CARACAS IN CRISIS Venezuela's humanitarian disaster p. 54 - WNG.org
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E A R N I N G Y O U R T R U S T, E V E RY D AY | O C T O B E R 2 3 , 2 0 2 1
“THIS IS THE MOST HUMILIATING THING WE HAVE SEEN DONE BY OUR OWN COUNTRY IN DECADES.” —U.S. ROADBLOCKS TO HELPING AFGHAN ALLIES, P. 40
CA R ACA S IN C RI SI S
Venezuela’s humanitarian disaster p. 54
v36 20 COVER+TOC.indd 1 10/5/21 2:29 PM
ALAN NOBLE is the author
of 2018 World Book of the Year,
Disruptive Witness. He is associate
professor of English at Oklahoma
Baptist University. He has written
for the Atlantic, Vox, BuzzFeed,
The Gospel Coalition, Christianity
Today, and First Things.
“Alan Noble’s book is exactly what we need. Alan is, I hope, the beginning of a new
generation of scholar-writers who can bring the insights of these thinkers down to earth
and apply them in the most practical, compelling, and helpful form.”
TIM KELLER, Redeemer City to City
shop ivpress.com
v36 20 COVER+TOC.indd
World Magazine ad, You 2Are Not Your own zfg6qx.indd 1 10/5/21
9/24/21 11:393:07
AMPM
F E AT U R E S
October 23, 2021 Volume 36 Number 20
40
THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND
A virtual underground railroad working to free at-risk Afghans
struggles to succeed against U.S. roadblocks
by Mindy Belz
46 54 60
BREACH OF TRUST THE COLLAPSE OF CARACAS UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS
EXEMPTIONS
Why did three pastors resign Venezuela’s ongoing political crisis
from the high-profile Bethlehem fuels a humanitarian disaster, Vaccine mandates are increasing, and
Baptist Church? leaving citizens looking for hope the legal issues surrounding religious
by Sophia Lee by Jamie Dean
exemptions are complicated
by Jenny Rough
KARIM SAHIB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES October 23, 2021 WORLD
v36 20 COVER+TOC.indd 1 10/6/21 8:56 AM
DEPARTMENTS
5 MAILBAG 8 NOTES FROM THE CEO
65
Arizona
State
mascot
Sparky the
Sun Devil
CASTING OUT
Dispatches Culture THE DEVIL? Notebook
13 NEWS ANALYSIS 23 MOVIES & TV Some call for the 65 SPORTS
China’s hostage Venom, Addams
diplomacy Family 2, Ordinary removal of Arizona 67 BUSINESS
Joe, LuLaRich, State’s mascot,
15 BY THE NUMBERS The Jesus Music 68 LIFESTYLE
Sparky the Sun Devil
16 HUMAN RACE 28 BOOKS
Books on Einsenhower,
by Ray Hacke
Voices
17 QUOTABLES India, and more 10 Joel Belz
18 QUICK TAKES 20 Janie B. Cheaney
30 CHILDREN’S BOOKS
38 Sophia Lee
32 Q&A 70 Andrée Seu Peterson
John Erickson 72 Marvin Olasky
ON THE COVER
36 MUSIC
Caracas resident Zenobia
Ansualve, 88, lives on $20 a A new Bob Dylan
month from a room she rents; compilation unearths
photo by Ariana Cubillos/AP an erratic mix
2 WORLD October 23, 2021 ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA AP
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4 WORLD October 23, 2021
v36 20 MASTHEAD+MAILBAG.indd 4 10/5/21 10:16 PM
MAILBAG
SOMBER REMEMBRANCE We need this Voice in history today
I pray that all the positive progress standing up to the Bertrand Russells
Mindy Belz reported on will result in of our culture. May His Voice be heard.
Christians who can stay the course and God help us.
multiply. May God be very real to them Michael Keyes/Auburn, Calif.
as He walks with them through this
time.
Margie Whitaker/Knoxville, Tenn. SOFT BIGOTRY IN HARD PLACES
SEPT. 11, P. 38: This is the most pow-
erfully written commentary on the
GENERATION 9/11 current situation in Afghanistan.
SEPT. 11, P. 46: Thank you, Emily Belz, Mindy Belz has the on-the-ground
for adding perspective as we marked experience and love for these people
the anniversary of the day 9/11 became that add depth and credibility to her
more than just another date on the writing.
calendar, and for showing how it SOMBER John Mielke/Minnetonka, Minn.
affected us in different ways.
Daniel DeBruler/Fayetteville, N.C.
REMEMBRANCE
SEPT. 11, P. 40: SOCIALISTS AND ANTI-RACIST
I was 10 years old on 9/11. When I heard Mindy Belz’s article RELIGION
about Flight 93, I learned that anyone opened my eyes SEPT. 11, P. 28: I rarely find myself in
at any time might be called upon to to the powerful work opposition to Marvin Olasky, but I read
show great courage—and I resolved to Fault Lines and found Voddie Baucham
of our sovereign God
be courageous. Jr. very gracious in his naming of indi-
Laura Weieneth/Cedar Rapids, Iowa
after the 9/11 terrorist viduals and groups.
attack. To hear of Russ Frisinger/Divide, Colo.
2 million to 7 million
LABORS OF LOVE Muslim conversions
SEPT. 11, P. 58: This article accurately to Christianity in FINDING THE RIGHT MAN
captured the experience we had visit- SEPT. 11, P. 8: We began homeschooling
the past 20 years
ing Northwest Iowa this summer. We when our first child was born in 1983
encountered a Norman Rockwell kind blows my mind. and continued with our other three
of place, an unexpected, wonderful Tim Hinrichs/ children. We soon discovered the trea-
world of small towns surrounded by Marshfield, Wis. sures of God’s World News and added
miles and miles of farms growing corn this great resource to our eclectic cur-
and soybeans. We hope to return. riculum. Thank you, Norm Bomer and
Andrew Brackbill/Lititz, Pa. Joel Belz!
Stephen Shive/White Hall, Md.
HISTORY’S GOSPEL
SEPT. 11, P. 72: The evidence for God is STUCK ON YOU
everywhere: in history, in the universe, LETTERS AND COMMENTS
SEPT. 11: I am so glad I read the small
all around us. But we will neither see type on the edge of the cover wrap,
EMAIL editor@wng.org
nor hear it until we want to know the MAIL WORLD Mailbag, PO Box 20002,
as I did not realize the circle in the
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their deeds were evil.” The moment I PLEASE INCLUDE FULL NAME AND ADDRESS.
LETTERS MAY BE EDITED TO YIELD
products.
confessed my evil deeds, Jesus came BREVITY AND CLARITY. Nancy Young/Gilbert, Ariz.
in!
Christopher White/Matamoras, Pa. Read more letters at wng.org/mailbag
October 23, 2021 WORLD 5
v36 20 MASTHEAD+MAILBAG.indd 5 10/2/21 2:17 PM
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I WO N D E R I F J O E L
D I D STRU G G LE
NOTES FROM THE CEO | Kevin Martin
I N Q U I E T M O M E NT S
WITH TU RN I N G OVE R
S O M E TH I N G S O
I M P O RTANT TO H I M .
Practical humility
A final 40th anniversary
remembrance: In recognition of
putting mission ahead of men
H
OW DOES A MAN GIVE UP CONTROL of something he built
through the expenditure of his own sweat and tears, the extreme
effort of many family members, and years of sacrificial giving
of, well, pretty much everything he had?
I asked Joel Belz that question a few weeks ago. I was think- Even so, I wonder whether Joel did
ing about the moment, now nearly 30 years ago, when he turned struggle in quiet moments with turning
over control of WORLD Magazine’s editorial content to Marvin over something so important to him, that
Olasky. I assumed he must have struggled mightily, watching his own effort and vision had brought
his baby go off in a new direction—a direction he might not have thought into being. If he did, he never let it show.
of taking it. He supported Marvin’s editorial leader-
Specifically, I asked Joel what he felt when he finally relinquished the ship unreservedly, through many more
editorship to Marvin. His answer: “Relief.” years of struggle. Considering all Joel has
The context of those days helps explain that answer, and so does Joel’s done for this organization, that practical
theology of stewardship. example of Biblical humility may have
The context: Joel and the staff struggled to publish the weekly maga- been his most important contribution to
zine. He struggled to do the reporting, to make payroll, to find subscrib- the work.
ers—there’s a theme here. To that struggling team, Marvin was, literally,
a God-send.
Joel’s theology of stewardship: He viewed his leadership of WORLD’s
mission as both a loan and a gift from God, a “talent” to be invested. When
he found someone who could make that investment grow, he jumped at
the opportunity.
And why wouldn’t he? The mission was the thing, not the man. EMAIL kevin@wng.org
8 WORLD October 23, 2021
v36 20 KEVIN+JOEL.indd 8 10/6/21 10:36 AMWhat if current missions
strategy is actually
issions
limiting the global
actually
spread of the gospel?
global
gospel?
Jesus left us with the Great Commission: to The Return Mandate is a call for genuine
go unto all nations – and go we did. For stewardship in missions giving and a
over 2,000 years, the church has spread contemporary refinement of global missions
through the courage of those who strategy by acknowledging the advantage
committed to traditional, long-term native missionaries have to fulfill the Great
e is a callmissions.
for genuineBut there is mounting evidence Commission.
sions givingthatand
native
a Christians are the next wave in
discipleship.
ement of global missions returnmandate.org/world
wledging the advantage
have to fulfill the Great
v36 20 KEVIN+JOEL.indd 9 10/5/21 3:12 PMTH E N E W TH RE AT S
C O M E AT A TI M E
VOICES | Joel Belz
WH E N A WAVE
O F BABY B O O M E RS
I S RE TI RI N G.
No money-back
guarantee weeks. Warnings have come from more typically liberal
sources like The New York Times, Barron’s financial
newsletter, and CNN. The Times, for example, noted
Experts says Social Security that “the actuaries were forced to make assumptions
is even closer to insolvency about how long COVID-19 would continue to produce
than we thought unusual patterns of hospitalizations and deaths.” And
it was compelled to ask: Would these new patterns bring
about long-term disabilities among survivors?
I
T WAS THE MOST AUDACIOUS DEMAND I had But no one among the analysts seemed ready to
ever heard from a disgruntled customer any- challenge the stark report that Social Security revenues
where. will be lower for the next decade than had been antic-
There he was at the customer service desk ipated. The new threats come at a time when a wave
asking for his money back on a full set of tires of baby boomers is retiring. All of them, because of
that he thought had worn out too fast. “That’s their age, face especially uncertain futures stemming
OK,” the clerk said, without an ounce of conde- from the unpredictable variations of the coronavirus
scension. “Our store has never, ever, carried that surge.
brand of tire. But if you’re unhappy about this, we’ll The recent reports, primarily from the federal gov-
give you a full replacement at no cost. Of course.” ernment itself, focused on the solvency of various federal
It’s not usually that easy. Even when you know that agencies. The questions seem to start with identifying
the service you’ve received has been horrible—or per- just when the grim “tipping point” comes—when Social
haps even nonexistent—or that the product you’re com- Security trust funds go empty and annual expenditures
plaining about is deficient in every manner conceivable, exceed revenues. A rough compilation of the major
even then you choose your strategy thoughtfully and reports anticipates that to happen sometime in 2034,
rehearse your words carefully. Having lost Round 1, why which is one year sooner than most experts had pre-
throw the contest away by doing something dumb? dicted earlier.
I’ve been thinking about all this because of the likely It is that fluid and unsteady nature of the “tipping
record-breaking crowds a few short years from now at point” that most bothers many observers. “If the nature
customer service desks at your local office of the Social of my work,” said one Wall Street analyst writing for
Security Administration. The dismay will come due and his client newsletter, “is to help my clients make thought-
erupt when citizens begin discovering that the monthly ful choices for the future, and if 90 percent of the data
Social Security support they’ve enjoyed since retirement they’ve been given is slippery and subject to annual
is coming in smaller and smaller amounts. revision—or maybe even monthly revision—why would
Rumors of such budget-busting realities in Social we expect them not to raise the roof when judgment
Security’s basic structure have been around for years. day comes?”
But unexpected new phenomena like the COVID-19 “Raising the roof” is what people typically do at the
pandemic mean that millions of people who had been customer service desk. And it’s not hard to imagine that
working, earning wages, and contributing their share the crowd at that desk will be both immense and bois-
of Social Security support became unemployed. terous when folks begin facing the fact that a significant
Those and other new alarms have gone off in recent chunk of the savings they’ve been counting on simply
isn’t there.
It won’t be a pretty event.
10 WORLD October 23, 2021 EMAIL jbelz@wng.org
v36 20 KEVIN+JOEL.indd 10 10/6/21 10:45 AMIt’s a new day in
global missions.
We all want to do the most good with the funds God’s
entrusted to us.
The world is shifting on its axis, and global missions
is shifting with it. For hundreds of years missionaries
went from one country to another, often at great cost to
their lives and families. Because of them, there are now
disciples and churches in every country on earth.
Today, your global missions dollars can often go farther
by supporting local leaders as they reach the unreached
and plant churches. Why?
Cost for a plane ticket? $0
Cost for language training? $0
Cost for culture training? $0
TIM THY
THE
INITIATI IVE
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v36 20 NEWS+NUMBERS.indd 12 10/5/21 3:17 PMD I S P AT C H E S
News Analysis By the Numbers Human Race Quotables Quick Takes
CHINA’S HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY
Beijing’s tactics brought home a Chinese telecom giant’s executive
but will likely cause further rift with the West
by Erica Kwong
I
N A RECENT TV REPORT, Chinese state media CGTN asked employees at Huawei’s R&D Huawei
base in Guangdong what gift they would give the recently released Huawei Chief Finan- CFO Meng
Wanzhou
cial Officer Meng Wanzhou. “A roasted goose,” one employee said. “All the articles from arrives at
WeChat filled with compliments about her,” said another. Handwritten notes in a note- Shenzhen
book read, “Welcome home, hero.” Another employee said Meng’s “spirit of perseverance” Bao’an
International
was what impressed him most about her nearly three years spent in Canada awaiting
Airport on
extradition to the United States. Sept. 25.
That sense of national pride permeates both state media and Chinese netizens’
JIN LIWANG/XINHUA VIA AP October 23, 2021 WORLD 13
v36 20 NEWS+NUMBERS.indd 13 10/6/21 9:48 AMD I S P AT C H E S | News Analysis years. The exit ban was placed on them
to entice their father, Liu Changming,
who is wanted in a fraud case, to return
to China and turn himself in.
view of Meng since her return to China on In addition, the “detention, trial, and
Sept. 25. Chinese citizens didn’t hear how release of the two Michaels did not abide
Meng admitted to some wrongdoing or by Chinese law and criminal procedure,”
that Beijing arbitrarily detained two Cana- Teng noted. In March, the two Canadians
dians—then released them—in exchange
11 5 CANAD IAN S stood trial separately behind closed doors
for Meng. Instead, the narrative was that RE MAI N as Chinese authorities barred foreign dip-
China was too powerful to be bullied any I M PRI S O N E D lomats from attending. Kovrig’s trial ended
longer by the United States and would go in March without a verdict, while a Chinese
to any lengths to protect its citizens. I N C H I NA O N court sentenced Spavor to 11 years in
China responded to Meng’s arrest at A VARI E T Y O F prison on espionage charges in August.
the Vancouver airport on Dec. 1, 2018, on “Beijing’s hostage diplomacy worked
U.S. fraud charges by arresting Canadians C HARG E S . this time to a great extent though it is a
Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and pyrrhic victory,” Teng said. Beijing has
Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur. While shown itself “exactly like a rogue regime”
Meng shuttled between her two multi- in its tactic to get Meng back, along with
million-dollar Vancouver mansions, went other ongoing actions such as the crack-
on shopping trips, and attended concerts, down on Hong Kong and the Uyghur
Kovrig and Spavor were locked up in genocide in Xinjiang.
prison, facing interrogations in facilities While Spavor and Kovrig have finally
where the lights stayed on 24 hours a day. returned home to their families, 115 Cana-
Spavor was so isolated from the outside exerted on Canada and the United States dians remain imprisoned in China on a
world he only learned about the COVID- to free the Huawei executive. For instance, variety of charges, according to Global
19 pandemic in October 2020 during a in 2019, a Chinese court changed Cana- Affairs Canada. That includes Huseyin
virtual visit with Canadian diplomats. dian Robert Schellenberg’s sentence for Celil, a Uyghur imam from Xinjiang who
The ordeal plunged Canada-China drug smuggling from 15 years in prison moved to Canada in 2001 as a political
and U.S.-China relations to their lowest to the death penalty. refugee and obtained a Canadian pass-
point in decades. Yet even as Meng, In the wake of Meng’s release, China port. In 2006, Uzbek officials arrested
Kovrig, and Spavor have safely returned also allowed two American siblings, Vic- Celil while traveling in Uzbekistan and
home, the tensions are far from over: tor and Cynthia Liu, to leave the country sent him to China, where he was sen-
China has revealed that it’s willing to after barring their exit for the past three tenced to life in prison.
engage in tit-for-tat hostage diplomacy
with the West to get its way.
On Sept. 24, the U.S. Justice Depart-
ment and Meng reached a deferred pros-
ecution agreement. As part of the deal
for Meng’s release, the Huawei executive
consented to a statement of facts about
deceiving the global bank HSBC and
admitted some wrongdoing but pleaded
not guilty to the fraud allegations. The
United States alleged Meng lied to banks
in 2013 about Huawei’s business dealings
in Iran, which violated U.S. sanctions.
Hours later, Chinese authorities
released Kovrig and Spavor, citing health
reasons.
“It’s clear the detention of the two
Canadian citizens is part of the retaliation
or the hostage-taking” by the CCP for
Meng’s arrest, said Teng Biao, an exiled
Chinese human rights lawyer now living
in New Jersey. He also pointed to other
pressure the Chinese government has
14 WORLD October 23, 2021
v36 20 NEWS+NUMBERS.indd 14 10/6/21 9:50 AMTHE RACE TO
D I S P AT C H E S | By the Numbers
8
The number of nuclear-
powered attack submarines
REARMAMENT
Australia says it plans to
build after announcing a
security partnership with
the United States and the
United Kingdom on
Sept. 16.
105
The number of Lockheed
F-35 fighter jets the United
States authorized Japan to
purchase in 2020.
26
The number of consecutive
years China has increased
defense spending.
$3.4B
The single-unit cost of a
new American Virginia-
$1.98T
THE TOTAL WORLD MILITARY SPENDING in 2020, according to
class nuclear-powered the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Military
attack submarine spending accounted for 2.4 percent of world gross domestic
product last year, up from 2.2 percent in 2019. The figures paint
2
a picture of a world rearming after a slump in defense spending
after the end of the Cold War. The growth of Chinese military
spending led to the creation of a new security alliance between
the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom and
renewed interest in an older partnership known as “the Quad”
The number of aircraft car- between democratic Pacific nations including the United States,
riers currently operated by Australia, Japan, and India.
the Chinese navy, with a
third under construction.
ILLUSTRATION BY KRIEG BARRIE October 23, 2021 WORLD 15
v36 20 NEWS+NUMBERS.indd 15 10/5/21 2:45 PMD I S P AT C H E S | Human Race RESIGNED
Francis Collins, 71, director of the
National Institutes of Health for 12 years,
Professor announced on Oct. 5 he will step down
Ardem
Patapou- by the end of the year. President Joe
tian Biden will appoint a new director of the
world’s largest biomedical agency, pend-
ing Senate confirmation. Collins led the
growth of the agency and helped discover
genetic mutations involved in cystic fibro-
sis. Also, the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases partnered with
Moderna to create a COVID-19 vaccine in
record time. Collins professes faith in
Jesus Christ and also in evolution as God’s
means of creating the world, saying in a
book he thinks the first few chapters of
Genesis have more of a “lyrical and alle-
gorical” flavor than a historical one.
DIED
Todd Akin, a six-term congressman, died
on Oct. 3 after a battle with cancer. A
staunch pro-lifer, Akin was arrested mul-
tiple times in the 1980s for protesting in
front of abortion centers. In 2012, he
challenged Democratic incumbent Sen.
Claire McCaskill but lost after saying he
disagreed with allowing abortion in cases
of rape, commenting that pregnancies
A WA R D E D are rare in cases of “legitimate rape.” Akin
U.S. scientists take Nobel
apologized for the comment, but Repub-
licans withdrew funding and endorse-
ments. Later he wrote a book in which
he criticized Republican lawmakers for
Prize committee says studies on pain and touch distancing themselves from him and said
could be major breakthroughs his comment was misinterpreted. Akin
and his wife homeschooled their six chil-
dren, and he served as an elder in the
D
AVID JULIUS AWOKE to a late-night call from Thomas Perl Presbyterian Church in America.
mann, the secretary-general of the Nobel Committee: Julius
was one of the winners of the prize in medicine. He and RELEASED
co-winner Ardem Patapoutian separately studied ways the The number of mostly Haitian migrants
human body reacts to heat and touch. Julius, of the Univer- who amassed at the U.S. southern border
sity of California, San Francisco, used capsaicin, the active in September is now estimated at 30,000.
component in chili peppers, to pinpoint nerve sensors that In public statements, the Biden adminis-
respond to heat. Patapoutian, of Scripps Research in La tration emphasized its plans to send the
Jolla, Calif., found pressure-sensitive cell sensors that migrants back to Haiti. In practice, the
respond to mechanical heat as well. The Nobel Committee administration sent a small portion back
said those revelations could lead to new ways of treating to Haiti and released about 12,000 of
pain or even heart disease. Experts say the study of pain them into the United States with an order
has long been one of the great medical mysteries. By dis- to appear at an immigration court at a
covering these specific nerve and cell sensors, scientists future date, Homeland Security Secretary
hope to learn how pain starts, which can lead to nonopiate Alejandro Mayorkas said on Sept. 26. He
treatment options. said thousands more were in custody, and
2,000 had been expelled on flights to
Haiti.
16 WORLD October 23, 2021 COURTESY OF SCRIPPS RESEARCH VIA AP
v36 20 HUMAN RACE+QUOTABLES.indd 16 10/6/21 11:29 AMD I S P AT C H E S | Quotables
“Facebook, over and over again, has shown
it chooses profit over safety.”
Facebook whistleblower FRANCES HAUGEN revealing herself for the first time on
CBS’ 60 Minutes. A former product manager on the civic misinformation team, Haugen
leaked thousands of internal Facebook documents to The Wall Street Journal,
including internal research that found Instagram was “toxic” for young people.
“Spending trillions more on new and
expanded government programs, when we can’t
even pay for the essential social programs …
is the definition of fiscal insanity.”
Sen. JOE MANCHIN, D-W.Va., in a statement about Congress’ effort to push through
a more than $3.5 trillion welfare and climate change spending bill.
“Democracy isn’t simply there.
Rather, we must work for it together,
again and again, every day.”
Outgoing German Chancellor ANGELA MERKEL speaking to an audience
in the eastern city of Halle on Oct. 3, the 31st anniversary of the merger of
East and West Germany. It was one of her last major speeches as
the country’s parties work to find a new ruling coalition.
“Long time no talk.”
A SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIAL to his North Korean counterpart on Oct. 4
after the two sides restored a communication hotline for the first time in nearly two
months. While North Korea expressed willingness to reactivate other communication
channels, it recently conducted a series of missile tests.
“This really unlocks one of the
secrets of nature.”
THOMAS PERLMANN , secretary-general of the Nobel Committee,
as he bestowed the Nobel Prize in medicine to Americans David Julius
and Ardem Patapoutian on Oct. 4 for identifying receptors
in the skin that respond to heat and pressure.
October 23, 2021 WORLD 17
v36 20 HUMAN RACE+QUOTABLES.indd 17 10/6/21 9:45 AM2 RUNAWAY
D I S P AT C H E S | Quick Takes BULL Animal rescue staff
finally corralled a bull that had been
on the run for two months after escaping
a farm in Long Island, N.Y. Despite the
conspicuous nature of the 1,500-pound
beast and a steady stream of tips from
local Long Island residents who spotted
the bull, the animal had successfully
evaded capture since July 20. Local law
enforcement employed helicopter and
drone searches for the bull, named Bar-
ney, while staff from the Skylands Animal
Sanctuary searched on the ground.
Finally, sanctuary employees spotted the
animal on Sept. 22 and relocated the bull
to a sanctuary pasture in New Jersey.
3 and
FANTASY LOSSES Four field goals
a pair of extra points from Las
Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson
helped propel his team over the Pitts-
burgh Steelers Sept. 19. While making all
his kicks certainly helped Carlson pro-
fessionally, the 26-year-old admitted
after the game it cost him in his fantasy
football league among close friends.
Carlson said a friend slotted him into his
starting lineup. So for every kick Carlson
1
made in real life, he was hurting his own
fantasy team. Carlson had not missed a
single kick in the first three weeks of the
season.
4 ordered
A COSTLY CUT A court in India has
a hair salon to pay a model
$271,000 to compensate for a bad haircut
in 2018. According to the model, the styl-
ist at a hotel-owned salon cut off her long
locks against her wishes, causing her to
FINAL RESTING PLACE lose modeling jobs for hair product com-
panies. She also claimed a subsequent
free hair treatment damaged her scalp.
A GRAVESTONE HAS FINALLY RETURNED to its resting spot in a Mich- In September, a consumer affairs court
igan cemetery after it went missing nearly 150 years ago. An auction- ruled in the model’s favor, blaming the
eer found the gravestone during a Lansing, Mich., estate sale in August. stylist for the woman’s alleged mental
The family had used the marble slab to make seasonal fudge, but no breakdown following the haircut, which
one could remember where it came from. With the family’s permission, led to her losing her job as a senior man-
the auctioneer contacted a local cemetery preservation society to agement professional. “She lost her
return the stone to its rightful place. Society members looked for self-esteem due to little hair,” the court
relatives of the gravestone owner, Peter J. Weller, who died in Lansing order said. The owners of the salon can
in 1849, but couldn’t find any survivors. Eventually they learned that appeal the decision.
when Weller’s grave was moved to a different city cemetery in 1875,
the monument somehow ended up in the family’s home. On Sept. 26,
the group conducted a memorial service for Weller marking the return 5 aTURTLE CROSSING Authorities at
busy Japanese airport were forced
of the gravestone. to halt traffic at the facility after a pilot
spotted a turtle on the tarmac on Sept.
24. The closure at Narita Airport lasted
18 WORLD October 23, 2021 ILUSTRATION BY KRIEG BARRIE
v36 20 QUICK TAKES.indd 18 10/1/21 4:03 PMjust 12 minutes as airport crew rushed to $375,000. Parking in the heated garage
the runway to remove the 4.6-pound rep- would save a driver from the hassles asso-
tile. According to airport officials, five ciated with street parking, such as mov-
flights—including an All Nippon Airways ing a car for snowplows and street
aircraft decorated with sea turtles—expe- cleaners. But some neighbors aren’t con-
rienced delays. ANA released a statement vinced. “I mean that’s absurd,” South End
saying, “In Hawaii, sea turtles are seen resident Sam Boyd told WHDH. “The real
as bringing good luck, and we hope this estate market is super high so people are
turtle that came to see the flight off sig- willing to pay that, but you can move
nals a bright future.” your car every other week and save
$375,000.”
6 CEO
PLUGGING APPLE’S LEAKS Apple
Tim Cook has a warning for
company employees: Stop leaking infor- 9 VAN-BNB Law enforcement officials
in New York City announced Sept.
mation to the press. In a September memo 25 they had impounded seven vans that
to employees, the tech giant CEO said S H E LO ST H E R were allegedly being used as Airbnb
the company is committed to uncovering S E LF- E STE E M D U E rentals in the city. Officials with the NYPD
the identity of leakers, adding, “We also and New York City Sheriff ’s Office
TO LIT TLE HAI R .
know that people who leak confidential learned of the unconventional Airbnb
information do not belong here.” Apple rentals after watching a review of one of
has suffered from a culture of loose lips the vans on YouTube. Airbnb allows
about new offerings, including the iPhone homeowners to rent out spare bedrooms
13 and its new operating system. Cook or whole properties like hotel rooms, but
said the leaks can hurt the sales of current the practice has annoyed some locals,
models and give rivals more time to cre- leading to tight restrictions on short-
ate competing products. Stopping the term rentals. According to the sheriff’s
leaks, though, won’t be easy: Cook’s office, the vans had been converted into
memo to employees about divulging living spaces and were parked in Man-
information to the press was leaked to hattan neighborhoods. According to the
The Verge. video review, the vans’ owner was offer-
ing the space for just $97 per night, but
7 Police
NOT-SO-GRAND THEFT AUTO
in Lake City, Fla., didn’t have
instructed renters to use the restroom at
Starbucks.
to work very hard to catch one local car
thief. Authorities say Timothy Wolfe
turned himself in Sept. 20 when he
walked into a Chrysler Dodge Jeep auto
dealership and tried to sell his vehicle.
While preparing an offer, workers at the
dealer looked up the car’s VIN only to
discover the vehicle had been reported
stolen. A further check revealed the man’s
car was actually the one stolen off the
dealer’s lot just days before. Dealership
employees phoned the police, and Wolfe
admitted to stealing the car. Lake City
police charged Wolfe with grand theft
auto and dealing in stolen property.
8 spots
LUXURY PARKING SPOT Parking
in Boston’s South End neigh-
borhood may be hard to come by. But
would someone pay hundreds of thou-
sands for a guaranteed space? That’s the
wager made by Campion and Co., which
is selling a single parking spot under-
neath its luxury condo building for
October 23, 2021 WORLD 19
v36 20 QUICK TAKES.indd 19 10/5/21 2:40 PMM E N WH O ARE FRE E
TO C RE ATE , I N N OVATE ,
VOICES | Janie B. Cheaney
AN D D O G O O D ARE
AL S O FRE E TO LI E , C H E AT,
AN D D E N Y FRE E D O M .
exploiting the labor of the native Taino people and
capturing more slaves from the neighboring islands.
Goodbye, Columbus The young man was at first blind to the plight of the
natives, even after joining the order of Dominican priests
in 1512. In time, however, his conscience kicked in, and
Recognizing faults and he joined his brothers in filing complaints to the king
contributions of Spain about the injustice. De las Casas became such
an ardent and relentless advocate he received the official
title of Protector of the Indians.
L
OOKING BACK FROM today’s tumultuous De las Casas knew Columbus personally and even
times, 1992 seems a remarkably peaceful and provided history with its only copy of the explorer’s
pleasant interlude. No one knew what the diary. While critical of Columbus’ mistakes in governing,
future held, but a consensus was emerging de las Casas attributed them to ignorance and misjudg-
about the past. October 1992 marked the quin- ment. “Truly,” wrote de las Casas, “I would not dare
centennial of the first westward voyage of blame the admiral’s intentions for I knew him well and
Christopher Columbus, and many thinkers I knew his intentions were good.”
on the left agreed that the world went down- The indigenous people were not impressed by the
hill from there. governor’s good intentions and could not have foreseen
Around that time, I reviewed a book on the subject the long-term effects of the worldview he brought with
by environmentalist Kirkpatrick Sale and his title gave him. What Columbus had, and very likely abused, was
the whole game away: The Conquest of Paradise. In no a sense of himself as an individual and a free agent. He
uncertain terms, Sales condemned Columbus, his cul- was a child of Renaissance humanism, which was Chris-
ture, his continent, and his religion, while holding up tian before it became secular. Widespread Bible distri-
the indigenous people he brutalized as “the first ecol- bution, spurred by Gutenberg’s invention, had
ogists,” who lived an Eden-like existence until the whites reintroduced Europeans to the Biblical view of innate
came and spoiled it all. Columbus himself, according human dignity and worth. In The Book That Made Your
to Sale, was a restless, unstable loner, driven by greed World, Indian scholar Vishal Mangalwadi describes the
and a soul-shriveling “religiosity.” reasoning: “Since God is free and not bound by the
That was hardly fair to either side, but the succeed- world of preexisting ideas or matter, and since man is
ing decades have done their work, and Columbus Day made in God’s image, man must also be free”—the hum-
is now Indigenous People’s Day on many calendars. ble as well as the powerful.
Statues of the great explorer have been pulled down Men who are free to create, innovate, and do good
and stomped on. If trends continue, most Americans are also free to lie, cheat, and deny freedom to others.
will know Columbus only as a city in Ohio. Freedom unleashed on the New World brought misery
Before that happens, we should see him through the to the natives but also convicted de las Casas that these,
eyes of Bartolomé de las Casas. too, were image-bearers of God with rights and dignity.
Born in Seville, Spain, de las Casas sailed to Hispan- In time, individual freedom and universal human rights
iola at the age of 18 with his father. That was only 10 became principles the New World embraced and other
years after the island’s discovery, and Columbus had places imitated. But we’ve lost sight of where those
established a Spanish outpost with himself as governor. principles came from and what they mean.
He was a far better seaman than administrator, but at Rather than a black-hearted villain, Columbus was a
the time de las Casas little cared, as obsessed with get- complex man of moral agency and sincere faith who some-
ting rich as any other European settler. That meant times forgot what that meant. The screed-writers and
statue-pullers of today are just as likely to forget, risking
the loss of not just freedom, but morality itself.
20 WORLD October 23, 2021 EMAIL jcheaney@wng.org TWITTER @jbcheaney
v36 20 CHEANEY.indd 20 10/6/21 10:46 AMDNA Ad_8.25x10.75_crop marks.indd 1 9/24/21 12:37 PM v36 20 CHEANEY.indd 21 10/5/21 3:18 PM
v36 20 MOVIES&TV.indd 22 10/5/21 5:30 PM
C U LT U R E
Movies & TV Books Children’s Books Q&A Music
CHAOTIC CARNAGE
Tom Hardy shines in the sequel to Marvel’s Venom, but the film
leans on clichés and messy CGI-filled battle sequences
by Collin Garbarino
I
N VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, a character squashes a spider crawling across his desk,
leaving nothing but a bloody smudge. The image communicates Sony and Marvel Studios’
defiance of critics who complained about Spider-Man’s absence in Venom (2018) and the
studios’ belief that it can make a good movie about the web-slinger’s most iconic villains
without him.
Tom Hardy reprises his role as antihero Eddie Brock, a down-on-his-luck journalist whose
body hosts a dangerous alien symbiote named Venom. This film picks up a year after the
events of the first. Eddie wants to put his life back together after having sabotaged his
SONY PICTURES October 23, 2021 WORLD 23
v36 20 MOVIES&TV.indd 23 10/5/21 5:31 PMC U LT U R E | Movies & TV the only noteworthy aspect of the film.
Michelle Williams, Reid Scott, and Peggy
Lu are back with charming performances
as Eddie/Venom’s support system.
But the film, which takes full advan-
tage of its PG-13 rating with foul language
and occasional head chomping, has prob-
lems that overshadow its bright spots.
Marvel movies tend to acknowledge com-
ics lore while charting a new course, but
the script of Venom: Let There Be Carnage
sticks too closely to the source material.
This is one of those stories in which
the hero unintentionally creates the vil-
lain who then becomes obsessed with
destroying the hero. These stories are
standard comic pulp. But they’re not par-
ticularly satisfying, and superhero mov-
ies of the last decade have tended to
create more interesting motivations for
the bad guys. Carnage’s origin story from
TH E M U RD E RE R WITH A STR AN G E 1992 follows the classic pattern, and it’s
looking especially dated. Also, Kasady is
G E N I U S I S S U PP O S E D TO I NTRI G U E U S, an insane serial killer with a troubled
B UT H I S U B I Q U IT Y I N FI CTI O N HAS past who talks in riddles and creates elab-
orate nonsensical plans. The murderer
TU RN E D H I M I NTO A C LI C H É . with a strange genius is supposed to
intrigue us, but his ubiquity in fiction has
turned him into a cliché.
Harrelson was the obvious choice to
play Kasady/Carnage, but he can’t do
much with the role. Most of Harrelson’s
career and relationships in the previous installment, and Venom wants time as Carnage comes in chaotic CGI
the freedom to hunt down criminals and eat their heads. Alien sym- sequences in which it’s difficult to tell
biotes eat phenethylamine, a chemical found in the brain, to survive, what’s happening. The action needed
but Eddie discovers chocolate has enough phenethylamine to keep better editing: The King Kong–inspired
Venom under control. final battle is a mess, and Kasady/
The action begins to speed up when serial killer Cletus Kasady, Carnage’s prison break is even worse.
played by Woody Harrelson, bites Eddie’s hand during a tussle and Occasionally the script hints at an
develops an alien symbiote of his own. This new symbiote calls itself interesting subtext. There’s talk of free-
“Carnage,” and he’s much more dangerous than his father Venom. dom versus repression and a life of pur-
Just as in the previous installment, Tom Hardy’s performance as pose versus a life of peace, but these
Eddie/Venom is the best thing about the movie. Eddie has nuance and moments don’t go anywhere. Kasady hints
emotion, and Venom is darkly funny. The relationship between host at original sin when he says, “Everyone’s
and symbiote is strangely relatable: Who doesn’t have stories about born in blood and pain,” and the final
that bad roommate? But of course, Eddie and Venom aren’t just room- battle happens at a wedding in a shat-
mates. They share a body, so Hardy spends much of the movie engaged tered cathedral. I’m sure we’re supposed
in some odd-couple bickering with himself. to pick up on some statement for or
This intrapersonal relationship provides the heart of the film, and against religion, but whatever was
Hardy’s the kind of actor who can carry scenes all by himself. Andy intended is lost in the sound and fury.
Serkis, directing his first big-budget feature film, probably deserves Maybe we just need a real hero like
some credit for Eddie/Venom’s engaging back and forth, which he Spider-Man to rescue us from this
perfected playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Hardy isn’t confusion.
ORIGIN STORY Venom’s first appearance in a Spider-Man comic came in 1984’s “The Alien Costume.”
24 WORLD October 23, 2021 SONY PICTURES
v36 20 MOVIES&TV.indd 24 10/5/21 10:38 AMGhoulish road trip OUT OF THE ORDINARY
Imaginative drama Ordinary Joe devotes
by Collin Garbarino
special attention to family matters
by Bob Brown
In Addams Family 2, America’s spooki-
est family goes on a cross-country road
trip, but it turns out everyone should “ONE CHOICE COULD CHANGE YOUR WHOLE LIFE.”
have stayed home—including the audi- So observes Joe (James Wolk), the title character of NBC’s new
ence. The film, rated PG, boasts a host series Ordinary Joe, as he considers a career in music, medicine, or
of talented voice actors, but they’re law enforcement. His choice? Unknown—the show imagines all three
wasting their time on this half-baked, possible futures.
unfunny story that’s a tangled mess of Perhaps more imaginative, though, are the show’s countercultural
clichés about family and belonging and takes on family priorities, making Ordinary Joe (rated TV-PG but
finding oneself. includes some explicit language and sensual moments) worth a look.
Gomez Addams (Oscar Isaac) and his Ten years after college graduation, the same people inhabit each
wife Morticia (Charlize Theron) decide of Joe’s lives but in different ways. In one, Joe’s a nurse, married to
to load their family into a giant hearse Jenny (Elizabeth Lail). They have a son
of an RV for a vacation. They think they but are on the brink of divorce. Rock
need to get away with the kids because star Joe and his wife, Amy (Natalie Mar-
the parents have struggled to connect tinez), are having trouble conceiving,
with their daughter Wednesday who when Joe bumps into old flame Jenny.
feels some teenage alienation. An In the third life, Joe’s an unmarried ADDAMS FAMILY
unscrupulous scientist named Cyrus police officer. The first three episodes
Strange (Bill Hader) exacerbates those don’t hint at how writers will merge or
ADAPTATIONS
feelings, claiming there was a mix-up at purge plotlines. (Hopefully, no sci-fi 1938: Cartoon appeared
birth and Wednesday is his long-lost silliness, triplets, or viewers voting for in The New Yorker
daughter rather than a true Addams. their favorite Joe.) Each story takes magazine
These two storylines don’t mesh intriguing twists, including variations
1964: ABC live-action
well, but don’t let that bother you while of an attempted assassination.
television series
the Addamses wind their way across Most fascinating, though, is the focus
the country. The movie has plenty of on family. The alter egos all struggle to 1973: NBC animated
other things to bother you. prioritize marriage and kids amid suc- television series
Wednesday’s attempts to kill her cessful jobs. The Joes cherish father- 1991: Paramount
brother Pugsley are supposed to be hood. An unplanned pregnancy, with a Pictures live-
funny, but they’re not. Pugsley’s inept disabled child, even leads to adoption. action film
attempts to pick up girls are supposed So far, Joe and his acquaintances 2019: MGM computer-
to be funny, but they’re not. The film- have made some extraordinary choices. animated film
makers’ mockery of Texans is supposed
to be funny, but—you get the idea.
ADDAMS FAMILY 2: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES VIA AP; ORDINARY JOE: NBC; ADDAMS FAMILY: BLT COMMUNICATIONS October 23, 2021 WORLD 25
v36 20 MOVIES&TV.indd 25 10/6/21 8:55 AMC U LT U R E | Movies & TV shirts, skirts, and “buttery-soft” leggings.
Then they’d sell the bright, patterned
clothes for a profit to other women at
home parties and through Facebook live
EXPOSING events.
At the company’s peak in 2017, more
THE LULALIES
than 80,000 consultants—mostly
women—had bought into the company’s
promise that they could make a full-time
LuLaRich reveals how a multilevel salary putting in part-time hours. The
marketing company for stay-at-home moms company also promised a community of
“boss babes,” encouraging each other to
ended in bankruptcies and lawsuits sign up new consultants and “invest”
by Sarah Schweinsberg more in their inventory.
But as the company grew, it ran into
problems. Consultants began to report
receiving wet, damaged, and moldy cloth-
ing. Reps say they tried to report the
problems but were brushed aside. That
put some who had paid the steep startup
costs in a difficult position. Some went
into debt and foreclosure on their homes,
all the while stuck with boxes of unsold
merchandise.
A 2017 lawsuit in California accused
the company of being an illegal pyramid
scheme because reps could make far more
money signing other women up for the
company than from selling clothes. In
2019, the state of Washington sued
LuLaRoe, settling with the company for
$4.75 million earlier this year. Dozens of
other former consultants and employees
have also sued for millions in damages.
Today, LuLaRoe is still active but has
suffered a big hit in revenue and popu-
larity.
Directors Julia Willoughby Nason and
Jenner Furst amazingly got the Stidams
to sit down for an interview giving the
W
HILE CLOTHING COMPANY LuLaRoe promised to create documentary a true courtroom feel. The
“freedom through fashion,” a new documentary stream- prosecutors (former LuLaRoe consul-
ing on Amazon Prime about the multilevel marketing tants) accuse the company’s toxic culture
(MLM) company contends the brand actually placed and business practices of ruining their
women in financial and emotional chains. finances, self-esteem, and marriages,
Over four episodes, LuLaRich traces the rapid rise while the Stidhams defend their actions,
and fall of the company Deanne and Mark Stidham policies, and decisions at every turn.
founded in 2013. Deanne Stidham got the idea to create LuLaRoe’s story reveals a deeper phe-
the clothing company after she sewed a maxi skirt for nomenon: companies offering employees
one of her children. Other girls began asking Deanne for and investors a religion—a chance to have
their own skirts, and soon Deanne was sewing and selling meaning and belonging and change the
the clothing items at a wholesale price to other women, world—all while making money.
who in turn sold them to customers at a markup price. As one former rep says in the show,
LuLaRoe’s business model was similar. Consultants “They made me feel excited and impor
paid $5,000 to $10,000 for a supply of the company’s tant and connected.” Until people look
elsewhere for what the soul longs for,
there will only be more LuLaLies.
26 WORLD October 23, 2021 AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC
v36 20 MOVIES&TV.indd 26 10/5/21 10:40 AMP OPU LAR MU SIC In limited release, The Jesus Music had the second-best faith-based premiere this year.
The Jesus music movement took off
in 1969 at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa,
BOX OFFICE Calif. Pastor Chuck Smith invited disillu-
sioned young people to come to church
TOP 10 wearing jeans and barefoot. Pretty radi-
cal. But scores of hippies started believ-
f ing in Christ.
WEEKEND OF OCT. 1-3, ACCORDING TO
BOX OFFICE MOJO. QUANTITY OF SEXUAL Many of the hippies were musicians
(S), VIOLENT (V), AND FOUL-LANGUAGE (L)
who started expressing their new faith
CONTENT ON A 0-10 SCALE, WITH 10 HIGH,
FROM KIDS-IN-MIND.COM through the same kind of music they used
to play, but with transformed hearts and
S V L lyrics. Smith invited some of them to per-
1 Venom: Let There form their faith-inspired songs in church.
Be Carnage* PG-13 . . . . . not rated
The movement began.
2 The Addams Soon guitars and drums rocked the
Family 2* PG . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 1
hymn-and-choir church world, and the
3 Shang-Chi/Legend of
the Ten Rings* PG-13 . . . not rated music spread across the country. The
4 The Many Saints
styles changed and grew from hippie-
of Newark R . . . . . . . . . . 7 8 10 influenced Jesus music to the polished
5 Dear Evan pop sounds of CCM to worship band
Hansen* PG-13 . . . . . . . . 4 3 5 music many churches include in services
6 Free Guy* PG-13 . . . . . . . 2 6 5 today.
MAKE A
7 Candyman R . . . . . . . . . 3 9 8 Not everyone was a fan at first. Some
8 Jungle Cruise* PG-13. . . 1 6 1
said the rock ’n’ roll melodies and
rhythms came straight from the devil. But
JOYFUL
9 Chal Mera Putt 3 NR . . . not rated
at Explo ’72 in Dallas, Jesus music cre-
10 The Jesus Music* PG-13. not rated scendoed when several hundred thousand
f *REVIEWED BY WORLD
NOISE people came to hear the hand-clapping
tunes and evangelist Billy Graham.
Chuck Girard, of Love Song, the first
New documentary popular Christian rock band, explains
The Jesus Music traces how Graham’s endorsement of the new
Christian music’s music proved revolutionary: “Billy Gra-
ham gets up and speaks. … It was a seal
journey from hippie of approval. If Billy will get up and speak
music to guitar- after hippies sing, maybe it’s OK to have
strumming worship drums. Maybe it’s OK to have guitars.”
The film, rated PG-13 for discussion
TOP 10 FOCUS songs of drugs and thematic elements, show-
by Sharon Dierberger cases some of CCM’s biggest stars. But
Nine in 10 viewers love the two noticeable omissions are Dove Award
new film Dear Evan Hansen, winner Steve Green and BJ Thomas, who
while most critics pan it. SEARCH CHRISTIAN MUSIC on Spotify released the first Christian album to go
Neither group is off base. and an endless scroll of songs and artists platinum. Laudably, the film addresses
Positive messaging swells from all genres pops up. But a new doc- problems in the industry such as the pres-
this song-filled Broadway umentary from the Erwin Brothers (now sures of fame and fortune and the diffi-
adaptation, but the well-in- in limited release) reminds us contempo- culties that result. Artists like Amy Grant,
tentioned hero perpetuates rary Christian music hasn’t been around Russ Taff, Michael Tait, and TobyMac
a monstrous deception he all that long. With more interviews than share their struggles.
hardly atones for. —from music, The Jesus Music traces its emer- While viewers may not enjoy every
WORLD’s review at wng.org gence during the counterculture revolu- musical style and artist, this upbeat
tion of the late ’60s and early ’70s and soundtrack continually points the audi-
follows it into the present. ence to the ultimate Creator of music.
AMY GRANT: LIONSGATE; EVAN HANSEN: UNIVERSAL PICTURES October 23, 2021 WORLD 27
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