The Kanakuk Breed: A Christian kind of peer pressure

Most of you probably weren’t aware, but there is a place called Kanakuk that has its own breed of people. Kanakuk Kamps has been a part of my life for the last ten summers. It is the single most spiritually encouraging place I have ever been a part of. It is evident in their faces that people at kamp are so passionately in love with Christ, and He visibly exudes from each of their lives. This past summer, I had the privilege of being on staff at Kanakuk. Throughout the summer, the idea of the “Kanakuk breed” came up in conversation among staff members several times. All people at Kanakuk seem to have the same defining characteristics that result in a pretty incredible group or “breed” or “brand” of people.

I became aware that even in such a godly place, the desire to conform and “fit in” exists. Going by stereotypes, all Kanakuk staff are athletic, outgoing, attractive, clean-cut college students who love Jesus and love kids. While Kanakuk is such a positive community that includes everyone, if you asked anyone who goes there to describe the “ultimate” kamper or counselor, you’d get virtually the same answer from everyone. The first response would be about the person’s character, personality, and love for Christ; however, that “ultimate” kamper or counselor has a trademark physical appearance as well. They would be very athletically built, tan, attractive, and would be wearing Nike shorts, Chacos, a waterproof watch, and countless (mostly homemade) bracelets. This is a picture of our women's staff shirts:

 

It is just a well-known fact that if you go to, or especially if you work at, Kanakuk, you will wear chacos, tempos, and have a one piece tan. While non-athletic kampers or the kids who are oblivious to these fashion trends aren’t loved any less by their counselors, the fact that anyone at Kanakuk can pinpoint exactly what a “typical” kamper looks like goes to show that even a Christian environment can push us towards conformity.

I came to realize, however, that peer pressure and conformity does not always have to be a bad thing, despite the negative connotations. In the case of Kanakuk, peer pressure can actually be very beneficial. Now, obviously it is not “beneficial” to all wear Nike shorts (tempos), Chacos, and have one piece tans. However, it would be beneficial to “conform” to the lifestyle of people at Kanakuk who so passionately pursue Christ. That is in fact a huge part and result of the ministry of counselors at Kanakuk; Kampers become so enthralled with how incredible their counselors are (because of the love of Christ that pours out of them) that they seek to pursue a similar lifestyle.

As Christians, we are called to not conform to this world, to be set apart (Romans 12:2).  As Martin Lindstrom points out in Brandwashed, however, nonconformity is a form of conformity in it of itself. We are not only called to not conform to the world, but to conform to the ways of Christ. This is the type of positive “peer pressure” that exists at Kanakuk, which I believe should exist in all of our Christian communities. At Kanakuk, it is the “cool” thing to be a passionate Christian. Yes, this can cause some fake spirituality among people trying to fit in; overall, however, it is an incredible environment that pushes you in your faith. The love of Christ that is so evident in people is extremely contagious at Kanakuk, as it should be. As Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” How wonderful would it be if we could experience this type of “peer pressure” on a regular basis, as we as believers challenge and encourage each other to grow deeper in our faith.

On our days off at Kanakuk, when we go into Branson, people can spot us from a mile away. Sometimes that is due to the fact that we are still in our Nike shorts and Chacos and had that trademark Kanakuk appearance. More often than not, though, we actually had fixed up for our day off and looked like everyday people. Even still, time after time, strangers we would come in contact with in Branson would ask us if we were from “the kamp over on Table Rock.” Somehow, they were able to tell we belonged to Kanakuk. Judging by my own experience with people at Kanakuk, it was evident because of the way we carried ourselves, the way we interacted, the way we treated people. After being in such a spiritually enriching environment, Christ shines visibly through everything you do. I am challenged, though, to maintain that appearance not just on my 24 hours off at Kanakuk, but everywhere I go. Sometimes it just helps to have a little peer pressure, a little iron to sharpen iron in all of our Christian communities. It is then that we can successfully go into the world and be contagious, making others want to conform to the ways of Christ because of His love they see in us.