Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling Paperback – September 9, 2013

Andy Crouch has written an extremely accessible and engaging book in his Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. He strategically divided it into three different parts, the first working through what this concept of 'culture' is and how being able to impact the "horizons of possibility" is what it means to create 'cultural goods'. His analysis and insight in this first third of the book clearly lays out his conception of what culture is and what it means to interact with as well as impact (for good or bad) what culture is. He also begins to point towards the Christian's role as a cultivator.
 The second part of the book is where he dives into the biblical narrative and takes a 'cultural' view. While I suspect that many theologians (Biblical and Systematic) may be made uncomfortable with some of his approach, his 'cultural analysis' of what is happening in the Bible, what God is revealing about himself and what he's doing, is fascinating and (at least for me) made the biblical story come alive in a new different light. [As a side note, I would never agree that this should be the primary way to interpret or perceive God's revelation of himself through his Word, but that does not negate the validity of the perspective Crouch is bringing to bear on it]
 It is in the last part where the rubber meets the road for Crouch, that is where he builds his practical theology of culture making (a "theology of culture transformation"? or maybe, better put, a "theology of cultural engagement"). Whatever you want to call it, Crouch is dealing with the best 'posture' to adopt when engaging culture and how to do so as a Christian. He raises up a concept of concentric circles of relationships, what he calls the 3, the 12, the 120. Fascinatingly, these relational levels, which for Crouch enable cultural impact at a local and small level but which hold the capacity to have effects across culture world-wide, actually reflect some common themes in small group literature when they talk about group size and accountability and community building.
 Crouch does ultimately affirm the absolute necessity of community for the cultivation of cultural 'goods' which transform the horizons of possibility for a people, rather at a small, local level, or at a much larger national or multi-national level.
 While Crouch's writing delves into some pretty deep stuff, he has (in my opinion) a very intuitive knack for illustration, for excellently drawing the reader into the concepts he's outlining in a way which is natural and accessible all the while keeping the depths and richness of the subject matter at hand accessible for him to engage. I would not have a problem recommending this to the average church goer (or average adult, for that matter), for I think most would find it accessible and would be able to grasp the concepts because of how he explains them.
 With that note of accessibility, I want to make this review a little less accessible and compare it to a few works I've read recently. Jacques Ellul's The Presence of the Kingdom engages the issue of culture from a different angle. I think many of Crouch's concepts and ideas compliment Ellul's work. Ellul's emphasis upon the preservation of the world, the need for truly 'genuine revolution,' and the church's prophetic role in the world resound rather harmoniously with Crouch's. I do think Crouch's concepts and thrust stands largely at odds with Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation, but that conflict lies in a fundamentally different approach to culture and its function for the church. I suspect that Dreher's approach to culture largely resembles one which Crouch cautions against. Lastly, it was fascinating to read this book by Crouch after having read How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World by Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson, because their book analyzes cultural goods (specifically ones of entertainment) which have resonated with the modern culture at large. Charles Taylor's seminal tome A Secular Age is what I want to compare this to, yet it still lies in my to-read pile for the time being. I think Crouch's work would make an interesting companion to that book.
 All in all, I loved the book and would very highly recommend it to any pastor, elder, deacon, small group leader, etc., in a church. Just grab yourself a copy, it's not a hard read, but it is definitely worth the time it will take to get through it (which is not actually that long).

We all live within the confines of culture - our work, our family structures, the artifacts that surround us. Culture is inescapable. Crouch argues that culture can only be changed by making new culture. In this thoughtful and thought-provoking work, Crouch carefully examines the meaning of culture, the truth of culture and our role in culture-making. Overall, this is a wonderful book that would be helpful to anyone who is thinking about the meaning of their work and vocational calling.Crouch argues for the Cultural Mandate of Scripture, indicating that humanity even charged by God with the responsibility of creating culture. Some of the best parts of the book are in the chapter called The Garden and the City. Crouch explains that man was created in a garden (Genesis) but ends up in the city (Revelation). He further explains that the city represents the culmination of man's cultural creativity. Crouch shares a lot of ideas with Tim Keller (author of The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism) on this point.Individually, most of us will never change culture on a grand scale. We may influence our family lives and workplaces but, he argues, this does not constitute culture in the fullest sense. On this point, Crouch steps in the direction of James Davison Hunter (author of To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World) who argues that so few people can actually change culture that we should, rather than trying to change culture, instead focus on a personal ministry of "faithful presence". While these two authors seem to agree on this point, I prefer Crouch because he is more encouraging to real people wondering about their place in the world.

Great book. Had to read for a masters class and I was quite impressed by the thinking of Andy Crouch and the great points he had to make. Challenged my thinking for sure.

This book serves as a good introduction into the subject of culture making for Christians. The book consists of three sections: the first section is about what culture actually is and is not, the second tells us how the Gospels talk about culture, and the third and last about our calling with regards to culture. Each section contains interesting and and fresh thoughts, which makes this book a good read.According to Crouch, culture is not changed merely through thinking. No, changing culture only happens when more culture is made. I found this insight provocative, because it makes all of the things I do worthwhile: everything I do is making and changing culture. In the book Crouch describes four ways people usually work with culture: by condemning culture, by critiquing culture, by copying culture, and by consuming culture. However, by focussing on one of these ways, we miss important things, says Crouch. Instead, he believes we have to be aware of the fact that culture always builds on what went before. Therefor, we have to conserve culture at its best and change it for the better by offering something new.In the second section of the book Crouch retells the biblical story of creation. He starts in Genesis, by showing that God creates space and possibilities for his creation to live in. Then he moves on to the fall and what sin means for Gods good creation: it's our task to deal with the consequences of sin through our creativity. Through the cross, Jesus faced sin and remade the relation of God with His creation: God became something for all nations and all cultures. This leads Crouch to the provocative and intriguing question if we are creating and cultivating things that have a chance of being used in the furnishing of the New Jerusalem.In the third and final section of the book Crouch tells - successfully in my view - how to handle culture making as a Christian. This section is chock-full of good ideas, arguments and lines of thought, so I will only mention a few of them. First, we are world changers because we are culture changers. Although this is true, we should not forget that a lot of what happens in life is outside our control, but that should not prevent us from being true culture makers. Second, there is nothing inherently wrong with cultural power (God even gives it to Adam!), but we have to handle it through grace and as good stewards. Third, "where do I and my community of 3, 12 and 120 experience grace--divine multiplication that far exceeds my efforts?"Crouch closes with a beautiful rallying cry: "make something of the world!" I believe that indeed is what life in this world is about: making something beautiful of this world, despite sin and through God-given grace. Crouch saw this correct.

A book to help us look at our culture and the culture we share with the world. A great calling to transform culture by our positive alternative.

Heroism is scene in a different light that of culture making. We all need faithful friends. We don’t work alone.

A good introduction to a range of issues about culture for Christians. It gives a helpful theological approach and a sensible set of attitudes to culture, principally avoiding moral panic approaches that so marr much Christian cultural engagement. Overall this gives a really helpful way forward for constructive Christian cultural engagement.