Photo by Carl Heyerdahl
Oakland, California: the setting of one of the last scenes in Marvel’s The Black Panther. King T’Challa stands next to his sister, Shuri, in what appears to be a depressed neighborhood--the ghetto.
“This is where our father killed our uncle,” T’Challa says when Shuri asks him why he’s taken her here and not to Coachella instead.
Shuri takes a glance at a sign, Warning: This building is condemned per the city of Oakland, office of the building inspector. KEEP OUT!
“They’re tearing it down. Good!” Shuri says.
“They’re not tearing it down. I bought this building,” T’Challa pauses. “And that building. And that one over there.” Shuri looks at him confused. Why in the world does my brother crave these awful reminders of our father’s mistakes and Wakanda’s past?
“This will be the first Wakandan International Outreach Center,” T’Challa says, finally. “Nakia will oversee the social outreach. And you will spearhead the science and information exchange.”
A Wakandan ship appears out of thin air and local African American kids run over to check it out. One kid is ready to sell all the parts on eBay to get out of poverty. Another kid asks Shuri where she comes from.
“Hey, yo! This yours?” a kid asks T’Challa, gesturing at the massive ship that just parked on his outdoor basketball court.
“W-who are you?”
T’Challa smiles and the credits roll.
A lot of us loved this film when it first released two years ago, especially people of color. So many of us, for so long, wanted to see proper representation on the screen. We were usually relegated to background characters or supporting roles, but with The Black Panther, a mythical story of an advanced Africa took centerstage in a major blockbuster film for the first time.
I loved this film for many reasons, but one of the most powerful things I thought about afterwards was my own predicament: Does my church have a place for me when I’m called to use my talents, resources, and my gifts for the greater world around me?
Most Adventists may not be using one of their biggest resources. Wakandans had vibranium. Besides health, prophecy, a day of rest, education, and so many other amazing things, we have an untapped resource in a world that’s vastly different than it was in 1863:
Creatives.
Hi, I’m Phillip Warfield and last month I decided that I was Adventist-ish. It’s just a random term I coined to talk about creatives in my church denomination, the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Some people were rather offended by this statement.
After all, the suffix “ish” is pretty flexible. Sometimes it tends to mean “somewhat” or “near, close enough, kinda/sorta.” That’s not what I’m going for. The suffix -ish, can also mean “of, relating to, or being--chiefly in adjectives indicating nationality or ethnic group.” I belong to an Adventist Church family and have no plans on leaving anytime soon. I am a product of my church, I relate to people in my church, and I am an Adventist. Got it?
Here’s my point, before you rattle off in the comments about how I’m going straight to the furnace or claim I’m an apostate: I’m Adventist-ish because I believe in using everything that I’ve learned about my church and all of its resources to be an example of a Christian on the world’s stage--not just pouring straight back into my church and never daring to meet with people outside of its doors. Is everyone called to be a nurse, doctor, professor, etc.? Not at all!
This little blog series is for my creative friends (and those in church leadership) who seek to learn how to empower creatives around them, not to inherently complain about a system or church structure. Maybe you’re a pastor who wants to livestream your service during the coronavirus pandemic, or a teacher who sees a student who is a marvelous storyteller but struggles to write, traditionally. This is for you! Welcome to our community.
Kevin Christensen
A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with my friend Kevin Christensen. When I first met him, he was the executive director and head writer of our university’s live sketch comedy show (seen by thousands of students four times a school year) and had just starred in the 2014 Pathfinder Camporee production, Daniel, as Ashpenaz. He really empathized with my journey and offered his experience and advice on what being Adventist-ish has been like for him.
“People are never shown the way outside of their own bubble. Always ask yourself, ‘How can I use my talents to shape my community, my church, and/or my family?’”
Kevin graduated summa cum laude from my university with two different bachelor’s degrees, he was certified in two languages, and received top awards in his field. He didn’t know where to start. He expected much more of himself.
So, he Googled it: How can I open my own company?
From there, he worked his way up. He loved film, so he became an extra on a few sets to learn the trade and everything he possibly could.
“Adventists must step up their game. The Adventist experience is not enough. We are looking for value both in and outside the church. We need connections. Outside of the church, it feels like our institutions may not have value. Wondering why Adventist educational institutions are losing students? Generation Z is looking for VALUE as their Millennial parents struggle to still pay off old loans.”
Today, Kevin is a film producer, yet he still cares so passionately about his church. He’s a co-founder of the Scratch, an Adventist media company, and stays well-connected with the goings-on of his church.
Just because Kevin has been in the same room as A-list celebrities, musicians, directors, producers, and more, it doesn’t mean he’s left his Church behind. Kevin’s learning from the film industry’s best practices to help the Church produce better storytelling. Both worlds have a lot to gain from each other.
Kaleb Eisele
Kaleb Eisele is the creator of Humans of Adventism, a page on Facebook and Instagram that is heavily inspired by Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York.” Humans of Adventism seeks to explore and showcase the variety of people sharing the Adventist faith.
According to the Humans of Adventism website, “Adventist humans are pretty similar to other humans when it gets down to it. We fear and worry, hope and struggle, and try to figure out our place in the world just like everyone else.”
Incredibly, the work of Humans of Adventism was even featured in newspapers in Kaleb’s hometown in South Carolina. On the Burn the Haystack podcast, Kaleb talked about his concerns with how isolationist Adventists can be:
“I spend 99% of my time with people who aren’t SDA (Seventh-day Adventists). I am openly and proudly Adventist and I’m a little concerned about our ability to talk with other people and this isolationist mentality I find in the culture of church”
Kaleb graduated from Indiana Academy ten years ago, married his high school sweetheart two years later, and attended a church, for a while, where church leadership began to ask him to sign up for leadership positions. His church barely knew him, but before he knew it, a list of work was thrusted into his face. His church never considered what he was going through or even where his talents were. It took him a while to return to church...but he did.
For a few years, Kaleb worked 50-60 hours a week as a pest control technician, though he graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in English. His passion was always about connecting with people. Today, Kaleb is a content developer for the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists--a conference that believes in paying people like Kaleb to connect us all through storytelling.
“Not only are we seeing people get excited about Adventism again, our stories are being shared by people who have never been inside an Adventist church. We have Jewish, Muslim, atheist, Catholic, Baptist, and agnostic supporters among others. People want to see our community relationships heal, and they’re willing to support that even if it’s coming from a church they’ve never heard of.”
Adventists who are interested in theatre, drama, dance, etc. The Church may say they have no place for you, but if you’ll watch productions like Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists’ (University Church) SonRise, the Holy Land Experience, or shows at Sight & Sound, you’ll realize how much Christians appreciate creativity. There should be a place for us. Even if the church does not yet have a specific place for us, perhaps it’s time for us to create our own.
Ellen G. White, an author and messenger, had plenty to say about one man in the Bible who learned to walk the line between “heathen” and “chosen.” His name? Joseph. If you haven’t yet read the story of Joseph, read Genesis 37 to 50.
Joseph was sold as a slave (by his brothers) to a foreign land--Egypt. Egypt was a land where no God-follower really wanted to go. Filled with idols, symbols, and alien practices, Jacob’s family stayed away from this land as long as they could.
Joseph had no choice.
Yet, instead of lamenting his situation, Joseph went straight to work.
“Joseph’s industry, care, and energy were crowned with the divine blessing; even his idolatrous master accepted this as the secret of his prosperity. God was glorified by His servant’s faithfulness. He intended that the believer in God should appear in sharp contrast to the worshippers of idols so that the light of heavenly grace would shine out amid the darkness of heathenism.”
Joseph was sent to the center of civilization in his day, yet was taught by nonbelievers in order to eventually become the greatest prime minister in Egypt’s history and fulfilled God’s plans for him. There were some things Joseph wasn’t going to learn in his small bubble in Canaan. His father taught him all he possibly could, but there were lessons Joseph needed to learn.
“The chief captain came to regard Joseph as a son rather than a slave. The youth was brought into contact with men of rank and learning, and he acquired a knowledge of science, languages, and public affairs—an education needed by the future prime minister of Egypt. ”
I am being sent to Washington, D.C., one of many destinations for leadership and intellectuals upon the world stage. I’m not like Joseph in the way that I am being sent there as a slave, but I have still been given an unbelievable opportunity to go to a non-Adventist institution for my terminal degree. Am I to become the next president of the United States in the next few decades? I have no idea. I do know that I have been given this opportunity by no one other than God, so I will learn all I can wherever He places me.
Photo by Kyle Mills
Maybe you’re a creative who hasn’t yet figured out where they’re supposed to work and what they’re supposed to do. My advice is to find a community of like-minded people who can help push you forward into success. Keep praying and God will direct your paths. That’s my firm belief.
“God gives opportunities; success depends on the use we make of them.”
At the end of nearly every Marvel film there’s at least one post-credits scene that hints towards a future film or event on the timeline. Let’s revisit The Black Panther again. King T’Challa and his fellow Wakandan leaders walk into what is presumed to be the United Nations with a very special announcement.
T’Challa addresses the crowd:
“...And for the first time in our history, we (Wakanda) will be sharing our knowledge and resources with the outside world. Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We cannot. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and sisters on this Earth, should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence.”
This is my favorite passage of the entire film:
“We all know the truth, more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one, single tribe.”
“With all due respect, King T’Challa,” a powerful leader interrupts, “what can a nation of farmers have to offer the rest of the world?” Whispers ensue from throughout the room. To them, Wakanda is just an agrarian society.
T’Challa can only smile. Just you wait and see.
Adventist leaders around the world, I want you to imagine that you’re King T’Challa of Wakanda. He and his people know of all the resources they have that could help the world heal. Instead of keeping it to themselves, they use it to change the world.
Being Adventist-ish doesn’t mean you’re ready to sell yourself out to the world, start looking for ways to join the “Illuminati,” and leave your identity in Christ behind. It does mean it’s time for us to find a community of people to encourage us to create in whatever shape or form that God created us to do...and I’ll be right there to encourage you on your way.
“But Joseph’s character bore the test of adversity and prosperity alike. He was a stranger in a heathen land, separated from his family, but he fully believed that the divine hand had directed his life. In constant reliance on God, he faithfully carried out the duties of his position. The attention of the kind and great men of Egypt was directed to the true God, and they learned to respect the principles revealed in Joseph as a worshipper of Jehovah.”
A note to some of the people more apt to be offended: Do your best to understand where many of us are coming from. We are not attacking our beloved church or trying to distance ourselves from it, but we do wish our structure would find us valuable and allow us to reach people in the best way we know how. Encourage us, even if we’re no longer in an Adventist school structure, create a small group for creatives in your church to meet together for community, help us search for mentors outside of the church who may be able to better train us for some of the work we have been called to do.
God’s path for me may not be the same for you.
(Oh, and any comment completely unnecessary shall be deleted. This is a personal blog meant for encouragement and healthy dialogue, not abrasive condemnation and condescending comments upon my personhood or the lives of others).