Jesus Is Going to Burning Man. Again.

The Great Commission | Evangelism | Burning Man 2024 | Love the Lost | Jesus Christ | Christianity

Camp of the Unknown God, Black Rock Desert, Burning Man 2023 - Carl Teichrib on Facebook

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How You Can Go with Jesus

On 10 September 2023, I published the post, “Jesus Went to Burning Man. Again.”, and it’s the most popular post on Night Owl Christian.

Select this link to read last year’s post.

Jesus has been going to the Burning Man festival for many years through a small group of evangelists who love the Burners (festival attendees) on the Black Rock Desert’s playa. The group is going again this summer to set up the Camp of the Unknown God.

Acts 17:23 (NLT)
²³ for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.

Camp of the Unknown God (COTUG)

This year, Burning Man takes place from August 25 to September 2, 2024. This month, author and researcher Carl Teichrib posted on his Facebook account that the team is preparing to go. If you haven’t heard of Carl Teichrib, he’s the author of the book “Game of Gods: The Temple of Man in the Age of Re-enchantment”, which is a must-have book for those who follow world affairs viewed through a Christian lens. Carl dedicates his life not only to sharing the gospel but also to attending international events during which attendees set the future agenda for humanity.

Yep, not a conspiracy theory. Carl may be working on book number two (yay!!), but let’s return to Burning Man and COTUG.

Carl began his July 10th FB post with this:

Visit Carl’s post on Facebook

Prayer and Financial Support

Carl says this year’s group of eight evangelists are coming from three countries (I know two of the countries are Canada and the U. S.). Attending Burning Man isn’t cheap. The admission tickets are expensive; plus add in the costs for buying the gear, food, and water needed to spend 10 days on the dusty playa in the hot desert.

The COTUG is asking for both financial and prayer support.

If God is tugging at your heart for the not-yet-saved Burners on the Black Rock playa, continue reading as Carl shares more about COTUG 2024.

More from Carl

“In the heat and dust of northern Nevada, a week-long gathering of over 70,000 people takes place annually in the Black Rock Desert. Burning Man, renowned for its hedonism and pagan spirituality, draws to itself attendees from around the world – it is a global event, with ramifications that spill past the boundaries of the desert and beyond the borders of the nation.

“Since 2017, a small group of evangelical Christians have been attending under the banner of their unofficial theme camp, the “Camp of the Unknown God.” Pulled from Acts 17 wherein Paul visited Athens and leveraged the pagan culture-of-the-day to advance the Christian message, our camp likewise seeks opportunities to engage with those enmeshed in the culture.

“The Camp of the Unknown God began with two people who had met online – Bob Worley, who had been witnessing to people in different settings for years, and Carl Teichrib, a Christian socio-religious researcher and writer. Together they decided to see if a dedicated camp inside the Burn would be feasible. With the hype around Burning Man’s decadence, would it be possible to have good conversations about God, Jesus Christ, and the Christian message? Might a positive impact be made in people’s lives – a seed planted, a seed watered – and furthermore, could this experience be used as a springboard to encourage other Christians to engage more broadly? Yes – many times, yes!

“And each year since 2017, including the Covid virtual Burns, there has been a presence from this camp. This year, eight people from three countries are planning to once again put boots-on-the-ground.

“The reason for these believers attending is multifaceted, including outreach and research:

“1) To have genuine conversations with attendees in a way that exhibits Christian truth and grace. Sometimes the conversations are long and continue over many days, even having strangers move their tents alongside ours in order to continue the discussions; and other times it has been as simple as sharing an item of crucifixion jewelry, telling the person to trust Jesus, and in that brief moment the person’s heart softens and the tears pour. We don’t know their stories – where they came from, or why they are attending; but we do know they are our brothers-and-sisters in Adam, and we desire that they become our brothers-and-sisters in Christ. Effective outreach is the prayer, the hope, and the heartbeat of the Camp of the Unknown God.

“2) To research the movement itself. Numerous Christian apologetic and worldview ministries already exist, tackling a range of beliefs and trends, but very little has been done specific to the Burning Man phenomenon. Some of our team, however, have been on the forefront of this, doing on-site surveys, conducting interviews and other forms of documentation, and attending workshops on the movement’s growth (there are over 100 regional Burns around the world). This information is then used in a variety of teaching formats to help Christians better grasp the culture and spiritual context, and begin formulating responses (hint: Acts 17:16-34 is an important model).

“3) Research broader worldview issues. Although the event is renowned for its party atmosphere, there is a serious side little known to those who do not attend; that is, Burning Man is a place for global conversations, with workshops on a range of issues – from new economic models to United Nations’ programs to the legal inroad of psychedelics to new social trends. For some in our camp, this level of research is crucial to understanding the issues of our day, which is then communicated back to the Christian community in articles, podcasts, and lectures.

“How can you help?

“Financially: Attending is expensive; tickets and fees, travel costs (our closest team members are a two-day drive from the event), supplies for the week (there are no vendors, everything must be brought-in and taken-out by yourself), along with the necessary gear and equipment to maintain oneself in a very harsh desert environment for a minimum of 10 days. This fundraiser is listed at $8,500 Canadian dollars – approximately $6,200 USD – and all donations up to that number will go towards offsetting entrance fees. If extra funds come in, they will be used to help cover travel expenses and other associated costs.

GiveSendGo | Camp of the Unknown God at Burning Man

“Informational: If you have been to Burning Man or another transformational event of a similar nature, and would be willing to talk about it, we’d love to listen – and pick your brain! Likewise if you’ve interacted as a Christian in an apologetic fashion within this field of study, or have had other meaningful interactions, we would love to hear from you! If this is something you’d be willing to do, reach out via my webpage at www.forcingchange.org or www.gameofgods.ca.

“Pray: For our team, that we would be humble, honest, attentive, recognizing when to speak and when to remain quiet, when to advance the conversation and when to walk away, for wisdom and discernment – and for our ability to function well with each other. And for those who we will be interacting with; that God would open hearts and minds, soften and prepare, and that they would be receptive to the call of the Holy Spirit towards repentance and reconciliation – to move from being brothers-and-sisters in Adam, to brothers-and-sisters in Christ Jesus.”

Spread the Word

Please feel free to share this post, and last year’s post, with other Jesus followers, especially with those who have a heart for God’s image bearers who are not-yet believers loyal only to Him.

Let’s multiply the number of people supporting the COTUG through prayer, definitely, and through financial support as God leads.

If you would like to share this post in your media (online and/or offline), please see my copyright statement at the end of this post.

Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria!

If you’re a not-yet follower of Jesus Christ, please come along on this journey with us. You are welcome here.

And, I invite you to read my series on the book “What Does God Want?”.

Conversation & Community

Your Turn

What thoughts came to your mind as you read about Burning Man and the Camp of the Unknown God?

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