Thanks to a friend I didn’t know I had (hey Nick!), I got a free copy of Andy Crouch’s new book, Culture Making. I finished it a couple of nights ago.
Mr. Crouch makes a case for a much broader view of culture than we typically assume. We might think of culture as “high” art, dress style, food etc. Crouch widens things considerably, suggesting that one of the primary purposes God created us to fulfill is culture making, defined as “making something” of the world around us. Basically, everything we’ve done with what God gave us in the garden is culture, including ideas (expressed as writing, music, painting, etc.), technology and social norms. When God gives Adam and Eve the garden of Eden and has them cultivate it and enjoy it and name the animals, he’s setting them up as culture makers, to do creative work with what he has given them.
Anyway, Crouch expounds greatly on this concept, and deals with culture and God’s working in the Bible. He’s basically trying to convince us that we need to be actively and creatively involved in culture making; and he’s giving us the tools we need to actually do that.
I think it’s going to take me a while to figure out exactly how Crouch’s book will affect my life. I’m pretty sure that it means some major shifts in my thinking, but it’s a bit abstract, so it can be hard to determine what kind of concrete response I will eventually have to the ideas he presents. Overall, I think Culture Making is a great book, and I recommend it to everyone.
I think one of the most interesting outcomes of the book for me so far has been a shift in my thinking about vocation. Understanding that we humans have a responsibility to cultivate and create culture, many callings that get questioned by those who think “full-time Christian service” is every Christian’s best “career” choice are given a rare legitimacy. It’s hard to tell what computer programming does for the glory of God or the ultimate good of other people. But when we view computer programming (or business management or plumbing or electrical work) as the creative cultivation of and addition to culture, we might better see why it is a pursuit worthy of a Christian.
I highly recommend picking up a copy of Culture Making. It’s definitely well worth your time.