A Primer on World Change-Part 3

Unknown-2In my last couple posts (here and here), I shared about James Davison Hunter’s book on world Change. In this post, I want to share about another important book on world change, Andy Crouch’s Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling.

While Hunter argues that Christians should be “faithfully present within” culture, Crouch argues that Christians should “make culture.”

Crouch argues that part of our God given task is to be “artists” and “gardeners”—that is, creators and cultivators. He argues that instead of having a posture toward culture as a critic, or consumer, or copier, or condemner, we should be known as cultivators and creators of culture.

Cultivators: people who nourish what is best in human culture

Creators: people who dare to think and do something that has never been thought or done before, something that makes the world more welcoming and thrilling and beautiful. Something that points others to a beautiful Christ.

 

As Tolkien says in his essay on “Fairy Stories” man becomes a sub-creator: we are made in the image of the creator and we are most like him when we engage in creation.

And as we make culture ourselves, as cultivators and creators, we will create an environment where Christianity is seen in a positive light, Christians are viewed as winsome, attractive contributors to the good, the true and the beautiful, and God is glorified.

I say, Amen! Go…and build bridges, write poetry, engage in research, take photographs, write novels, invent new technologies, create art, expand ideas, and make the world a better place. And then help others to connect the dots between the good, the true, and the beautiful and Him who is the source of all goodness, truth, and beauty.

For Andy Crouch’s review of Hunters book (a very helpful read) see here.

For a video by Andy Crouch on his book, watch this video:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *