Kim recently bought me the book “Paddle Your Own Canoe” by Nick Offerman. I was expecting stories from his life, filled with his typical style of deadpan humor, insights on American masculinity, and thoughts and experiences in artisanship. To be clear, it was full of all of these, but I was surprised (and disappointed) to find some pretty pointed criticisms of the Church as well.
Offerman talks about his experiences growing up in the Catholic church, but his memories are mostly superficial and quaint. He seems to have experienced nothing of the powerful influence of the Spirit or the love of God. He talks about joining an Evangelical youth group as a teenager, but his memories centered on the kids he hung out with, the “cool adults” that preached to him, and the shallow attempts they made at the altar to “save him.” To Offerman, Christianity is a great way to remind people of how they ought to behave as decent human beings, but nothing more.
I was really bothered by his wry perspective on the Church at first. After all, the Church is me! And my friends and my family! Don’t judge us Nick! Later on, when I was praying, I talked to God about it. I felt the Lord gently giving me perspective- ”He must not have been really loved and embraced by a Christian community.” This completely shifted my focus.The problem wasn’t Offerman, it was the Church!
What if in his Catholic masses as a child, he had witnessed a group of men and women who loved each other (and him!) radically, different than any other group of people he had encountered? What if, instead of attracting huge numbers of teens to entertaining meetings with shallow salvation pitches, the Evangelical church invited little Nick to be a part of a small community that embraced him and showed him the gospel by serving him sacrificially?
Think about the people in your life who have deeply and powerfully loved you. That love changed you in big ways, didn’t it? Think about how Jesus lived and loved. It changed the world! Yet instead of encountering the transformational love of Christ, Offerman’s experience of the Church was characterized by adherence to ministry models and Church tradition. This is unfortunately the experience of far too many Americans today.
As we consider how we live out our faith in 21st century America, let’s ask ourselves this- what would the Church look like if it was based only on Christ’s command to love God and love our neighbor? If we restarted the Church today, without any of the old structures, forms, or traditions we are used to, what would it look like? How does it make sense to us to express our love for God together and to love our neighbor in today’s society?
If you rebuilt your life from scratch, seeking first and foremost to practice the greatest commandments, love God and love your neighbor, what would you look like?
The Church is ripe for change. All kinds of books, podcasts, sermons and ministry models have been created to address the many problems Christians face in society today, but before we look at anything else, let’s start with love.
Matthew 22:35-40
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”