Think Twice Before Using Satire As The Officially Unofficial Canadian Reformed Daddy Blogger
Satire.
It has been called the lowest form of argument. And it is true. I am not fond of Satire, and rarely engage in it, because it usually ends up making fun of something or someone, and really, it cannot be debated or rebutted, because it is simply stating an opposing view in a rather sarcastic manner…
I engaged in satire in an article I wrote called, “Think Twice before Joining the Canadian Reformed Church”; the crazy thing is that article blew up the internet. Seriously. When I went online today, it was like Facebook and my email just fell off of my computer and died on my keyboard, there is smoke pouring out of my screen… the dying screams of the innocent still haunt my dreams.
Anyway…
It was the busiest day on record since I started the blog, which is both sad and clarifying to me. Sad cuz I have written far better articles than that…and clarifying cuz it reinforces that I appeal to a members of the Canadian Reformed Churches (Canreffers for short). I got a whole lot of emails… Some positive, some negative, and a few were from disgruntled former Canreffers who think that I am just another cookie cutter Canreffer who is stuck in tradition and has his inward-focused, bubble-glasses on.
lol…
Bubble glasses…
Before I go any further, would you go back to that article for a second? Now, look at the category that I stuck it in. You can read the words, “On the Lighter Side.” What do you think that means? That post was intended to be a humorous poke fun at my own church. Not unlike when I lovingly bug my wife about her idiosyncrasies…
But then the trolls got a hold of it…
Some accused me of poor “journalism” for not including the original text that I am debating in that article.
Original text?
Journalism?
Debating?
Um…lolwut?
That article was not journalism, it was not a debate, it’s just me letting you see into the swirling vortex of entropy that is my mind…feel free to like it or not. It was a simple, humourous blog post about my church, for people in my church to have a chuckle at themselves, not a doctoral dissertation on the ecclesiology of the denomination to be debated by those who have too much time on their hands…
This article was also not pointed at anyone in particular. It is true that I was inspired to write that article after receiving over 100 emails and private messages from some trolls bashing the Canadian Reformed Churches over the course of the past 3 or 4 years. I admit that I got fed up and my mind exploded out my fingertips, resulting in that pile of satirical yumminess. Again this is a simple blog post about my church, for people in my church, not a means to call someone out…
Strangely some even accused me of badmouthing other churches and being ignorant and disrespectful to them. Uh…What? That post was not intended to belittle any other congregation or denomination, as some have suggested. How that has anything to do with this post is beyond me. Anything I wrote about other churches in that post comes from my own experiences from 20 years in other churches. Again this was a simple blog post about my church, not a means to judge other churches in a debate over which denominational distinctives are more gooder.
Some of the trolls locked on to the legalism aspect of how the typical Canreffer does Sundays. And it is somewhat true. I mean, if you want to create some drama in CanRC circles, just say that you bought something on a Sunday. Yes people can be legalistic about the Lord’s Day, but not everyone is being legalistic when they don’t go out for lunch after Church! This poor donkey has already been beaten half to death with pool noodles, so I am not going to say any more except this…I did not grow up with a day of rest. Sunday was just another regular day with a sprinkling of Church in the morning. Now, for me, Sunday is a glorious reminder of the eternal Sabbath that we will experience on that great day of the Lord! Here is a question to ponder: What is your motivation for observing, or not observing, Sunday as the Lord’s Day? Your answer to this is important and will determine legalism, antinomianism, or a proper understanding of what the Lord was doing when he gave us the 4th commandment…
Others latched onto the “Nosy Church Leaders,” comment and said that is why they don’t come any more... The complaint was brought up a couple times that the elders often “screwed up” in handling sensitive situations. That they pushed too hard, and in some cases they pushed people out of the church. Some even mentioned spiritual abuse. Often the accusation of spiritual abuse is unfounded and is too easily tossed around by people who hold a grudge…but sometimes it is true. And when it is true, it is a deadly and vile poison. I empathize with those who been victims of spiritual abuse. But victims of abuse are not manipulative and angry trolls, they tend to avoid those who abused them, and are not going to employ the same abusive tactics on others… Anyway, we would have to be living with blinders on to believe that spiritual abuse doesn’t happen in our little denomination. It does happen from time to time, and it is a travesty. Spiritual abuse ruins lives and congregations, it can paint entire denominations in the black, and it drags Christ’s name through the mud. When we hear of spiritual abuse, we do well to address it, rather than look away. Abuse is a cancer in the Church and must be cut out. Done…for now…
Still others latched onto the “Male headship” point. Some people accused me towing the party line with this point. That I am just brainwashed into an archaic way of thinking. That I am just a run of the mill cookie cutter Canreffer who fits the mould…
Haha…
ha.
The funny thing is that we so are not “typical”. I wish we were. I work full time and I am the spiritual head of my home…my wife submits to me in Christ, but my wage is not sufficient for our family needs, so my wife also works full time outside of the house!
Gasps!
I heard them!
Oh and we split the household chores evenly…I am even responsible for “pink jobs” like doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen! I also put my kids to bed to every night!
Wait…am I a feminist?! Lol…no.
I am also responsible for the spiritual well being of the family, but…
*whispers* …sometimes my wife will pray…
Nope. No CanRC cookie cutter here. My wife and I are Complementarian equals…
Boom.
*drops mic*
I am definitely not the cookie-cutter, bubble-dwelling, “Canreffer” I have been accused of being. Although I wonder if that would even be all that bad. And could someone please describe what the Canreffer cookie cutter looks like? Cuz almost all of the people I hang out with, and have bible study with, or prayer group with, have differing opinions and views on lots of things.
Yes, I am a member of a Canadian Reformed Church. I love her, and have grown to love some of the traditional elements, like the Genevan tunes, and the idiosyncrasies, like eating cake before having soup for lunch (Desert before meals? What is up with that anyway?), but I am not so naive as to think she is perfect. I have written posts decrying some issues in the CanRC, like nominalistic-Sunday-Christian issues, legalism, hyper-headship, hyper-covenantism, religious arrogance, and so on.
To those who have left the CanRC: Yes there are issues in the CanRC. (Like the endemic love of Droppies…Salty liquorice. Seriously. What is wrong with these people? ) Please stop bellyaching about the bad things, please just stop. I mean, if you are still a believer who is worshipping in another Church, act like it. Please remember the fruit of the Spirit in your responses, comments, messages and your emails. The judgemental anger does nothing to help the situation. If you are not Christian, why do you even bother to read my blog? Your comments are just trolling.
I am totally open to discussion, but not to accusations, stereotyping, and the like. Take your negativity and be gone. I have a rule of not engaging in debate on social media – it never goes anywhere. So I apologize to you who tried. If you want to engage me, please feel free to email me politely and in a Christian manner, and if I have time, I will respond. No promises.
While enjoying the support of many in the CanRC, and being dubbed by one reader as the, “Officially Unofficial Canadian Reformed Daddy Blogger”, I am not officially sanctioned by the CanRC nor is One Christian Dad officially affiliated with the CanRC. All thoughts, views, and opinions expressed in this article and the other ones, are mine alone. Any that happen to be held by others within the Federation of Canadian Reformed Churches is purely coincidental and will be looked into immediately.
After all that I would like to say…it was a blog post. Not unlike this one. But with more satire. G.K. Chesterton once said, “The test of a good religion, is whether you can joke about it.” I laugh at mine all the time, it must be a great one.
That is all.
Thank you.
