Where This All Started

My path toward Catholicism didn't start with being drawn to something I saw or felt in it--exactly the opposite. My path toward Catholicism began as an attempt to get away from my increasing dissatisfaction with Protestantism. I saw all around me friends and acquaintances just sort of making up what they wanted to believe. I saw churches taking increasingly lax theological and moral positions, or not taking them at all. It felt like the whole point of modern church was to get people in the door and help them feel good about themselves.

I was enormously frustrated (you can hear it here), it had been coming on for a long time, and one day it came spilling out in an odd form--I rewrote the lyrics to the hymn 'The Church's One Foundation'. Yeah, it was a backhanded way of going about it all, but I had...something to say.

I was driving a delivery truck, and in between stops I'd write lyrics in my head. I'd get to the next stop, enter into my phone whatever lyrics had come to me, then move on. When I was done, I was satisfied I'd said my piece, but...who could I show it to? My protestant friends wouldn't want to talk about this, I couldn't publish it on Facebook because the flame wars would go on for weeks, so...I sent it to Greg (the guy who started this website/podcast/blog). I thought Greg would appreciate it.

(Sung to the tune of 'The Church's One Foundation')

The church’s one foundation is built on what I feel

It comes from my emotions

Cause that’s what’s really real

Theology’s confusing

I just don’t get that stuff

I’m into loving people

And I think that’s enough

The church’s one foundation is not from books on shelves

It springs from earth and ocean

And deep within ourselves

I get my sense of Jesus by looking at the sky

The beauty of my feelings

Sometimes it makes me cry

The church’s one foundation is based on peace within

If I have good intentions

It doesn’t count as sin

Those burdensome commandments

And talk of sacrifice

Don’t mean as much to Jesus

As trying to be nice

The church’s one foundation is spending time alone

Instead of congregating, I do it on my own

I don’t need judge-y people

Up on their lofty perch

Now that I think about it

I really don’t need church

Greg messaged me back a day later and said, "You're on the road to Rome, you just don't know it yet." He started making the case for Catholicism right then, in a text exchange that went on for probably an hour. A couple of weeks later we met for coffee and he said, "I'm starting a podcast about Catholicism. How'd you like to be the Protestant guest?"

It's been a year, and although I am not yet a Catholic, I no longer think of myself as a Protestant. It's good.