Stewards of Wealth Streams

Four Silicon Valley residents who are wielding their region’s capital for good.

Photo by Jeff Singer

Pamela Wilhelms, an environmental engineer and business consultant, was rounding the corner on the 44th floor of a skyscraper along the San Francisco Bay, when she stopped dead in her tracks.

"I turn to the left and see pictures of the company's landholdings and factories—in the same Central American country I'd seen the night before," says the San Diego native and Denver Seminary graduate. The previous night, she had attended a fundraiser for a nonprofit that digs wells in Central America. There she learned about a village whose water source had been destroyed by an American company upstream—one that looked awfully familiar.

"I didn't realize how complicit I was. By day I was helping leaders and executives go after their economic bottom line, and by night I was on the board of not-for-profits trying to clean up the mess," says Wilhelms.

"We're never going to create a sustainable planet as long as we have a false dichotomy that says nonprofits do good and for-profits make money."

Eight years later, the dichotomy is fading for Wilhelms and others who believe business can make more than profit. Call it the "for-benefit company," a niche but growing field where Wilhelms is applying her organizational consulting experience, service in the White House, and seminary training to get companies pursuing more than the traditional financial bottom line.

The companies that Wilhelms has worked with—including Nike, Unilever, and Seventh Generation—seek a triple bottom line: economic, social, and environmental, so that their products benefit all three cultural arenas.

At first, she says, "People would just laugh at me and say, 'Nobody's ever going to measure a triple bottom line.'" But the laughter is fading, as some states are beginning to recognize the for-benefit company (or "B Corp") as a distinct business classification with legal protection to make long-term investments for a variety of stakeholders.

For Wilhelms, pursuing a triple bottom line is rooted in faith. "There is a deep theology to a lot of this thinking," she says. But she notes that sustainability is a common-good goal shared by people of many faiths, and no faith at all. "We have to look systemically, and we have to bring together economists and ecologists and corporate leaders and government leaders and artists and everybody from the whole system," she says.

Convening is one of Wilhelms's gifts and is the foundation of her new initiative, the Soul of the Next Economy. And Silicon Valley is the best base from which to do it.

"Silicon Valley is a place of amazing innovation and creativity," Wilhelms says. "It's also become the venture capital of the world." When choosing where to live in 2005 (between Washington, D.C., New England, and Silicon Valley), she learned that of the top 100 economic entities in the world (including governments), for the first time more than half were corporations. (Since then, that number has only grown—in 2011, 63.4 percent of the top 175 were corporations). And a growing number of those are based in the Bay Area. "I felt like my call was to be here in Silicon Valley," Wilhelms says. "It's such an important place because it leads [and influences] so much."

In other words, if not Silicon Valley, then where? Chances are you have a smartphone lying within a few feet of you right now. Was the coltan for that smartphone mined from a conflict area in the Congo? Were the workers who put it together among those who threatened mass suicide in the Chinese Foxconn factory last year? Many of these questions are answered in Silicon Valley, and they touch all of us—from the upstream of society all the way down to its most vulnerable members.

Amplifying impact

Russ Hall, cofounder of Legacy Venture, has seen the good that wealth can do. He is a fellow at the American Leadership Forum of Silicon Valley and a board member of a variety of philanthropic groups, including Stanford's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and the Global Philanthropy Forum.

While Wilhelms is addressing how companies are now pursuing a double or triple bottom line impact, Hall is addressing how individuals and foundations can multiply their impact.

After a successful career in marketing and sales in Silicon Valley, Hall cofounded Legacy in 1999, and its sister foundation, Legacy Works, a few years later. Highly influenced by Bob Buford's Halftime ministries, Hall and partner Jim Anderson wanted to harness venture capital—the early stage, high-risk investment so essential to Silicon Valley startups—with investors' desire to give back.

Here's how it works: Legacy Venture takes advantage of a charity tax break by helping their partners (LPs) invest in premier venture capital firms while offering a low fee structure. In exchange for such investment opportunities, LPs agree to donate all principal and profits to the causes of their choice.

"If you are lucky enough to be in venture, you often have a whole satchel of scattered things you've invested in," says Hall. "At some point, you [have a] stock that's done as well as it's going to do, and [you] want to invest in something else. You'd sell it or you'd give that to your philanthropy because if you sold it, you'd have to pay the tax man."

Since its founding, Legacy members have committed to invest more than $1 billion. Hall describes it as "amplifying the size and effectiveness of people's philanthropy."

Legacy Venture may sound too abstract to have any real-world impact, but a visit to its offices proves otherwise. There, Hall points to colorful frames on the walls. Pictures of wells, of children under insect nets, of women selling fruits and vegetables at the market demonstrate the work funded by LPs. Hall holds up a pair of glasses that look like party favors—a large plastic screw on each side of the frame. These are adjustable prescription glasses and cost just a few dollars. Anyone can wear them, twist the screws until the prescription is right, and then break the screws off. It's an invention funded by a Legacy LP, and an example of Silicon Valley wealth used for good.

'Having a second, a third, a fourth home, a faster jet, more cars—that narrative doesn't need to be fed. Philanthropy should be just as exciting as the lures of the world.' ~ Russ Hall, cofounder, Legacy Venture

Silicon Valley is home to a large segment of nouveau riche, Hall says—a group that often wants to give back but doesn't have the family history to teach them how. Legacy Works offers regular events where investors learn about new charities and how to effectively serve boards. "We try to build this community that will hopefully do a better job," Hall says. "The good and bad news of venture is it doesn't work overnight. It takes a decade, give or take, to work. We've got their attention for a decade, so it's a chance to draw them in, and maybe they get intercepted by a broader vision of what they can do.

"Philanthropy should be just as exciting as the lures of the world," says Hall. "Having a second, a third, a fourth home, a faster jet, more cars—that narrative doesn't need to be fed. Can we feed a narrative of how much good you can do?"

Across the freeway

It's one thing to talk about the effects of wealth across the globe. It is another to see the effects play out down the street. In Silicon Valley, that's how far you have to travel—just across the strategically placed U.S. Route 101—to see, as Wilhelms puts it, "what's downstream from wealth."

East Palo Alto is a city defined by its proximity: almost the end of the first cross-continental railroad, almost the headquarters of Facebook. It became the drug supplier to the Bay area and, in the early 1990s, was deemed the murder capital of the United States. Today, it is a densely populated city with a majority Hispanic population (65 percent). Six percent are white and 16 percent are black. Its income per capita is 30.5 percent lower than the national average and 40.9 percent below the California average. Most residents work in the service industry or what few blue-collar jobs are available on the other side of the freeway. It's an uneasy relationship—one made all the more uneasy as East Palo Alto has become expensive dirt.

"A couple years ago, a lot of people began losing their houses," says Blanca Medina, a housing counselor at local nonprofit Able Works. "In East Palo Alto, we had about 2,000 properties go through foreclosure. A lot of these people, when they purchased their home, signed for a loan they could never sustain."

It's a story, of course, playing out in many other cities. But it's particularly insidious in East Palo Alto, because it's within the Silicon Valley region. East Palo Alto has the most affordable housing in San Mateo County. As property values increase around it, investors have begun to look toward developing East Palo Alto. Distressed and foreclosed properties are magnets for investors, who snatch them up with cash. Gentrification seems inevitable as East Palo Alto is swallowed up by the Silicon Valley boom.

"These people have lived in their homes for more than 20 years," Medina says. "But because their payment went up, they can no longer afford to stay." In the past six months, through an Able Works program called LiveAble, Medina and other housing counselors have rescued more than 40 homes from foreclosure. LiveAble counsels and advocates for homeowners who are more than 30 days delinquent on their mortgage note. The program is free, and Medina works with lenders and banks to negotiate a lower interest rate for a longer term. She aims to get the payment down to about 30 percent of the homeowner's income.

"These homes carry a lot of memory," she says. But Medina, a 26-year-old mother of two, is driven by more than sentiment: Owning a home is essential to halting the cycle of poverty. She notes that children of homeowners are 20 percent more likely to finish high school and 116 percent more likely to go to college. And daughters of homeowners are 20 percent less likely to become teenage mothers—as Medina was.

At age 17, Medina was forced to leave her parents' house when her daughter was born. She found shelter at the local nonprofit New Creations. They gave her a place to live, helped her care for her daughter and stay in school, and took her to church, where she "met God," she says. "God has given me the ability to feel their struggles as if they were my own."

In addition to being a housing counselor, Medina teaches single moms about finances and leadership and mentors them in their careers. She also leads the women in an optional Bible study. "I think the biggest struggle for a single mom is finding resources and building a positive community. These women are extremely smart; they are leaders. Had I not met certain people from the community who are doing good, I would not have had as much opportunity, nor would I have the desire to reach out to the community myself."

Breaking these generational cycles is what Able Works is all about. Started in 2005 by John Liotti and Marc Prioleau, Able Works seeks to address East Palo Alto's deficits in education, banking, housing, and employment—deficits that appear even starker within Silicon Valley. "We started asking questions like how, in a community of 2.5 square miles, can there be 97 youth-serving nonprofits and still have a 70 percent dropout rate?" says Liotti, Able Works CEO and a local police chaplain. "How can a community that's literally a stone's throw away from Palo Alto have check cashing outlets as the primary banking outlet? And no grocery store?"

There's a grocery store now—a busy Hispanic market with "the best tacos around," says Liotti. And thanks to groundbreaking partnerships Able Works forged in 2007, a number of businesses and development groups have cropped up in the area. They've also educated thousands of kids—upward of 500 a week—through FutureProfits, a program done in local public high schools to train underresourced kids in financial literacy and life skills. Lasting change will come only when these systemic issues are addressed, says Liotti.

"The stuff we're dealing with is long-term: major education issues, major housing issues, crime, systemic racism. It's just this big thing that takes lots of care, lots of effort, and lots of time."

"Slow and steady" isn't a celebrated value in a startup culture like Silicon Valley. But each in their own way, Wilhelms, Hall, Medina, and Liotti are championing patience, especially regarding wealth and all its effects. The question of what's downstream (or down the street) from wealth is ultimately a question of the long run: the long-term consequences and benefits of a for-profit culture. It's a question Christians in Silicon Valley must consider, because, in the end, it's also a kingdom question.

Roxanne Stone is curriculum editor for This Is Our City and serves as an editorial consultant for organizations such as Barna Group and Q Ideas.

This article was originally published as part of This is Our City, a Christianity Today special project.

- More from Roxanne Stone

News

The World’s Worst Places To Be A Christian (Or Another Religious Minority)

Melissa Steffan

(Updated) USCIRF’s new list of religious freedom violators has familiar names, but contrasts with other lists.

Update (May 3): Washington Post maps the USCIRF’s world’s worst religious freedom violators. The visual look reveals that all but one of the USCIRF’s Tier 1 and 2 violators are in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East.

––-

Update: Religion News points out that the 2013 USCIRF includes non-state violators for the first time.

Knox Thames, USCIRF director of policy and research, told RNS in an interview, “USCIRF added a special emphasis on non-state actors, as their violent actions are a growing threat to religious freedom.”

––-

Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, and North Korea are among the world’s worst violators of religious freedom, according to the annual U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report released today.

Although USCIRF does not rank countries in any particular order, this year’s report recommends that 15 countries receive State Department designation as Tier 1 “countries of particular concern” (CPCs), where “governments … have engaged in or tolerated ‘particularly severe’ violations of religious freedom” that are “systematic, ongoing, and egregious.”

The U.S. currently designates Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan as CPCs. USCIRF wants Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam added to the list.

Another eight countries comprise the second tier of CPCs, where religious freedom conditions could worsen: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia. However, USCIRF takes a more optimistic approach to these countries, stating that U.S. policymakers have “an opportunity to engage early and [increase] the likelihood of preventing or diminishing the violations.”

But where USCIRF sees opportunity to prevent conditions from worsening, other groups such as World Watch Monitor (WWM) see flagrant violations already. Four of the top 10 countries (Somalia, Maldives, Mali, and Yemen) on its 2013 World Watch List, which ranks the top 50 countries where Christians face the most religious persecution, do not appear among either USCIRF’s Tiers 1 or 2. Two of USCIRF’s Tier 1 countries, Burma and China, rank 32nd and 37th (respectively) on the WWM list.

Unlike the World Watch List, USCIRF’s list reviews persecution against all religions, and includes many countries in the Middle East and western Asia. By contrast, African nations surged up the ranks on the World Watch List in recent years.

CT has spotlighted the nations where it’s hardest to believe and charted the differences between international religious freedom advocates, as well as covered a landmark Pew study on religious persecution.

CT also reported on the WWL rankings in 2009 and 2012, and highlighted geographic trends among refugees and asylum seekers.

- More from Melissa Steffan

News

Modern Hymn Writers Revive Lost Art with Surprising Success

Bob Smietana - RNS

Keith and Kristyn Getty are changing the way contemporary churches worship.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) Most songwriters in Nashville want to get their songs on the radio. Keith and Kristyn Getty hope their songs end up in dusty old hymnbooks.

The Gettys, originally from Belfast, Ireland, hope to revive the art of hymn writing at a time when the most popular new church songs are written for rock bands rather than choirs.

They’ve had surprising success.

Why? Because the Gettys aim to write songs that “every generation can sing,” they told CT in a 2008 interview. “What we sing is for people of all ages.”

One of the first songs that Keith co-wrote, called “In Christ Alone,” has been among the top 20 songs sung in newer churches in the United States for the past five years, according to Christian Copyright Licensing International. It is also a favorite in more traditional venues–including the recent enthronement service for Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

Hearing that hymn sung by a boys’ choir with a brass ensemble and thousands of worshippers was a thrill for Keith Getty, a self-described classical nerd.

“We couldn’t watch it here so my mom, as soon as it came on, turned up the television on full and phoned us,” he said.

The Gettys got their start writing music about a dozen years ago, when they were living in Northern Ireland.

Keith Getty, now 38, was an aspiring songwriter. His wife, now 32, was a student. She sang on his demo recordings in exchange for fajita dinners at a Mexican restaurant in Belfast. They married nine years ago and have a 2-year-old daughter, Eliza.

Keith Getty wrote the tune for “In Christ Alone” on the back of an electric bill and sent it to his friend, Stuart Townend, another modern hymn writer. Townend wrote the lyrics and began playing it in churches in England, where people would line up to get the sheet music afterward.

Today it’s often sung in churches where young people congregate, like the Axis Church in Nashville.

The Rev. Jeremy Rose of Axis, who is in his 30s, said most new songs focus on how worshippers feel about God but don’t contain much theology. Older hymns often have good theology but lack a personal touch. But “In Christ Alone” has both.

“This hymn takes theology and attaches it to my day-in and day-out life and practice,” he said. “It has such depth and truth put to music.”

Similar to hymns such as “Amazing Grace” or “Be Thou My Vision,” the song makes people want to sing along.

That’s a lost art, said Mark Hosny, artistic director of the National Praise and Worship Institute at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.

Newer Christian music often makes the band or lead singer sound good but doesn’t engage the congregation. That’s missing the point, Hosny said.

“A lot of today’s melodies are not singable. That’s why they don’t stick,” he said.

Hosny recently attended a Getty concert at the famed Ryman Auditorium, which featured their hymns as well as gospel songs and traditional Irish music. Everyone was singing along, he said.

That’s what hymns are supposed to do, said Dave Clark, director of creative development, publishing and A&R for Nashville-based Lillenas Publishing. They make space for people to join in.

“There is a familiarity in hymns — that even if you are hearing it for the first time, you feel like you know it,” he said.

The Gettys, who moved to Nashville in 2011, were in Orlando, Fla., recently to lead worship at the Gospel Coalition conference, which drew about 5,000 people.

One of the songs they played was one called “A Rich Young Man.” It’s an Irish tune that recounts the story of Jesus telling a rich young man to sell all he had and give it to the poor.

The song had the congregation clapping and singing along while focusing on a serious topic. It was another example of the Gettys’ gift of combining theology and practical faith, all wrapped up in a catchy tune.

“We learn our faith through what we sing,” said Keith Getty.

The Gettys plan to take a sabbatical for a few months to write more hymns. Keith Getty said he tries to write five new ideas for melodies a day, trying to find just the right combination of notes and rhythm.

He said he doesn’t just want people to sing along. He wants to connect with their souls when they sing one of his songs.

“You want them to breathe deeper. You want them to stand taller,” he said. “If you can’t do that, you have lost them.”

The Gettys find much of their inspiration these days in their collection of old hymnbooks, which stands not far from the piano in the living room of their Nashville home.

Kristyn Getty said she often thumbs through the indexes of those hymnbooks while she’s working on new lyrics and looking for ideas.

The daughter of a pastor, she grew up singing hymns in church. She said there’s something powerful in singing the same words and music that have been passed down from generation to generation.

“Not everything you write will last,” she said. “And you won’t know which ones do, because you’ll not be here. But you hope that some of them will stick.”

(Bob Smietana writes for USA Today.)

- More from Bob Smietana - RNS

Ideas

Letters to the Editor

Readers write and respond to the April issue.

Light in Dark Places

The April issue of CT was timely, encouraging, and sobering. Friends of ours are frail in the faith, facing the imminent death of their son from brain cancer. I shared with them Philip Yancey's article "National Tragedy and the Empty Tomb," then sent it to all the unbelievers who are in our circle of a growing faith community, including one of our sons. Thank you, Philip Yancey, for continuing your work of grace, bringing harsh truths to light in a way that gives hope to the hopeless and meaning for those who struggle.

Mary Veilleux Berryville, Virginia

Already 'Reached'?

I read with interest CT's recent interview with Rick Warren ["Rick Warren's Final Frontier," April]. Having recently visited Saddleback from New Zealand, where I serve as a missionary, I was surprised to see on Saddleback's map of the world numerous "unreached people groups" located in New Zealand. I have tried to clarify with them who these groups actually are. While I am committed to reaching unreached people groups, I feel we need to be clear on who and where they are, and not make statistical claims that have no basis in fact. At the Lausanne Congress in 2010 in Cape Town, I had a similar experience when we were asked to commit to reaching these unreached people groups—of which we knew many were already "reached."

Ben Carswell Wellington, New Zealand

Imperfect Beings

In "The Mystery of Original Sin" [April], Marguerite Shuster writes, "The reason we do evil remains as mysterious as the turning away of Adam and Eve." But according to the Bible, God made the first man with a lifeless spirit: "Thus also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul; the last Adam a quickening spirit. But that which is spiritual [was] not first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual" (1. Cor. 15:45-46, Darby).

The first man was an unfinished, therefore imperfect being. God does not make mistakes. God creates man according to a progressive process. When Adam and Eve disobeyed, "the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked" (Gen. 3:7). The first man's disobedience was an eye-opener: he saw his nakedness, that is, his incompleteness. According to God's will, man is brought to final perfection by Christ and in Christ. In God's plan, we become spiritually alive only through union with God in Christ through the birth of the Spirit.

Patrick Schaer Geneva, Switzerland

Enriching Our Insight

I appreciate "Knowing What the Bible Really Means" [April]. Languages are interpreted from our own human experience. New ideas on the interpretations of biblical words can enlighten us beyond our current understanding, mainly because they flow from ideas and experiences that we could never have on our own. Incorporating the insights from other languages enriches our own insights.

All of this, however, rides on our dependence on the Holy Spirit leading us into "all truth." He is the only final and accurate teacher. When we combine a workman-like approach to the biblical languages and a sincere desire for the truth, he will provide the view needed for God's purposes.

Kermit P. Soileau E-mail

As a teacher of Greek, I agree that multiple Bible translations can enrich our reading of Scripture. Even a scholar can learn from various translations. But in my experience, knowing only a little Greek is more harmful than knowing only English. When a pastor says, "The Greek word really means . . . ," he usually has no idea what he is talking about. It's better to read the text in context than to look at an individual Greek word—unless you have a lot of experience reading Greek literature in general (beyond the biblical), have a decent introduction to linguistics, and are very careful in your statements. If one does take care, though, there is no substitute for the original.

Edward Kotynski E-mail

A Better Grasp

Thanks for the insightful article "Conversion Confusion" [April]. Too often I hear sound-bite caricatures of religious persecution or governmental favoritism around the world. Jayson Casper's article helped me understand the social and political complexities that go along with religious membership and conversion in Egyptian society. I need more of this type of nuanced discussion in order to have a better grasp on the critical issues as the gospel takes root around the globe.

Drew Thompson Brunswick, Georgia

Cussing Clarity

I always enjoy Carolyn Arends's columns, and her musings in "What the . . . ?" [April, "Wrestling with Angels"] are superb. Growing up in the church, the teaching I'd received on harsh language was long on "Don't!" and inordinately short on the "Why not?" I found Arends's point refreshing—that language is essentially a social contract, and that as such when we "linguistically reduce something or someone to the level of biological functions (and their resultant products)" we are showing contempt.

The master stroke, however, was connecting this topic with John Stackhouse's observation that the primary vocation of the follower of Jesus is to cultivate shalom. How can we do that if our default responses flow from the cesspool of contempt?

Bob Hay Assistant Director of Recruitment, SIM USA Fort Mill, South Carolina

Born in the USA

"Orphans in Limbo" [March] broke my heart for both the children in Russia and the American families waiting to adopt them. But I couldn't help wondering if the idea of adopting from the United States popped into any readers' minds. My husband and I are thankful for our two biological sons, but we are also adopting a daughter from the U.S. foster system.

There are so many children and teenagers in the United States who will grow out of the foster system with few or no connections. In our city alone, 7 out of 10 members of our homeless population were once foster kids. If we are truly pro-life, let's follow through with providing homes for our orphans—not just in word but in deed.

Andrea Mann Houston, Texas

What got the most comments in April's CT

14% Investigator or Prosecutor? Bobby Ross Jr.

9% What the . . . ? Carolyn Arends

9% The Mystery of Original Sin Marguerite Shuster

The most praised piece in April's CT

National Tragedy and the Empty Tomb Philip Yancey

Worth Repeating

Things overheard at CT online.

"While we cling to God I feel that he is stripping away all my rosy ideals and saying, 'I alone am enough for you.'" Kaili Eveans, sympathizing with Rick and Kay Warren in the loss of her own son to suicide. CT Liveblog: "Rick Warren's Son Dies from Suicide," by Timothy C. Morgan

"His approach is not all that new—he just has a different emphasis." Anamaria Saperlanda Biddick, comparing the newly elected Pope Francis to his predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II, and admiring his humble approach in reaching the poor. Speaking Out: "Pope Francis' Emerging Revolution," by Kenneth Tanner

"Asking if I've thought about suicide today is like asking if I put on clothing." Michael Wright, discussing how bipolar disorder has affected his walk as a Christian. Speaking Out: "When Suicide Strikes in the Body of Christ," by Al Hsu

"I think he is guilty of having money, not worshiping money." Rick, saying he's hesitant to name "false" teachers, such as Joel Osteen, in public, as Christian rapper Shai Linne does on his new album. CT Liveblog: "Reformed Rapper Calls Out 12 Popular Pastors as 'False Teachers,'" by Melissa Steffan

"Just think of his wonderful voice joining the never-ending chorus of praise in heaven!" Judy, remembering George Beverly Shea. CT Liveblog: "Died: George Beverly Shea, Longtime Singer at Billy Graham Crusades," by Jeremy Weber

Child Catchers Review from an Adoptive Mother

This article was originally published as part of Her.Meneutics, Christianity Today's blog for women.

Church Life

Ignoring Worker Injustice Won’t Make It Go Away

Wendy McMahan, guest writer

Taking the source of our shopping seriously.

Craftivist Collective / Flickr

My seamstress died last week. She was crushed when an eight-story building fell on her. It's tragic. I'm outraged.

Somehow, the clothes on my back—the clothes I bought and will buy—are intertwined in what could be Bangladesh's worst industrial disaster to date, killing more than 800 (the AP had reported the death toll could soar to as many as 1,400). In fact, when the garment factory she worked in collapsed, she may have been making a blouse for me or my daughter. I don't know her name, and I didn't hire her directly, but that doesn't make her any less human. And it doesn't make me any less involved in this web of supply and demand. They were making clothing for companies that you and I know—companies where I have bought clothing for myself and for my children.

Without placing undue blame on the consumerism of Americans and the rest of the Global North, and without making this all about us, we still need to stop and consider how most of us have supported an industry that lets people work in these dangerous conditions. Ultimately, our spending reveals we tend to care more about the price of our clothing than the conditions under which they are made.

Even after the tragedy, the news that such a factory would be making our clothes didn't come as a complete surprise. We knew it already. Most of us have heard of sweatshops, where labor laws are violated, wages are unfair, or conditions are hazardous. For decades, clothing manufacturers that supply the U.S. fashion industry have been accused of relying on unethical working conditions for the cheap products we buy. We feel aghast when we hear such reports… at least initially. We might even share a news article with friends. And then, with our most powerful voice—our wallets—the majority of us simply pretend as if we had never heard the news.

What keeps us from caring enough to ask how our clothing is made? In part, it's too far away. I will never meet my seamstress. When we try on a pair of jeans folded on a shelf at the mall, we can't see the woman who stitched the zipper. The "Made in Vietnam" tag doesn't tell us whether our clothing came from a machine or from a living, breathing person with a family at home. Because we can't see the workers, it becomes easier for us not to feel guilty for the criteria we use as we buy.

Shopping to find a good deal or a cheap price isn't inherently evil, and it can be a positive thing. The "wife of noble character" described in Proverbs 31 was thrifty. "She sees that her trading is profitable" (Prov. 31:8). Saving money can mean a better life for our families and more funds left for us to generously give to others. But if we could meet the person who made the pair of jeans we try on in the dressing room, we would likely reevaluate our decision to consider price alone.

Shoppers may also keep in mind the identity and contentment issues we attach to fashion. We live in a culture whose fashion industry very intentionally shapes new norms every season. Ron Sider points out this strategy in his book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. He calls it "planned obsolescence," the idea that companies choose to make products that render previous purchases useless. Sider writes, "Large companies developed advertising techniques to persuade us that joy and happiness come through fancy new clothes, the latest car models, and ever-more sophisticated gadgets." Ouch. This is why we feel pressured to buy the right shade of denim, the right cut of a blouse, the right height of boots. Meanwhile, women who died in the Bangladesh factory were likely wearing the same Shalwar Kameez fashions that their mothers and grandmothers wore. They would wear their clothing until it wore out, and even then they might save and reuse the thread that had held their clothes together. I can't remember the last time I wore out a piece of clothing.

Shopping for price isn't always wrong. Neither is shopping for fashion. But as I hold this mirror up to my purchasing choices, I'm seeing roots of selfishness, greed and a misplaced search for significance. And that's where my seamstress and I finally meet eyes. My sin against her is that I have loved myself too much, and her too little.

I don't pretend to have this issue figured out, and I'm definitely not yet a model consumer. But the incident that killed my seamstress and more than 300 others has me seeking out ways to use my buying power to cause change.

Support clothing companies that treat their workers well.

Many shoppers don't seek out and purchase ethically made products because they don't know how to identify them. It's usually not easy, but as more information becomes available online, more companies will become forced to be transparent about their own supply chain policies, experts say.

One resource to turn to is The Better World Shopper. This organization gives purchasing advice on its website, in a small book, and through its smartphone app. Another great place to learn about fair trade in general is from Trade as One, a Christian organization that has been advocating consumer justice for years.

It's better to do some research instead of deciding to stop purchasing clothing from a particular country. To do so could shut down key industries and leave vulnerable people in even worse conditions. If you are concerned about a specific company, write or call to let them know. Consumer objections to Nike's manufacturing practices caused the company to produce their first corporate responsibility report in 2001.

Buy less new clothing.

Once again, we cannot deny that our seemingly insatiable needs for more are part of the problem. Are we cultivating spirits of contentment, by God's grace, and placing our identity in who we are in Christ and not what we are wearing?

The overstuffed drawers and closets in my house just might be a sign that my family doesn't need every piece of clothing that we own. We certainly don't need more. Buying less also allows us to invest more on fewer items produced under just and ethical conditions, rather than paying for piece after piece of cheap clothing. Plus, there are always thrift shops. Buying secondhand is resourceful and doesn't demand new supplies or labor be used for our clothing.

Give to programs that offer workers another option.

Factory workers in Bangladesh went to work in a building that they saw was unstable because they feared losing their jobs—jobs where they were making about $1 a day. A number of organizations in countries like Bangladesh work to create other economic options through programs that foster entrepreneurship among women and men. We can also redirect a portion of our clothing budget to these causes to help them expand.

Wendy McMahan is the director of U.S. church engagement for Food for the Hungry, an international relief and development organization with operations in more than 20 countries worldwide, including Bangladesh. She and her husband are proud parents to two daughters and have been foster parents to children of all ages. Wendy hosts the Poverty Unlocked podcast and blogs regularly for the Food for the Hungry blog.

This article was originally published as part of Her.Meneutics, Christianity Today's blog for women.

- More from Wendy McMahan, guest writer

Books

Review

Billy Graham Meets Martin Luther King Jr.—Again

David Neff

The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez wants to reclaim the historic evangelical vision that marries evangelism, moral reform, and social crusades.

The Lamb's Agenda: Why Jesus Is Calling You to a Life of Righteousness and Justice (Thomas Nelson) is a "strange bedfellows" book—and that's a good thing. The book features two forewords—one by Focus on the Family president Jim Daley and one by Bernice A. King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and doyenne of the King legacy.

The Lamb's Agenda: Why Jesus Is Calling You to a Life of Righteousness and Justice

Samuel Rodriguez (Author)

Thomas Nelson

256 pages

$12.21

Pastor Rodriguez's goal is to create a movement that would change American society for good through the marriage of evangelism and social justice work—much in the way that evangelicals of an earlier era fought the evils of the gin industry and injustices of the slave trade by bringing a transforming gospel to those trapped by these forces while also working to eliminate these evils from society.

Historically speaking, there is little new in The Lamb's Agenda. John Wesley, Charles Finney, and William Wilberforce's Clapham Sect also married evangelism, moral reform, and social crusades. Rodriguez is certainly not the first to argue that Christians must not be captive to any political party and that we must not let them use us as their "useful idiots." Instead, we must let Jesus' prophetic call to justice and compassion judge both parties and render all ideologies relative.

Just before the 2004 election, Jim Wallis and Sojourners conducted a high-profile campaign to liberate Christian activism from enslavement to political parties. Their ad campaign cum petition headlined "God is not a Republican … or a Democrat" gained 40,000 signatures. Immediately after the election, Wallis attacked the media identification of Christians with the Republican Party in his book God's Politics.

Rodriguez, ever the preacher, reframes Wallis's slogan in zoological terms: "As followers of Christ, we stand committed to advancing not the agenda of the Donkey or the Elephant but only the Agenda of the Lamb." (If you haven't heard Rodriguez preach, you should start with his keynote address at the 2013 National Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at King's Ebenezer Baptist Church.)

The Lamb takes no cues from the Donkey or the Elephant. He judges both the Tea Party and the Occupy movement. The Lamb's agenda can only be discovered in the combined visions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Billy Graham. The Lamb's agenda is revealed at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical arms of the Cross. Thus Rodriguez says a firm no to the either-or forces that polarize our time and a resounding yes to prophetic biblical witness.

But is he successful in distancing himself from the political powerbrokers and polarizing political wannabes? Rodriguez and his wife Eva have both offered benedictions at Republican conventions. He has been known to associate with theocratic Christians and to speak at their events. People for the American Way lists 19 Rodriguez-related postings on their RightWingWatch.org website. They scratch their heads and wonder how he "has managed to somehow be both a radical Religious Right activist while enjoying a reputation as a moderate who is regularly invited to the White House and to presidential events."

For good or ill, The Lamb's Agenda is unlikely to change the minds of Rodriguez's progressive critics. He takes firm stands on social-conservative litmus issues like abortion and traditional marriage. He also joins the chorus of those who are critical of the Obama administration's mandate that too narrowly exempted organizations that objected to funding contraceptive or abortifacient drugs. Such positions are to be expected from any mainstream evangelical leader, and they don't merit a "radical Religious Right" label.

However, Rodriguez also demonstrates deep suspicion of collaboration with activists from other camps. For example, he recounts events from 2006 when Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony worked with prochoice Catholic labor leaders on the issue of illegal immigration. When prolife activists challenged Mahony's actions, he replied, "This isn't about left or right. This is about justice." Those labor leaders, unfortunately, failed to reciprocate, actively working against a ballot initiative that would have required parental permission for underage girls to obtain an abortion. Rodriguez concludes, "Well-meaning people who collaborate on social issues with enemies of life usually find themselves betrayed." Such words do not encourage bipartisanship in an age of polarization.

Nevertheless, progressives should be glad that Rodriguez expresses no such reservations when it comes to government redressing injustices. They will applaud his leadership on immigration issues, his repeated disapproval of violence and prejudice toward gays and lesbians, and his condemnation of bullying. These are issues that, to paraphrase Mahony, are neither left nor right, but about justice.

Progressives have been divided over the Bush administration's efforts to put faith-based organizations on an equal footing with secular agencies in receiving funding for social ministry. Rodriguez calls it "entirely contrary to the spirit of the Bible for a faith-based group to approach government and beg for funding to accomplish a divine mandate of charity and compassion. … [I]f we accept subsidies from Caesar, we agree to play by Caesar's rules, and his rules are not anything like our rules."

Rodriguez is proudly, unapologetically Hispanic. He calls himself the son of immigrants, and he celebrates what Christian migrants from Latin America can offer to the United States economically, demographically, spiritually, and morally. But Rodriguez never indulges in identity politics. He writes as an unhyphenated American and as a Christian. He sees tremendous potential for national renewal in "the multiethnic church." He does not promote any group of ethnic Americans as a power bloc, but treats all ethnic groups together as the kingdom field in which the twin gospels of righteousness and justice can flourish.

The publisher of Sam Rodriguez's first book, Path of Miracles, packaged it as belonging in the religious self-help genre. Subtitled "The Seven Life-Changing Principles That Lead to Purpose and Fulfillment," its title and his byline were embossed in gold foil. These marketing touches aimed it at prosperity gospel believers. But there was one discordant note on the cover: "Foreword by Jim Wallis." Indeed, the miracles the book spoke of were not geared to wealth and well-being but to living within God's radical purposes.

Nevertheless, Rodriguez framed that book in largely individualistic terms—with a brief tip of the hat to the importance of finding partners. The Lamb's Agenda, on the other hand, is framed in broadly corporate and communal terms. It is about America as a city set on a hill, and it is about the church as an outpost of God's kingdom. It is about bringing a message of righteousness to those who need to hear it and about doing justice for those who have been deprived of it. It is about the divine call placed upon us as the people of God and as Americans.

David Neff is an editorial vice president at Christianity Today.

Related Elsewhere:

Christianity Today senior writer Tim Stafford profiled Samuel Rodriguez in 2006. Read "The Call of Samuel."

Pastors

Confidentiality Agreements: Church Security at What Price?

Skye Jethani

Churches are increasingly seeking to protect themselves from…themselves.

In my experience most people have a very weak understanding of church membership. Rather than seeing their membership to a congregation as an interdependent commitment to a body (think of Paul’s metaphor in 1 Corinthians 12), they view membership through the lens of our consumer culture. They associate “membership” in a church as a religious version of the relationship one has with Costco, Netflix, or AmazonPrime.

To combat this some churches have undertaken the admirable task of elevating what a commitment to a congregation means. They’ve clearly articulated expectations and formalized the process of church membership in a manner that reflects the gravity and biblical roots of the idea. In addition, the process of membership is also a way of protecting the flock from wolves who seek to prey upon God’s people. As reported in this interview with Ken Sande from Peacemakers, membership is both a congregational and legal means of protecting the church.

But can this pursuit of security go too far? When a copy of the confidentiality agreement from Elevation Church hit the web a few weeks ago, it raised red flags for many people.

It has become increasingly common for churches to issue such contracts to members or volunteers. Sadly such forms are often necessary in our litigious society, but Elevation’s contract, in some people’s view, takes things too far.

For example, the document forbids volunteers from disclosing confidential information they may encounter in the course of their participation at the church. This is usually a means of protecting church attenders’ privacy. No one wants to discover the Amway salesman got their contact information from the church office. Likewise, prayer or healing ministries function best when there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Elevation’s confidentiality agreement, however, goes far beyond protecting members. It focuses much of it’s language on securing the financial details of its staff and leadership initiatives. It reads:

Confidential Information includes,but is not limited to, such information relating to: (i) Church participants, including lists, contact information, prayer requests personal information; (ii) the Church’s finances, including personal financial/salary information related to the Church’s financial statements, balance sheets, offerings information, cash flow, forecasts and cost analyses; (iii) the Church’s plans and projections for opportunities for new or developing ideas; and/or (iv) the Church’s research and development activities and technical data.

The contract also gives the church’s leadership extensive legal leverage over any volunteer that discloses any information even if required by the law or courts to do so, if the volunteer does not inform the church first or seek to limit the extent of their disclosure. You can read more specific critiques of the Elevation Church’s contract here and here.

I’m not interested in a take down of Elevation. Their contract is just the latest from a series of churches that provokes the question–What price are we willing to pay to protect church organizations? The reason I say “church organizations” rather than “churches” is because these contracts are clearly written to ensure the protection of the 501c3 entities who created them, and not necessarily the women, men, and children who are the Body of Christ.

I’m very much in favor of church membership, as well as a call to commitment and protection of the flock of God. I’m worried, however, that contracts like these are only widening the gap between the clergy and the laity. Rather than strengthening the biblical model of shepherds protecting the sheep, these documents appear to exists in order to protect the shepherds from the sheep.

I don’t have a simple answer to this trends. As I stated earlier, we live in a highly litigious society in which not even churches can be afford to be naive. However, in our desire for security perhaps church leaders need to be asking better questions:

-Who are we called to protect?

-When does organizational prudence cross over into organizational idolatry?

-What processes do we have in place to settle church conflicts internally before going to civil authorities?

-Will issuing a contract advance or diminish the trust of leaders?

I welcome your thoughts on church confidentiality agreements. Have you been asked to sign one? Was the contract reasonable, or did it raise red flags in your mind? And what do you make of the growing trend, particularly at larger churches, toward these legally binding contracts with volunteers? Share you thoughts in the comment section below.

- More from Skye Jethani

The Oceans Declare the Glory of God

Interview by Amy L. Sherman

How NASA oceanographer Jorge Vazquez is protecting the seas through climate-change research.

Jorge Vazquez moved from Cuba to the United States as a toddler. He grew up far from the sea, in West Virginia, where his parents taught at a local college. But he cherishes memories of taking long walks along the beach with his father, a biologist, when the family would visit relatives in Miami, Florida. "[On our] long walks on the beach, he'd point out jellyfish on the shore, or algae, or different organisms," says Vazquez. "He had this deep appreciation for God's creation."

Vazquez returned to the Sunshine State for college at the University of Miami, then earned his master's at the University of Rhode Island's School of Oceanography and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. Since 1984, Vazquez has worked at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. For the past decade he has been part of the JPL Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperatures, an international group of NASA scientists and scholars studying climate change. Vazquez says, "I study the world's ocean from my computer, using data from a series of NASA satellites that orbit Earth . . . to measure how climatic changes affect local regions like California's coast."

Vazquez recently spoke with Kingdom Calling author Amy L. Sherman about how his scientific pursuits as an oceanographer contribute to shalom in his community and in the wider Creation.

Your dad was a Christian. How did his faith—and belief in a Creator—affect his approach to biology? Did his sense of wonder lead to your own interest in the sciences?

Absolutely. My dad was a person of faith. [On our] long walks on the beach, he'd point out jellyfish on the shore, or algae, or different organisms. He had this deep appreciation for God's creation. I remember one time growing up, he called the police because he saw people who were intentionally killing opossums. He was so upset about it. That's how much love he had for God's creation. He really instilled that in both my brother and me.

Tell me about how you became an oceanographer.

For me it was a matter of going back to my first love—and that was studying the beauty of God's creation. I love the outdoors—skiing, the mountains, the ocean. I started out as a pre-med major at the University of Miami, taking a lot of biology and chemistry. I was doing okay, but my first lab dissection, of a rat, made me realize that was not my calling. My advisor encouraged me to switch to physics and I did, and I was doing okay. But I realized I am a visual person. I can't see an electron. I can't see a proton. I realized that I can see the waves and currents, I can feel the wind. So at that point I decided to go into the environmental sciences. I was getting back to what I love, which is the ocean.

How much of your daily work is actually done outdoors?

Great question! Right now it's much more on computers than anything else. When I was a student at the University of Rhode Island, we went out putting instruments in the Gulf Stream, and we got caught in a tropical storm and 30-foot seas. The entire scientific party was seasick. Whenever people ask me about my faith, I tell them that one of the times I would have loved to have been with Jesus was when he calmed the seas. That would have convinced me!

After that experience, I made the conscious decision to study the oceans from a more stable platform. But now I'd like to get back to doing more fieldwork. When you have a satellite measuring something from outer space, you have to make sure it's right. You have to have instruments in the water telling you what the satellite is doing and that the models you are running are correct.

You came to California in 1984 to work with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. What, in layman's terms, is the mission of JPL, and what is your research focus?

The focus of the group is on climate change, global warming, and using current satellite technology to better understand the impact of climate change on our planet. These days, many countries have launched their own satellites and space programs. So we are trying to collaborate with different countries in coordinating all the data information from satellites in ways that researchers all over the world can access.

Right now my particular research is on trying to understand the impact of climate change on coastal areas. For example, I'm working with Peruvian scientists to apply the satellite information to better understand how El Nino and La Nina are going to impact the coastal areas of Peru.

Why is this sort of research important?

These issues have huge economic impacts on countries. They have huge biological impacts. In Peru, the biological issues tie in closely with the economic, because their economy is heavily based on fisheries. So anything that changes the fishery industry of Peru is huge and can have devastating effects.

Are you learning things about the effects of climate change on the coastal areas of Peru that are also relevant to California coastal waters?

Absolutely, because California has a similar ecosystem. In California, the dynamics of the ocean are similar, the fisheries are similar, and the coast also gets affected by El Nino and La Nina.

'So far this is the one unique planet we know of that has everything necessary for life. So we need to treat it as a gift.' ~ Jorqe Vazquez, NASA

As a Christian how do you think your work as an oceanographer participates in God's own work in the world?

It's stewardship. I confess, within the evangelical community I get frustrated because sometimes when you talk about environmental issues, the response is, "So what? God can put everything back together anyway." That's exactly the wrong attitude to have, and it doesn't fit with our call to stewardship. Just like a child is a gift from God, a friend is a gift from God, a spouse is a gift from God—I think this planet is also a gift from God. So far this is the one unique planet we know of that has everything necessary for life. So we need to treat it as a gift. I think God calls us to that very explicitly even in the first chapters of Genesis. All the evidence is pointing to the fact that we as humans being are having an effect on the environment, and a negative one. It's very clear we should be concerned about this, and that drives what I do.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the likelihood of more Christians getting engaged in efforts to care for the environment?

From my admittedly small sample, like the church I attend, I'm very positive. I've been asked twice to give talks on this issue. People are discussing it. There was a lot of positive feedback. Also, I've taught for about eight years at Azusa Pacific University. The students are excited about understanding creation care. So I think attitudes are changing for the better.

And what about the issue of global warming?

My colleague Josh [Willis] once said to me, "You know, Jorge, God designed his creation in more ways than one [to account] for our sins." The point that Josh was making was that God designed this planet in light of our sins, including the sin of not taking care of it the way we should. I won't go into all the scientific issues, but the fact that our planet is more ocean than land is a very positive thing in terms of stabilizing the climate. If it were the other way around—more land than ocean—then even right now the planet would be way too hot, and the impacts of global warming would be a lot worse than what we've seen. The fact that this planet is mostly oceans gives us a lot more time to solve this issue of global warming. The oceans are the key. There has to be a Creator behind this because he understood how much we would mess things up in the Fall. The way God designed this planet is a revelation of who he is, his character—it is another example of his grace.

Every time I look at the complexity and beauty of the universe, I think, You can't create the kind of complexity we have without a creative force behind it. You just see a design behind everything. And everything I'm doing now, in terms of addressing global warming, makes me hopeful, because I think God has designed this planet knowing all our sins from the very beginning, and he's giving us more time to get our act together.

Dr. Amy L. Sherman's most recent book is Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good (InterVarsity Press), which includes an abundance of stories of Christians contributing to the flourishing of their cities. More at ivpress.com.

This article was originally published as part of This is Our City, a Christianity Today special project.

- More from Interview by Amy L. Sherman

News

The Latest in Movie News, April 29, 2013

Timothy Wainwright

The weekend box office, Into the Woods, James Franco, odd financial news from Netflix, and Django gets unchained in China.

The R-rated dark action comedy Pain and Gain led a lackluster box office weekend with $20 million. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson, the movie has been a dud with critics but should make Paramount a bit of money. Tom Cruise’s Oblivion came in second place with $17.4 million, a 53% drop from last weekend. Read more box office results here.

Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep are in talks to star in the upcoming Disney film adaptation of the classic Steven Sondheim musical Into the Woods, a comedy that follows up on classic fairy tales years later to see how the “happily ever afters” are holding up. Johnny Depp has done one Sondheim adaptation before – Sweeney Todd. Read more here.

James Franco will be directing and starring in Garden of Last Days, an adaptation of the book by Andre Dubus III. The film seems to have some of the elements that made his controversial Spring Breakers a success—strippers and criminals. Before the film begins shooting on July 7, Franco will be heading to Cannes. Read more here.

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a CEO’s income shrinking as his company’s stock price rockets. But that’s exactly what’s happening with Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix. He made $5.5 million in 2012, down 40.3% from last year. Netflix’s share price has already risen 133% in 2013. Read more interesting details about the internal operations of Netflix here.

Django is being unchained in China. After the authorities mysteriously pulled the film from theaters last month, Sony Pictures and Chinese moviegoers were unsure they would ever get the film screened. But negotiations have wrapped up and the film will go up again on May 12. The reason the film was pulled have still not been officially announced. Read more here.

- More from Timothy Wainwright