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A review by davehershey
Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch
5.0
Fantastic. Crouch diagnoses four ways evangelical Christians have related to culture: condemn, critique, copy, consume. Although each of this may be appropriate for particular things, as a way of relating to culture as a whole they are unsatisfying. Instead Christians should be creating and cultivating culture. Crouch grounds this in the Bible story, from creation on through Jesus Christ and into new creation.
I found this book thought-provoking and challenging. I think all Christians in the arts should read it and take up the challenge to create good art (not just "Christian art"). Too much in the Christian subculture is just a copy (oh you like this secular band, try this Christian one that sounds just like them but does not swear). I thought his analysis of critiquing culture was good, showing that Christians who take that path are good art critics but not good artists. That said, it seems that the evangelical Christians I spend time around are more likely to just consume culture. Whatever is popular we just take in without a second thought. Perhaps we see meaning spelled out for us in a movie like Lion, Witch and Wardrobe but we miss the more subtle messages in say, Gran Torino.
Crouch is doing more than just talking about the arts. This is a book about vocation, the Christian call to create and cultivate culture in whatever field we find ourselves. For that reason, every college student who is a Christian should read it. I believe I will be coming back to this book often.
I found this book thought-provoking and challenging. I think all Christians in the arts should read it and take up the challenge to create good art (not just "Christian art"). Too much in the Christian subculture is just a copy (oh you like this secular band, try this Christian one that sounds just like them but does not swear). I thought his analysis of critiquing culture was good, showing that Christians who take that path are good art critics but not good artists. That said, it seems that the evangelical Christians I spend time around are more likely to just consume culture. Whatever is popular we just take in without a second thought. Perhaps we see meaning spelled out for us in a movie like Lion, Witch and Wardrobe but we miss the more subtle messages in say, Gran Torino.
Crouch is doing more than just talking about the arts. This is a book about vocation, the Christian call to create and cultivate culture in whatever field we find ourselves. For that reason, every college student who is a Christian should read it. I believe I will be coming back to this book often.