Special Message from Prism Church: Magcon and the Ministry of Seeing:

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Brothers and sisters in Christ, but today especially my brothers, I want to speak directly to your hearts about something that may seem distant from our traditional spiritual conversations but cuts to the very core of our call as followers of Jesus. Today, we’re examining the phenomenon captured in “Chasing Cameron” on Netflix – not merely as cultural commentary, but as a mirror reflecting our own tendencies and a call to a higher standard of seeing and valuing the women God has placed in our lives.

The Magcon tours that swept across our nation created a cultural moment that revealed something profound about our collective understanding of value and visibility. Young women flocked to these events by the thousands, seeking connection, acknowledgment, and the simple dignity of being seen by those they admired. Years later, their reflections offer us profound insights into what it means to truly see someone as Christ sees them.

“I remember standing in that crowd,” one young woman shared with me, “feeling simultaneously part of something and completely invisible. We were valuable enough as a collective to sell out venues, but not valuable enough as individuals to warrant genuine interaction.” Brothers, how often do the women in your lives – in your churches, your workplaces, your families – feel this same contradiction? Present but unseen. Necessary but unacknowledged. Part of the structure but not part of the conversation.

Another young woman reflected, “What bothers me looking back at Magcon wasn’t just that we were treated as interchangeable – it was that our emotional investment was seen as something to be mocked rather than honored. We were ‘crazy fangirls’ instead of young people expressing genuine feelings.” My brothers in Christ, I ask you to consider: when women in your sphere express emotion, passion, or deep investment in something, do you honor that expression or subtly dismiss it? Do you categorize their enthusiasm as excessive when you would call the same energy in a man passionate?

The Scriptures teach us that Jesus consistently elevated women in a culture that systematically diminished them. He spoke publicly with the woman at the well when cultural norms forbade such interaction. He defended Mary’s choice to sit and learn as a disciple when women were typically excluded from such education. He appeared first to women after His resurrection, entrusting them with the most important news in human history. “Jesus made women the first evangelists,” as one theologian noted. This was a radical disruption of the existing social order.

“I spent $300 on VIP tickets to Magcon,” another young woman told me, “thinking it would mean an actual conversation, a moment of being treated like a person with thoughts and ideas. Instead, it was just a slightly longer photo opportunity with the same practiced smile.” Brothers, I challenge you to examine: Are there women in your life who have invested deeply – emotionally, spiritually, practically – in relationship with you, only to receive a practiced, surface-level acknowledgment in return? Are there women who have supported your journey, your ministry, your work, who remain in the background of your story rather than recognized as essential co-laborers?

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds us that the parts of the body that seem less honorable are treated with special honor. Those that seem unpresentable are treated with special modesty. The parts that seem weaker are indispensable. Our culture – even our church culture – has often failed to apply this principle to how we value women’s contributions, perspectives, and presence. “The hardest part,” one young woman reflected on her Magcon experience, “was realizing that the whole machine couldn’t exist without us, yet we were treated as though we should be grateful for crumbs of attention.”

Brothers in Christ, let me speak directly to you now. The pattern revealed in these young women’s experiences with Magcon is not isolated to teen fan culture – it reflects broader patterns in how women are often seen and valued, even within our faith communities. When women speak in your meetings, do you listen with the same attention you give to men? When women offer ideas, do you build upon them or wait for a man to suggest the same thing before acknowledging its merit? When women lead, do you support their authority with the same conviction you support male leaders?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him. But I want to challenge us to go deeper than seeing women as “the least of these” – to recognize instead that any person whose full humanity we fail to acknowledge represents Christ unrecognized in our midst. “Looking back at Magcon,” one young woman shared, “I wasn’t asking for much – just to be seen as a person with thoughts and feelings rather than part of an anonymous, screaming mass.” Brothers, the women in your lives are not asking for pedestals or special treatment – merely for the dignity of being fully seen.

Let me offer some practical guidance on how we, as brothers in Christ, can create a culture where women feel truly seen and valued, learning from the Magcon phenomenon:

First, practice the discipline of attentive listening. When a woman speaks, resist the urge to immediately formulate your response or solution. Listen not just to her words but to what lies beneath them. Notice her insights, her wisdom, her unique perspective. As James 1:19 instructs us, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak.” This is especially vital when listening across gender lines, where cultural conditioning may make us less attentive to female voices.

Second, amplify rather than appropriate. “There was this bizarre dynamic at Magcon,” one young woman noted, “where our enthusiasm was simultaneously mocked and exploited. Our passion drove the entire enterprise but was treated as something slightly embarrassing.” Brothers, when women in your communities offer insights, give credit generously. When they create, celebrate their creation. When they lead, acknowledge their leadership publicly. Be the one who says, “As Sarah mentioned earlier…” or “Building on Rachel’s excellent point…”

Third, create space for the full range of female expression. Another young woman reflected, “The only acceptable way to be a Magcon fan was to be screaming and crying. If you wanted to have an actual conversation about content or creativity, there was no space for that.” In our communities, do we allow women to express the full spectrum of their humanity – their intellect, their spiritual insights, their righteous anger, their leadership capacity – or do we subtly reinforce narrow expressions of femininity?

Fourth, examine your default settings. Who do you automatically think of when considering a speaker, a leader, an expert? Whose names come to mind first when forming committees, planning events, or seeking counsel? “The most frustrating thing about Magcon,” one young woman said, “was feeling like no matter what value we brought – our support, our creativity in making fan art, our genuine insight into the content – we would always be seen as just screaming girls, never as valuable contributors to the community.” Brothers, actively work against this tendency by intentionally seeking out and elevating female voices, especially in contexts where they have traditionally been underrepresented.

Fifth, honor emotional labor. Women often carry the unseen burden of maintaining relationships, remembering important details, managing social dynamics, and caring for others’ feelings. “At Magcon, we were expected to be endlessly supportive, endlessly enthusiastic,” one young woman noted, “while receiving minimal authentic engagement in return.” In your families, your workplaces, your ministries – recognize and value this often invisible work. Express gratitude specifically for these contributions rather than taking them for granted.

Sixth, be willing to be uncomfortable. Growth requires discomfort. “The boys on the Magcon tour could have challenged the system,” one young woman observed, “they could have insisted on more meaningful interactions, on treating us as individuals. But that would have disrupted the efficient machine.” Brothers, creating spaces where women feel truly seen may require disrupting efficient systems, questioning established patterns, and occasionally putting yourself in uncomfortable positions as an ally. This discomfort is holy ground – the place where transformation happens.

Seventh, recognize that seeing women fully means seeing them as complex individuals created in God’s image, not through the narrow lens of relationship to men. In Galatians 3:28, Paul reminds us that in Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This radical equality means seeing women not primarily as daughters, wives, mothers, or sisters – roles defined by relationship to men – but as complete bearers of God’s image in their own right.

Eighth, understand that making women feel seen requires both individual and systemic change. “What frustrated me most looking back at Magcon,” one young woman shared, “wasn’t just individual interactions but knowing the whole system was designed without considering our dignity.” Brothers, examine not just your personal interactions but the systems you participate in and perhaps lead. Do your church governance structures include women’s voices at decision-making levels? Do your family systems distribute both burdens and privileges equitably? Do your workplace practices ensure women have equal access to opportunities and recognition?

Ninth, practice the spiritual discipline of celebration. Rejoice specifically and enthusiastically in the gifts, achievements, and contributions of the women in your communities. In Romans 12:15, we are instructed to “Rejoice with those who rejoice.” Make it a practice to notice and name the ways women around you reflect God’s character and advance His kingdom. This celebration is not patronizing acknowledgment but genuine recognition of God at work.

Finally, my brothers, remember that seeing truly is a spiritual practice. Jesus saw people – women included – with a gaze that penetrated beyond surface appearances to the heart. He saw the woman with the issue of blood when others saw only a ritual impurity. He saw Mary’s devotion when others saw only wastefulness. He saw the bent woman in the synagogue when religious leaders saw only a disruption to their service. To see as Jesus sees requires spiritual formation – the ongoing work of having our vision corrected by the Holy Spirit.

“What I needed back during those Magcon days,” one young woman reflected, “wasn’t celebrity attention. What I needed was to be in communities where my voice mattered, where my presence was valued not for how I could serve or support others, but simply because I was a person created in God’s image.” Brothers in Christ, we have the profound privilege and responsibility of creating exactly those kinds of communities.

The Magcon phenomenon captured in “Chasing Cameron” reveals a broken system of value and visibility – one that exists not just in fan culture but permeates our broader society and, too often, our faith communities. But we are called to a different way. “I learned eventually after Magcon,” another young woman shared, “that being truly seen isn’t about having thousands of people know your name. It’s about being in relationships where your full humanity is recognized and honored.”

So I challenge you, my brothers in Christ: Be the ones who see. Be the ones who listen. Be the ones who make space. Be the ones who amplify. Be the ones who celebrate. Be the ones who disrupt unjust systems. Be the ones who model Christ’s radical way of honoring the image of God in every person, regardless of gender. In doing so, you participate not just in cultural transformation but in the coming of God’s kingdom – a kingdom where, at last, we will all see and be seen fully, as we are fully known by God.

Let us pray that God will give us eyes to see as He sees, ears to hear as He hears, and hearts to value as He values. May we be a community that stands as a counter-witness to cultures that commodify and diminish, offering instead the radical dignity of being truly seen in Christ.

Amen.

Pastor Mitchell Royel