InterVarsity Alumnus Curtis Chang Works to “Redeem Babel” 

Curtis Chang is the founder of Redeeming Babel, an organization that helps Christians navigate anxiety, organizational dynamics, and political engagement. He’s also an InterVarsity Alumnus!   

We sat down with him on the InterVarsity World Changers podcast. Below is a summary of his story. 

Anxiety seems to be baked into every aspect of modern life. From our churches to our workplaces and our politics, most of us experience anxiety on some level. 

After spending years as an InterVarsity staff and then as a pastor of an Evangelical Covenant Church, Curtis Chang left his ministry roles for the non-profit sector, where he helps Christians deal with a variety of anxieties. The Anxiety Opportunity (a book and course) is one of his most well-known tools on the topic. He also started an organization called Redeeming Babel, which gets its name from the story of the tower of Babel found in Genesis 11, where language caused division and confusion. 

Redeeming Organizational and Political Anxiety 

Through Redeeming Babel, Curtis creates resources like podcasts, courses, and more to help believers navigate a chaotic and anxiety-ridden world. 

“Organizations themselves are anxious, and a lot of their fallenness comes out of ways in which they mishandle their anxiety,” Curtis said.   

He believes that the world is shaped by organizations — especially secular ones —and our lives as Christians are often defined by how we interact with these organizations. 

When Curtis thinks back to his experience as a campus minister, he remembers being motivated by the belief that each individual student was created in the image of God with inherent dignity, value, and purpose. Similarly, when he was a pastor, he was motivated by the belief that the church also bore the image of God and was destined to be reconciled to Christ. For Curtis, organizations are a collective of human beings and bear the image of God in their own way. 

“Jesus is at work in these places,” he said.   

As he’s experienced organizational life, Curtis has learned that organizations are fallen beings just like we are. They have the potential to damage us in very real ways, and it can be especially painful when we are betrayed by organizations (including churches) that we have trusted to serve.   

Fortunately, he’s found comfort in the story of the cross and the significance of Jesus’ own experience with institutional betrayal.   

“I understand Jesus and Jesus understands me as the betrayed one. And when you live lives that are pressing into institutions, you will experience betrayal,” he said.   

His work challenges believers to see organizations as opportunities to participate in the redemptive work of Jesus in the world.   

Curtis also helps Christians prioritize the gospel over political allegiance or anxiety. Through "The After Party," a project from Redeeming Babel, he creates space for Christians across the political spectrum to engage in thoughtful conversations about faith, culture, and societal issues.  

“There is a better story about politics that has a better ending,” he said. He wants others to discover the truth that God’s kingdom transcends the political right or left.    

Through these efforts, Curtis is equipping believers to live thoughtfully and courageously in a culture dominated by reactivity and fear. 

Entering God’s Story 

Curtis believes that in a time where we are so prone to anxiety, institutional distrust, and division, the Gospel holds surprising relevance, reminding us of the radical way of Jesus. He also believes the vision of InterVarsity offers a clue for what needs to happen as we deal with the chaos around us.   

InterVarsity leaves a lasting mark on students because of the way it deeply forms them. Curtis experienced this himself when he was a student. Through chapter camps, meaningful friendships, inductive Bible studies, and discipleship, he learned what it meant to grow as a follower of Christ for the rest of his life. These practices help him face our broken, anxious world with wisdom, humility, and truth. 

For Curtis, Anxiety isn't an enemy to be defeated. Instead, it's an opportunity to enter into God's story more deeply. 

You can read Curtis’s books, The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics and The Anxiety Opportunity. And listen to his full story from the InterVarsity World Changers podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts!