Encounters in the Desert

Report on attending Burning Man 2025, our 2nd time at the event

By George Olson

The following is a summary. To read the full original article, click here.

This report reflects on a 19-day trip culminating in Burning Man 2025, followed by a ministry security conference in Missouri. The author first situates events within the wider global and national context — Russia’s drone incursion into Polish airspace, an Israeli strike in Qatar, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk — framing these incidents within Neil Howe’s Fourth Turning thesis. This period of history, like the Great Depression and World War II, is characterized by institutional upheaval, polarization, and crisis. Social media amplifies extremes, and the path forward requires enduring and navigating the turbulence.

The heart of the update focuses on Burning Man, described as part-World Economic Forum, part-Mardi Gras, part-Woodstock — a place of hedonism, creativity, and a search for spirituality “without religion.” The event’s scale is staggering: a temporary city is built and populated by tens of thousands who bring everything needed to survive the harsh Nevada desert. The ingenuity of Black Rock City reflects humanity’s God-given creativity, yet its dominant worldview celebrates human autonomy, evolutionary progress, and self-salvation, often excluding the Creator.

Participants come seeking pleasure, connection, or enlightenment, but the experience risks distracting them from their deeper spiritual hunger. Burning Man embodies the cultural shift away from modernism and postmodernism toward a “re-enchantment” worldview that blends pagan and Eastern spirituality, monism, and a belief in collective human evolution. Some embrace this worldview wholeheartedly, others convince themselves of its truth under the emotional weight of the event, and a final group remains disillusioned when the experience fails to deliver.

The author shares observations from art installations, including the “regen-era” exhibit under The Man, which offered a narrative of humanity’s collective awakening into a new, life-affirming society. Nearby interactive art encouraged participants to seek “good fortune” through ritual-like actions, underscoring the event’s fusion of play, philosophy, and spirituality. Drugs, nudity, and the ethos of a “Temporary Autonomous Zone” add to the perception of freedom, though serious crimes still draw law enforcement. This year marked the first known murder in Burning Man’s history, adding a somber note.

Ministry activities included daily conversations and participation in cultural events, always seeking to engage with others in humility and grace. One memorable conversation began with a casual chat at a Native American dance and quickly turned into a direct gospel exchange when asked, “What is the answer?” The response was simple and profound: “Jesus is the answer.” Encounters like this often went deep without confrontation, tracts, or grandstanding.

A remarkable providential meeting occurred when a couple searching for an alternative to Burning Man’s worldview stumbled across Carl Teichrib — literally while watching his YouTube interview — just a few hundred feet from their camp. They later attended the team’s “Stories of the Supernatural” workshop, where God clearly worked in their hearts.

The author concludes with confidence that God remains sovereign despite global turmoil, and invites readers to follow future updates and visit the new ministry website, orbis-sentry.org, for ongoing developments.