soil preparation, fertilization, and watering. In the same way, ministry does not just happen. Careful and intentional time preparing your heart and mind reap amazing results for the Kingdom. Learn more about how Asbury Seminary can help you grow what matters with a Masters of Divinity degree or Masters in Counseling, Spiritual Formation, Christian Leadership, and more at asbury.to/grow. Online learning options available.
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Open Your Eyes
THE MAGAZINE ON FAITH, CULTURE AND INTENTIONAL LIVING November/December 2013, Issue 66
to the
Hallelujah. It’s raining Mindy. PUBLISHER & CEO | Cameron Strang > cameron@relevantmediagroup.com Associate Publisher | Jeff Rojas > jeff@relevantmediagroup.com Account Manager | Wayne Thompson > wayne@relevantmediagroup.com Managing Editor | Tyler Huckabee > tyler@relevantmediagroup.com Content Development Editor | Shauna Niequist Guest Editor | Donald Miller Contributing Editor | Jesse Carey > jesse@relevantmediagroup.com Copy Editor | Dargan Thompson > dargan@relevantmediagroup.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: John Brandon, Mack Hayden, Jonathan Martin, Emily Mcfarlan Miller, Liz Riggs, David Roark, Maggie Shafer, Laura Studarus, Kelli Trujillo, Heather Zeiger Contributing Design Director | Chaz Russo Designer | Evan Travelstead > evan@relevantmediagroup.com Designer | Lindsey Weigley > lindsey@relevantmediagroup.com Designer | Lauren Harvill > lauren@relevantmediagroup.com Contributing Designer | John David Harris Director of Audio & Video | Chad Michael Snavely > chad@relevantmediagroup.com Photographer & Videographer | Mark Kammel > mark@relevantmediagroup.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Louie Banks, Jeremy Cowart, Shae De Tar, Bliss Katherine, Dave Ma, Zach McNair, Ben Pobjoy, Jeremy Saffer, Karolina Wojtasik Project Manager | Ame Lynn Dunn > ame@relevantmediagroup.com Accounting and Operations Manager | Stacey Noll > stacey@relevantmediagroup.com Ad Traffic Coordinator | Sarah Heyl > sarah@relevantmediagroup.com Marketing Assistant | Caroline Cole > caroline@relevantmediagroup.com Marketing Assistant | Morgan Beck > morgan@relevantmediagroup.com Web Developer | Steven Linn > steven@relevantmediagroup.com Web Developer | Doug Vander Meulen > doug@relevantmediagroup.com Systems Administrator | Josh Strohm > joshs@relevantmediagroup.com RELEVANT THANKS: 3-D printer provided by Shawn Romano of The Engine Room in Orlando, FL. Follow him on Twitter at @shawnromano.
Jack Graham reveals the truth about the supernatural, challenging popular opinions and myths about heaven and hell, good and evil, as well as angels and Satan. Unseen by Jack Graham
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RELEVANT Issue #66 Nov/Dec 2013 (ISSN: 1543-317X) is published 6 times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November for $14.99 per year by RELEVANT Media Group, Inc., 900 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789. Periodicals postage paid at Orlando, FL, and at additional mailing offices.
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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION RELEVANT magazine (Publication Number: 1543-317X) is published bi-monthly by RELEVANT Media Group. Filing date: 09.30.13. Number of issues published annually: 6. Annual subscription price: $14.95. The complete mailing address and General Business Offices of the Publisher are located at 900 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789. The names and addresses of the Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor are: Publisher, Cameron Strang; Editor, Cameron Strang; Editorial Director, Tyler Huckabee; 900 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789. The owners are: Cameron Strang, 900 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789; Stephen Strang, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746. There are no known bondholders, mortgagees and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities. The tax status, the purpose, function and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income purposes have not changed during the preceding 12 months. Issue date for circulation data: July/August 2013. Extent and Nature of Circulation are as follows. Total number of copies (net press run): average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 46,917; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 39,000. Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 19,750; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 19,775. Mailed in-county paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 0; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 0. Paid distribution outside the mails including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other paid distribution outside USPS: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 5,619; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 3,630. Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 1,446; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 1,372. Total paid distribution: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 26,815; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 24,777. Free or nominal rate outside-county copies included on PS Form 3541: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 85; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 87. Free or nominal rate in-county copies included on PS Form 3541: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 0; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 0. Free or nominal rate copies mailed at other classes through the USPS: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 0; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 0. Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 9,077; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 6,080. Total free or nominal rate distribution: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 9,162; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 6,167. Total distribution: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 35,977; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 30,944. Copies not distributed: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 10,940; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 8,056. Total: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 46,917; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 39,000. Percent paid: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 74.53%; number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, 80.07%. Annual publication of this statement is required. Published November/December 2013. - Cameron Strang, RELEVANT magazine
FIR S T WORD
LEAVING THE HATE TRADE Since our publisher and CEO Cameron Strang is on a sabbatical, we asked Donald Miller to write this issue’s First Word. He graciously wrote this in response to our article “Chasing the Dream,” on page 56. BY DONALD MILLER
ears ago, when I was a sophomore in high school, I was given the opportunity to guestteach an adult Sunday School class as part of a Youth Sunday celebration. Trying to hit a home run, I decided to teach on a topic we could all agree on: racism. I told stories about the black pastors in the civil rights movement, about the paradox we find in the story of Joseph who, as a slave, went on to save Egypt and about a God who created the color of our skin, yet placed no hierarchy of value on the beauty of the varying shades. When I was done, and quite proud, I asked if there were any questions. The questions truly shocked me. Not only did I not hit a home run, my little talk was met with all the belligerence of a presidential press conference. The issue was not so cut and dry, I was told. “They” need to stay on their side of the tracks and we on ours. The questions soon turned to blanket statements about “them,” and then to stories affirming preformed ideas that white people are, in fact, the oppressed. I got out of the class as fast as possible. I didn’t counter a single argument. I didn’t know what to say. I was shocked. I’d been naive. For years, I felt terrible about walking away. I wished I would have stayed and fought. I wished I would have countered any argument, shouted down any naysayers and took a stand. But then my heart changed. Not
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FIRST WORD
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WHAT GREATER ARGUMENT IS THERE FOR INTELLECTUAL SUPERIORITY THAN A PHILOSOPHY THAT CREATES A LOVING HEART?
Donald Miller is the founder of Storyline, which helps people plan their lives using elements of story. He is the author of multiple New York Times best-sellers and is the founder of a nonprofit that helps provide mentors for children.
that I started to agree with them, only that I wouldn’t join the hate trade. I spent a solid year reading everything Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, from “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” to “I Have a Dream,” to Why We Can’t Wait. I read from a distance, I confess. I cared about the issue of racism for its drama, for its sense of movement, for its right feel of justice. I liked Toni Morrison’s fiction and Langston Hughes’ poetry and Cornel West’s sophisticated political ramblings. To me, racism has, at times, seemed less like a moral wrong than a moral absurdity. It has never made much sense to me, I suppose. And I’ve made the mistake of looking at it through the filter of a scholar’s lenses. I’ve never known what could be done about it. The problem is, we are tribal in our thinking, I surmised. We find comfort in numbers and turn off our subjective reasoning in exchange for community. To grow and gain power, tribal leaders must create enemies, even if there are none. Creating false enemies then creates real ones. Liberals then, cannot work with conservatives. Arabs can’t work with Jews. Hutus can’t work with Tutsis. Powerful men can’t work with powerful women. Alabama fans can’t mix with Auburn fans. Baptists look down on Methodists. I call this the hate trade. It’s a tribal system with a very real social economy that trades in hate. We see it in shock jock pastors attacking theologians, in talk show hosts using fear to pedal books and in foreign politicians demonizing people groups to justify weapons of mass destruction. What we see in racism is a problem universal to all men and, as such, is in the heart of all men. Racism is a symptom of something else. What I love, then, about the work of King, Morrison, West and Hughes, and perhaps the reason they’ve been so successful, is while scholarly, they went after the problem at its root, in the heart. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear,” King said. Who can continue to hate a tribe who loves them? What greater argument is there for intellectual superiority than a philosophy that creates a loving heart? I do wish I could go back in time, to that classroom in the small church I grew up in. I wouldn’t walk out of that class, but I wouldn’t fight, either. I’d simply stand there and take the blows, countering the way Desmond Tutu counters, with an absurd smile and a deep laugh. “Your money’s no good here,” he seems to be saying. “Around here, we trade in love.”
FEEDB ACK
[SEP TEMBER/OC TOBER 20 13]
[T W EE T NE SS]
HILLSONG UNITED
@ChristianGravy
Joel Houston’s interview [“Hillsong United” Sept/Oct 2013] was awesome, to say the least. It’s nice to know that he has been through something I am currently going through. His honesty and vulnerability was fresh and inspiring.
@tonygapastione
— SIM CELE / Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-
Natal, South Africa
I really respect Alan Chambers [Sept/Oct 2013] for being uncompromising in regards to holding onto truth and loving people, and for his honesty and humility in saying it’s overwhelming but he’ll continue having this conversation “imperfectly.” May there be more people utilizing God’s wisdom when approaching this subject. This is an area we can’t afford to be blasé or hardhearted about because it involves people’s lives. And it isn’t as clearcut an issue as we would like it to be. No amount of Bible bashing or Scripture pummeling will make it so. Thank you, Chambers, for demonstrating a practical, humble, honest approach for us to copy. — WADE VAN STADEN / via
As a Christian who has struggled with addiction in the past, it is inspiring to read other’s stories of struggle and redemption [“Breaking Addiction” Sept/Oct 2013]. I agree that churches should have more programs for Christians who want to recover from addiction. To anyone who is struggling today, God will bring you through whatever it is you are addicted to and will fill that emptiness you feel in your heart! — CHRISTINE HILLIARD / via RELEVANTmagazine.com
@RELEVANT Awesome article about Steve Carell! Made me think. And good to know there are some good guys still in Hollywood.
@JonAcuff Your Top 20 Christianese phrases to stop in @RELEVANT was off the charts funny and true. “Hedge of protection” was my fave!
@jbttheboss Just downloaded my first iPad version of @RELEVANT. Holy cow, I was not expecting it to be this awesome.
RELEVANTmagazine.com
It’s encouraging to be reminded that the Church has somewhere to go and is not just doomed. [“PostCynical Christianity” Sept/Oct 2013]. “Being the change” has been in the back of my mind for the past few years and I’d say has been my driving force for church involvement, my attitude toward the Church and my interaction with church members. These are avenues by which I can see myself modeling the change I want to see, and not just in church, but especially outside of the Church. Great article. — JEFF PINCIN / via RELEVANTmagazine.com
@BTylerEllis I have been a fan of Over the Rhine since the late ’90s when I was in high school. I was so glad to see them in the new issue. They are in my top five bands of all time. Thank you from a big fan! — MELODY WARD / Wichita, Kansas Love this magazine! You all put out excellent stuff that so very often mirrors or challenges my own thoughts. Thanks for the encouragement and fresh ideas over the years. — CASSIE DAVIS / via Facebook
Loved Brett McCracken’s @RELEVANT article on how Christians go about engaging and consuming culture. His five questions are helpful!
@shelleys New @RELEVANT came today! Duck Dynasty, Jon Acuff, Civil Wars, Hillsong United. It’s like they know my favorite things.
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FEEDBACK
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A BIMON T HLY LOOK AT LIFE, FA I T H + CULT UR E
SLICES
[G O I N G
G L O B A L ]
The Worst Countries for Arab Christians
CHRISTIANS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE ARAB UPRISING uprisings continue to overwhelm the Middle East, Christians in the area have found themselves grappling with some of the violence at its grisly worst. While the conflicts are generally between established authorities and beleaguered rebels, they regularly spiral into devastating attacks on local Christians. Though it hasn’t been widely reported, these attacks on Christians have been among the deadliest in recent history. Take Egypt, where at least 37 churches were destroyed, while Christian businesses, schools and even orphanages were vandalized across
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the country and nuns were forced to march like prisoners. Or Syria, where 450,000 Christians have fled their homes, and those who stay are trapped in the middle of a fight between rebels, with reports of beheadings and massacres by radical Islamic extremists. But worst of all may be Pakistan, where a church bombing in September claimed the lives of 85 people. It’s being called the worst attack on Christians in the country’s history. Christians are far from the only ones facing death, but the terrors they are facing are uniquely chilling. How will Christians in the West respond?
SAUDI ARABIA - One of the most dangerous regions for Christianity on the planet. Islam is the only permissible religion. Conversion to any other is punishable by death. AFGHANISTAN - Intense persecution has forced the church underground, and house groups can meet only in secret. No church buildings exist in the country. IRAQ - Few Christians remain in Iraq, since threats and kidnappings have forced them to other, more hospitable regions. Within Iraq itself, the local church totters on the brink of extinction. IRAN - All Christian activity is closely monitored by the government, and evangelism and Bible teaching are illegal under Iranian law.
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THE HOT LIST
[ M I S C ]
So, it’s come to this. Cable network Bravo has announced it will be airing a new reality series that follows ordinary people as they watch and comment on television shows. Sort of the Inception of reality TV ...
Our bimonthly review of the best news stories you may have missed. 10 Archaeologists Claim to Have Found a Piece of the Cross – Apparently, a
piece of the cross has been hiding out in a stone chest in a 1,350-year-old church in Turkey. 9 96-Year-Old Wins Contest with Moving Tribute to His Late Wife – “Oh Sweet
Lorraine,” Fred Stobaugh’s entry to a local songwriting contest, became a viral sensation, an iTunes hit and an instant tear-jerker.
NEW STUDY SAYS ATHEISTS ARE LIKE CHRISTIANS, JUST SMARTER 8 The New ‘Friday Night Lights’ Movie Script Is Complete – A movie based on
the show based on the movie based on the book might actually happen. Clear eyes. Full hearts. Fingers crossed... 7 Google’s Definition of ‘Literally’ Is Literally the Opposite of ‘Literally’ –
Google now defines “literally” as “used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true.” 6 Double Stuf Oreos Are Living a Lie – A mathematician
ran some numbers, and Double Stuf Oreos aren’t double the normal size at all. It’s a ruse.
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1921, a study began out of the University of Rochester to determine whether there was any correlation between intelligence and religious beliefs. The study followed 1,500 “gifted” children—those with IQs over 135—over the course of their lives, monitoring their continued spiritual and intellectual development. The study continues to this day, and the team behind the study has found “a reliable negative connotation between intelligence and religiosity.” In other words: Atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people. Initially, it was assumed intelligent people shy away from religion because they’re uncomfortable with abstracts like faith and spirituality, preferring scientifically provable subjects. However, more recent research suggests the real reasons are a bit more involved. The researchers claimed religion’s psychological benefits, such as selffulfillment, don’t hold as much appeal to atheists, because they feel capable
IN
of providing those things for themselves. Basically, atheists feel capable of getting religion’s perks on their own. Religious people, on the other hand, are on the hunt for something outside of themselves to give their life meaning and purpose. If that’s the case, it makes some lessknown research out of the University of Illinois all the more interesting. It’s a Twitter-based study, so it requires a grain of salt, but it’s still fascinating. It followed two groups of people: ones who followed prominent Christians on Twitter, and ones who followed prominent atheists. The study found the first group—presumably the more “Christian” group— was far more likely to be positive and optimistic. The second group was more likely to use words that convey negative emotions. The Twitter study is much less comprehensive, but it does beg the question: If atheists are truly shunning religion because they feel more capable of achieving satisfaction and purpose on their own, what does it mean that their outlook is more negative?
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson said his company will begin offering trips to space as early as 2014. Tickets will cost $250,000. Better start saving ... Several tech companies are working on apps that could allow Google Glass to discern and react to your emotional state. The goal is to make “the way you interact with technology more natural.” Right. Because nothing is more natural than putting an emotionreading computer on your face …
GIVE A DAM
Seriously. You can give a dam.
Church World Service Best Gifts
cwsbestgifts.org
Kenya - Photo by Amelia Volger/CWS
change lives with
( and other stuff)
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THE HOT LIST 5 Terrifying Unknown Creature of the Deep Washes Up in Spain – Nobody’s
quite sure what it is (and nobody will ever be— townspeople threw it away) but it’s a 12-foot reminder to stay out of the ocean forever.
What Millennials Are Secretly Searching Online – Yahoo released a few notes 4
on what Millennials are searching for these days. One of them was “how to boil an egg.” Good luck, everyone. 3 OK, So This May Be the World’s Coolest Wedding Photo – Uniquely
Photoshopped wedding photos have become a new requirement for any modern wedding, and this one has set the gold standard.
5
INVENTIONS THAT COULD CHANGE THE WORLD
As the technology gap is broadening between wealthy communities and impoverished areas, innovators are finding new ways to bring to life ideas that are not only effective, but also affordable. These five new inventions are changing lives around the world. THE MOSER LIGHT
Alfredo Moser’s simple design captures sunlight and uses a small amount of a water and bleach solution to illuminate water bottles with refracted light, providing a light source without electricity. Since its creation in 2002, it has been used to supply light to more than a million homes in 15 countries.
THE CLEAN WATER BILLBOARD
The University of Engineering and Technology of Peru’s innovative billboard advertises their school’s programs while converting Lima’s humid air into thousands of gallons of drinkable water, which is then made available to locals.
CA BIKES AMBULANCES Pinterest Genius Has Been Attributing Hitler Quotes to Taylor Swift – Someone 2
has been creating posters attributing Hitler’s more benign quotes (“I have sworn to only live free.”) to Taylor Swift. No one noticed. 1 Man Tries to Sneak Pet Turtle on Plane by Disguising it as a Hamburger – A smuggler
nearly succeeded in getting his pet turtle on a plane by putting it between two buns. You can’t make this stuff up.
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When Chris Ategeka was a child, his younger brother died while Ategeka was helping carry him to a hospital nearly 10 miles away from their remote village in Uganda. Today, Ategeka is the founder of CA Bikes, a nonprofit that teaches villagers how to use scrap metal to make bicycles and bike ambulances so access to medical assistance can be available even in distant villages.
PEEK
A majority of those who suffer from visual impairments live in low-income countries. The Peek app utilizes a custom extension kit that connects to a smartphone camera and then accesses specially designed software to diagnose eye diseases. Peek then posts the data on a Google Map, using GPS coordinates to find the closest medical provider that can treat the problem.
NANO FILTERS
Researchers in Singapore are developing water purification devices that utilize plasma-treated carbon nanotubes to remove toxins from water. It may sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the researchers hope their invention will be able to be produced cheaply and distributed to communities around the world.
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SECOND STAGE LINSANITY
He dominated the court, the NBA and the sporting world as a whole. And Jeremy Lin is just getting started.
eremy Lin has something to prove. The fourth-year NBA star’s rise to overnight fame in 2012 made him one of the league’s hottest commodities. But now, in his second year with the Houston Rockets—two years removed from the Linsanity days with the New York Knicks—Lin not only faces the task of living up to the hype; he also faces his toughest oncourt competition yet. “The West is going to be beast,” Lin says, pointing out the veteran experience of teams
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such as San Antonio and The Lakers, and the youth of new powerhouses like Oklahoma City and Memphis. Lin says he knows his Rockets won’t have an easy road ahead of them if they want to make the finals. “You always have teams that are younger or, you know, have been around.” But this year, along with fellow backcourt star James Harden, Lin and the Rockets have a new weapon. A big man who knows what it’s like to be in the center of the NBA spotlight, and who, after a dramatic series of free agency indecisions—and widespread
criticism—also has something to prove: Dwight Howard. “He’s really motivated,” Lin says. “And he’s working hard. I think it’s going to be awesome. Hopefully it’s a great year, and I think right now it’s just a matter of getting us all on the same page.” The future may be bright for the roster-loaded Rockets, but for Lin, things didn’t always look so promising. After going undrafted when he graduated Harvard, Lin eventually worked his way onto a team only to get cut weeks later. Though he eventually got signed by the New York Knicks, he barely received any playing time, and found himself watching most games from the bench. But all that changed in 2012. After a series of injuries left the Knicks’ roster depleted, the little-known guard ended up leading the team on an improbable run, knocking down game winners and becoming a household name in the process. This fall, Lin’s story—about going from a couch-surfing benchwarmer to becoming a global superstar almost overnight—came to the big screen in the documentary Linsanity. Lin says that, looking back on the experience and his rise depicted in the film, he now sees it was all part of a bigger plan that has prepared him for the latest stage in his career. “After going through the first year and a half and getting cut and getting sent to the D-League and all of the frustrations, that forced me to learn to trust in God more and more,” he says. “I think that built a foundation.”
CARL LENTZ: PASTOR TO THE NBA When Lin is in New York, he’s known to catch up with his pal, Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz. And he’s not the only NBA player who considers Lentz a spiritual guide.
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KEVIN DURANT Lentz baptized the star Oklahoma City Thunder forward.
TYSON CHANDLER The center flew to Hillsong’s Conference with Lentz in tow.
J.J. REDICK Redick and Lentz frequently pal around, as documented on Lentz’s Instagram.
S A M A R I TA N ’ S P U R S E
®
bless a needy child with a shoebox gift Operation Christmas Child blesses children around the world CMYK
“
with gift-filled shoeboxes packed by people like you. Over the past 20 years, the Good News of Jesus Christ has already been shared with more than 100 million boys and girls through the power of these simple gifts.
RICH BLACK: C:30 M:20 Y:10 K:100 RED: C:0 M:100 Y:100 K:0
Every shoebox gift is an opportunity GREEN: C:100 M:0 Y:100 K:0 to touch a child’s heart with the love of Jesus Christ. FRAN KLI N G RAHAM President, Samaritan’s Purse
”
Beyond the box, many children have the opportunity to participate in follow-up Bible lessons called The Greatest Journey, where they learn how to become faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Your gifts and prayers can help bring eternal hope to millions more. Get involved today! Visit samaritanspurse.org to learn how.
National Collection Week
November 18–25 Operation Christmas Child® is a project of Samaritan’s Purse,® Franklin Graham, President. 1-800-353-5949 | samaritanspurse.org
facebook.com/OCCshoeboxes twitter.com/OCC_shoeboxes
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E.L. James, author of the explicit Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy was the top earning author in the world in 2013. This will be known as the year literature died a slow, painful death ...
HOW COFFEE IS FUNDING GEORGE CLOONEY’S SUDAN SPY SATELLITE eorge Clooney is in an elite class of celebrity, but his latest efforts to fund a spy satellite to warn Sudanese villagers of coming attacks from a known warlord have inspired a new career move. You may have seen the A-list actor showing up in ads for Nestle’s new single-serving Nespresso coffee pods. In addition to being named to the company’s “sustainability advisory board”—ensuring that Nestle invests in environmentally friendly measures when producing its coffee—Clooney also has some ulterior motives for earning some extra income as a TV
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spokesman. “Most of the money I make on the [Nespresso] commercials I spend keeping a satellite over the border of North and South Sudan to keep an eye on Omar al-Bashir,” he explained at a press conference. Sudan has been a big focus for Clooney in the past few years. He was arrested last year during a protest at the Sudanese embassy in Washington D.C., and in 2010, he started the Satellite Sentinel Project with Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast. He told The Guardian he wants to monitor al-Bashir just like he is monitored by the paparazzi. “I want the war criminal to have the same amount of attention I get,” he said.
HOMELAND: 21 MILLION MILLENNIALS LIVE WITH THEIR FOLKS The Great Recession has been difficult on most Americans, but one demographic has been uniquely affected. A Pew Research Center analysis of census data finds more than 21 million 18- to 31-year-olds are still living with their parents— that’s 36 percent of all Millennials. For some perspective, in 1968, 56 percent of 18- to 31-year-olds were already married and independent. In 2012, just 23 percent of the same age demographic are married and living out on their own.
The geniuses at the Dude Foods blog have revealed the bacon weave breakfast taco. We see no reason to eat anything else for breakfast ever again …
DESIGNER CREATES HAND-PAINTED HOMELESS SIGNS Parks and Rec star and comedian Aziz Ansari is set to release a new dating book. Because you’ve always wanted dating advice from expert Tom Haverford ...
Boston artist Kenji Nakayama has started creating high-quality, handpainted signs to replace makeshift cardboard posters used by local homeless people. Nakayama then interviews each individual and posts their conversations on his Tumblr, HomelessSigns, where readers learn each person’s story and how they can be helped. On the blog, Nakayama says, “We as a society cannot solve homelessness without first humanizing the homeless.”
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A recent study found the No. 10 most popular password is the word “password.” And you thought that was foolproof ...
LECRAE’S NEW ACT is known as a rapper, producer and entrepreneur, but Lecrae is adding another title to the list: actor. The Christian hip-hop star has dabbled in acting before, but he’s taking his first feature film role in Believe Me, due out in 2014. The film, written by Will Bakke and Michael Allen (One Nation Under God, Beware of Christians), follows the story of four broke college seniors who start a fake Christian charity in order to pay their tuition. Lecrae hesitated to give much information about his character, a doctor named Darnell Marquist, but says he’s excited about the role. “It really does give me the opportunity to kind of have some fun and do something a little bit outside the
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box,” he says. “And I think people will get a kick out of it.” Lecrae chose to take a part in the film because, though Believe Me is not a “Christian” film, it deals with some Christian issues that need to brought to light. He says he thinks the film will engage people outside of Christianity, and he hopes people leave asking honest questions about what they believe and why. “Sometimes I think we try really hard to make films have this profound message instead of one: trying to make good art and two: being OK with people leaving asking questions,” he says. “I think sometimes we mess up with our art when we feel like our art has to give all of the answers. I think some of the best art just makes you ask more questions.”
Less than a year into his stint in the papacy, Pope Francis is getting his own biopic. A Priest’s Tale will be directed by fellow Argentine Alejandro Agresti ...
Tim Tebow has been offered a contract with an arena football team owned by the band KISS. If he signs the contract, Tebow will be committed to rock and roll all night and party every day …
DUCK DYNASTY: CABLE’S ALL-TIME MOST POPULAR SHOW?
After the season four premiere of Duck Dynasty became the most highly rated reality show ever, the A&E hit is quickly on its way to another milestone: The most popular cable TV show of all time. This season, the “guided reality” show about a Louisiana family and their duck hunting business is on track to be watched by more people than critically praised and culturally ubiquitous shows including The Walking Dead, Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. Unlike other cable reality based shows, such as Real Housewives or Jersey Shore, the formula for Duck Dynasty’s success isn’t a mix of scandal, sex and drama—it’s faith and family. Each episode of the show maintains a surprisingly selfaware, lighthearted tone and features genuine family connection, good-natured goofiness and even prayer. As A&E General Manager and Executive Vice President David McKillop explained to The Today Show, “They represent some real values that people still cherish.”
Equipping ministry leaders for more than 40 years www.Liberty.edu/ RELEVANTMAGAZINE | (877) 298-9617 LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA | LBTS@liberty.edu
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A site called Omaze is letting fans buy contest entries for outings with their favorite celebrities. A majority of the entry money then goes to an organization that aids a cause related to the experience ...
A HIDDEN RESERVE COULD PROVIDE KENYANS WITH WATER FOR 70 YEARS ccording to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in Kenya, more than 40 percent of the country’s 41 million people lack access to clean drinking water. After a drought caused a massive famine in 2011, the search for new sources of water has become more urgent than ever. But a recent discovery by UNESCO in partnership with Radar Technologies has the potential to save countless lives and provide water to millions. Using satellite imagery, radar and geological maps, the team located an underground water reserve that could meet the needs of people in Kenya for more than 70 years. The Lotikipi Basin
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Aquifer holds more than nine times the amount of all of Kenya’s current reserves combined in a massive hidden lake. Though creating the infrastructure to access the millions of gallons of water is still a challenge, the discovery offers hope to a region desperate for solutions to their water crisis. “The news about these water reserves comes at a time when reliable water supplies are highly needed,” the Cabinet secretary for Kenya’s Ministry of Environment said in a statement. “We must now work to further explore these resources responsibly and safeguard them for future generations.” After the successful find, the researchers are hoping to take the technology to other parts of Africa in the search for more life-saving water reserves.
Baptist Press reports that 44 abortion providers around the country have closed their doors so far this year. Strict new state legislation may have played a role in the closures ...
The owners of a Detroit burger joint have decided to increase the starting, hourly pay to $15, because, as one of the owners told The Daily Beast, “It just feels human to do it” ...
NEW HIV VACCINES COULD LEAD TO ERADICATION OF AIDS Are we living in the twilight years of AIDS? In recent months, there have been several major advancements in the search for an HIV vaccine—breakthroughs that could lead to modern medicine’s greatest achievement. A Canadian medical company called Sumagen has teamed with Western University in Ontario to complete the first round of successful clinical trials for a medication called SAV001-H, which boosts a patient’s natural antibodies. The researchers hope the vaccine could become the world’s first preventative HIV treatment. At Oregon Health & Science University, a team is experimenting with a unique way of fighting HIV that uses a specially modified virus—which is so infectious it triggers immune responses throughout the entire body—to hunt out and destroy HIV within a patient’s body. After receiving the experimental treatment, nine out of 16 monkeys were cleared of an infection similar to HIV. “It’s like their T-cells were turned into the East German secret police, hunting down infected cells until there were none left,”the lead researcher told The New York Times.
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GIFTS THAT GIVE TWICE
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While you’re on the hunt for that perfect Christmas present, why not choose a gift that gives back? Here’s a look at five companies that offer gifts that give twice: 1
HARRY’S, $10 harrys.com
These German-engineered razors are sharper and about half the price of most major brands. And for every razor Harry’s sells, a blade or dollar equivalent is donated to The Mission Continues—an organization that provides returning veterans with six-month fellowships. 2
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WARBY PARKER, $95 warbyparker.com
In addition to donating a pair of eyeglasses to communities in need around the world, Warby Parker also partners with global nonprofits to train entrepreneurs in developing countries to earn an income by selling affordable eyewear. Plus, Warby Parkers look really cool. 3
ONE WORLD FUTBOL, $39.50 oneworldfutbol.com
When you buy a One World Futbol, one will also be distributed through an organization working in refugee camps, war zones, impoverish neighborhoods and disaster areas. And these specially designed balls are practically indestructible and never need to be pumped. 4
ROMA, $84 romaboots.com
For each pair of these high-quality rain boots sold, one is given to a child or orphan in Romania, and 10 percent of the purchase price is donated to a special fund dedicated to helping the children break the cycle of poverty. 5
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OUT OF PRINT CLOTHING, $32 outofprintclothing.com
Looking for a cool shirt that expresses your love for F. Scott Fitgerald? Out of Print Clothing makes shirts, iPhone cases, bags, stationary and accessories that feature cover art from classic pieces of literature. And for every item sold, one book is donated to the organization Books For Africa.
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SOURCE WARS: WIKIPEDIA’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL PAGES Researchers at Oxford University recently determined the most controversial pages on Wikipedia by examining the website’s pages where content is most frequently changed—and later reverted—by volunteer editors. Unsurprisingly, almost all fall into the traditionally polarizing topics of politics and religion. The bio for George W. Bush topped the list, and
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anarchism, global warming and race placed high. Faith-based subjects including Muhammad, Jesus, Christianity, as well as circumcision also made the list. The wild card? The “List of WWE personnel” page. Evidently, professional wrestling fans are just as irrationally passionate as online political pundits and amateur religious scholars.
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EUROPE: TOUGHER THAN THE U.S. ON ABORTION THESE EUROPEAN POLICIES ARE SURPRISINGLY PRO-LIFE W
hen Texas Senator Wendy Davis conducted an 11-hour filibuster in an attempt to block abortion-restriction legislation
1 BELGIUM 6-day waiting period Woman must be in a “State of Distress” to receive a firsttrimester abortion
DENMARK 12-week ban (Exceptions can be made for health issues)
7 THE NETHERLANDS 5-day waiting period Women must be provided with information about alternatives
this summer, it shone a new spotlight on abortion law in America. As states like Texas debate policies that would restrict
access to abortion providers, countries across Europe have also become much stricter on laws governing life.
9 RUSSIA 12-week ban Doctors must notify mothers of the longterm health risks of abortion
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FINLAND 12-week abortion ban for women over the age of 17 The Finnish government provides care packages for mothers 3
8 POLAND All abortion is Illegal except in cases of rape, fetal malformation or threats to the woman’s health
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4 GERMANY Mandatory 3-day waiting period 5 IRELAND Illegal except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk 6 MALTA Abortion is banned in all cases
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AMERICA’S STRICTEST ABORTION LAWS 24-HOUR WAITING PERIOD:
Half of all U.S. states mandate at least a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion can be performed.
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DEVELOPMENTAL LIMITS:
41 states prohibit abortions after a designated point during a pregnancy. 12 states limit abortions after 20 weeks.
BOTH PARENTS’ CONSENT:
In Mississippi and North Dakota, both parents must consent for a minor to get an abortion.
worldconcern.org/relevant
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MAKING THE MOST OF ANY RELATIONSHIP STATUS B Y D E B R A K . F I L E TA
WHAT IF LOOKING UPWARD COULD ACTUALLY CHANGE OUR OUTWARD RELATIONSHIPS?
hatever your relationship status, relationships can be so consuming. Those who lack one fixate on getting one. Those who get one fixate on what it’s lacking. When we face roadblocks within our relationships, it’s easy to focus outward, becoming mentally consumed by the things we have no power over. But what if we were challenged to not only look inward, but also to look upward? What if looking upward could actually change our outward relationships? Prayer is the act by which we mentally hand over our problems, concerns, fears, desires and dreams to Him who has the power to control what we can’t. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the things you can’t seem to change about your love life (or lack thereof), consider a few ways that you can both mentally and prayerfully give those things to the One who can actually do something about them. Pray that He would grant you patience, even as you pour out your desires to Him (Matthew 7:7; Isaiah 40:31). Sometimes, it’s our own fears and doubts that keep us from really bringing our hearts to God. What if He doesn’t listen? What if He doesn’t answer? Or worse yet, what if He doesn’t care? Yet throughout Scripture, we are
Debra K. Fileta is a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in Relationship and Marital issues and the author of True Love Dates (Zondervan, 2013).
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reminded we serve a loving God who cares for us far more than we could ever comprehend and who longs for us to bring our requests before Him. As long as our hearts are aligned with His, there are no limits to what we can ask. What are your deepest needs and desires? Let Him know. Whatever you’re praying for, the key is to simply ask—and then to trust Him with those requests. Trusting God is not always easy, because it requires patience—and the very act of patience reminds us we are not in control. But even through the time of waiting, God can change you, nourish you and fill you so you are empowered and prepared to take the next steps when the timing is right. Ask Him for that, and expect to see Him at work in your life. Pray that He would make you (and keep you) ready for relationship (Colossians 3:12-14; 1 John 1:9). Do we ever consider that in order for God to change our relationship situation, He has to first change us? Rather than simply longing to be loved, it’s important for us to really learn how to love. Whether you are in need of freedom from the baggage of your past or the sins and habits of your present, ask God to open your eyes and help you recognize the things you might not see for yourself. Ask Him to empower you to move from what’s good into what’s best. When your heart is prepared to love and edify others the way you were meant to, your relationships will be enriched and transformed. Pray He would be the focus, no matter what the status of your relationship (Psalm 37:4). Rather than be so consumed with what we want Him to give us, what would happen if we asked God to give us more of Himself? May we continue to bring this request before God, so He can turn our hearts to Him as our greatest delight and desire. No matter what is happening in our lives, this perspective has the power to change everything. Maybe it’s time to actually do some real work in the area of our love life and relationships instead of wasting our time worrying. Maybe it’s time to pray.
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A GARBAGE PILE OF GOOD DEEDS BY PETER GREER
like checklists. Seriously, few things give me a high like crossing things off my list. I also like checklists with God. I like being able to cross off the box that I went to small group, did my devotionals, said my morning prayers, cared for the poor. In theory, the concept of grace is attractive. But recognizing I can never meet the expectations for God—that being good enough is out of reach—is uncomfortable. Realizing I can’t do anything for God that would make Him accept me more leaves me feeling a bit unsettled. If I don’t have a religious to do list, how am I supposed to know if I’ve met the minimum requirements? But God isn’t asking us to follow a checklist: The Almighty wants us to understand and respond to His love. We are already forgiven and adopted into His family through the gift of undeserved love beautifully exemplified on an ugly cross. This is why checklists don’t work in our relationship with God. Checklists can curb behaviors, but they can’t change hearts. Unless we are responding to the God who loved us first, our good works actually become deadly, the antithesis of the Gospel. The truth is, we can spend our lives giving, serving and going, but if it is apart from His Spirit, it amounts to a garbage pile of good intentions. Unless we rediscover the foundation of service, our good works can be all about us: promoting our image, heightening
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YOU CAN WASTE YOUR LIFE DOING GOOD THINGS IF THEY’RE APART FROM A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST.
Peter Greer is the president and CEO of HOPE International and the author of The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good, from which this article is adapted with permission.
our own vanity and pride. Service becomes a means to achieve our dreams, our purposes, our goals. In almost every religious system, service is a means to an end. Service becomes the secret to getting things—a pass to the afterlife, blessings, a respectable name, even a way to feel good about ourselves. Our performance dictates our destiny. Many practicing Christians take the same approach: If we do good, we’ll earn favor with God. But Jesus Christ defied religion. Upending the cosmic scale that weighs our good and evil, Christ did the unthinkable: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The core message of grace is religious anarchy. We are forgiven, accepted and loved not because of what we do, but because of what Jesus Christ has already done on the cross. Independent of our performance, we are loved. We simply can’t earn the forgiveness we desperately need, which God freely offers through Christ. As followers of Jesus, we don’t serve because it’s a means to an end. We serve out of overflowing gratitude that we are loved by a God who knows we don’t have it all together. If you’ve begun to see how selfishness and pride disfigure your service, remember being broken doesn’t disqualify you. It’s the exact opposite. God only uses flawed people who rely on Him. The starting point to give, serve and love with more enthusiasm, more focus and more longevity is the belief that you can waste your life doing good things if they are apart from a deep and intimate relationship with Christ. You can stop pretending it’s all up to you and instead start living a life of generous service that is merely a response to the love you’ve already been shown. So accept that you’re inadequate. Don’t try to complete a checklist to prove you’ve earned God’s favor. Let Jesus Christ flood your life with forgiveness, acceptance and love. And then get to work responding to His grace by bringing healing to the hurting, Good News to the poor, hope to the hopeless and freedom to the oppressed.
COME FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS, PREPARE FOR THE NEXT 30.
MIDWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY exists for the Church. mbts.edu 800-944-MBTS Kansas City, MO
From start to finish, Midwestern Seminary strives to dramatically transform students by renewing their minds with biblical truth, igniting their hearts with ministry passion, and enriching their souls with deepened Christ-likeness. We are growing the future leaders of the church who are whole-heartedly dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission as they go forth into all the world. Complete your degree online or on campus.
MUSIC NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
MUMFORD & DONE: THE BOYS TAKE A BREAK
NEIL YOUNG’S MP3 KILLER
The folk legend has a plan to make digital music sound like gold. or years now, hipsters have been insisting their precious vinyl records have superior sound quality to the digital streams so popular with non-hipsters these days. And while their protests might come across as a touch overbearing, they’re not technically wrong. Most music services compress music files to low bit-rate MP3, and while this improves the speed of music streaming services, it sacrifices the quality of the recording. If you can’t tell a difference, it’s probably because you’ve just gotten used to listening to digital music, you don’t know what the real thing sounds like. But Neil Young does, and he’s on a mission to make MP3s an unhappy memory. In fact, he’s looking to accomplish what
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seemed, for a long time, impossible: a music streaming service that doesn’t lose one bit of the original quality. And he claims to have done it. His service, called PONO, is releasing in early 2014, and it could be a game changer. PONO aims to play your digital music with all the organic warmth and texture record collectors are always saying can only be captured on vinyl. In short, you’ll be hearing music the way musicians want their music to be heard. There are still a lot of questions, such as how much all this will cost, and if it will even be compatible with anything besides PONO’s own portable device. However, the invention reveals a legendary artist who’s not only keeping up with the times, but helping improve them.
Everyone’s favorite banjo pickin’ British folk outfit is hanging up their suspenders—for now. After a massive global tour in support of their Grammy-winning album Babel, the gentlemen of the road decided it was time for an extended break. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Mumford & Sons keyboard player Ben Lovett said, “We just know we’re going to take a considerable amount of time off and just go back to hanging out and having no commitments or pressure or anything like that.” Though the band has no plans on returning to the studio “for the foreseeable future,” fear not Mumford fans. There has been no indication the breakup is permanent. In fact, frontman Marcus Mumford also recently told Rolling Stone he that has some unique plans for the band’s next album: “We really want to rap … We’ve been talking with Jay-Z about it.” Maybe that break should be permanent after all.
[OUR GIF T TO YOU]
Christmas Tunes Here’s a holiday playlist to get you through Christmas. RELEVANT Your Holiday Season Stream our Spotify playlist here.
FRONTMAN OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
THRICE
Available 9.30.2013
ARTIS T S TO WAT CH
[ON RO TAT ION]
DAVID MA
WHY WE LOVE THEM Too many electronica bands get stuck recycling weird noises until their songs sound more like R2-D2 monologues than music. The Naked and Famous use the modern aesthetic to create rousing anthems that will be still be enjoyable to listen to once the electronica craze has run its course. They’ve mastered the trick of using contemporary styles to create a timeless sound. FOR FANS OF MGMT Passion Pit M83 The xx ONLINE thenakedandfamous.com
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retrospect, the success of a band like The Naked and Famous was inevitable. Their formula is so winsome, so “can’t-miss” in its indie-cool precision, that they’d have to be complete musical dolts to mess it up. Fortunately, the New Zealand quintet is made up of anything but dolts. Their debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, won seven New Zealand Music Awards, and they were nominated for the BBC’s hyper-prestigious “Sound of 2011” poll. Now the band is back with In Rolling Waves, and it follows the same format as their debut: coy, sing-along boy/ girl vocals, anthemic dance beats and just a hint of fuzzy dissonance. It sounds like Trent Reznor producing an MGMT cover of an xx song, and while it is excellent, it doesn’t sound like a severe shift from their old work. Although the surface may sound the same, bassist David Beadle tells us that the guts are different. “It’s not a different direction,” Beadle says.“It’s a more mature way of writing. Lyrically, [Passive Me, Aggressive You] was a lot more universal, whereas on this record, it’s a lot more introspective. It’s about discovering things for your own self. I guess it could be looked at as exorcising demons. Or just getting something out of your system. It’s good to just write things down sometimes.”
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Typhoon White Lighter An 11-piece band that sounds pretty and nuanced, not noisy.
Houndmouth From the Hills Below the City Desperately good southern rock and roll with a sensitive side.
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An unlikely group of indie rock’s biggest groups are working on a Grateful Dead tribute album, due out sometime in 2014. So far, the contributors include Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver and Kurt Vile, so even if you’re not a deadhead it promises to be worth your dime ... Rejoice, fans of new wave pop rock and R&B hybrids. Apparently, R&B star R. Kelly and indie rock band Phoenix enjoyed their unlikely Coachella collaboration so much that they may be heading into the studio together … The childhood home of Kurt Cobain—in which the late Nirvana frontman hosted early band practices— recently went on sale for $500,000— over seven times what it was assessed for ...
THE DIGITAL AGE Basically David Crowder Band minus the titular frontman, The Digital Age has proved they’re not only capable of achieving the same heights they did when he was around, they’re blazing new creative trails that prove the band’s best days may be yet to come. We’re going to sound like how we sound and we’re not going to fight it. We’re not going to go out of our way to add an acoustic guitar when we don’t listen to a lot of acoustic music. That’s not being genuine.
BLISS KATHERINE
WHY WE LOVE THEM The Digital Age proves worship can be interesting, too. The band has a range of musical influences that it wears on its sleeve, showcasing a broad sonic palette. The next wave of worship music is on the way, and these guys are leading the charge.
WILLLIS EARL BEAL Although a singer of Willis Earl Beal’s talent could probably have a comfortable career singing old blues covers and conventional pop songs, he’s chosen instead to craft brave arrangements with unique instruments. I would much rather be heard as an experimental artist. I just want to experiment with sound and instruments and my voice. And if it happens to sound a little ramshackle from time to time, or if it happens to be evocative of soul or blues, fine.
FOR FANS OF Fleet Foxes Wilco My Morning Jacket Local Natives ONLINE thedigitalagemusic.com
BEN POBJOY
WHY WE LOVE HIM It’s temping to try to squeeze Willis Earl Beal into the old trope of the blues journeyman, given his soulful vocals. However, he’s far too creative and inventive to fit into anyone’s genre basket. Don’t try to pin his sound down. Just listen to it.
FOR FANS OF Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy Kurt Vile Sufjan Stevens Dirty Projectors ONLINE willisearlbeal.com
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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PROFILE
Q: How do you make sure what you’re writing is accurate and true but still conveys who God really is? A: I always am writing with others
and we’re bouncing off ideas and really questioning the ideas and taking them to heart. For me, the songs that stick really come from God’s Word. Anything I’m just making up out there on my own, it really doesn’t stick that much. I’m sure I’ve made mistakes along the way, but I really make a conscious effort to try to present God in the most appropriate and truthful way to people. Q: Have you ever felt like being in the “worship” genre has limited the kind of music you want to write? A: I like to write other songs, but it’s
just not what I love. It’s not what I feel like God gifted me to do, honestly. It sounds uber spiritual, but I really feel that. I can write other songs and they’re really fun and fun to play for people. But it just doesn’t move me like when a worship song comes along. Q: Looking back over your career, what would you say is the most surreal moment or a moment you felt the most blessed? A: I think the most surreal was this
CHRIS TOMLIN
last record being No. 1 on Billboard. I could not believe it. But blessed is a whole different thing. I feel so blessed to be able to play these songs on tour night after night. The concerts are really special and powerful because of people worshipping God and expressing their hearts to God. And it’s just so humbling being able to somehow provide a little bit of soundtrack for their life with God. It has nothing to do with record sales. It never will.
AMERICA’S MOST PROLIFIC WORSHIP LEADER ON SUCCESS, SONGWRITING AND WORSHIP MUSIC. the last few years, Chris Tomlin has become a household name in Christianity and beyond. This year, CNN hailed him as the “king of the sing-along” reporting that on any given Sunday, 20 to 30 million people sing songs Tomlin wrote. And in January, Tomlin’s seventh album, Burning Lights, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming only the fourth Christian album ever to do so. We talked to Tomlin about his career, the writing process and the future of the worship movement.
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Q: How much different has this whole thing ended up than you thought it would when you started out? A: I started doing youth camps
and little youth retreats. I didn’t know how far it would go, but I felt like God had given me a gift to connect with people in that way. I never felt like some great performer or like a great singer, but I did feel like I could write songs in a way to help people sing to God in a simple way. I never thought that it would end up with record labels and records and everything that’s come since, honestly. It’s amazing to me, really, to see how God continues to use these songs.
Q: What would you say is next for the worship movement? A: I think it’s always about the spirit
WATCH Chris Tomlin’s “Awake My Soul” (with Lecrae) lyric video.
of it versus the style of it. The styles are going to change, but I hope the spirit of it continues. I try to surround myself by those who carry that amazing spirit of worship and want to see the Church alive to God in music and creating music that inspires people to express their heart to God. That’s not going to die. That’s eternal.
BY MAGGIE SHAFER
hen my husband, Steven, and I got married, he was a milkman. As a liberal arts graduate fresh from Colorado State University, it had only taken a few months in the proverbial “real world” for him to realize no one was looking to hire an amateur literary critic at the height of one of the worst recessions our nation has seen. It didn’t matter how many classics he had read—or how many hours he scoured Craigslist. And so, he drove a dairy delivery truck. Then he discovered woodworking. Within a year, we opened a custom furniture business with Steven’s best friend. The venture ended nine months later—but not before Steven discovered he had the potential to be his own boss, that he works longest and hardest when no one is keeping time and that sometimes, when the right job doesn’t exist, maybe it just hasn’t been created yet.
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THE ENTREPRENEURIAL RENAISSANCE
Steven’s entrepreneurial spirit is no exception in our generation. According to a recent study by Forbes, 30 percent of Millennials have started a business while in college, and 92 percent see entrepreneurial education as “vital” to the economy. Simon Johnson, a professor of entrepreneurship at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, says this kind of “entrepreneurial renaissance” is common in the midst of an economic downturn. Limited career options, he says, inspire Millennials to use whatever resources they have to create their own job opportunities. In other words, more young people today are going to work for themselves simply because they are the only ones hiring. “Many have realized the job market is not coming back and you must innovate your way into the workforce,” says Scott Gerber, founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council. “The starting salary out of college is now only $20,000 to $30,000, often without health benefits. So more and more of them have nothing to lose.”
And with today’s widespread resources and their own web savvy, the price for innovation is just right. “Five thousand [dollars] is the new $50,000,” says Banks Benitez, vice president of partnerships for the Unreasonable Institute, a business incubator in Boulder, Colo. “The barriers to entrepreneurism are decreasing as technology catches up.” Specifically, the Internet has made the cost of advertising, communications, market reach and the supply chain minimal. Websites—the new global storefront—are vastly more affordable than a brick-and-mortar presence. But while affordable options and a hard-hitting recession are indeed part of what has galvanized entrepreneurism, they are not explanation enough for why this new wave of young people are choosing a path that is more stressful, unpredictable and consuming than a traditional career. More than profits, it seems, this generation is about doing what they love— and what they love is creating something meaningful. “We are a generation that shares a deep empathy for people and for the world, motivated to love people well and help them break free of the things that bind them,” Benitez says. “Social entrepreneurship is a way to do that. There is redemption in making something where there was nothing before.”
“I’ve had to cultivate self-discipline,” Chan says. “Being your own boss can be a doubleedged sword. You can sleep in, but you better be making it up later.” As the director of operations for Kulira Technologies, Chan relies on Skype and email to stay in touch with his business partner a state away. Aligning himself with smart people—people to whom he is accountable—has been key to maintaining momentum, he says. While serial entrepreneurs like Chan love the process of creating a business but not necessarily running one, others are creating their dream jobs—a place they want to be not just for 40 hours a week, but for 40 years. Austen Menges is the co-owner and founder of Two Shot West, a film and commercial production company based in Austin, Texas. Since his first high school job at a theme park, Menges has known he wasn’t cut out to work for someone else.
A GENERATION AT WORK
When David Chan started an online commercial book club in 2010, all he needed was a computer and some basic web design skills and—voilà—he was a business owner. Since then, the Northern Arizona University MBA graduate has started 11 companies, ranging from a custom bow-tie business to a biomedical engineering company. Today, he is actively involved in five of them—and the only consistencies in his average day are a shower and three eggs. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
STEVEN SHAFER When he couldn’t find a job after college, Shafer started a woodworking company called Wild West Workshop.
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DAVID CHAN Chan is still actively involved with five of the 11 companies he started.
“I guess you could say Six Flags spurred me into entrepreneurism,” he says. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t cut out to work. These days, between Two Shot West and his contract work, Menges will easily pull an 80-hour workweek—which isn’t as bad as it sounds when your career doubles as your hobby and “colleague” becomes another word for your best friend—or, in Menges’ case, his wife. Yet this dynamic is also why it can be so hard for entrepreneurs to take a break. Without an employer keeping the clock, there is rarely a clear division between work and home life. “Having a partner has really added some nice checks and balances,” Menges says. “My wife and I both work hard by nature, but it can be hard to turn the phone off. We’ve been cognizant of that and [have] gone off the grid a couple of times. The whole day of rest—we try to take that seriously.” Such rest grounds Menges in the reason behind his work. As a Christian in a largely secular industry, Menges hasn’t wanted to feel like a circle fitting into a square hole. His values don’t align with the big film producers, nor do his artistic sensibilities align with strictly Christian films. But with Two Shot West, Menges is able to tell stories the way he chooses.
AUSTEN MENGES Tired of working for others, Menges started his own production company, where he and his wife now work as partners.
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VICTOR SAAD This middle school pastor innovated his way to an MBA with the Leapyear Project.
“Part of my story is to be salt and light here,” he says. “But we don’t want to be hit over the head in this generation. If we can make authentic pieces of work and instill them with qualities, then that’s the goal. We aspire to a very high level of craft.” Victor Saad jumpstarted his career in the face of a different kind of challenge. He wanted an MBA. But as a middleschool pastor with a heart for the nonprofit world, Saad didn’t want to take out a school loan that would take him the better part of his career to pay back. And so Saad created a 12-month plan— he calls it the Leapyear Project—to fully immerse himself in 12 different apprenticeships in design, business and social change. He calls it a “self-made MBA” and invited others to join him by taking “leaps” of their own. He “graduated” from TED headquarters in Chicago last summer and has since published a compilation book of the leapers’ experiences, funded fully through Kickstarter. The process may be unconventional, but Saad’s goal is simple: to use education to empower positive change. Because, Saad believes, “The greatest workers are the best
students, and the best students are the greatest workers.” Perpetual students, he says, comprise the best blueprint for creating solutions for human needs around the world. Saad may be taking a different route to ministry than most, but it’s a route that fuses his pastoral heart with his innovative vision. “Perhaps the greatest opportunity to be Kingdom-builders is to strive to be the best entrepreneurs with the most honest motivations,” he says.
MADE TO BE A MAKER
Erwin McManus, a pastor and entrepreneur in LA, believes we are all created to create—and that doing so fulfills a deep desire in the human heart. “God placed in us all the material necessary to accomplish His intent for our lives,” he says. “Every time we [innovate], we are co-creators with God in creating a future only He can fully imagine or realize.”
Perhaps this is why, despite our first failure, Steven and I reopened shop last year. We found a shop space, secured the necessary finances and began our second attempt in the furniture business. Today, we have an official LLC—and I finally know what those letters stand for. Still, there are no guarantees when you’re signing your own paycheck. While Steven’s busy with
work this week, we can’t be sure about the next. And you can forget about a fiveyear plan. “Entrepreneurs have to be able to deal with a degree of ambiguity. It’s really a critical step,” Benitez says. “You have to be at rest with the mystery and uncertainty of what’s coming up. It takes an aspect of faith.” What we know is that we believe in what we are doing. And at the end of each day, Steven has created something beautiful that didn’t exist when he woke up—something that someone will sit in, eat a meal over, or rock their child with for the rest of their lives, and probably someone else’s after that. And most days, that’s enough reason for Steven—and for a generation with him—to have faith to keep hammering.
ERWIN MCMANUS The lead pastor of Mosaic church in LA, McManus also founded McManus Studios and works to support creativity.
MAGGIE SHAFER works for a software startup called bulb. She and her husband own Wild West Workshop. Follow her online at maggieshafer.com.
Available in print and digital editions everywhere books are sold
THAT’S SO
REDEFINING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FAMOUS WITH AMERICA’S IT-GIRL BY LIZ RIGGS WITH C ARL KOZLOWSKI
indy Kaling doesn’t ever wait in line for brunch. It’s not because she thinks she’s better than anyone, and it’s not because she’s hungrier. It actually began as a funny, endearing line from Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), the New York Times best-seller she published in 2011. In a section she titled “The Exact Level of Fame I Want,” she mentioned that she never wanted to wait for brunch. And now, it’s a reality she’s living, embracing both the perks of fame and her self-proclaimed nerdiness. In some ways, she credits that nerdiness—which led to a lack of distractions—with her success. “I was very focused,” she says. “I never partied or had boyfriends. I didn’t date so much. “I don’t have this Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle. I was a nerd who dated nerds,” she laughs. “I’ve dated more people on this season of the show than I’ve even met men in my life.” The show she’s talking about is her own: The Mindy Project. She produces it, writes it and stars in it, and although the characters are fictional, there’s no doubt as to its inspiration. She draws from her experiences as a dateless nerd to craft a public persona that has charmed the country. Some know her as Kelly Kapoor from The Office, some recognize her from The 40-Year-Old Virgin and others just know her as a beloved star who has built a career on bracing honesty. Kaling has been open about her love of junk food, her dating woes and her social awkwardness. But her every foible just serves to endear her more to a public that can’t seem to get enough. Kaling may be a nerd, but right now, she’s the coolest nerd on TV.
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AFTER OFFICE
The strongest argument for Kaling’s coolness is, of course, The Mindy Project. If there were ever any doubts about Mindy or her project, the show’s trajectory speaks for itself. Like many shows, The Mindy Project struggled to find its footing in the first few episodes after a promising pilot. And although Kaling is a rookie producer, she displayed a remarkable savvy in righting the ship, a skill that eludes
many showrunners with exponentially more experience. By the end of its first season, The Mindy Project had gone from reliably good to consistently great. The second season is nothing short of “must-watch,” with its frank writing and a star-studded list of guest stars (the first episode featured James Franco). “I made all those sacrifices in my lifestyle so I could achieve this,” Kaling says of her success. “I was really, really hardworking. I never went out and got distracted. That’s it.” The word “hardworking” is probably an understatement. Kaling got her start writing and starring in a play with her best friend while scraping a living in New York City. It was a labor of love that didn’t make her any money, but it got her noticed. She likes to pitch herself as the every-woman, the girl next door. And that’s true enough, but make no mistake: She has an allstar work ethic. Chris Messina, who plays Kaling’s “will-they-or-won’t-they” opposite on The Mindy Show, can attest to that. “My respect for what she does and all the hats she wears ... ” he says, trailing off a little. “She’s tireless.” But Ike Barinholtz—who plays the show’s lovable doofus, Morgan—says Kaling is more than a 24-hour idea factory. “She’s the only person—and I mean this sincerely—I’ve ever met who orders food at a restaurant and before she takes a bite she’ll allow me to try it,” he says, grinning. “She makes me laugh more than anyone, and I call her HurriKaling. Whatever she talks about, she sucks you into her world and you don’t want to leave. You’re interested, you’re in, you want to hear what she has to say and there’s literally never a dull moment.” Barinholtz isn’t the only one who feels that way about Kaling. Even in her breakthrough days as a writer for The Office, where showrunner Greg Daniels opted to make the highly unusual move
of having many of the show’s writers become supporting actors as well, something about Kaling stuck out. It wasn’t just that she was the only female writer at the time (she was), but she quickly made the most of what should have been a third-tier role as the air-headed and perpetually lovestruck Kelly Kapoor. She rose to become a fan favorite—all while being the brain behind some of the most hilarious episodes of the series. (Remember the episode where Michael burns his foot on a George Foreman grill trying to make bacon? She wrote it.) And while the show gave Kaling her first real shot at television writing, leaving The Office to take the reins on The Mindy Project did cause some personal angst. “Leaving The Office was so hard,” she admits. “I had been there eight years, so it was like going to college twice. I was really close to them, that’s why so many of them have been on the new show—Ellie [Kemper], B.J. [Novak], Ed [Helms]. Because it was too hard to say goodbye to them.” It’s true that Kaling has made a habit of offering her Office pals guest roles (along with some even higher profile guests like James Franco and Timothy Olyphant). But while she admits that The Office groomed her, she always had aspirations beyond its low-fi hustle. “It wasn’t necessarily my style,” she admits, “though I love its truth and unglamorous-ness. But I love wearing nice bracelets and sequins, kissing guys and living in New York City. I wanted to do something a little more ref lecting my values, but taking the deep bench of actors and love story from The Office.”
PROJECT MANAGER
Toward that end, Kaling now spends her time in front of the camera as Mindy Lahiri, a New York OB/GYN. “I went with an office
because it’s kind of what I knew,” she says. “My mother was an OB/GYN and had fun, great stories. And I knew from being raised by her how unpredictable the hours were and that I’d interact a lot with women.”
Playing that role was second nature to Kaling. Being in charge, however, took a little longer to figure out. “On The Office, I would just scream constantly and never get my way,” she says. “When I came [to The Mindy Project], I did that at the beginning. Howard Klein, who’s my manager and who’s been my biggest support for years, taught me how to be a leader. He said, ‘You don’t have to scream when you want something. People will listen to the boss.’” That’s not an easy lesson to learn, but it’s one Kaling has taken in stride. “I’m still
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From Left to Right: Chris Messina, Ed Weeks, Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, Zoe Jarman, Beth Grant
“I WAS REALLY, REALLY HARDWORKING. I NEVER WENT OUT AND GOT DISTRACTED. THAT’S IT.” learning, still mercurial, and my inclination is to be a hothead. But I work with people who are very calm about things. The Office was a very peaceful place.”
THE NEW GIRLS
With powerful trailblazing celebrities before her and a slew of young women behind her, Kaling is suddenly part of a small but staggeringly influential group who have flipped the idea of what it means to be a woman in Hollywood on its head. Tina Fey led the charge (her book, Bossypants, and Kaling’s are endlessly compared by critics), and was soon followed by the likes of Amy Poehler, Kristin Wiig, Lena Dunham and Ellie Kemper. These women responded to the airheaded, photoshopped bombshells that dominated the ’90s with sharp wit and transparency. The genius here is that it’s not so much a heavy-handed protest of Hollywood’s portrayal of women as it is a subversive critique of it. They make the over-the-top antics of Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan seem dated and tired. Kaling and her cohorts are neither the damsel in distress, the wild child, the femme fatale nor the girl next door. They’re bringing female characters into a whole new territory. Kaling’s Mindy Lahiri fits no mold. She’s successful, neurotic, intelligent, audacious and, ultimately, winsome. In short, she’s not so much a strong female character as she is simply a female character. You don’t realize how rare it is
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until you see it done right. And, of course, in Kaling’s case, there’s the added element of her ethnicity. “I try not to deny it or rely on it,” she says. “I get a lot of tweets and input from lots of IndianAmerican women inspired by what I’ve done,” she says. “I love it. It’s daunting and frightening. There’s not any other Indian leads in sitcoms. That’s when I get jealous of the Danny McBrides and the Steve Carells. Because when they play a part, people aren’t saying ‘What are you saying with the character?’ They just get to play Michael Scott. “So when I want to play this character and make big flaws, I feel like I’m forced to be making a representation of all Indian women. I wish it was 75 years in the future and people would be like, ‘Enough with the Indian women. Too many!’”
THE MINDY CITY
As Kaling continues to create her own Empire, the workload builds. And while most of us have a hard time keeping our checkbook balanced or remembering to eat breakfast, Kaling’s saddled with triple duty on her own show. Any one of her three jobs is full time, but Kaling is teaching herself to love every second of it, and to love each one of her roles.
“The truth is that if I focus too much on one I tend to be bad at the others,” she says.
“It’s hard,” she admits. “People ask, ‘when do you sleep?’ But the weird thing is, when you’re literally living your life’s dream, you don’t want to be sleeping. You want to be awake.” There’s no reason to expect Kaling to slow down any time soon. There isn’t much she hasn’t attempted yet and, given her track record, she’ll continue spending her considerable energy tearing down whatever barriers stand in her way. “I do feel tired, but every morning I wake up and think ‘I’m the star of my show and I’m still chubby. How did this happen?’” she says. “I’m excited to be awake.”
LIZ RIGGS is a freelance writer and English teacher in Nashville, Tenn. Follow her on Twitter at your own risk @riggser.
THE 3-D PRINTING REVOLUTION IS HERE. SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW FAR IT WILL GO? B Y HE AT HE R ZE I G E R
tar Trek: The Next Generation introduced us to the replicator, a device used mainly to provide food on demand by assembling your dish one molecule at a time. While pulling food out of thin air used to be the stuff of science fiction, we now have the (rapidly evolving) technology to copy and create three-dimensional objects, including biological matter and human tissue, using 3-D printing devices. Star Trek wasn’t far off. The hope is that one day scientists will be able to make synthetic organs on demand using 3-D printing, which could work wonders for curing diseases and providing new tissues for the weak and infirmed. Conceivably, the day of creating human life from 50
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SH AW N ROM A NO
parts or embryonic tissue completely produced in a lab using 3-D printing is drawing near. And the accusation of scientists “playing God” seems to have a new, far more valid ring to it.
HOW DOES 3-D PRINTING WORK?
Dr. Fuz Rana from Reasons to Believe, a ministry that explores the link between science and faith, says it is important to understand the technology in order to deal with its ethical questions. When it comes
to the moral quagmire of 3-D printing, he says, “There is not just a one-size-fits-all answer. We need to do a technology-bytechnology evaluation.” 3-D printing has been used in the manufacturing industry for over 10 years, but it is only recently hitting the mainstream. It works by first reading a computer design of a 3-D object—a CAD rendering. This design can either be a completely new object someone has designed in a CAD program or a scan of an already existing object. Once the CAD program is sent to the printer, the object is built layer by layer using what are referred to as “inks,” for lack of a better term. Usually, these inks are a type of polymer that is
melted at a high temperature. The ink is sent through a small tube that builds the object by laying very thin layers of polymer on top of one another on a platform, like a bricklayer building a wall brick by brick. The polymer quickly solidifies, and the next layer is added until the desired object is completed. Fancier versions of 3-D printing can use more than one type of polymer. Scientists have been developing better polymers and testing combinations of polymers to suit their particular needs. For example, researchers can use a combination of polymer and nanoparticles to create electronicbased objects. Recently, scientists at Harvard University made miniature lithium batteries
using 3-D printing technology, allowing for a small enough battery to power miniature devices. Dentists have been using 3-D printing to make molds of patients’ mouths, and some industries use 3-D printing to make surgical instruments. Manufacturers have been using 3-D printing to copy pieces or parts that need to be replaced in an appliance and for making prototype models. Even though 3-D printing has been around for a while, what is new is its accessibility. For the price of $400 to $1,200, anyone can order a 3-D printer from Amazon.com to satisfy all their at-home 3-D printing needs. Staples is even offering classes on how to use 3-D printers, and it’s not the only company to do so. Beyond copying inanimate objects, there are some new uses for 3-D printing in the biotech industry—which is where things get dicey. Now, scientists are able to copy living tissue, such as a trachea or a bladder. They have even made a miniature liver and a synthetic ear that can pick up radio frequencies. In these cases, the 3-D printing ink has polymer in it, but it’s also made of cellular material. In many cases, the patient’s own stem cells are incorporated onto the polymer scaffold during the printing process. The object is then removed from the printing platform and allowed to grow in culture. Within the culture, the cells will replicate over the polymer, creating a 3-D object. This biomaterial is then placed within the patient, and if it has been built with the patient’s cells,
“AS CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULDN’T BE OPPOSED TO NEW TECHNOLOGIES. WE NEED TO DO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY IN A PRINCIPLED WAY.” —DR. MICHAEL SLEASMAN there are no risks of rejection or graft-versus-host disease. Additionally, because these special cells are able to keep growing, organs such as the trachea can incorporate into the patient’s body. Thus far, scientists have not been able to make large solid organs. The closest they’ve gotten is a miniature version of a liver. However, despite its size, it functioned like a human liver, which means it could potentially be used to test drug toxicity. According to Nigel Cameron, president of the Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies, this brings up questions about whether, in the future, we will need human trials to test for drug toxicity when we can make synthetic organs instead. He points out this would have a ripple effect on the pharmaceutical industry, including potentially speeding up—or even doing away with—the Food and Drug Administration’s current approval process, which is notoriously sluggish and relies on several different human clinical trials before a drug goes to market. Scientists have successfully made synthetic hollow organs, like a trachea, bladder and synthetic skin, using a nanocomposite material as the scaffold and the patient’s bone marrow stem cells to grow a new organ. For example, a man who lost part of his trachea to cancer received a transplant made from this sort of technology. 3-D printing offers another way to create the scaffold and another way to seed the cells. Compared to other scaffolding technologies, 3-D printing offers smaller, more controllable pore sizes, which helps when growing cells on the scaffold. As Dr. Michael Sleasman of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity points out, being able to engineer tissue-based organs would do away with many of the ethical questions surrounding organ transplantation, including tissue rejection and determining who gets the limited supply. RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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[BIG MOMEN T S]
Developments in 3-D Printing This Year: FOOD This spring, NASA funded a project to develop a universal food synthesizer, which would allow people to create food using 3-D printers. The long shelf life of the oils and powders used to print the food would make the food synthesizer a valuable tool for space missions. It could also potentially help solve the impending food crisis, ending food waste and allowing people to print their own customized meals. ORGANS Researchers have made huge strides in 3-D printing human tissues and organs. In April, a team printed a miniature functioning liver. Though the tiny organ survived only five days, it was a first step toward the goal of creating full-size organs that could be used for transplants.
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However, though scientists have used this stem cell and 3-D printing technology to make hollow organs, making other life-size, fully functioning organs, such as kidneys, is a far different matter. Dr. Katie Galloway, biochemical engineer and visiting scholar at Reasons to Believe, says, “The trick in tissue engineering right now is that you can’t make tissues too thick. If you do, you have trouble with the interior cells getting enough oxygen.” Our tissues have a complicated pumping system that delivers oxygenated blood through thick tissues, like those of solid organs. This pumping system is typically made of a different type of cell. “3-D printing may solve issues with getting scaffolds to guide the development of tissue,” Galloway says, “but there still is work to be done on the cellular side to be able to get the right arrangement of many cell types to make complex tissue replacements.”
WHAT DO WE MAKE OF 3-D PRINTING?
But such work is being done, which means complex questions lie on the horizon. In evaluating 3-D printing technology, Sleasman suggests we evaluate tissue engineering within the broader context of copying inanimate objects. He contends that 3-D printing is a “disruptive technology” because it changes the economic landscape by subverting existing markets. This technology brings up questions about intellectual property and patent rights. Why go to a manufacturer for a new part when you can download the CAD file online and print it yourself? In May, scientists were able to make a functioning gun from a 3-D printer. This gun was made from a polymer substrate, and therefore would not be
detectable with a metal detector. Sleasman points out that this brings up questions about accessibility and security. These are not new questions, but this technology brings old questions to the surface, causing us to re-evaluate what regulations should be in place before 3-D printing is widely available. According to Sleasman: “This is an issue of control, which is layered. It is one thing to regulate for commercial interests. It is different to regulate private printing. By the time something has reached the shelves, it is too late to ask these questions. You can’t put something back in the box when it has gone to the commercial market. We need to be more thoughtful early on in the process.” For all of its technological advancement, the U.S. tends to be slow in passing regulations on new technologies. Cameron observes, “the U.S. is at the forefront of making the latest devices but is behind other countries in considering implications. They seem in awe of the latest devices—both scared and excited—but are sluggish at considering implications or policy-making.” From Cameron’s experience in Washington, the regulating bodies need to catch up to the speed of technological change and become “forward thinking and deeply questioning.” Powerful technologies have risks. Both Cameron and Sleasman warn of the dangers of this technology getting out of control. Being able to print a gun brings up security
“IT IS PART OF BEING HUMAN TO WANT TO CREATE LIFE. THE REAL QUESTION IS ‘ARE WE TRYING TO TAKE GOD’S PLACE?’” —DR. FUZ RANA and safety issues. Our laws are not necessarily able to protect intellectual property in cases of 3-D printing objects. And the ability to create living, biological, tailormade body parts may lead to the ability one day to create entirely man-made humans— which causes a major ethical dilemma for those with a Christian worldview.
WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES?
As Christians, we need to practice wisdom when dealing with new technologies. Sleasman believes we should practice “responsibility, caution and humility as contrasted to arrogance.” “As Christians, we shouldn’t be opposed to new technologies,” he says. “We need to do scientific inquiry in a principled way and utilize the medical and technological advancements in a responsible way. Principled research, responsible use.” Technology is not good or evil in and of itself; it is how we use it that is the issue. Many philosophers of technology turn to the Tower of Babel as a biblical example. Most likely, similar technology was used to make the Temple as was used to make the Tower of Babel, yet God was pleased with one and not the other. The reason for the difference had to do with the motivations of the builders. The Tower of Babel was used to glorify man and his abilities, while the Temple was used to glorify God.
Some Christians use the argument “scientists are playing God” as a way to convey their discomfort with scientific endeavors. However, this argument lacks intellectual rigor. Cameron considers the “playing God” argument as a way to close a conversation without engaging in “consideration, prayer and evaluation” and as an excuse to not think on an issue. Rana of Reasons to Believe has a slightly different take on the “playing God” argument. His view centers on the fact that we are made in God’s image, so, of course, when we do creative things we are “playing God.” Rana points out, “We can’t help playing God because we are made in His image. It is part of being human to want to create life. The real question is ‘Are we trying to take God’s place?’” Two people may be doing the same thing, using the same technology, but have very different motivations. Rana says this is where young Christians need to be willing to go into these areas of research and represent the Christian perspective of engaging in creativity to God’s glory. Finally, Christians are concerned with respect and dignity of life. While scientists may “make life in the lab,” we need to understand what is meant by this to then be able to apply Christian principles. Making an embryo in the lab through cloning technology is different from making a kidney or liver, and both are different from making a synthetic organism. Cloning is a type of reproductive technology, while the other two are synthetic biology. Cloning involves making a totally unique human being, while synthetic biology involves either making functioning tissues or copying a simple organism’s DNA sequence, but not creating a unique individual. Rana believes rather than usurping God, synthetic biology and 3-D printing highlight the elements of God’s elegant design. As Sleasman reminds us, “Good science is always in the service of human flourishing.” HEATHER ZEIGER has a MS in chemistry and an MA in bioethics. She works as a freelance science writer in the Dallas area and is a research analyst with the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity.
Available in print and digital editions everywhere books are sold
THE SINGER-SONGWRITER ON OVERCOMING CYNICISM, FINDING HAPPINESS AND WHY HIP-HOP IS THE NEW FOLK MUSIC
BY LIZ RIGGS
don’t rap,” Derek Webb says, folding his arms. He does that a lot, as if trying to temper his seemingly boundless energy. He’s talking about his love of hip-hop and the chasm between it and his own musical stylings. He’s sitting in the studio in the back of his
“I
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Nashville home on a sticky Wednesday afternoon as he explains how he thinks rap relates to folk music, including his own. “I consider hip-hop the current folk music of our generation, because folk music really is nothing more than the ethic of telling the unfiltered stories of the people,” he says. Webb has little to do with the hip-hop scene, but he’s certainly no stranger to the folk music scene. He’s no stranger to the Christian music scene, either (though he is not a fan of labeling music “Christian”). In
fact, for anyone with even scant knowledge of the CCM world, Webb is a household name and has been for a long time. With multiple GMA Dove Awards and eight solo albums under his belt (the latest, I Was Wrong, I’m Sorry & I Love You, released in September), it’s impressive how little Webb seems to have aged throughout his 20 years in the industry. It’s easy to look at him and see the twentysomething troubadour writing coffee shop hits with Caedmon’s Call (which he left 10 years ago to pursue a solo career).
Despite his imprint on the Christian scene, Webb has been a famously contentious figure because of his fierce commitment to expressing his beliefs through provocative lyrics and proclamations on sensitive issues. Webb has found the “explicit” sticker on at least one of his albums, and this gets him talking, once again, about hip-hop. He speaks glowingly of honest hip-hop, and no one more so than Kendrick Lamar. “For a great hip-hop artist like Kendrick—who is squarely a folk singer,
in my opinion—to do his job, to do it to the best of his ability, to do it faithfully and reliably in a way that’s trustworthy, he’s going to have to do it in the vernacular of the places he’s writing about,” Webb explains. “It would be dishonest for him to in any way manipulate it to make it more palatable. To change the language around to make it more listenable.” Webb goes on to throw Macklemore, Jay-Z and Bob Dylan into the mix, using these artists to explain why he has told some of his own stories with specific lyrics that have caused controversy. These artists, he says, have been popular both in spite and because of the controversy that surrounds them. They’re writing about topics people don’t want to think about using words people don’t want to hear. Webb has done something similar. In some ways, he has built a career on being disruptive. For many people, it’s his trademark, but he has managed to do it without ostracizing his fans, and he does try to pick his battles. “I feel like I’m more wired for disruption,” he says. “But I tend to think—as opposed to being a troublemaker—I only get into trouble I think is worth getting into. Jesus was a troublemaker. He sets a pretty good example for us on how to do it in ways that are constructive ... There are right things to rebel against. Being a rebel is not a bad thing. Rebelling against the wrong things is a bad thing. Rebelling against the right things is a great thing.” Webb says he enjoys rebelling against things worthy of disruption, but, at the same time, he realizes being contentious just for contention’s sake would cause him to lose his voice. “What I’ve learned is you can’t only agitate people. If you only do that, you eventually find yourself speaking to nobody,” he says. And Webb certainly hasn’t lost his voice. Most of the people who have followed him since day one are still behind him. He’s constantly evolving over the years while still exploring some of the same questions and issues he has been examining throughout his career. “My first record and [I Was Wrong, I’m Sorry & I Love You] are both born out of the questions I have. What is the Church? And what is its function? And what is my role in it? My first record and this record are both a result of those questions, but they’re 10 years apart,” he says. It’s this sort of grappling that has kept Webb on the radar for so long. He is ever-aware, ever-evolving and ever-creating because he is
ever-questioning. His creativity owes itself to nothing so much as his curiosity. And in his 20 years of thinking through questions about the Church, Webb has come to the same conclusion many times: It’s deeply important. “There just is no version of Christianity that allows you to do it without the rest of your screwed up brothers and sisters. So you can do it that way, but just know you are inventing for yourself a more convenient Christian experience,” he says. He compares the Church to Alcoholics Anonymous—a place where people come because they must, because they desperately need one another to recover from an illness that has torn apart their lives. That, he says, is the shared link among everyone who walks inside a church. “We have nothing in common other than the fact that we’re sick and we need to be healed,” he says. “We’re broken and we need to be healed. That’s what we’re doing. If we’re not doing that, then it’s not really church.” A lack of this sort of attitude can breed cynicism, which Webb knows well. “One has to go: either my cynicism or the Good News. They cannot both survive. So you have to do battle with your cynicism. You have to. [I Was Wrong, I’m Sorry & I Love You] is very much a battle with cynicism. It’s mostly because I’m cynical, you know?” And yet, Webb is not cynical about the trajectory of his own livelihood. Few artists have as much control over their careers as Webb has. He produces his music himself and has almost complete autonomy over his public persona and his development of the music-sharing entity NoiseTrade. Twenty years in, he says he’s thrilled with his career the way it is. At the end of the day, Webb is very happy. He has a job he loves, a wife whom he adores (he’s married to Sandra McCracken, also a singer-songwriter), and he gets to make music he loves right in his own house. “I don’t want to sell more records. That’s not my goal,” he says. “Could things have been different for me? Could I have been on another trajectory and been more popular? Maybe, but I would not be happier. I would not be more creatively satisfied. There’s no contingent reality that has more satisfaction creatively than where I am currently. “I promise you that, and I will protect that with my life as long as I can.” LIZ RIGGS is a freelance writer and English teacher in Nashville, Tenn. Follow her on Twitter at your own risk @riggser.
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THE YEAR’S BEST FILM, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, EXPOSES RELIGION’S UGLY HISTORY WITH RACE. TODAY, 90 PERCENT OF CHURCHES REMAIN RACIALLY SPLIT. IT’S TIME TO RECONCILE. B Y E M I LY M C F A R L A N M I L L E R
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ou’ve been in films where the phrase “not a dry eye in the room” probably applied, but director Steve McQueen doesn’t settle for tissue dabbing. By the time you’ve completed watching 12 Years a Slave, his staggering, true tale of Solomon Northup—a free black man in the Pre-Civil War American North who was kidnapped, taken from his family and sold into slavery for 12 years— you’ll be shaken to your very core. McQueen’s epic has a strong claim to being one of the few definitive works of art on America’s history of slavery, and it packs an emotional punch entirely unlike any film in recent memory. McQueen is a fastidious man, short on patience, but given to lengthy pauses while he thinks of the precise word. He dismisses the Oscar talk the way you might wave away a fly (“that’s not why I do any of this”), but takes a long pause to consider how his film could change America’s ongoing conversation on race. “I hope people are more receptive,” he finally says. “People who are interested in looking at the past want to go to the future. The abolition of slavery happened 150 years ago. In historic terms, it’s quite recent.” That’s a sentiment echoed by the film’s star, Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays the titular slave, Solomon Northup, with soulful dedication. “It’s never a bad time to look at human respect and, by extension, human dignity,” Ejiofor says. “The overall story is a gift from Solomon to reflect on where we are. We’re aware people are trying to put us into little categories, and as we approach those things with antagonism, we don’t get anything. That attitude has
gotten us nowhere. It has cost a lot, in fact. By looking at history, we can enter into debates in the modern day.” Michael Fassbender, who portrays the most sadistic of Northup’s three masters in the film, has little patience for the oftheard notion that it is time for America to forget about its horrific history with slavery. “We’ve seen so many films about the Holocaust—and rightly so—but not many films about this period of history,” he says. (And he’s right. Prior to 2012’s Django Unchained, you have to go back to 1977’s Roots miniseries for a serious treatment of the subject.) “There’s not much to say besides ‘it happened,’” Fassbender says. “This is our people. This is what our history is. Why would we try and forget it? It’s important. We should know what we’re capable of doing.”
OUR RACE PROBLEM
Grace Biskie can still remember the first time she was called the N-word. The slur came from her own half brother, who is white, when Biskie was just 6 years old, growing up in a Detroit neighborhood that had flipped from allwhite to all-black in her short lifetime. Later, a friend at her predominantly white private school explained, without apology, that Biskie couldn’t come to her birthday party because her mom didn’t let black people come over. Another time, she took weeks of baptism classes and memorized all the Bible verses only to have her church explain there had been a mistake. It didn’t baptize black people. She tried to persuade them: She was only half-black, she says. She may have read a letter she had written to the congregation. The memory is fuzzy, she says; it’s so painful. But it isn’t blurred because of RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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distance. “We’re not talking about the ’50s,” she says. This was the late 1980s. Even with America’s checkered racial past of slavery and Jim Crow, it’s tempting to think racism is a problem we should have overcome by now. Surely, five years after Americans elected the first black president, decades after segregation officially ended, the color of our skin should no longer be an issue. But a quick scan of this year’s headlines reveals that America still has a long, long way to go. This
people understand when we are separated, nothing good can come from that,” says Christena Cleveland, a researcher, consultant and social psychologist who teaches at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn. “All we do is misperceive each other. All we do is develop these boundaries between ‘us’ and ‘them,’” “I don’t think a lot of majority-culture Christians understand how bad these issues really are in the country.”
THE GRAY HOODIE
Perhaps the best summary of where America stands with race this year were reactions to the “not guilty” verdict in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black high school student. In February 2012, Martin was shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain at the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community in Sanford, Fla., where the teenager was visiting his father.
“THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY HAPPENED 150 YEARS AGO. IN HISTORIC TERMS, IT’S QUITE RECENT.” —STEVE MCQUEEN was a year marked (or better, marred) by racial tension: by celebrity chef Paula Deen admitting under oath that she has used the N-word, by immediate assumptions about the race of the bombers responsible for three deaths and more than 260 injuries at the Boston Marathon, by tweets labeling the first Miss America of Indian descent as a terrorist and, of course, by the unfolding story of Trayvon Martin. All this comes even as the U.S. celebrated the 50th anniversary this year of the March on Washington, since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of a day when his children would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character, and a national conversation about race began. It comes as 45 percent of Americans say the country has made a lot of progress toward racial equality in that time, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Yet, even in a year when the nation’s first black president was sworn in for his second term, 49 percent of Americans agree a lot more needs to be done. Pew data also shows there is a huge discrepancy in how Americans who are black and white in particular view the country. While just over 40 percent of all Americans agree AfricanAmericans face “some” discrimination, only 16 percent of whites believe African-Americans face “a lot” of discrimination. Meanwhile, 46 percent of blacks believe African-Americans face a lot of discrimination. “There is still a long way to go. I don’t think 58
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Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o in a scene from 12 Years a Slave.
Zimmerman, who is both white and Hispanic, had called 911 to report a “guy” who “looks up to no good” in his neighborhood, where “we’ve had some breakins,” according to transcripts. He followed Martin through the neighborhood, even after he was told not to by the 911 dispatcher, and an altercation reportedly ensued. In the end, Zimmerman was bleeding from the back of his head and his nose was fractured, according to police and medical reports.
Martin, who was unarmed, was dead. Nearly two months later, the neighborhood watch captain was charged with second-degree murder. Then in July 2013, a jury found Zimmerman not guilty. There were demonstrations and vigils and mostly peaceful protests. There was a review by the U.S. Justice Department, still pending. There were remarks by the president sharing some of his own experiences as a young man growing up both white and black. Obama noted how “those sets of experiences inform how the African-American community interprets what happened one night in Florida.” All of it was, “a mirror that could show the country not just how much or how little we’ve progressed, but where—in terms of now, in terms of this point in history—our efforts and our focus and our attention needs to be,” says Dharius Daniels, a board member of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of Kingdom Church in Ewing, N.J. Kingdom Church is predominantly black, and Daniels knew that Sunday morning after the Martin verdict was announced was going to be an emotional one. “Many of my mothers are probably feeling fear,” he says. “Whether the verdict was accurate or not— that we won’t get into—but the bottom line is many of the mothers of minority children are feeling fear. They don’t know what to tell their children. At one point they would tell their young men to ‘defend yourself.’ Now they probably don’t know what to tell them.” Daniels was away that weekend, but there were spiritual issues he felt he had to address as a pastor. He asked the guest pastor leading Kingdom Church to pray over the young black men of the church. And he asked his church to “be more intentional as a congregation about doing this kind of work— not just justice work with laws, but doing the type of work that engages people who aren’t like us so we can figure out how is it that two churches that agree on everything
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And 50 years later, the Zimmerman verdict reflects that “we don’t know each other as well as we think we do,” he says. It brought tension, not necessarily among people who are racist or prejudiced, but among people who don’t understand how those different from them interpret certain things, who aren’t aware of Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor. historical patterns, he says. They aren’t aware of issues like theologically, of two different ethnic make- bruises—issues that if touched, elicit what ups, predominantly feel two different ways seems like an overreaction. “We jump to conclusions instead of asking about this verdict.” That’s the kind of work Martin Luther questions like, ‘Why does this offend you so King Jr. dreamed of, when you listen to the much?’ Daniels says. “I think if we change that step and really content of his speeches, Daniels says. He was addressing not just laws, not just the become students of each other’s narraway the government works, but the way we, tives and ask questions about why people perceive certain things in a certain way as humans, view one another.
he easiest way to dismiss modern racism is personal denial. After all, it’s not like we’re racist. Racism is the mark of an older generation or a different part of the country. We can tut-tut their backward behavior and move on. And if we ever hear or read anything about ongoing racial tensions, we can observe it all from a distance, confident we’re not part of the problem. The trouble is, that only works as long as you’re not willing to face the legacy that has been handed down to us. Racism’s history is long, but it’s by no means ancient. In terms of global history, the Emancipation was a recent development, and we’re naive to assume slavery’s tensions would simply dissipate a mere 150 years after its issue. A brief survey of that century and a half reveals we may not have come as far as we think.
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instead of jumping to judgment, then I think we’ll be better equipped to have more diversity in local churches.”
AMERICA’S ORIGINAL SIN
Hilary Shelton, Washington bureau director and senior vice president for advocacy of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, calls racism “America’s original sin.” It originated when the first white colonists came to the country and justified taking control of the land from Native American tribes—and later bringing over African slaves to work that land—based on the color of their skin, Shelton says. It continued with state and local Jim Crow laws that institutionalized segregation from the end of Reconstruction in the late 1870s through the 1960s and the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers attempting to register African-Americans to vote in Mississippi, he says. It played a part in nearly 5,000 lynchings documented between 1882 and 1968, according to U.S. Senate Resolution 39. During that time, nearly 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in Congress. Of those, the House of Representatives
1863 - President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in the U.S. free.
1865 - The thirteenth amendment is ratified, officially prohibiting slavery.
1947 - Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.
1954 - Brown v. Board of Education rules that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional.
“THERE ARE MANY, MANY NARRATIVES IN THIS COUNTRY. THERE IS NOT JUST ONE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.” —MIGUEL TINKER SALAS approved three. The Senate approved zero. In 2005, a resolution passed apologizing for the Senate’s failure to pass any bills to protect victims, mostly black, and punish perpetrators of lynchings. Symbolic legislation, however, does little to help inequalities that continue in the U.S., such as the fact that about 45 percent of all victims of gun violence under the age of 18 are black, while only 13 percent of all Americans under the age of 18 are black, according to Shelton. Of course, it’s not just a black and white issue, and “there are many, many narratives in this country,” says Miguel Tinker Salas, professor of Latin American History and
Chicano/Latino Studies at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. “In reality, we have to accept there are many, many narratives in this country. There is not just one America, there are many Americas. And there’s not just one American experience, there are many American experiences,” Tinker Salas says.
RACE IN CHURCH
In the time of slavery, slave masters would use religion as a tool for controlling slaves. This is something 12 Years a Slave is not shy about. Fassbender’s character, Edwin Epps, is well-versed in Scripture, and quotes it to keep slaves in line. Fassbender (who was raised Catholic) is well aware of how easily religion can be used as a tool of manipulation. “People have used religion in ways to control groups of people,” he says. “Religion is a powerful force. It depends who decides to manipulate that, in whatever form—good or evil.” “I think the film is showing what [religion] is, how it was used for good, how it was used for bad, but everyone can recognize the overall power of that,” Ejiofor agrees. And while Christians today will be quick to disassociate themselves from the distorted
1955 - Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat, leading to the Montgomery bus boycott.
1963 - Over 250,000 people participate in the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech.
biblical interpretations of their ancestors, it’s difficult to argue that the Church isn’t still wrestling with that tradition in many ways. Ninety percent of all American churches are 90 percent racially homogenous. That’s a number Michael Emerson and Christian Smith arrived at based on historical analysis, a national survey and hundreds of face-toface interviews in their 2000 book, Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. It’s a number that still holds true more than a decade later, according to Cleveland. So do the words of King, who referred to 11 a.m. Sunday morning as the most segregated hour in America, the social psychologist says. And, she says, despite significant changes to the racial makeup of the evangelical Christian church in America, “the same people who have been running the show for the past century continue to run the show.” But a growing number of evangelical Christians now see Jesus as a Savior who came for the marginalized, Cleveland says. A growing number are beginning to tie their faith to social justice issues, she says. “I still think we have a really, really, really long way to go, but there’s hope,” she says. Like Biskie, Cleveland can remember the
1992 - Race riots erupt in LA after a jury acquits four white police officers for the videotaped beating of Rodney King.
2009 - Barack Obama becomes the first AfricanAmerican president.
2013 George Zimmerman is acquitted for the killing of Trayvon Martin.
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Once we understand why those divisions exist, she says, we can figure out how to overcome them. And, she says, “I’m actually pretty amazed at how much Christians have to learn about these issues.”
THE JOURNEY TO HEALING
Left to Right: Cameron Zeigler, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Quvenzhané Wallis.
first time she was called the N-word. It came from a teacher at a Vacation Bible School she was attending at a predominantly white church, she says. But, she says, “I couldn’t let go of the possibilities I saw when I was a young child in church. I knew it was possible for people to love well across cultural distances, and I had tasted that. Even as I encountered negative situations in homogenous evangelical settings, there was a hope I held onto as I got older and was able to work through some of the pain. The pain turned into passion. Really, God redeemed it.” Cleveland grew up in an extremely diverse neighborhood in the San Francisco Bay area, she says. There was no majority racial group in the neighborhood, and she and her 62
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playmates celebrated one another’s holidays and festivities. They also mourned with each other over issues such as immigration and language barriers. Her dad had planted the church her family attended. It also was diverse, mirroring some of the same dynamics of their block. “I learned very early on there are people that have issues and perspectives and challenges and joys that are nothing like my own, and that was a big part of my experience,” she says. Cleveland uncovers those ethnic, political, theological and cultural dynamics that divide Christians in her book, Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep Us Apart.
In her talks about racial reconciliation as a leader at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Biskie says she always recommends college students start by building relationships with people who are different from them and by displacing themselves to areas where they are the ones who are different. Those things seem basic, she says, but, “it’s harder for whites to do that because it takes extra work to displace yourself as a white person than it does for a minority. Minorities always are a minority, so you’re always around white people. Moving one seat over is different from a white person, who may have to move 10 feet over.” Changes also need to be made on structural, institutional levels, according to Cleveland. The Church saw a surge of interest in racial reconciliation in the 1990s with movements such as Promise Keepers, she says, but those movements largely focused on individual relationships. Relationships will start to break down barriers in your heart, but they won’t do much to break down societal barriers, she says. That doesn’t mean those relationships aren’t important. But successful multiethnic churches also have significant leadership from people of color, Cleveland says. When Paul encourages Christians in 2 Corinthians to “be of one mind,” she says, “I don’t see that as we need to agree on everything. But we need to share brain space and share mind space with each other. We need to get inside each other’s heads and see the world from each other’s perspectives and see the Church from each other’s perspectives and share emotion and be heartbroken over the same things that our friends are heartbroken over. You don’t see a lot of that. You see a lot of, ‘We should all get together and have a unity worship night, because that’s going to fix everything.’ But there isn’t a quick fix to a problem that’s as sinful as this one.” Daniels has been intentional about creating a diverse staff at Kingdom Church, he says, even if the predominantly black congregation isn’t as diverse as he would like it to be. But the purpose isn’t necessarily to draw different people to the church,
Paul Giamatti as wealthy slave merchant Theophilus Freeman.
90 PERCENT OF ALL AMERICAN CHURCHES ARE 90 PERCENT RACIALLY HOMOGENOUS. but to bring different perspectives on life and ministry to the table, he says. “I really try to create an environment with our team so people feel free to speak candidly. Because I think a lot of people who aren’t minorities—on some issues, sometimes—there’s a degree of sensitivity people have toward that, and they aren’t as candid and forthright as they normally would be. Not because they don’t want to be honest, but because they want to be sensitive. They don’t want to say the wrong thing,” Daniels says. “I think that gets in the way of us really learning more about each other because many people don’t feel comfortable being frank and forthright.” Cleveland says Church leaders of every color need to ask the question “What is it about the institution of a denomination or church that seems to repel people who are different?” And, she says, “Christians are all about, ‘In our hearts, we want to be welcoming to people,’ and, ‘In our hearts, we don’t want to discriminate,’ and that’s all fine and good, but are we really investigating ‘do our outcomes actually reflect out intentions?’ It’s a good thing for us to be welcoming, but, ‘Do people actually feel welcomed?’ is the second question.” Also, those changes need to be made intentionally, Cleveland says. The “natural forces in our society” that push people toward segregation, that separate groups, are too powerful, she says. So, too, are the spiritual forces, she says.
Because if all are created as image-bearers of God, as it says in Genesis 1:27, then racism dishonors the image of God, she says. And because the whole of the New Testament, from Jesus through Revelation, points to this: “The unified body of Christ is the vehicle through which the Kingdom of God is come,” she says. Divisions impact the effectiveness of the Church in coming together on different issues, Daniels says. They also hurt its witness in communicating to all they are loved and valued by God. The whole of creation is moving toward reconciliation, toward a day described in Revelation 21 when all things will be made new, Biskie says. And in Satan, we have an enemy that understands that. “It’s unbelievable what one small glimpse of God can do to a neighborhood. I think our enemy attacks that because he knows that’s like the secret weapon.” Cleveland says. “We need to think of this as a spiritual issue, and we also need to think of it as a social issue. We need to go at it with prayer, and we also need to go at it with smarts and sort of an understanding of the underlying processes that contribute to this.” When Biskie came to know Jesus in “really personal way” in college, she says, she assumed all the other stuff, all the racism, would fall to the wayside. It
quickly became obvious that wasn’t going to happen, she says, “and, in fact, Jesus was going to bring it up over and over and over so I could actually deal with it and realize I had a big problem.” She first realized that problem during a study of the book More Than Equals: Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice with a diverse group of eight college students through InterVarsity. Red-faced, sweaty and crying, when questioned by another group member, she blurted, “I hate white people!” “I think that was the beginning of a really long journey of me figuring out what does it mean to love my enemies or people I feel like have hurt me or hurt someone else—the Church, my brother? That journey, I think, began, and I don’t expect it to ever actually be over, but I have seen significant milestones happen along the way,” she says. One milestone was Biskie’s marriage to a white man who had been part of that group. The couple now lives with their two sons in Kalamazoo, Mich., where she works as a program director at a volunteer center, writes a popular blog and is working on her memoir, tentatively titled Detroit’s Daughter. She also joined the staff at InterVarsity, where she often was called upon to talk to students about racial reconciliation, even as she was working through her own issues, she says. She identified with those students’ struggles. She got to know them, got to see they were normal kids who came from normal families, she says. And she watched as InterVarsity worked to promote diversity in its leadership, as white leaders graciously stepped aside to make room for her and for others. The organization, the body of believers, was taking intentional steps to put its beliefs into action. All of it was beautiful, she says. All of it was healing. But it was also hard. We all suffer from the human condition, Biskie says. We all are sinful. And when Jesus says in Matthew 26:11, “The poor you will always have with you,” maybe the racist always will be with you, too, until He comes again to make all things new. “Reconciliation is hard work. It’s good to know that going in,” she says. “You should know it’s a hard journey. You’re going to climb a mountain.” EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER is an awards-winning education reporter, an adventurer and a Chicagoan. Mostly, she writes. Connect with her at emmillerwrites.com.
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GETTING TO KNOW POP MUSIC’S GOLDEN GIRL BY L AUR A STUDARUS
not very good at being a pop star,” says Ellie Goulding, a hint of sheepishness implied in her words. “In fact, I’m rubbish at it.” It’s a statement belied by the 26-year-old musician’s impressive resume. In the last few years, the British singer-songwriter turned electro pop princess has quickly made a name for herself in the world of pop music. Seemingly born spotlight ready (“I was just playing my guitar and singing for years and years,” she reveals), Goulding’s first foray into pop culture came in 2010, when, on the strength of her bright-eyed debut, Lights, she won both BBC’s annual Sound of 2010 poll and the Critics’ Choice Award at the BRIT Awards (an award similar to the Grammys in the U.S.). The impressive double-hitter put her in elite company, with only fellow British pop darling Adele pulling off the same accomplishment in 2008. Since then, Goulding has experienced the kind of ascent most musicians can only dream of, from several chart-topping singles, to a tour with Bruno Mars, to highprofile performance slots at festivals across the globe. However, while she makes it clear she’s not downplaying her accomplishments, she’s cautious about putting too much stake in them. “I don’t do pop-starry stuff,” she says by way of clarification. “I don’t particularly like being a celebrity.
People have a very warped view of what being a celebrity is. I think people think it’s something very particular and fun and exciting, but it really isn’t what people think, being a celebrity. It’s kind of weird.” This isn’t to say Goulding is ungrateful for her success or the attention she has received. The singer speaks of her life to date with a good-natured incredulity. There have been disappointments—recently she was forced to decline an invitation to perform at the wedding of Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul due to scheduling restrictions, something she’s still a bit heartbroken about. But overall, her career has been a dizzying succession of highs. Among the newfound perks that have come with her rising profile, Goulding has been given a chance to partner with the likes of Chime For Change, which raises awareness of women’s health, education and justice. It has been one of many grounding elements in a career thats only trajectory seems to be pointed skyward. “It’s very difficult for me to suddenly have my head up in the clouds,” Goulding admits of her shift into the public sphere. “I think the most important thing is having a sense of humor with everything. Literally everything. If something goes wrong and you find it funny, that’s the best way to deal with it. And likewise, if something goes really, really well, you have to laugh at it, too, and pretend that your life is a comedy show.” It seems unlikely Goulding will run out of moments to chuckle about anytime soon. Last year, the musician released her sophomore album, Halcyon. The collection successfully spans the abyss usually located between the pop and folk worlds. From a sultry cover of Alt-J’s “Tessellate” on the repackaged edition, Halcyon Days, to a guest spot by rapper Tinie Tempah, the listener’s expectations are thrown for a loop by any means necessary. But it’s never a case of weird for weird’s
sake. The rarest of finds, Goulding is equally as comfortable baring her soul in a stripped down piano ballad as she is floating through the album’s choppy, electro centerpiece, “Anything Could Happen.” “I’ve never tried to be specifically a pop singer. I’ve never tried to specifically be a folk singer,” she says. “I don’t really know what I’m doing. I try to make music that I love. It’s very hard for me to explain. When I write songs, it’s very hard for me to put my finger on why I wrote what I did, why I wrote lyrical, why I used that melody or why I used piano instead of guitar. I guess I decided that I wasn’t going to put a sort of rule book on the kind of music that I make.” Goulding laughs at the folk connections that many people lay over her twisted tunes. But she also admits that while genre is usually the last thing on her mind, she can see where comparisons to modern-day troubadours Feist, Ben Howard and Beth Orton are coming from. The similarities, she assesses, lay in her initial writing style. “When I wrote songs, I guess they sounded kind of folky because I played them on my guitar,” she says. “I feel like they weren’t. They had a very pop kind of sensibility, structure from also having listened to pop music my whole life.” Pop music is where Goulding finds and hides her deeper truths, layering bigger ideas into a twisted, chopped up digital world. She names the single “Anything Could Happen” with its spacey choruses and crunchy synths as a prime example. (“There’s a big rambling load of weirdness and that sums me up” she says of the song’s helter-skelter vibe.) In the music video, the singer plays a pink-haired pixie trapped in a post-apocalyptic René Magritte surrealist landscape. “It’s a happy song, but it’s also very reflective,” she says. “I wanted it to make people get up and make the most out of life and make the most out of whatever situation they’re in. That’s why I featured a really weird car crash in the video because it kind of opens your eyes. And I like songs that kind of make me sit up and think, ‘I really need to get off my a** and make the most out of every day and not waste time.’ And you definitely can.” While she hopes her songs inspire others, Goulding also assures that music is just as much therapy for her as some form of artistic public service. “I like the idea of getting something off my chest,” she says, referring to why she writes the messages she does. “I like the idea that I’m feeling these sort of things that I don’t RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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“I DECIDED THAT I WASN’T GOING TO PUT A SORT OF RULE BOOK ON THE KIND OF MUSIC THAT I MAKE.” want to express in any other way. I like the idea of being able to explain something so that other people can relate to it and feel better about their own situation. I do really like the idea of making people feel better. It sort of chooses that sound. Like, if someone can listen to my songs and feel better about what’s happening in their life, then it makes me feel good. The more you realize that your situation is what a million other people are going through, the less alone you feel, I suppose.” 66
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It seems fitting then, that the self-described romantic often writes about emotional entanglements—both on a personal and conceptual level. “I go through the same romantic routine where I completely fall in love and then very quickly become a complete cynic and then it all starts over again,” Goulding confesses. “That’s sort of typical me.” She has been linked to both Skrillex and Ed Sheeran, but while tabloids and gossip magazines have speculated endlessly on her romantic status, Goulding has taken the admirable stance of keeping her personal life private. And though mum’s the word when it comes to discussing her personal life, Goulding isn’t afraid to bare genuine excitement, fear or hurt
in her music. She can nail a classically sentimental love ballad. “How Long Will I Love You” is destined to be a first dance for many newlyweds. Among lightly murmured vocal harmonies and a soft piano line, the singer showcases her starryeyed sentimentality, asking “How long will I love you?/As long as stars are above you.” But Goulding’s at her best when she’s singing less about love’s beginning stages and more about a fear of falling fully in love. The theme appears throughout her music. For example: Halcyon Days track “Hearts Without Chains,” which Goulding co-wrote with Fraser T. Smith, who has also penned hits for Adele and Leona Lewis. A simple piano line sets off Goulding’s jazzy soprano rasp as she ruminates on the idea of fearless love in the face of heartache, asking “Have you lost the same things I have lost?/Do you know that panic I know?” “I wrote it about a quite difficult time,” Goulding admits of the song. “But now I can listen to it sort of in retrospect, and I can listen to it sort of not being in the same zone that I was when I wrote it.” At this point, Goulding has become pop royalty, of sorts. In 2011, she was the only musician invited to perform at the private reception after Prince William married Kate Middleton. The once-ina-lifetime evening saw Goulding serenade the couple with her take on Elton John’s “Your Song.” However, it was a brush with royalty that almost didn’t happen. “Playing at the royal wedding probably was the most surreal night of my life,” she recalls. “It was very strange because they called—somebody called one of my managers, and I didn’t pick up because I was too scared of the withheld number. And I regretted that because then someone was like, ‘They got a weird phone call about something to do with the royal family.’ And then about a week later, I was walking to the gym and I got this other phone call. I looked at it and I went, ‘Oh my goodness.’ I picked it up and it was somebody in Prince William’s camp who was asking if they could come see us rehearse.” Even after all her successes in the last few years, Goulding is looking forward to what’s next. She jokes about the desire to take a breather and about not having turned a single page in the book she’s currently attempting to read. But to hear Goulding tell it, she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I still feel like I’ve got a long way to go, even though I’ve done some incredible things,” she admits. “I still feel like there’s that more to come or more to do. I feel like there’s still a lot I want to achieve.” LAURA STUDARUS is a writer living in Los Angeles. She’s a regular contributor to Under the Radar, Filter, eMusic and RELEVANT. You can find her on Twitter @Laura_Studarus.
B Y J O N AT H A N M A R T IN
CHRISTIANITY IS A RELATIONSHIP, NOT A RELIGION. THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT’S EASY. grew up in churches where we never, ever ended the worship service without having an altar call. And these weren’t just “come forward to make a decision for Jesus Christ” altar calls. These were long, sometimes multi-hour Holy Ghost hoedowns full of weeping, shouting, dancing, singing and rejoicing. Part of me felt right at home in that kind of ecstatic celebration. And yet there is part of me that never felt at home there. While everyone else was cutting loose, I’d find myself standing down near the front with my eyes clenched shut, sometimes my fists clenched, too. I would go down wanting to “seek God,” and yet somehow I didn’t know exactly what to do, what to say, what “seeking God” really meant. Instead of being liberated by the activity around me, I was almost paralyzed by it. Now that I’m a pastor, I’m the one who gives invitations for people to seek God, even if I do it a lot differently than what I experienced back then. And yet, when someone wants to know how to know God, there are moments when, for a moment at least, I feel like that kid clenching his fists. There is something in me that feels paralyzed all over again. I sense that same familiar panic. “What will I say? What will I do? And what do I know about any of this to begin with?” Like most pastors, I would rather talk about processes and procedures related to knowing God than talk about the God I
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know. I’d rather talk about spiritual formation, or about the disciplines—prayer, worship, Bible reading, fasting, giving. And yet there is a peculiar heartache when I sense myself going down that familiar path. I feel the sting of something like betrayal. A fleeting impression floating in the back of my head, which may well be the Spirit, saying, “You love to tell them how to have a relationship with me, but you don’t tell them about me.” Don’t get me wrong: The Church needs people to help guide us through the concrete processes of spiritual formation. But so often, it seems we use these things as a diversionary tactic. In some ways, many of us are still strangely guarded about our own experience with God on His terms— the actual God as opposed to our set of ideas about Him. We would much rather talk about spiritual practices relating to God than to talk about the enigmatic character of God Himself, the shadowy force of wisdom and delight who haunts us as a lover. One can be a expert in the disciplines of spiritual formation. But there are no experts on God.
HIDING BEHIND OUR “EXPERTISE”
No wonder preachers come up with inane things to talk about like “Bible codes” or charts and graphs speculating about the end of the world. We are looking for something to master rather than have a head-on collision with the mystery that cannot be mastered. We live in a world where it feels like everybody speaks with an air of assumed authority. We also live in a volatile, rapidly changing time where there seem to be a lot of reasons to be afraid. The appeal of certainty in an uncertain world is perfectly understandable. Sometimes we admire the confidence we hear underneath these authoritarian voices. We long for their simplicity and conviction, those who have the world so easily figured out. At times, we have been those people ourselves. Yet, deep down, many of us harbor a deep suspicion that the experts are not as bright as they think they are;
that the world is perhaps not as ordered as they would have us believe. If we live long enough and develop a little healthy insulation from the prophets of certitude, we find out that beholding God is, in fact, a complicated thing. It starts when our own lives begin to get complex. But the world didn’t get complicated when life got complicated for us. We just hadn’t lived long enough, seen enough, heard enough or experienced enough to know better just yet.
ENCOUNTERING THE WHIRLWIND
The classic riff in evangelical culture is “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship.” And that’s true to a point. But the misleading thing about such an assertion is the subtext that religion is the man-made complication and that having a relationship with God is the easy thing. A relationship is something natural, something anybody with common sense can do as easily as breathing. The undertone is always that we could happily get on with the simplicity of such a relationship if there weren’t all these humans interfering between us and God. But let’s not be quite so naive. If some forms of religion feel like a racket to us, let’s not pretend we are innocent, as if it’s not a scheme of our own making. When the mystery of God first struck the ground, crackling with the electricity of a storm on Mount Sinai, it was the people who said, “Don’t let Him speak to us directly or we will die.” There is no conspiracy to keep obstacles between us and God. We are often the ones inserting ourselves in that space. We fill the space between us with everything we can get our hands on because, deep down, we know there is something terrible about staring into the mystery for ourselves and finding ourselves fully seen and fully known in return. Even if we find a gaze of love staring back at us, we are uncomfortable with the wildness in that gaze. To encounter God is to encounter lack of control, to come to terms with our own ultimate powerlessness. To encounter God is to discover both how small we are and how beloved we are, and we are not prepared either to be so insignificant or so desperately loved. Both revelations are unnerving. There is no amount of spiritual knowledge, practice or experience that gives us any sort of claim on God directly. God is impossible to cage. “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” It is no wonder that life with God is always described in elemental terms—those who are born of the Spirit move with the unpredictability of the wind, because the Spirit itself is unpredictable. Job has been one of my favorite guides in Scripture for my own relationship with God, precisely because it captures the elusive nature of life with God so perfectly. After all of Job’s friends get done blustering and Job gets done responding, God Himself finally responds. And Job 38:1 RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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sets the parameters of a relationship with God quite well: “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind.” God does not answer out of the calm, gentle breeze—though he does that in other parts of the Bible. In this case, the Lord answers out of the violence of the storm. Having a relationship with God is like having a relationship to electricity or having a relationship to a tornado. That is not to say there is not comfort in it, but it is the peculiar comfort of a storm. It’s precisely why our spiritual practices can capture something useful of how we relate to God, but our relationship to God is hardly the sum of them.
THE PLAYFUL, TENDER OTHER
Since this relationship is something intrinsically violent, unpredictable and uncontrollable, the next thing Job helps us learn about a relationship with God might seem almost contradictory—but deeply true. There is something tender about the presence of God and the voice of God, a tenderness that never fails to break our hearts. The the heartbreak of a relationship with God is not sentimental in the least—it is the sheer goodness of God, the tenderness of His heart that relentlessly shatters our own. We have been presumptuous to think we know what God might be saying or what He wants in a given situation, smug in our judgments. And then comes the real voice of God, which always turns out to be more tender, more gentle, more loving than what we could have imagined. That unfathomable mercy that, more than any of the extraordinary things we might say about God, ultimately makes Him the most unlike us. There is something dangerous, something tender, something playful about that God all at once. The One who will not be confused by us, tricked by us, impressed by our capacity for good or evil. There is a certain divine mischief about the One who looks at us, always knowing both the things we know but can’t afford to say, as well as the things we do not know at all. He does not lord this knowledge over us or leverage it for harm. In fact, you might say He almost affectionately teases us with it. Job is the sort of person God likes because he didn’t attempt to hide the truth of his heart from Him, the sort of person that talked to Him in shockingly familial ways. Because Job is so brazen with God, He brings out the playful tenderness of this God, who comes out of the whirlwind but is not all whirlwind Himself. When God finally responds to Job, He starts by chiding Him: “Who is this that darkens my counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up 70
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[GO DEEPER]
The Man Who Was Thursday G.K. CHESTERTON Come for the spy story, stay for the allegory of modern spirituality and a God we can’t grasp.
your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me.” The first few times I read that text, I responded with a kind of terror at the words “Gird up your loins.” But the more I have reread Job, the more I have detected something different in God’s speech. Keep in mind, the construct of the whole story is that God likes Job—it is God who directly rescues Job in the end. Job’s relationship with God is so familiar that his friends find his protests to be blasphemous. Yet, it seems God likes Job not despite the candid way he talks to Him, but because of it. And when God responds, we detect something in the tone of these speeches different than incredulity and rage; we can hear a kind of playfulness. While there is a kind of violence to God’s appearance, there is also the familial tone of a father wrestling with his son—a kind of playful taunting. “Who is this little man who thinks he knows how the world works? Since you are the expert, why don’t you tell me—where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? And my favorite line, “Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!” The language of God may seem fearsome, but there is also a winsome quality to it—this is the playfulness of a father to a son he knows well. It is hard to explain how a relationship with God can have the unpredictability and occasionally primal force of the whirlwind, and yet have such shocking intimacy and playfulness at the same time. But this is what it is to know God.
THE FIGURE STANDING IN THE WHIRLWIND
Holy the Firm ANNIE DILLARD Dillard uses her love of creation to inform her relationship with its divine Creator.
The Horse and His Boy C.S. LEWIS
However broken we might feel or be, it takes a certain courage to stare into the whirlwind—to fix our gaze into the storm that knows us—without flinching, without covering ourselves, without looking away. And when we stay there long enough, a figure emerges from the storm. Like the Israelites when God appeared on Sinai, we are tempted to cower in terror, to find someone to stand between us and Him. And then comes the voice: “It is I, do not be afraid.” We stare into the storm long enough until we find that the God behind it is Jesus, that this God has always been Jesus. He is the one who has always seen and known us. From out of the whirlwind, from out of the storm, Jesus comes walking. In Matthew 17, Jesus is drenched in the same terrible glory of Sinai, His face shining like the sun, His garments blindingly white. And again comes the voice, as familiar on this new mountain as it was in the midst of the storm—except this time not just a voice, but a hand that reaches out to touch us. “Get up, and do not be afraid.” The same terror, the same glory, but with a tender touch and a voice that has always been familiar—telling us we have no reason to fear. We have come all of this way without giving proper steps to have a relationship with God, no experiments to try, no spiritual practices. For once, I’ve talked about the God I know instead of trying to tell you how you should know God, and tried to tell you what that God is like. I’ve tried to warn you of the terror and comfort you with the comfort I’ve seen and felt behind the cloud. Now I can only tell you to go chase the storm. Behold the elements of mercy and tenderness and playful, mischievous love, and keep looking into it until you see that God turns out to be Jesus.
Not the bestknown of Lewis’ Narnia series, but perhaps the most theologically profound.
JONATHAN MARTIN is the lead pastor of Renovatus, a church for people under renovation in Charlotte, N.C., where he lives with his wife, Amanda. He holds degrees from Gardner-Webb University, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary and Duke University Divinity School.
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KELLI B. TRUJILLO
RUMORS OF MILLENNIALS’ SELF-OBSESSION MIGHT BE GREATLY EXAGGERATED sk a random group of people to describe the Millennial generation in a few words and you get an interesting mix of positive and negative adjectives. I tried it, asking people from their twenties to their sixties, and the answers I got ranged from hopeful to critical: “Innovative, knowledgeable, savvy.” “Privileged, apathetic, socially concerned.” “Self-absorbed world-changers who long for authentic connection.” “Passionate but passive, hopeful but cynical, connected but distracted.” “Entrepreneurial, spoiled narcissists.” It’s obvious that Millennials—roughly those born between 1982 and 2004—tend to be a polarizing topic. They have been dubbed by some as the next greatest generation, but others note disturbing trends among Millennials that paint a far less rosy picture. Characterized as “lazy, entitled narcissists” on the cover of Time magazine (May 2013), this generation is used to getting a bad rap. With record numbers unemployed or under-employed, trends toward delayed marriage and childbearing and a high percentage boomeranging back home to live with Mom and Dad, Millennials are easy targets. Millennials have grown up with messages of high self-esteem and high
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expectations. But critiqued for f lailing during “adultolescence” (prolonged adolescence into young adulthood), Millennials are often portrayed as self-obsessed, tech-addicted, and directionless. But is all this bad press true? Are Millennials really narcissists?
PEELING BACK THE LABEL
Narcissism is characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a craving for attention from others, an exaggerated sense of entitlement and a fixation on personal pleasure at all costs. In more extreme cases, individuals who have been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder are arrogant, lack empathy, self-centered, tend to exploit others and can be aggressive. One doesn’t have to look far to see evidence of what looks like narcissism in this generation. A preponderance of selfies on Instagram and vlogs on YouTube seem to indicate self-obsession. But is “narcissistic” really a fitting label for Millennials? There is some evidence that suggests it is, but perhaps not enough.
Much of the “narcissist” label often affixed to Millennials stems from the research of Dr. Jean Twenge, a psychologist and professor at San Diego State University. The author of Generation Me and co-author of the highly influential book The Narcissism Epidemic, Twenge’s work uses the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and largescale meta-analysis of survey data to measure levels of narcissism. Her conclusions? Millennials show a sharp and significant rise in narcissistic traits in comparison to previous young-adult generations. In his Time cover story, Joel Stein cites such a rise in scores on narcissism scales as well as data from the National Institutes of Health indicating that Millennials have a three times higher incidence of narcissistic personality disorder. Further, Twenge and her colleagues have observed a significant rise in college students who rate their own abilities as “above average.” An inflated sense of self-importance is also revealed in data such as Barna Group’s finding that one in four teenagers today believe they will be famous by 25. Citing Twenge’s research, David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of You Lost Me, observes, “The social research shows that, in fact, Millennials are more narcissistic—more self-oriented—than previous generations.” But, Kinnaman asserts, “it’s not exclusively a Millennial phenomenon. There’s plenty of narcissism to go around, across all the generations that are alive today ... I think this self-absorption and ‘narcissism,’ if you will, is rather human as opposed to generational.” Twenge’s work is not without critics. Others in her field find her research methods problematic and claim that the NPI includes what many see as traits of healthy self-esteem, assertiveness and confidence in its measure of narcissism. Generational theorist Neil Howe is one of those who sees many “red flags” in Twenge’s conclusions, foremost among them the large disparity between the predicted outcomes of such a rise in narcissism and the actual realities observed in Millennials. “Twenge claims this supposed increase in narcissism leads to a rise in aggression and violence, a rise in personal risk-taking, mounting isolation and an inability to form close relationships with others, a growing unwillingness to join and help out the larger community and negative emotional consequences,” Howe says. “But here’s the thing: In all of those traits, Millennials are trending the wrong way for Twenge.” RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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Howe, who along with the late William Strauss first coined the term “Millennials” to describe this generation, points to a multitude of studies that show a complete contradiction to what Twenge predicts, including a 75 percent decline in violent crimes since the mid-’90s, a drastic reduction in risk-taking among youth, and several other research conclusions that reveal Millennials to be connected
Millennials prioritize friendships and value connecting with their tribe. Despite a nationwide trend across all ages toward feelings of loneliness and isolation, the Barna Group found Millennials lead the way, above other demographic groups, in actively fostering new friendships. So the claim that Millennials are narcis-
“THERE’S A VERY GLOBALLY MINDED SENSIBILITY AROUND THIS GENERATION AND AN ORIENTATION TOWARD SOCIAL JUSTICE.” —DAVID KINNAMAN in relationships and involved in their communities. Despite some of the bad news trends frequently cited in articles bemoaning Millennials’ perceived generational flaws, the truth is that alongside some of the negative trends, the Millennial generation also continues to be distinguished by others-focused qualities that are anything but narcissistic.
CONNECTED WITH COMMUNITY
Millennials are, far and away, the most technologically connected generation in our history. The 2013 Millennial Impact Report, a study focused on Millennial involvement with nonprofits, found that 83 percent of respondents had a smartphone. Pew Research Center has found that about eight in 10 Millennials report sleeping with their cell phone easily accessible, and 93 percent of today’s teens have a Facebook account. But is there something deeper behind this perceived addiction to texting, Facebooking, Vine-ing and Instagramming? In his book Hurt 2.0, which explores today’s teenagers, Dr. Chap Clark observes that the underlying force behind social networking is the drive for community. The high level of involvement of young people in social networking “might appear to adults to be an expression of adolescent narcissism, but ... that is hardly the case,” Clark says, noting that online expression “is the currency of intimacy” for many young people today. “At the heart of today’s new technology, social networks, which Millennials use so well, is the ability to stay connected with a wide variety of friends, creating communities far larger and more diverse than those of previous generations,” concur Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais in their book, Millennial Momentum. Howe also notes that being “team-oriented” is one of Millennials’ unique generational traits. Though certainly, forms of “look-at-me!” egocentrism abound online, there’s also a deeper relational value propelling Millennial connectivity: 74
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sists who are isolated and unable to form attachments, Howe argues, “just f lies in the face of everything we see about Millennials. Isolated? Are you kidding?! “When Boomers and Xers ran the Internet, it was all about individuation,” he observes. “Boomers invented the personal computer— and it was called personal for a reason. It was a way of saying, ‘It’s mine, not yours. I can be creative on my own.’ But Millennials have been moving information technology back toward the group.”
RESPONDING TO NEED
“There’s a very globally minded sensibility around this generation and an orientation toward social justice and poverty that belies the exclusively narcissistic description of the Millennial generation,” Kinnaman observes. Citing the Barna Group’s finding that 79 percent of Millennials say they care deeply about social justice, Kinnaman continues, “When it comes to issues of poverty and concern about the poor overseas, Millennials are much more concerned about these issues than older adults or even older Christians.” This concern is evidenced in a notable rise in volunteering among Millennials in comparison to previous generations. The 2012 Millennial Impact Report found 63 percent of Millennials report volunteering for a nonprofit at some point during the year, and 41 percent plan to increase their volunteer efforts in the future. Shouldering the burdens of record unemployment and heavy loads of personal and national debt, Millennials are in some senses the “Screwed Generation” as Joel Kotkin of The Daily Beast quipped. But even in the face of such stress and financial pressure, Millennials also demonstrate concern for those in need
through giving both of their time and money. A high percentage of Millennials report giving to nonprofits. Three-quarters gave in 2011, while 83 percent report giving a financial gift to an organization in 2012. Along with their own giving, 71 percent of Millennials have worked to raise money for a nonprofit. “Though our data would not support the idea that Millennials are a particularly generous generation in terms of dollars, they are certainly giving a big chunk of their time,” affirms Kinnaman, noting a high degree of involvement in regular, weekly volunteer opportunities. “Thirty-six percent of Christian Millennials have volunteered in their church in the last week and 19 percent have volunteered in a nonprofit.”
ROOTED IN FAMILY
Millennials, by and large, appear to be embracing a different view of “family values” than previous generations, a fact some find alarming. In some circles, Millennials’ delay of marriage and childbearing and openness to a wide variety of family structures is seen as a threat to the very fabric of society. But what’s hidden behind trends like Millennials boomeranging back home is a positive f lipside: Unlike the angst-ridden conf lict characterizing many Gen-X and parent relationships or the clashing generation gap between young-adult Boomers and their parents during the ’60s and ’70s, Millennials tend to place a high value on fostering an ongoing, close connection with their parents and family of origin. While parent/child conf lict is an inevitable part of growing up—particularly during adolescence and young adulthood—Millennials and
their parents tend to have less conf lict than other generations had with their parents. According to Pew Research Center’s study, “Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next,” 56 percent of parents of teen and young-adult Millennials report they hardly ever or never have major disagreements with their children, while only one in 10 of these parents say they often have huge conf licts with their Millennial children. “First-wave Millennials who have Boomer parents get along better with their parents at that age than any earlier group
with their family members. While this increasingly common living arrangement is caused in part by the financial difficulties faced by many Millennials, it also certainly points to what Howe calls the “enormous revival of family closeness— even the extended family—that’s going on today.” Despite the evolving views on what family and marriage might look like embraced by today’s younger generation, according to Pew, Millennials say they prioritize being a good parent, having a successful marriage and helping others in
“THIS SELF-ABSORPTION AND ‘NARCISSISM,’ IF YOU WILL, IS RATHER HUMAN AS OPPOSED TO GENERATIONAL.” —DAVID KINNAMAN of young adults we have seen since World War II,” Howe says. And Millennials’ commitment to their family isn’t a short-term living arrangement. Pew found 63 percent of Millennials believe it will be their responsibility to care for their elderly parents in the future by letting them live with them, outpacing Baby Boomers, of whom just 55 percent affirmed a similar sense of obligation. And about that boomeranging? Kinnaman calls the rise of unmarried, childless, financially struggling twentysomethings “One of the most significant social changes in this century.” In all the discussion about young adults still living at home, he says, “the underlying story that often doesn’t get told is that it’s economically much more difficult for young people to get ahead today.” Economic pressure and difficulty finding good employment are certainly contributing factors to the reality that 36 percent of Millennials live at home with their parents. (This number includes college students who return home for the summer.) In fact, Millennial guys outpace their female counterparts in living with their parents—a full 40 percent of men aged 18 to 31 live at home. When we add in the number of unmarried Millennials who live with other relatives (such as rooming with a sibling), Pew found 47 percent of Millennials live 76
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need above other goals such as owning a home, making lots of money or having lots of free time.
DEFYING THE INDICTMENT
As with any broad generalization, generational trends do not define individuals. There are certainly Millennials that typify some findings while defying others. “The underlying reality is that there are tribes of young adults,” Kinnaman says. “Of course it’s easy to find a group of young adults who are sort of slackers and are ‘wasting their lives.’ But there are other groups of young people who are quite ambitious. You have these high highs and extreme lows that epitomize why there’s so much discussion and debate. It’s a tale of contrasts.” So, underneath all the claims and accusations and percentages, are Millennials narcissists? In the sense that all human beings suffer from a tendency toward egocentrism (accurately diagnosed by the Bible as pervasive pride), yes, Millennials have an enlarged sense of self-importance. As do Gen-Xers. As do Baby Boomers. And so on. Millennials certainly aren’t the first generation to be perceived as egocentric. Boomers were known as the “Me Generation,” while Xer angst bristled its own brand of self-centeredness. In The Atlantic Wire’s clever critique, “Every Every Every Generation Has Been the
Me Me Me Generation,” Elspeth Reeve points to this trend, quoting an article from The Atlantic itself in 1907 that bemoans “the latter-day cult of individualism; the worship of the brazen calf of the Self.” Reeve also draws attention to psychological studies contradicting the conclusion that Millennials have a higher rate of narcissism, quipping, “Basically, it’s not that people born after 1980 are narcissists; it’s that young people are narcissists, and they get over themselves as they get older.” There may be something to the notion that seemingly narcissistic traits of Millennials fade out as Millennials “grow up,” so to speak. Though there are several surveys of adolescent Millennials indicating an alarming obsession with fame, Pew’s Millennials study that surveyed adults ages 18 to 29 found a very different conclusion, observing, “In spite of the fact that they have come of age in the era of YouTube and reality TV, very few Millennials consider becoming famous an important life goal.” While obvious trends and signs of egocentrism certainly weave throughout Millennial life, this same preoccupation with self is just as easily observable in the wider culture, across all ages and stages of life. We live in a society that’s still worshipping at “the brazen calf of the Self,” and Millennial behaviors and attitudes serve as a revealing reflection of that broader egocentric culture. Yet in the context of this culture enamored with the self, Millennials continue to make their distinct mark through their others-focused commitment to prioritizing community, engaging to help those in need and fostering an ongoing connection with their families. KELLI B. TRUJILLO is an author, editor and tail-end Gen-Xer living in Indianapolis. Join her in conversation at kellitrujillo.com or on Twitter @kbtrujillo.
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FLOATING AWAY WITH WASHED OUT, INDIE’S CHILLEST STAR B Y M A C K H AY D E N
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or Ernest Greene, the man behind Washed Out, there’s an honest dilemma between concert touring and returning to his college library job. “I definitely would find pleasure in being in solitude,” he says. Ultimately, it’s the ability to tour for eight months and then be at home for eight that makes music win out. “I would probably get a little tired of the library after a few years or something like that,” he says. “It’s nice to have the balance of being a musician.” In our busy, modern world, some peace of mind and balance can be hard to come by. But Greene seems to have figured it out. With Washed Out, he has created the synthesized sound of mellowness personified, and people have taken notice. Washed Out has become the theme music for today’s young, cultured urbanites. The band’s sonic marvel “Feel It All Around” opens each episode of the smirkingly clever hipster hit show, Portlandia. Washed Out’s debut 2011 album, Within and Without, debuted in the top 30 on Billboard and sold 89,000 copies by the end of its first month. Spin gave it a 9 out of 10, and Pitchfork stamped it with “Best New Music.” That set a pretty high bar for the band’s sophomore album, Paracosm, which dropped August 7. But the album weathered expectations marvelously, debuting at no. 21 on the Billboard 200 and receiving almost unanimous praise from critics. With Paracosm, Greene is aiming for originality without too drastic a change in style. “I definitely never want to make the same record over again,” he says. “I want to do something new and fresh for me. At the same time, I still want to have a connection to what I’ve done and have some kind of thread connecting everything.” And Paracosm is certainly fresh. For one thing, it has Greene deliberately expanding beyond his mastery of synthesizers. One reason for it? It just got too boring standing behind a synth for so much of Washed Out’s lively concerts. “I wanted to use some different instruments,” he says. “I just started experimenting and then, on a more immediate, practical level, I had some things that just made a lot of sense that I wanted to try out.” This experimenting has led to a sound that is comfortable in its colorfulness and less immediately
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electronic than his previous work. “I’ve been listening to a lot of different kinds of music than just pure electronic music and wanted to incorporate more of that,” he says. “And you hope that people are along for the ride.” All told, Greene thinks his second album may be his strongest and most cohesive yet. “Paracosm is much more connected. I was kind of writing all of the songs at the same time and finishing them all together,” he says. “I very much wanted a palette of sounds that made sense across the board and a natural progression from song to song.” Beyond expanding his musical style, Greene is also trying to work on writing more uplifting lyrics. In indie rock, he says, there tends to be an emphasis on “darker” or “weightier” ideas, so he thought it would be more rebellious to write “just really happy, fun songs.” “It’s meant to be very uplifting and positive,” he says. “I feel like our stuff is pop music first. It’s very simply structured songs. It’s meant to be engaging and for people to sing along, and, if they want to move, they can move. “Maybe it’s because I’m getting older or something,” he continues. “But I just feel like there’s enough negativity in the world already, and it’s best to kind of focus on the positive.” So while Greene is definitely influenced by the likes of Thom Yorke and the claustrophobic hiphop of DJ Shadow, he just doesn’t have that much to be sad about, and it comes through in his music. At least a part of his positive outlook comes from his marriage. His wife, Blair, plays keyboard in the band, even though Washed Out wasn’t in the picture when they first got married. “We laugh about that all the time,” Greene chuckles. “She had played piano for a while but had never really been in bands or anything. I think it took a while to adjust to the lifestyle, but she’s really great at it.” One of the first shows she ever played with the
band was at a festival in front of five to six thousand people, and Greene proudly tells how his bride didn’t miss a beat. Since then, Blair and other musicians have joined Greene in performances around the country and the world. Greene says one of his most surreal concert moments was performing in front of around 10,000 people in Japan. “Just to be halfway across the world and have people know who we are was amazing, but the fact that they were really into it and that many people were into it was pretty special,” he says. When it comes to life at home and life on the road, he seems pretty evenly split. “My more adventurous side, I think, enjoys the fact that you’re in a new place every day, meeting new people, and I think that’s really exciting,” he relates. “But there’s a certain kind of monotonous quality about it that accompanies really long tours or years of playing the same songs.” Greene is aware that his life on the road is something many young musicians dream about, however, and he’s filled with advice for people trying to make it big.
“I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE’S ENOUGH NEGATIVITY IN THE WORLD ALREADY, AND IT’S BEST TO KIND OF FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE.” “When I started off, I was kind of doing everything myself,” he says. “I would definitely recommend taking that route. The other big recommendation would just be to keep at it. It was only through years of writing songs that I even started to do anything interesting. It was a lot of work. It’s very rare that you start a band and then instantly you’re discovered. It takes a lot of work to develop your own style.” Greene has worked hard and it has paid off. Washed Out is here to stay, and it’s worth taking a little daydream with them. As Greene sings on Paracosm, “it all feels right.” MACK HAYDEN is a budding writer and college student. He blogs at Biola University’s Culture in Context and tweets @unionmack.
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B Y E M I LY M C F A R L A N M I L L E R
HOW THE NEW ABSTINENCE MOVEMENT IS TRYING TO RESHAPE OUR VIEWS ON SEX
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mily Maynard remembers the construction-paper illustrations and signed pledge cards, the rings with the hands holding the heart and the lock-and-key necklaces. She remembers the after-church conversations with friends at 14 or 15 years old, barely teens, wholly in love with Jesus and trying to figure out how to honor Him with their lives. She remembers their promises to save their first kisses for their wedding ceremonies and, years later, the notes in their wedding programs announcing it. That part seemed rather “fetishized,” she says, but she did feel a little embarrassed and upset when her dad didn’t pony up for the “purity ring,” more for social reasons than anything else. She remembers the conferences and camps and the admonishment not to give her heart away by having sex before she was married, or maybe even kissing before then or, just to be safe, by having a crush on a member of the opposite sex. In short, Maynard remembers growing up in the purity culture of youth ministry in the late ’90s and early aughts, a culture that persists today amid growing backlash. “I think I knew not to have sex even before I knew what sex was,” the writer and speaker says. “I was steeped in those messages, from both the standard, evangelical youth retreat or camp kind of messages to the ‘don’t kiss before marriage’ messages. I grew up just surrounded by all those True Love Waits ideas ... and there was definitely this idea that once you started kissing someone, you wouldn’t be able to stop—a very slippery-slope sexuality, to the point that even feelings for someone or crushes were discouraged, very poignantly.” If the goal was to get her through high school without having sex, well then, those messages were successful, she says. But, at 28, the Portland native is questioning whether abstinence should be the Church’s single-minded goal for its single members. And she’s not the only one.
“DAMAGED GOODS”
This year started with a declaration from Sarah Bessey: “I am not damaged goods,” which led to what the Canadian blogger and author of Jesus Feminist called a “spiral of conversations that have spun off” about virginity and purity in every corner of the Christian blogosphere. “It was a conversation that needed to happen, and if I had some small part in that, I’m thankful,” Bessey says.
But she wasn’t thinking of that when she wrote that blog post, she says. She was thinking of the preacher who had indirectly compared her teenage self to a glass of water every kid in the room had spit into. She was thinking of the messages about being “damaged goods”—which implied that if true love waits, she never would experience it— and the sense of shame she took from them. She was thinking of a culture that ties value and worth—especially for women— to virginity, that judges a single person’s relationship with Christ on a single checkbox: Have you had sex? She was thinking of the 80 percent of unmarried evangelical Christians between the ages of 18 and 29 who would check that box to the affirmative, according to a 2009 study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. And she was thinking of the message about the grace and wholeness of God she wished she would have heard as a teenager who lost her virginity “far too soon.” That if, as it says in Romans 8:38, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing could separate her from the love of God, then neither could sex. “I knew I was in the majority, but because of shaming and silencing, we are often made to feel like we are the minority— the shameful minority,” Bessey says. “I wanted to kick back against the culture that says our worth and our value are tied up in our sexuality, when I believe
our worth and our value are found in Christ. “I am not damaged goods.”
TRUE LOVE’S WEIGHT
Bessey’s voice was one among many. One blogger decried the “idolizing and fetishizing of virginity.” Another wrote about the good lessons she had taken away from abstinence education. And in May, The Atlantic published a summary of the arguments in a piece titled “Why Some Evangelicals Are Trying to Stop Obsessing Over Premarital Sex.” Each post garnered a wealth of comments from both proponents and critics of abstinence education. To Matt Appling, a pastor, art teacher, blogger and author of Life After Art, who lives in Kansas City, Mo., two “sides” emerged in those online conversations, each seeming to dig in its heels. It seemed some people who had remained—or planned to remain—virgins until they were married still wanted “to justify themselves by that one thing: the fact that they did not have sex,” Appling says. And some who didn’t wanted to justify themselves, too, in some cases implying sex before marriage has no consequences and virginity does not really matter, he says. But most of the Christian voices engaging on the issue of purity culture made it clear that it’s the way the message is packaged, not the message itself, that poses the problem. “As far as what I believe about premarital sex, I think it needs to be a conversation separate from our worth and our value,” Bessey says. “There are some real conversations about sex to be had, absolutely. It’s not everything, but it’s not nothing either.” For her part, Emily Wierenga, an artist, author and blogger who lives in Alberta, Canada, says she thinks virginity is a gift— one that should be given in marriage to the one who earns our heart, who promises to love us through thick and thin. Wierenga says the unfolding conversations opened her heart and mind to the hurts and thoughts of others and to the “beautiful colors of the kaleidoscope that make up Christianity.” They also grieved her, both for the damage RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
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done by the Church, however well-intentioned, and by a society that has lost the fear of God and the sacredness of sex. Sex is holy because it’s not just a biological action, but spiritual, emotional and mental, Wierenga says. It’s the “unifying of souls,” and when it’s misused, when “we randomly join to various people and then break apart, we lose a piece of ourselves, every time.” Wierenga joined the flurry of conversation with an open letter to herself at age 16, just after a breakup with the coolest guy in school because she wouldn’t “let him.” A letter “to the last virgins standing.” That letter was “an attempt to get real with a society and a Church that has lost its grasp on the holiness of sex and made it into a pastime to either exploit or judge,” she says. Because as much as sex is something sacred, something that should be saved for marriage, the judgmental attitude that purity culture tends to foster shows how pride can become dangerous, sinful territory those who don’t cross sexual boundaries. In fact, Bessey says, a number of responses she received to her declaration were messages from Christians who had waited, who “felt convicted of their pride and had to repent to their friends—and in some cases, their own husbands and wives—for shaming and silencing them, for thinking they were “damaged goods” because of choices from long ago and then treating them that way, in some cases for years. “I was truly blessed by those emails because I think that 82
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superiority in relationships, that Pharisaical attitude that prays, ‘I thank you, Lord, that I am not like those people’ is so damaging in our communities, let alone in our marriages,” she says.
BEYOND ABSTINENCE
Another danger Maynard points out in the way the Church has presented its message is detachment—a tendency to simply follow the rules. “It’s easy to think, ‘I’m totally fine. I’m not having sex.’ But simply not doing something doesn’t build health,” she says. Maynard says she decided she didn’t want to be a virgin anymore—or a non-virgin, for that matter. She didn’t want to base her identity on the question, as she puts it, “Who put what where?” She had started to rethink her experience of purity culture about a year ago. She was reading a book in a bakery when she had the sudden realization that
she didn’t want a culture that tied women’s value to their virginity or painted men as “sex-crazed monsters,” she says. She didn’t want a message that left little space to grieve with and sit with friends who have been sexually assaulted or abused or that dissociated people from their feelings. “Even if people don’t have [premarital] sex, that’s not really the goal we want,” she says. “I think the goal of a healthy sexual ethic is to be able to have healthy relationships with God, self and others. That’s what we want, and I don’t think the virginity movement accomplishes that goal. I think it really detracts from it.” Instead, she says, she wants to focus on her relationship with Christ and on listening to the Holy Spirit, not on following rules and checking boxes. And she thinks the Church would do well to look at the results of its purity message: The majority of its young people are having premarital sex. Wierenga pointed to some hopeful numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics that put the number of 15- to 24-year-olds who have not had sex up to 27 percent for men and 29 percent for women in 2008 from 22 percent in 2002.
Still, nearly everybody (97 percent of men and 98 percent of women) between the ages of 25 and 44 has had sex, according to that study (which didn’t specify marital status).
CHANGING THE CONVERSATION
Appling says he would do everything differently if he had his years as a volunteer youth pastor to do over. He was 20 years old, still in college, and he knew he was supposed to be “saving himself” for marriage, but he couldn’t have told students why. “If I could go back, it’s not that I would change one or two things about my approach,” he says. “I would change everything about what I told those kids about sex.” With the perspective of a nearly a decade of marriage, he says, he would tell them the truth: “The fact that we have to tell kids is that we are all damaged goods, whether we have sex before marriage or not. “We are all broken, all sinful. For some of us, sex will be a part of that brokenness. But our marriages are not doomed if we have already had sex. And they are not destined for greatness just because we haven’t,” he says. The idea that purity is more than just an issue of what people do with their bodies is a sentiment echoed by many. Ben Trueblood, director of student ministry at LifeWay Christian Resources, the group that created the True Love Waits campaign, says purity is an obedience issue, one that “will immediately separate [young people] from a sexobsessed culture and open the door for the Gospel of Jesus to take center stage.” Trueblood knows True Love Waits, too, needs to change the way it talks to young people about sex. And that message can’t just come from the student ministry, he says, but also from families and churches getting similarly honest about sex. Through True Love Waits, LifeWay has been the purveyor of the ubiquitous pledge cards and jewelry since 1994. In that time, an estimated 3 million young people have signed “commitment cards” pledging abstinence until their wedding nights, according to its website. But, while he maintains the student ministry has done “mighty things,” Trueblood acknowledges, “Sexual purity isn’t just about waiting until marriage to have sex.” It’s a life that embraces the truth that Jesus is enough, that centers on Him and His death on the cross, he says. It’s a life lived in Him and by His power. And LifeWay is in the middle of relaunching True Love Waits through a new resource called the True Love Project to reflect
that truth, the student ministry director says. “The new True Love Project is not solely about a student signing a commitment card proclaiming that they will be abstinent until marriage,” Trueblood says. “It is about learning and living in the forgiveness of Jesus. It is about how the Gospel transforms our lives, not just until marriage, but forever. It is about how God desires to use our life’s purity as a platform for the Gospel around the world. It is about shining the spotlight on Jesus, our King and Savior, and not on a sexual decision.” Maynard says she hopes that’s not just relabeling virginity “a healthy sexual ethic,” not just “a new cover for the same shame.” The year since her come-to-Jesus moment in the bakery, she says, has been so good—hard, but good. It has made life more complicated, made her examine the motivations behind how she treats the men she dates, rather than only checking how well she is loving and respecting a partner against one rule. It’s made her a better listener, she says, listening for the same nuance in people’s stories as she has recognized in her own. She has come to realize that more experiences make them who they are than just that one. And it made her realize everyone, as a sexual being, has sexual baggage. “I think that allowed me to start working through some of my sexual baggage with more hope and more freedom to really encounter my actual life and not just this projection I put out of ‘I am a good girl because I haven’t done these things,’” Maynard says. “I have to sort of encounter my story on a different level. “I feel like my relationships are all more rich, and I’m working toward healing in my relationship with myself and God and others, and that gives me a lot of hope. The fact that this conversation is happening gives me a lot of hope.” EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER is an awards-winning education reporter, an adventurer and a Chicagoan. Mostly, she writes. Connect with her at emmillerwrites.com.
awaken to the call
dav i d pl at t Pastor David Platt’s next major message is a wake-up call to the church, compelling us to examine the validity of our own personal faith. There’s a cost to truly giving yourself to Christ’s call: “Follow me.” Are you truly a follower of Christ?
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BY TYLER HUCKABEE
AFTER DECADES IN THE HEAVY METAL SCENE, MEGADETH’S DAVID ELLEFSON HAS FOUND NEW LIFE drinking a sin?” David Ellefson asks me, shaking his head back and forth as he does, tossing his head of famously unruly hair around in indecision. “Jury’s out. Now,” he says, eagerly leaning forward. “Is drunkenness a sin? Of course, because it cuts us off from God. So anything that cuts us off from God is a thing to look out for. Take that back to our music. Does our music cut us off from God? Some people 84
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say, ‘Oh, that music is satanic.’ Well, if God is the only creator there is, God wouldn’t create satanic music.” It’s a gobsmacking moment. David Ellefson, co-founder and cornerstone of one of the world’s most legendary metal bands, is weighing the spiritual consequences of a beer, and he does so thoughtfully and with a tremendous amount of knowledge. He is as well versed in rock history as he is in New Testament theology, quoting David Lee Roth and the Apostle Paul with equal ease
and admiration. He’s incredibly engaging, a wonderful storyteller and warmly personable. Nothing about him screams “metal,” but then, at this point, he has nothing to prove. It’s another surprising chapter in the career of a band that never stopped cartwheeling expectations. Throughout their lengthy and storied history, Megadeth has broken every rule there is. They disrupt norms and then, once their disruption has become the new standard, go back to the old norm. Case in point: Ellefson. After spending decades on the forefront of a scene typified by the occult, he’s studying to become a Lutheran pastor and playing the bass guitar in his church’s worship band. That’s during the day, of course. By night, he’s “here to rock your world and thrash and
“I HAVE MY JOURNEY. IN MY DARKEST MOMENT, I HAD NOWHERE TO TURN TO, SO I TURNED TO GOD.”
rock out and play tunes” with the same band he has been with since he was a teenager. It defies conventional logic, but, well, do you want to be the one to tell Megadeth they don’t know what they’re doing?
MEGA MAN
They started out in 1983 as a group of Black Sabbath-obsessed teens in California. Ellefson moved to Los Angeles scant days after graduating high school to seek out rock and roll fame. He was blasting Van Halen in his studio apartment when a flower pot came hurtling onto his air conditioning unit from the neighbor upstairs, who was shouting at him to—and this is a paraphrase—turn it down. For whatever reason, Ellefson took that as an invitation to go introduce himself. If there is a heavy metal museum, the curators ought to be on the lookout for that chucked flower pot. The neighbor turned out to be Dave Mustaine, a cocksure, charismatic musician who was in an understandably bad mood on the heels of being kicked out of an up-and-coming California act called Metallica. The two struck up a friendship and, as Mustaine was on the market for a new metal band and Ellefson had come to LA for just that purpose, they started playing together. Mustaine booked some gigs. Megadeth was born. Mustaine’s history is the stuff of rock and roll legend. Without his early help, it’s doubtful Metallica would have achieved its later successes. But when it became clear that his hard-partying lifestyle was too much of a liability, the band gave him the boot. Howard Stern said Mustaine was just too metal for a band with the word “metal” in their name, but Ellefson speaks of him with obvious respect and fondness.
“Dave had the vision,” he says. “And I liked the vision. It was something new, and I could tell we were charting new territory, which is always scary. Megadeth was very much this new thing that even in our own genre of what’s now considered thrash, we definitely had our own thing going.” A midwestern kid with his head in the clouds and a deeply troubled guitarist does not sound like a recipe for rock and roll stardom. Hollywood is littered with the headstones of bands with more promising origins. But Megadeth has always thrived off defying the rules and, in this case, they had an ace up their sleeve. Although they had been raised on larger-than-life rock stars—Ozzy Osbourne, David Lee Roth, Mick Jagger—Megadeth took pains to stay connected to their fans. “It was much different than when I was growing up,” Ellefson says. “Rock stardom was this untouchable thing where the gods of rock spoke down to the mortals. But this new scene was very much you and me. I played in a band and you had a fanzine and we’d sit and do an interview and you’d help me and I’d help you. It was very much a new culture.” It wasn’t flashy, but it worked. The masses embraced Megadeth, and Ellefson found himself an icon in the stillyoung world of metal music.
MEGA HURTS
When your grandparents told you about the evils of rock and roll, they were thinking of heavy metal. The deep history of the genre is not forgiving to newcomers, and the images you may have of it—pentagrams, goat skulls, lots of satanic references—aren’t too far off. Megadeth was not as tied to occult themes as, say, Slayer, but the band’s landmark 1986 breakthrough Peace Sells... But Who’s Buying? featured tracks such as “Devil’s Island,” “Good Mourning/Black Friday” and “Bad Omen.” “To be honest with you, the occult and satanic themes scared us. That’s why we wrote about them,” Ellefson says. “I can’t say Megadeth wrote about it very much. We touched a little bit in and around it. But other bands were very noted for that, and that was their mantelpiece was the occult.” If Megadeth was truly scared of what they were singing about, then these were squeamish kids making music for decidedly not squeamish kids. Megadeth’s rising fame led to a legendary amount of drug abuse, something Ellefson largely credits to his tinkering in the occult. “When you look into spiritual warfare, it’s fought in the heavenly realm, but we’re picked on down here in the earthly realm,” he says. “And I think Satan probably loves when we’re looking into the things of the occult and the abyss. Because he’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve got their attention. Maybe if I got them, I can get them over here.’ Satan likes to get us alone because we’re an easy target when he can get us alone. That’s why those types of things are easier to
handle when he can separate us out, whittle us down and get us off on our own as opposed to being part of the larger congregation. Hence, the Church of God. The community of God.” Yes. Dave Ellefson—Megadeth bassist, elder statesman of metal and rock and roll superstar—can wax theological about spiritual warfare. And plenty of other religious subjects as well.
MEGA CHURCH
Ellefson’s journey from heroine-addicted rock star to theology student is a long one, but it began in Nashville, where he was recording a Megadeth album and found himself getting frequent inquiries about his church attendance. “I wasn’t used to that,” he says. “I went home to my wife and I say ... ‘it’s like the Christian army’s coming after me down here.’ And she laughs and goes, ‘Well, it’s funny because a worship leader at
[T HE LIS T]
Christian Metal Here are few of the best albums Christian metal has to offer: Rescue & Restore August Burns Red
Immortal For Today
Wrongdoers Norma Jean
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home just called and asked if you’re going to be around next week. He needs a bass player at church.’ I look up and I’m like, ‘All right, God, I know what you’re doing here.’” It’s hard to determine what’s more surprising: that a pastor offered Megadeth’s bassist a job in the worship band or that Ellefson accepted. But neither is as surprising as the fact that Ellefson enjoyed it. “I realized everybody can play pretty good!” he laughs. “They’ve got real day jobs and they’re grown-ups, so they have great gear. And people aren’t throwing Budweisers at you and heckling you. I was like, ‘Wow, this modern church thing’s pretty cool.’”
MEGA LIFE
“I have to say, I walked off the stage that day from playing with the band and I was floating,” he recalls. “That was a whole new spiritual experience for me. I was floating. It happens to me every time I play in church. It’s wonderful.” That was in 1996, and the change in Ellefson is remarkable. He has been sober for over half his life now, and the church that asked him to sub as a bassist eventually asked him to lead worship. Eventually, Ellefson bought the church building and now uses it to host MEGA Life, a contemporary service that helps recovering addicts, something close to his heart. “We as former addicts have a unique ability to help other people who are struggling with addiction,” he says. “We can understand them. We can talk a common language with them. We can hear them in a way that a non-addicted person doesn’t have those experiences and, therefore, can’t really relate to the addict. So my skill set that I got out of that has been able to help a lot of people, and I do that off 86
NOV/DEC 2013
From Left to Right: David Ellefson, Chris Broderick, Dave Mustaine, Shawn Drover.
the radar and for free. It’s in helping others that we also get strengthened ourselves. For me, that’s what strengthened my faith.” Before I met Ellefson, I struck up a conversation with a waiter. When I found out he was a metal fan, I asked his opinion on Megadeth, and he told me the metal community hadn’t been sure what to make of the band since Ellefson became a Christian. “Some people think that’s pretty lame,” he admitted. It’s a charge Ellefson is familiar with. “The reality of it is, Christianity’s got a bad rap,” he says. “There’s so much negative connotation against Christianity because of the judgment. The church by my house has a banner [that says], ‘We’re called to be witnesses, not judges and liars.’ And it’s true.” It’s a judgement that’s cut both ways, but Ellefson’s content to live in the tension.
“People have come to me and said, ‘You have to get out of Megadeth,’ or, ‘That’s blasphemy. You play heavy metal,’” he says. “All I know is, I have my journey. It’s my story. In my darkest moment, I had nowhere to turn to, so I turned to a God that I didn’t really even understand and was sure didn’t even really like me that much. And somehow, a peace came over me. I was brought back into the flock, and my life has unfolded ever since.” TYLER HUCKABEE is the managing editor of RELEVANT magazine. Follow him on Twitter @tylerhuckabee.
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RELE VAN T RECOMMENDS: MUSIC
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HAIM DAYS ARE GONE [P O LY D O R R EC O R D S]
> If Phil Collins had three young sisters and some Pamida synthesizers, they might sound a bit like HAIM. Danielle, Alana and Este Haim’s full-length debut has a ’90s radiorock vibe (think TLC) and three-part harmonies. The lyrics are fun and lively, matching the tone of the music. No Shakespearean odes here. “Give me all your love, baby baby” sings the middle sister and lead singer, Danielle, with a wink on “Don’t Save Me.” On “The Wire,” each band member handles a verse in succession. Finger snaps, chica-ka riffs ala Ferris Bueller and a random “hey!” get you in the groove. And they don’t let up: Each song borrows a melody from both Hall and Oates. It’s creative, danceinducing and totally rad.
GUNGOR I AM MOUNTAIN (HITHER & YON RECORDS)
JANELLE MONAE THE ELECTRIC LADY (BAD BOY RECORDS)
> If there’s one constant with Gungor, it’s that you never know what you’re going to get. I Am Mountain, the fourth major release from the duo, is no exception. Even in the painful notes, there’s always the sense that around the corner, hope is waiting. While musical influences include Bon Iver (“Wandering”), Jack White (“God and Country”) and Mutemath (“Let It Go”), you never feel Gungor is rehashing an old sound. Instead, this album pushes the boundaries of what a “worship” album can be.
> On her second neo-soul release, Janelle Monáe continues the fourth and fifth suites of her seven-part series on the silent sci-fi movie Metropolis. Yes, you read that right. “Life is just a play with no rehearsal” she sings on the lead single, “Q.U.E.E.N.” Over 19 songs, she hammers out beats like a low-fi basement artist who has powerful friends and a laptop. Re-programming routines, cyborg love, dystopian oligarchies—it’s all here. And somehow, it all makes sense.
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THE HEAD AND THE HEART LET’S BE STILL (SUB POP)
ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ROOTS WISE UP GHOSTS (BLUE NOTE)
> True to its title, the sophomore
album by The Head and The Heart is breezy, forlorn and didactic. An underlying theme: Being lost doesn’t make you unfindable. On “Springtime,” there’s a lingering ’70s-era pop intro. “Shake” sounds like Mumford hired an electric guitar player. Many songs have a light pitterpatter of drums and violin, ala Of Monsters and Men at half-speed. You get the sense no one is going home from this jam session for a while. The mesmerizing piano work holds it all together.
CAGE THE ELEPHANT MELOPHOBIA (RCA RECORDS)
MATT REDMAN YOUR GRACE FINDS ME (SIXSTEPRECORDS)
Almost everything you hear on the new Cage The Elephant album is a question: What is life all about anyway? Is there anything holding us together? Are there any moral implications? The band, with hints of Manchester Orchestra, has a newfound bluesy vibe, but they’ve also created a distinct, guitar-laden, almostscreamo alt-rock sound amid horns and thrashing drums. “Black Widow,” the best song, fuses their influences into a cohesive whole.
More upbeat than previous outings, the 11th release by U.K. worship songsmith Matt Redman was recorded live at Passion City Church in Atlanta. On “This Beating Heart,” there’s a surprising banjo hoedown. “Hands up, hearts open wide,” he sings on “Wide As The Sky,” as the congregation joins in on a rapturous final chorus. “Let My People Go” could pass for Hillsong United: fistpumping worship for people who don’t want to sit in their seats anymore.
> > On what may be his best album
ever, Elvis Costello creates a perfect pop confection with an amazing backing band, finely arranged songs and intricate wordplay. Musically, it’s all over the map, with slivers of hip-hop, alt-rock, R&B and soul. “Tripewire” has one line in the chorus that sticks to your synapses like a gooey substance. The album is ostensibly about racial tension, a crowning achievement in bridging a persistent divide.
>
WILL CHRISTIANITY HAVE A FUNERAL OR A FUTURE?
Mark Driscoll founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington.
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RELE VAN T RECOMMENDS: DV DS
THE BLING RING SOFIA COPPOL A [A24 FILMS, R]
> There’s an irony about Sophia Coppola: She keeps growing as a filmmaker but keeps declining in recognition. Coppola’s fifth feature film epitomizes this paradox. The true story, centered on a group of high schoolers who stole millions from Hollywood celebrities between 2008 and 2009, fits precisely with Coppola’s signature aesthetic—the houses, the clubs, the fashion. Yet she refuses to overindulge in it. Unlike earlier works, The Bling Ring doesn’t get lost in an atmosphere of style to the neglect of substance. That’s not to say the film doesn’t look nice. It’s just that Coppola now knows the art of restraint. She also seems to be saying something. Coppola underscores the suffocating nature of stuff and the dissatisfaction that so often accompanies wealth and celebrity. Serving as her delinquent muse, Emma Watson personifies this truth through her enticing turn.
MAN OF STEEL ZACK SNYDER (WARNER BROS. PICTURES, PG-13)
PRINCE AVALANCHE DAVID GORDON GREEN (MAGNOLIA PICTURES, R)
> Zack Snyder’s Superman adaptation didn’t do well with those who think superhero movies must be serious, or with those offended by anything that invokes Jesus. Despite all preconceived notions, however, the film actually works well. From the moving performances (namely Henry Cavill and Kevin Costner), to the grandiose action sequences, to the rich narrative that is Superman, Man of Steel deserves more recognition.
> David Gordon Green made a severe shift from the indie poetic drama George Washington to the mainstream stoner comedy Pineapple Express. His latest, Prince Avalanche, lands somewhere in the middle. A story about two highway workers— played subtly by Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch—in 1988 Texas, the film proves both thoughtful and funny. The soundtrack, featuring Explosions in the Sky and David Wingo, adds a riveting backdrop.
Engaging faith to engage the world Bridging difference Listening generously Tell i n g Good News
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PACIFIC RIM GUILLERMO DEL TORO (WARNER BROS. PICTURES, PG-13)
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING JOSS WHEDON (BELLWETHER PICTURES, PG-13)
In Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro pits monstrous sea creatures against massive robots in a battle to save the world. There’s nothing really to say about the story, the acting, the dialogue—it’s all about the action sequences and visual effects. Out of this apocalyptic cluster, del Toro creates a visual spectacle. The movie is big, loud and dumb. But that’s exactly what it wants to be, and there’s something endearing about that. >
FRUITVALE STATION RYAN COOGLER (THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY, R)
> This bright surprise offers an
It’s impossible not to see Fruitvale Station, the true story of Oscar Grant, who was unjustly killed by an Oakland cop, through the lenses of Trayvon Martin. The parallel provides it substantial political and social weight, yet the film doesn’t hinge on its timeliness but its craft. Michael B. Jordan gives a performance of a lifetime, and new director Ryan Coogler inserts an equal amount of vigor to the hard, yet hopeful, story. >
This is the way Shakespeare should be done today. Throw out the lavish costumes and makeup. Give the story a modern setting. Keep the language. Joss Whedon’s adaptation shows an understanding and adoration for its source material. A tale of two sets of lovers with varying views of love, Much Ado proves a wellacted, light-hearted romantic comedy complemented by beautiful cinematography. >
THE WAY, WAY BACK NAT FAXON AND JIM RASH (FOX SEARCHLIGHT, PG-13)
even mix of humor and heart. In their directorial debut, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (Dean Pelton in Community) nuance the tired coming-of-age story of an outcast finding redemption through the unlikely—in this case, a local waterpark. They do it not only with a script full of wit and charm, but also through the talented cast. As the protagonist, Duncan, Liam James gives as honest a turn as his counterpart, Sam Rockwell.
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RELE VAN T RECOMMENDS: BOOK S
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE DAVID FINKEL [SARAH CRICHTON BOOKS ]
> We may occasionally spare a thought or prayer for the
men and women serving this country overseas, but what about after their return? In The Good Soldiers, David Finkel embedded with the men on the front lines in Iraq to give us an intimate inside look at the war. Now, he follows them home, showing the pain and difficulty of readjusting back to civilian life. Unflinching but compassionate, Thank You For Your Service reveals how their deployment and return affects not only the soldiers themselves, but also their wives and families. Finkel’s craftmanship somehow gives us a deeper understanding of these soldiers’ wounds—both visible and invisible—while also showing us that we will never truly understand. It’s a harrowing, convicting, mesmerizing look at life after war that will make you think about what exactly it means to say thank you to our troops.
THE LOWLAND JHUMPA LAHIRI (KNOPF)
THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT AMY TAN (HARPERCOLLINS)
> From the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Namesake, The Lowland tells the tale of two brothers who grow up together in Calcutta but end up worlds apart. As one goes off to teach in America, the other gets involved in political rebellion in 1960s India, leading to complexities, revelations and tragedies that his family has to deal with. The novel details the profound and compelling family saga within rich historical and geographical backdrops.
The story of three women’s secrets, heartaches and loss, The Valley of Amazement spans 50 years and two continents. The novel focuses on Violet, a young Chinese-American girl who becomes a courtesan in Shanghai. Violet struggles to figure out her place in the world even as she unknowingly relives her own mother’s trauma. Amy Tan’s masterful storytelling makes the novel a colorful, enchanting narrative. >
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HEROES IN THE NIGHT TEA KRULOS (CHICAGO REVIEW PRESS)
PACKING LIGHT ALLISON VESTERFELT (MOODY PUBLISHERS)
Just as the first step in our personal relationship with God is repentance, our first step in publicly embracing Christianity is often also repentance. Throughout our Christian journey, we must repent of our failings, of how we’ve made Christianity into something it’s not and used it for our own agendas. In The Unkingdom of God, Mark Van Steenwyk calls us to rethink our faith. It’s convicting, revealing and thought-provoking.
>
They risk their lives to keep us safe. Night after night, they leave behind their regular jobs, don costumes and walk the streets on a mission to combat evil. And in this quirky book, Tea Krulos gives us the behind-thescenes stories of The Real Life Superhero Movement. Krulos shows us that though the movement may seem strange and sometimes silly, the people behind it are ultimately motivated by a desire to make the world a better place.
At 26, Allison Vesterfelt had a graduate degree and a job, but she felt like something was missing from what was supposed to be the climax of her life. So she gave up everything and embarked on a six-month cross-country road trip. In Packing Light, Vesterfelt, now an editor at Prodigal Magazine, tells her story in a beautiful, honest memoir that challenges us to reconsider what baggage we are carrying and what we need to leave behind.
>
At nearly 800 words, The Goldfinch is an investment, but a worthwhile one. Theo Decker’s world falls apart when his mother is killed in an explosion at the Metropolitan Museum. He is left in possession of the Dutch painting “The Goldfinch,” which draws the novel together as readers follow the detailed, but enthralling story of Theo’s turbulent life in New York City. Despite its length, you’ll be sad when you turn the last page. >
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QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRISTIANS
Being a part of this community has been a life-transforming experience. My journey here at Austin Seminary has been one full of support, spiritual growth, and the intentional creation and implementation of God’s beloved community.
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>
“
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CON T EN T S
MINDY KALING 44 She’s writing, producing and acting in her own show, and here, television’s busiest woman talks about leaving The Office, learning to lead and breaking the mold for women on TV.
08
First Word
10 Feedback 12 Slices
54 Derek Webb The controversial singer-songwriter talks his career, countering cynicism and why he loves hip-hop.
Christians in the Middle East, gifts that give back, Jeremy Lin, Inventions changing the world and more.
72 Are We Really the Narcissistic Generation? Studies call Millennials selfobsessed, but does the evidence add up?
78 Washed Out The artist behind the indie band talks touring, happy music and his new album.
34 The Drop Interviews with The Naked and Famous, Chris Tomlin, The Digital Age and more.
40 The Upside of a Down Economy As the recession takes away jobs, Millennials are creating their own.
56 Chasing the Dream The year’s best film, 12 Years a Slave, shines light on our ugly history with racism and how far we still have to go.
64 Ellie Goulding
50 Playing God? Scientists have been able to 3-D print everything from pizza to human tissue. Should we be excited or nervous?
96
CONTENTS NOV/DEC 2013
Pop’s golden girl doesn’t think she’s good at being famous. She’s wrong.
68 Can We Know God? Christianity is a relationship, but that can be harder than we think. And much more beautiful.
80 Virgin Territory What purity culture got wrong and how a new movement is changing the conversation.
84 Life After Deth Megadeth’s founding member is turning to a higher power, but he hasn’t forgotten how to rock.
90 RELEVANT Recommends
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