Why Actor And Author Nathan Clarkson Thinks He’s ‘The Worst’

In the Apostle Paul’s First Epistle to Timothy, he writes that Christ came into the world to save sinners. He follows that up by saying that he is the biggest sinner.

This is sometimes translated as Paul being “chief of sinners” and even as him being, plainly, “the worst.”

It’s this idea that the Christian actor, writer and podcaster Nathan Clarkson uses to justify the title of his new book, “I’m The Worst.”

Clarkson’s work goes against the cultural current. In an age where many loud voices urge us to put away thoughts of self-criticism and turn instead toward radical self-acceptance, he argues that to truly value ourselves is to understand where we have failed and where we need to grow.

Furthermore, Clarkson encourages his readers to spend less time bemoaning the people who are making the world worse and more time actively working on what we can do to make the world better.

Clarkson has appeared in “The Purge,” “Silicon Valley,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” “Past Lives” and many other movies and TV shows. In addition to acting, he has produced multiple feature films through his production company Clarkson’s Creations. He is also a Publishers Weekly bestselling author for his book, “Finding God in Hollywood.”

Religion Unplugged’s Joseph Holmes, who regularly hosts our podcast, fills in for Matthew Peterson this week. He sits down with Clarkson to discuss the actor’s personal cycles of failure and self-improvement, the ways we villainize the people who differ from us and how a self-critical mindset can still coincide with self-love.

You can listen to the Religion Unplugged podcast on Apple and Spotify.