Editor’s Note: Samuel Shepley is a junior at Belmont University in Nashville, majoring in English and Faith and Social Justice. He is a Spring 2025 Ernest C. Hynds Jr. Intern at Good Faith Media.


What story, verse or passage from your faith tradition’s sacred texts has significantly influenced/shaped your life?

I was hyper-fixated on James 2:14-21 in high school. I still think its central theme of “faith without works is dead” is crucial to my life and practice of Christianity.

Who are three people (other than your family) who have shaped your life and worldview? And why?


Roger Ebert is the first to come to mind. I remember getting into movies during middle school and watching classics with my mom to familiarize myself with what everyone else already seemed to know. My mom and I always read Ebert’s reviews after watching a particular film. He’s still one of my favorite writers. He was the best at infusing his curiosity and love of film into his writing. You could feel his enthusiasm through the page.

The second is Toni Morrison, who is obviously a brilliant writer. But from my personal experience, she completely reshaped my thoughts about love. Morrison writes about love so beautifully and connects all the ways in which English speakers use the word “love” to cover a multitude of different emotions. In her writing, all the unique loves are explored in their individual beauty yet still held under the umbrella of a nebulous and all-consuming thing called “love.” I aspire to have the same complex understanding and wonder at the beauty of love that Toni Morrison espouses.

My third is Jon Bois, a storyteller and sports journalist who creates excellent YouTube sports documentaries such as “The History of the Seattle Mariners” and “Captain Ahab: The Story of Dave Stieb.” His human and sweet storytelling has changed my perspective on what matters in sports and life.

Bois is fascinated by the mundane and the absurd and the intersection between the two. At their intersection, he often finds our most human moments and the sheer beauty we can see in each other. For him, sports are a lens through which to view all our unique souls. Both of his documentaries make me cry every time I watch them.

I credit his work with making me more empathetic and caring about the world around me.

List three of your “desert island” books, movies or TV shows.


The first would be the documentary “Captain Ahab: The Story of Dave Stieb,” which I mentioned above.

The second is “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac McCarthy. That book (and movie) mean so much to me. They also make me sob every time during Sheriff Ed Tom Bell’s dream at the end. The story is just beautifully constructed.

Lastly is “Paris, Texas” by Wim Wenders. That film is visually stunning and provides an intimate look at a broken character, Travis, played by my favorite actor, Harry Dean Stanton.

What is one of the most critical issues people are facing today?


One of the scariest is how individualistic we are becoming. This is not a new phenomenon in the country. Still, our increasing alienation from one another, facilitated by policy, technology and infrastructure, among other things, makes us lonelier, sadder and less curious about those around us. This, in turn, makes us hateful, bigoted and quick to judge. It makes us violent and cruel, and it is only going to get worse unless we make a conscious effort to love each other.

What are a few of your hobbies?

I love to cook, especially soups. When possible, I cook with friends and family. I also love to play, talk about, and listen to music. I love reading books and watching movies, and I really love going to concerts.

If you could freeze your life into an already-lived 10 seconds, what would they be?


This one is a little silly, but I went to my first punk-adjacent concert in my first year of college. I had no idea how to act or what to do, so I got to the venue way too early, which led me to snag a spot on the barrier. The band was a Swedish punk band goofily named the “Viagra Boys,” and I still consider getting repeatedly slammed into the stage by that swarming crowd to be the most worshipful experience of my life.

Our tagline at Good Faith Media is, “There’s more to tell.” What’s your “more to tell”?

My “more to tell” boils down to my fascination with other people. It is endlessly rewarding and lovely to learn more about the people we share the Earth with. Whether through an in-person conversation about a film, book, song, or graffiti on a bar wall, everyone is fearfully and wonderfully made.

In recent years, I’ve tried to take that as literally as possible when approaching the world. I want to be as curious about others as I can possibly be. My “more to tell” is that everyone and everything around me has more to tell than I could fathom. I see it as part of my Christian belief to cherish the beauty and “God-breathedness” in everyone.

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