In Geez’s Name, Amen

this story about Geez Magazine originally appeared in the Idea Factory: an Exquisite Wheneverly

For Christmas last year I got Dad a saucy brass belt buckle “Jesus,” a Johnny Cash CD, and a copy of Geez Magazine. My dad’s got a pretty wacky sense of humour but I could tell he was uncomfortable with the belt buckle. I’d looked far and wide for the Christian fish symbol but when I found the garishly tacky alternate I knew I was probably going too far. Dad frowned and said that Jesus was more than a belt buckle. I knew he felt it was something worn too close to netherland for comfort, but I told him it was a unique opportunity to witness for the Lord. I believe God has a sense of humour, too, and mine is one gift he gave me.

Dad and I have different beliefs about God, but not that different, all things considered. He and mom raised us to believe in a loving God, but also to be accountable for our sins. Though I railed against religion for some time in my early twenties, as I struggled to make sense of the wrongdoings of church history and the blanket condemnation of human sexuality and alternate belief systems, you can’t really argue with the ten commandments. When various tragedies nearly broke me, I found myself on my knees, a place I felt God’s comfort when there was little to be had in the platitudes of the world. Where once I had questioned the validity of glorifying the suffering of a misjudged super-man named Jesus, now I felt closer to him in my own pain. Though most churches hold little allure for me intellectually and even spiritually, the deep portraits of the human heart as laid out in the Good Book are a goldmine in historical philosophy and poetry. I often wished Christianity were more inclusive, more contemporary, and more socially conscious. After all, Christ ministered to outcasts and was one himself- wasn’t there room for me to feel welcome?

Then Geez came along. Geez is an absolutely radical Canadian magazine that covers current social, environmental and spiritual issues. It’s tagline reads “holy mischief in an age of fast faith”. This gem doesn’t shy away from all the major issues that are real in today’s world- abortion, environmental destruction, war and what is it good for, spiritual emptiness.

Without purporting to know what God thinks about everything, it urges the faithful and the backslidden or even the unbeliever to find a deeper meaning in today’s consumer climate. I was pretty sure its departure from fundamentalist interpretations would make Dad uncomfortable, but we often exchange books with the promise to read them and discuss them so that we can agree, disagree, or agree to disagree. While I believe it’s our spiritual obligation to progress forward in art, literature and science, Dad feels all those steps are empty without God. Geez is like a friend that bridges those gaps and doesn’t hide from difficult questions- kind of like Geezus himself. Best of all, so far Geez does it all ad-free, and will do so for as long as it is able to.

“The idea originated with my colleague Aiden Enns. He was working at Adbusters and feeling like the addition of a spiritual dimension to a counter-corporate magazine would be worth pursuing. When Aiden moved back to Winnipeg after wrapping up his time with Adbusters, he asked me and some others to be involved. We recognized a depth of largely untapped creativity on the fringes of faith and wanted to tap into that energy and nurture it,” says editor Will Braun.

Fans of the Canadian-born Adbusters Magazine laud the forward thinking design, the absence of advertising influence on editorial comment, and the deep reflection on the ills of society. But many criticize the magazine for being unable to offer real solutions for the tragedies of war, greed, and despair. The influence of this great magazine is evident in the design, voice and flare of Geez, but there is a more positive, solution-oriented depth in Geez, an inherent spirituality that may combat the hopelessness of the world’s conditions.

“We are certainly indebted to Adbusters as a source of inspiration. Their use of images and use of a narrative flow for each issue are important contributions to the art of magazine making. We hope to offer some of the same sort of counter-corporate messaging as Adbusters but with emphasis on the spiritual and religious dimensions of how society works. Religion and spirituality are integral aspects of society, and we have given ourselves the permission to talk about the best and the worst of religion. I think we’re also trying to have a little more smirk and a little less sneer than Adbusters – a somewhat more upbeat tone,” Braun states.

It’s more than Adbusters goes to church. “We’ve set up camp in the outback of the spiritual commons. A bustling spot for the over-churched, out-churched, un-churched and maybe even the un-churchable. A location just beyond boring bitterness. A place for wannabe contemplatives, front-line world-changers and restless cranks. A place where the moon shines quiet, instinct runs mythic and belief rides a bike,” reads the Geez website.

With campaigns like Make Affluence History and Buy Nothing Christmas, Geez seeks to dethrone the almighty dollar and re-throne the Almighty, providing clues in its extensive coverage to how we might find space for God in this troubled and amazing world we live in.

Future plans include topics like sustainable farming and facing our fears, and past issues have tackled problems with evangelism and seeing wonder in a world full of trials and tribulations. While fundamentalist spirituality may view Geez’s inclusive, humourous text as wishy-washy, Braun doesn’t see it that way.

“ I am a Mennonite farm boy from the Bible Belt of Manitoba. Sometimes Mennonites drive me nuts, but I claim my heritage and identity. I don’t really see it as a choice – it’s who I am. I believe it is okay to have a love-hate relationship with the church. I don’t have to decide if it is all good or all bad. It is both – like me – and I can be part of it anyway. I believe in being connected to other people. It is popular these days to say ‘I am spiritual but not religious.’ I say bunk to that. I am worried that that leads to the individualization of belief – we all just pick and choose our own little beliefs and do our own thing. It can be a rather arrogant, me-first approach. I think the individualization of belief is the end of belief. Faith is about connecting to that which is larger than ourselves, and doing so in humility, recognizing the value of relating with others who have varying beliefs and lives. I believe in organized spirituality. I want to be part of a collection of people that includes different generations, people of widely varying backgrounds, and people with whom I disagree.”

For Braun, the central message of the Bible is loud and clear. Love is much more difficult than hatred but it’s the only answer. “I believe there is great wisdom in the Biblical narrative … I am particularly drawn to stories of discovering the mystery of love on the margins of society. There is something vital that cannot be discovered in the halls of power, the very best schools, or among the brightest artists. It is something that can only be discovered among people who are left out, people who have no status. This is integral to the message and lives of Jesus, Gandhi, Henri Nouwen, Dorothy Day, Jean Vanier, Oscar Romero and others. I seek to be drawn toward this mystery of love.”

Geez has ventured forth with new ideas and amazing accomplishments, and one of them is running ad-free. “ I think it is an important experiment. We can’t just start with the assumption that advertising is a necessary evil. We’re not dead set against any advertising, but at this point we find it very gratifying to produce a magazine in which money and message do not mix, and in which ads do not interrupt the visual flow of the magazine,” Braun says. Other highlights include “Burning $100 to say that maybe money isn’t the answer (Geez 02)…Sending the editor (me) on a 1,200-mile bicycle trip to speak on behalf of Geez at a conference. Receiving positive feedback from atheists… Printing the sort of articles that wouldn’t really fit in any other magazine we know of. Presenting a taste of the monastic tradition to readers.” In addition to encouraging environmental responsibility in the tone and topics within the mag, the pages are printed on 100% post-consumer-waste recycled paper.

The Winnipeg publication can pat itself on the back for recently winning a whole heap of awards. At the Western Magazine Awards, Geez won for both Best New Publication and Western Canada Magazine of the Year. Last year, Utne Independent Press Awards nominated Geez for Best New Publication and Best Spiritual Coverage. Geez won seven awards from the Canadian Church Press, including Original Artwork, Narrative, General Excellence, and Personal Experience. For a quarterly that has been around less than two years, this is astounding. Evidently this self-professed “experiment with truth” has the Big Guy on its side.

Geez encourages your involvement, through submissions and subscriptions. Head to www.geezmagazine.org for information on subscribing, telling your story, or getting involved in projects like De-Motorize Your Soul. You can be a part of this revolutionary/revelationary action plan: “Because it’s time we untangle the narrative of faith from the fundamentalists, pious self-helpers and religio-profiteers. And let’s do it with holy mischief rather than ideological firepower. We’ll explore the point at which word, action and image intersect, and then ignite. So let’s blaspheme the gods of super-powerdom, instigate spiritual action campaigns and revamp that old Picture Bible.”

All things considered, I doubt Dad will ever wear the belt buckle- perhaps it was in poor taste. But the great Johnny Cash will make for an appropriate soundtrack for dusky evenings after prayer meeting on Dad’s back porch. Johnny’s gravelly soul and the serenade of crickets and twittering birds in the twilight by the farm’s pond is just a perfect backdrop for reading Geez. Our responses may differ, but time together to reflect on them is the most amazing of God’s gifts, and isn’t that how communion/community begins after all?

www.geezmagazine.org

Writer Lorette C. Luzajic has written a memoir and some poetry for Geez Magazine. Visit her at www.thegirlcanwrite.net.