His upbringing wasn't religious and he never thought much about God before he was 15. He talks frankly about Christianity, misconceptions and the stigmas attached to the devout -- especially young ones.

Yellowknifelife: What are you doing in Yellowknife?

Josh Langner: I'm an interning youth pastor at Yellowknife Alliance Church. I'm not quite finished my Bible college degree and in order to complete it I have to work in a church for eight months, so I'm up here working and learning.

Yellowknifelife: What's the denomination and explain it a bit.

JL: Alliance is a contemporary protestant church. We focus more on grace through faith rather than grace through works or action. We receive our salvation purely because we believe we do -- God gives it to us simply because we ask him to. Contemporary in the sense that we try to find new ways to worship God and show people that God exists -- through music or drama.

Yellowknifelife: Do you take that on as a personal responsibility?

JL: Of course. The way I look at it is that God granted me salvation, so how can I not share this goodness with the rest of the world?

If everyone was walking around without shoes, you'd say 'Hey, you guys should get some shoes -- look how good these shoes are.' And if they didn't, it would drive you nuts.

Yellowknifelife: Why do you think people may not be receptive to your truths?

JL: It's a truth that isn't proven scientifically. It's easy to be skeptical and it takes faith -- so it's easy to brush it off. But it also demands commitment and reaction.

Yellowknifelife: Considering that your family wasn't religious at all, how did you become so committed so young?

JL: I was pretty young -- only 15, so I was pretty stupid. I was a really selfish, regular kid. I spent all my time skateboarding and working and life was really good for me. One day we were skating and this guy was preaching ... and there was free hot dogs and candy and we were all running around. Then we all had to sit down and listen to this guy talk about God and it was like pulling my teeth out to try to sit still after skateboarding and candy. So I started making fun of him. The idea of church and commitment to God was kind of foolish to me - I don't think I really believed in God. But I got up to pray in the church to see what it was like and when I prayed it was like I did an unselfish act. I just started seeing that there was much more out there than me. God didn't come out in a fiery pillar and I didn't see an angel or anything, but he spoke to a spiritual reality that I had never known before.

Yellowknifelife: Does that spiritual truth have to be about 'God'?

JL: Of course people see God in different ways, but I really firmly believe and am convinced that Christ is the way.

Yellowknifelife: Aren't there multiple truths out there and doesn't choosing one negate all the others?

JL: To be honest, yes, you feel like a jerk. But in the world that God created, there is an objective truth and subjective truth is a myth.

Yellowknifelife: Call me a skeptic, but how do you know it's the truth?

JL: I feel personally that we might never know the exact right answer, but there is an exact right answer. And we should seek it.

Yellowknifelife: Do you follow a set of rules?

JL: I have no rules I follow. There are things I choose to do and not to do. But it's not like if I have a beer -- it's all over. It's not like I have to go to church every Sunday. All I have to do is maintain a relationship with God. It's not a chore.

Yellowknifelife: Since you were only 15 when you figured all this stuff out, did you receive any backlash from friends -- kids are cruel.

JL: Of course I did. I remember my friend asked me what I did on the weekend, and I said 'I became a Christian' and he turned around and walked away. I talked to him maybe two years later.

Yellowknifelife: Why do you think extremely religious people are stigmatized?

JL: Because of the truth it involves. It's not the kind of conversation that sits easy with people -- because there's something unknown and mysterious about it. People want to reject that because it's hard or difficult or they don't understand it. People have a lot of misconceptions about what a Christian is and what the church does.

Yellowknifelife: How are you misunderstood?

JL: When I say I'm a Christian, people have a box they want to throw me into and I'm by no means in that box. I don't play acoustic guitar, I swear a bit, I like the Rolling Stones. Every one of us are different.

Yellowknifelife: Talk a bit about media and religion.

JL: Media claims the church is perfect; the church doesn't claim that. Movies love making the church seem like jerks. Everybody loves hypocrisy and dirty laundry. Christians really stand up for something that's unseen, and it's hard sometimes. People like proving someone wrong, perhaps because it redeems their mistakes.

Yellowknifelife: I think people often feel there's an aspect of judgment by the devout.

JL: Christians don't look at ourselves as organic beings. Why wouldn't I tell you everything I know about God in the hopes that you might learn something?

Yellowknifelife: Thanks a bunch for talking with me, Josh. Anything you want to add?

JL: Give a shout out to all my shinney hockey buddies!