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sshpurple1's review
3.0
I had to read this book for a class. It was a little wordie but was very insightful on culture and today's world.
impreader's review
3.0
By turns intriguing and re-tread; nonetheless, a unique perspective on the idea of culture, and a (protestant) Christian's understanding of relating to it, rather than the stereotypical condemning, scoffing, or withdrawing. It suffered most from lack of precise definitions, and chapters with apt ideas sans conclusions or rational takeaways.
ben_smitty's review
4.0
Yesterday, when I was at Sanam Luang (สนามหลวง), I witnessed first hand the power of Andy Crouch's Culture Making. There are a group of Christians that meet together regularly in a small building with a sign above it saying "รักแท้ (Ruk Teh)" or "true love." The streets around the building were filled with homeless people who migrated into the city in search of jobs; many women have turned to prostitution as a means to financial stability. We met with these Christians and distributed free food boxes to the homeless and asked for prayer requests. To my surprise, the homeless community knew the owners of the "true love" building by name, and the church was already known as a safe-house that provided an open space for dinner gatherings and play-areas for the kids in the community. These guys have created a culture of generosity that has impacted the lives of that particular community, and have opened themselves and their homes up to everyone. Because of the church, many have been empowered to leave the streets in order to find jobs, and many have come to encounter Christ through the gatherings as well. The owners are part of YWAM and have lived in Thailand for 12 years, 10 of which were spent in that same spot with the same homeless community.
To me, this was a tangible example that Crouch was describing; a cultural good that allows for cultivation (caring and respecting the community that already exists) and creation (creating a home for the homeless), which levels the playing field between the powerful and the powerless. I think Crouch did well explaining these ideas in Part 1 and Part 3, but I can't help feeling that Part 2 was a little bit unnecessary. Yes, I understand that Part 2 is about the Gospel, and I understand the recent obsession (not a bad thing) with Gospel-centeredness. But I felt like it wasted a lot of time and space which could have been filled with contemporary examples of institutions that have done something similar. Honestly, if I didn't run across "Ruk Teh" church, I would have needed more tangible examples from Crouch. His ideas were really good in vague principles, but they lacked a lot of shape.
To me, this was a tangible example that Crouch was describing; a cultural good that allows for cultivation (caring and respecting the community that already exists) and creation (creating a home for the homeless), which levels the playing field between the powerful and the powerless. I think Crouch did well explaining these ideas in Part 1 and Part 3, but I can't help feeling that Part 2 was a little bit unnecessary. Yes, I understand that Part 2 is about the Gospel, and I understand the recent obsession (not a bad thing) with Gospel-centeredness. But I felt like it wasted a lot of time and space which could have been filled with contemporary examples of institutions that have done something similar. Honestly, if I didn't run across "Ruk Teh" church, I would have needed more tangible examples from Crouch. His ideas were really good in vague principles, but they lacked a lot of shape.
ivantable's review
5.0
Page after page filled with thoughtful reflections on “culture,” with a chastened understanding that we’re called to be “culture makers” without following the zeitgeist of “changing the world” (at least not what most people usually mean by that).
nrichtsmeier's review
4.0
I love Andy Crouch. He is one of the most thorough, relevant and Biblical thinkers of our era and he has much to add to the conversation of what it means to be a person of faith. His thinking is deeply grounded in an intellectually defensible study of Scripture (though I would quibble with him here and there) and it is evident in this work. Crouch is at his best when he's helping us see some of the best thinking on sociology and culture through the lens of a historically-grounded vision of the Genesis narratives.
The weak point lies when Crouch tries to "apply" his material and his ideas end up either dates, too easily affected by current events, or downright inapplicable to the broader audience he originally set out to engage.
The weak point lies when Crouch tries to "apply" his material and his ideas end up either dates, too easily affected by current events, or downright inapplicable to the broader audience he originally set out to engage.