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You ever get on a roll where every book you pick up or movie you watch is great? That's where I've been in 2010. Keep it coming! "Culture Making" was a book I wanted to read but was afraid to read. I suppose I've been a little worn down in recent years by evangelicals' obsession with all things culture. Andy Crouch stands well above the fray, though. What was perhaps most surprising about "Culture Making" to me was the scope of Crouch's vision. Crouch takes on the whole thing in his book: from what is culture? to what would it mean for Christians to influence culture? to what does the Bible have to say about culture? to how we can make culture that will have a lasting and gospel-centered impact? Each of these Crouch handles masterfully. Crouch's definition of culture -- the broadest possible definition ("culture is what we make of the world")-- sets up his thesis: God has called Christians to create meaningful culture. And with this in hand he sets about the task of reflecting on the redemptive history. Crouch isn't pretending to rewrite the redemptive story here, but his telling of it is compelling and inspiring. Finally, Crouch gets to the nuts and bolts of his operation: what are the obstacles in culture making and how should one go about the enterprise. His reflections are God-centered and practical throughout. Perhaps what delighted me most about the book was Crouch's ability to explain and then pass by what has subconsciously rankled me about evangelical 'culture talk' for years: talking about and analyzing culture does not equate to making culture. In fact, Crouch holds off on Niebuhr's worn out "Christ and Culture" typologies until nearly two-thirds of the book has passed. Everybody wants to transform the culture... Crouch actually begins talking about how and why we might do that. There's really nothing negative to say about Crouch's book. In addition to being a very helpful book, it's readable and littered with wonderful turns of phrases and word pictures. The only minor critique I might have is really no critique at all... but rather a caution... Crouch is a very certain type of evangelical: a Northeasterner with a background that ranges from the evangelical and into the mainline. For many, I'm sure, there will be times where his own cultural language or theology is at a disconnect with their own. Be assured, though, that Crouch is a good guide who will serve you well, even if you don't agree with every point along the way.
Andy Crouch's book offers a thoughtful, and more importantly, an engaged vision of the relationship between Christians and the cultures within which we live and breathe. It's a good thing that Crouch wants to move us away from the simplistic notion of "the culture," and instead help us to see the plurality of cultures that we find ourselves in. His definition of culture, "what we make of the world," presents Christians with an opportunity to involve ourselves in the world both as creators and cultivators of our cultures. It invites us to play an active role in the continuance and development of the world as we know it. The best chapter in the book comes when Crouch describes the different responses that Christians have offered to culture. Crouch employs the metaphor of gestures and postures to show the importance of certain responses in certain contexts (gestures), but that our general approach toward the world should be one of cultivation and creation (posture). Crouch has provided a much-needed treatment on a subject that impacts each of us. His work is worth thinking through and engaging.
This book was so close to a five star for me! Andy Crouch paints a insightful, compelling, and beautiful picture of the Christian as the Culture Maker. This culture maker understands that part of their discipleship is creating so as to give glory to God, by using their creative capacity to its fullest. Despite a rather theologically "thin" section on the biblical basis for culture making (I think he makes it too simplistic), he does get his point across and I can see for the length of the book, that he couldn't have afforded to make it much more in depth. One thing I found helpful was his insight that the common postures towards culture is condemnation, critique, copying, and consumption and that there is space for all four. However our primary "posture" should be that of creation and cultivation of culture. Taking what has come before us and making it more. This book gives me a more fully orbed understanding of what we are doing, what we are inviting people into, and especially an understanding of heaven that transcends static categories of neverending bliss and replaces it with a dynamic unhindered pursuit of further creation and enjoyment of that creation. Recommended for anyone thinking about what it means to engage in culture in readable and insightful ways.
If there is anything that I think Christians have been the most vague and ignorant about it is the topic of culture. I had a class in college on Christ and Culture that was the most vexing of any I had. This book confirmed and expanded many of my own views and experiences with clarity and remarkable insights. His basic thesis is “It is not enough to condemn culture. Nor is it sufficient to merely critique culture, copy culture or consume culture. The only way to change culture is to create culture” Those four “c’s” are properly adopted as gestures but should never become postures. The author is an editor with Christianity Today and Books and Culture, was a campus minister with IVP at Harvard and a classically trained musican.He has a great writing style but definitely academic in his coverage yet fun to read. Let me know if you want to hear more, this book is very rich but readable.
There are some books that after you turn the last page, you know you will be different. You can't always explain why, but in the course of reading it, you know something deep within you has been changed. This book has had that effect on me. I only read it because Amazon suggested it, and it did go along with some of my dissertation research. A couple of times, in the beginning, I thought about reading something else instead, but I continued on and I'm glad I did. Crouch discusses "cultures" and how Christians interact with the cultures around them. Instead of calling Christians have postures of being against culture, critiquing culture, consuming culture, or transformation culture, he calls them to create culture (which according to Crouch is what God calls us to do). For me, the best part of the book was Part 3 where he eloquently invites all to be culture makers for the sake of the Gospel.
A werewolf gang-war mini-epic written in free verse (!!!). If it had stopped...
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