13 years in a cult Celebrating 140 years of Hope
In this issue June 2025
WHAT IN THE WORLD 04 A BETTER WAY THROUGH THE COST-OFLIVING CRISIS 06 Why worry isn’t a necessity.
HOW TO KILL A VAMPIRE 12 The secret power of the Sabbath.
THE PRAYER MEETING THAT TOPPLED A REGIME 18 How a group of Christians changed the world.
HOW FOOD STABILISED MY MOOD 24 Not just for satisfying hunger.
13 YEARS IN A CULT
It didn’t look like a cult. That was the point.
PAGE 32
THE BIBLE’S DEFINITION OF LOVE 30 The foundational belief of an NGO.
WHY WE’RE OFTEN WRONG ABOUT PEOPLE 38 How our assumptions shape the way we see others.
IT’S NOT “JUST PLAY” 44 Why your kids need that Lego.
GLORY! AND WHERE TO FIND IT 54 The Greeks’ strange obsession with glory.
WOULD YOU BETRAY A STRANGER FOR BETTER LOOT?
STAY HEALTHY DURING BUSY SOCIAL SEASONS 60 Don’t miss out on great food.
SUDOKU AND CROSSWORD PUZZLE 62
What a videogame teaches us about human nature.
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SIGNSMAG.COM • JUNE 2026
@SIGNSMAG
Atheist prophets? A few years ago, a Bible teacher friend of mine said to me, “You know who modern-day prophets are? Atheists.” I’ll admit, I was taken aback. “It’s true,” he said. “The prophets of the Bible didn’t just tell the future. They were social commentators. They critiqued hypocrisy—especially religious hypocrisy.” After some pondering I realised he was kind of right. Jeremiah likened Israel’s worship of foreign gods as marital unfaithfulness. Isaiah decried injustice, accusing the Jewish elite of “having blood on their hands” (Isaiah 1:15). Amos, responding to more injustice, communicates God’s anger: “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me” (Amos 5:21). At Signs of the Times, we’re no strangers to prophecy. It’s in the name, after all. We’re also no strangers to the damage religion can do. Ask any Christian, and they’ll be able to tell you when another believer hurt them. On p32, we explore Jade’s story. It’s a story of trauma where reilgion played a vital part. It’s also the story of how Jade was able to overcome his trauma when he discovered the God of the Bible for himself. On p12, Seth Pierce talks about the vampiric systems that suck our life away—and how to kill that vampire. Then on p18, Nathan Brown talks about the prayer meeting that helped topple Soviet East Germany. As much as atheists are like ancient prophets, there is one thing they lack: they don’t wish to improve the system—they wish to destroy it. True religion cares for the poor, opposes abusive systems and seeks peace with God and our fellow man. In that same passage where Amos records God’s challenge: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream!” This is what true religion does. May we embrace it, and the God from whom it comes. JESSE HERFORD Associate Editor
VOL 140 NO 5
ISSN 1038-9733 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Brad Kemp EDITOR Jarrod Stackelroth ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jesse Herford ASSISTANT EDITOR Zanita Fletcher COPYEDITORS Melody Tan Tracey Bridcutt GRAPHIC DESIGN Theodora Pau’u Talia Valderrama PHONE +61 2 9847 2222 EMAIL info@signsmag.com WEBSITE signsmag.com ADDRESS Adventist Media PO Box 1115, Wahroonga New South Wales 2076 SUBSCRIPTIONS Kelli Geelan PHONE +61 3 5965 6300 Australia/New Zealand, $A28/$NZ30; South Pacific countries, $A41; Other countries $A51 Published since 1886, Signs of the Times is printed 11 times a year by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is registered as a periodical. Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD) Limited ABN 59 093 117 689 NOTE The inclusion of a person or their image within does not imply their endorsement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or its beliefs. Unless otherwise stated, Bible verses are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, Anglicised. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton. All rights reserved worldwide. COVER IMAGE: FRASER <www.iamfraser.com>
WHAT IN THE WORLD Death Cafes on the rise WORLD
There are now more than 23,000 Death Cafes across 97 countries globally. The movement— informal gatherings over tea and cake to talk openly about dying—is not “a grief group, a counseling session, or a place to push religious or other spiritual agendas.” They were created so people could have important discussions—including whether they wanted to be cremated or buried or how to organise their finances before death—in a safe, welcoming setting. —Axios, Courier Texas
First Buddhist AI monk South Korean Dongguk University has introduced its first AI monk. Named Venerable Hyean, meaning “eye of truth”, it recently made its public debut at Seoul’s Bongeunsa temple. It greeted visitors, explained Buddhist practices and answered questions in Korean and English. Project leader Professor Lim Joongyeon was clear that Venerable Hyean is a tool: “Robots should be assistants that help humans become more fully human.”—Buddhistdoor Global 4
SIGNSMAG.COM • JUNE 2026
IMAGE SOURCES
SOUTH KOREA
“Hushpitality” now a travel essential WORLD
Travellers are increasingly swapping packed itineraries for peace and quiet, according to Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, which names “hushpitality”—or the “quietcation”— as the year’s number-one travel trend. More than half of respondents (56 per cent) said their primary motivation for leisure travel in 2026 is simply to rest and recharge. Spending time in nature (37 per cent), improving mental health (36 per cent) and personal “me time” (20 per cent) also ranked among travellers’ top priorities. The findings are reflected in booking behaviour, with Hilton reporting that restful destinations such as Cancun, Honolulu, Orlando, Bali and the Maldives dominated its search trends over the past two years.—Travel Tomorrow
How changing beliefs are reshaping Pacific identity SOUTH PACIFIC
Doctoral candidate Laki Tiatia is exploring what happens when Pacific people move away from or rethink Christianity. “At the core of our cultures is spirituality. So, when belief systems shift, it can feel like a cultural shift as well,” he says. According to a 2023 census, around 62 percent of Pacific peoples in New Zealand identified as Christian, while 27 percent reported having no religion. But many Pacific Christians hold more than one spiritual worldview, identifying as Christian while still holding on to Indigenous beliefs—even if those beliefs conflict. “On one side is the belief that ‘to be Pacific is to be Christian’. On the other is the argument that ‘to be Christian is to be colonised’. The danger on both ends is that we start putting Pacific identity into rigid boxes,” says Tiatia. “Many young Pacific people are attempting to make sense of this—their religious affiliation and Pacific-ness at pivotal times in their life journey.” —University of Auckland JUNE 2026 • SIGNSMAG.COM
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A BETTER WAY THROUGH THE COST-OFLIVING CRISIS What if financial peace had nothing to do with how much you earn? DR KEN LONG
JUNE 2026 • SIGNSMAG.COM
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