Most of the time, we just consume or copy culture. But that is not enough. We must also do more than condemn or critique it. The only way to change it is to create it.
For too long, Christians have had an insufficient view of culture and have waged misguided "culture wars." But Andy Crouch says we must reclaim the cultural mandate to be the creative cultivators God designed us to be. Culture is what we make of the world, both in making cultural artifacts as well as in making sense of the world around us.
In this expanded edition of his award-winning book Crouch unpacks the complexities of how culture works, the dynamics of cultural change, and tools for cultivating culture. Keen biblical exposition demonstrates that creating culture is central to the whole scriptural narrative, the ministry of Jesus, and the call to the church. With a conversation between Crouch and Tish Harrison Warren as the new afterword, this expanded edition addresses the current landscape and forges a way for the future of culture making. Enter into it with guided questions for reflection and discussion for a deeper experience.
320 pages.
Preface to the Paperback Edition
Introduction
Part One: Culture
1. The Horizons of the Possible
2. Cultural Worlds
3. Teardowns, Technology and Change
4. Cultivation and Creation
5. Gestures and Postures
Part Two: Gospel
6. The Garden and the City
Interlude: The Primordial Story
7. The Least of the Nations
8. Jesus as Culture Maker
9. From Pentecost . . .
10. . . . To Revelation
11. The Glorious Impossible
Part Three: Calling
12. Why We Can't Change the World
13. The Traces of God
14. Power
15. Community
16. Grace
Postscript: Artist in His Studio
Afterword: A Conversation Between Andy Crouch and Tish Harrison Warren
Acknowledgments
Questions for Reflection and Discussion by Al Hsu and Nate Barksdale
Notes and Further Reading
Index