Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling

Written by Andy Crouch

Narrated by Sean Runnette

Crouch unleashes a stirring manifesto calling Christians to be culture makers. He unpacks the complexities of how culture works and gives readers tools for cultivating and creating culture in partnership with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Jan 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781596448711

Andy Crouch

Andy Crouch (MDiv, Boston University School of Theology) is partner for theology and culture at Praxis, an organization that works as a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship. His books include The Tech-Wise Family, Playing God, and Strong and Weak.

Reviews for Culture Making

[Katie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is a good book that presents a rare view of the role of creation in life with Christ on earth, but may lean a little heavy on the passivism and social justice side.

[sarahehwilson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Christians have adopted all sorts of attitudes toward culture. Sometimes they have condemned it. Sometimes they have intelligently critiqued it; other times they have strategically copied and accommodated it. All too often they have simply consumed it. One way or another they have often assumed it a certain distance between culture and themselves, as if culture were both optional and controllable. Andy Crouch challenges both this assumption and the usual postures Christians have assumed toward culture. Our God-given vocation is not chiefly to abstain from, condemn, critique, copy, or consume—though there is a place for each of these things. Our real task, the positive one and not simply a negative and parasitic one, is to create culture.This very readable and genuinely encouraging study sketches out a helpful understanding of culture, informed by the social sciences but ultimately rooted in an insightful reading of the biblical narrative from Eden to Revelation, exploring the motifs of the garden and the city (and even the theme park!) along the way. Crouch then uses this scriptural immersion to draw out implications for Christian life fully lived in the world we have been given. We cannot impose a vision for culture, but we can propose one; we cannot be sure of success, but we can commit ourselves to faithfulness. We should be wary of the lures of power, but we can also take what power we have and direct it toward service and stewardship.Crouch’s Culture Making is one of those rare non-fiction books that is better read than summarized; immersion in the whole unfolding of the argument is essential to grasping it. But the salient point at the end is this: a culture that only condemns, only copies, and only critiques is a dying if not already dead culture. This isn’t a facile recommendation for mindless invention. True creation always builds on previous creation: only God creates ex nihilo, not we who are made in His image.Can we live by critique alone? With Crouch I would agree that we cannot. A living faith creates, sings a new song to the Lord. This is no promise of success, in quality or quantity, but faithful creativity leaves the judgment on our projects to God. The joy comes from sharing in His gorgeous work.

[steve777_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very insightful book about God's view of culture and analysis of different ways in which Christians may participate in and influence culture.

[lt999 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's not easy to change culture. Change usually happens gradually and unexpectedly. Behind the changes though are people. People change culture. Andy describes how Christians can create and cultivate culture in the way God intend. But in a way we are merely participating in making culture with God. One thing I liked about the book is Andy backed his theme of the book with the scripture. He saw the limitation of culture making on our own but at the same time challenged the reader to culture making in practical ways.

[cope4phd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent and sometimes provocative new way of looking at Christians and culture. Crouch offers a more comprehensive understanding of culture -- well beyond "high culture" of the arts -- than typically found among Christian authors. His retelling of the Biblical narrative in its cultural context is very engaging. Well worth the read.