I am in flux. I am re-thinking many of my thoughts, beliefs, and approaches to the world, my faith, by reading of scripture, and, not insignificantly, my view of culture and what it means to interact, criticize, create with my surroundings.

I am working my way through Andy Crouch’s book Culture Making. I say working because is seems as though every other page I am having to stop and underline, make a note, or just sit and let the material sink in and percolate through the recesses and crevices of my gray matter. I wasn’t planning on blogging about it until I finished but I am moved by two things: the first being the quote below in which Mr. Crouch is discussing the “furnishing” of the new Jerusalem referred to in Revelation. Second, the posting of Mark Goodyear’s interview with Mr. Crouch at High Calling Blogs (You can read the interview here:
part 1 and part 2).

If there is one book in the bible that tends to scare off many, including Christians, it is the image-laden, metaphor-filled, apocalyptic, end-of-the-world book of Revelation. Yet, Mr. Crouch has framed John’s vision within the confines (and in many ways freedom) of a culture – one created by God and created by human hands (created by the creation of the creator?). While reading I was struck by this passage:

Are we creating and cultivating things that have a chance of furnishing the new Jerusalem? Will the cultural goods we devote our lives to — the food we cook and consume, the music we purchase and practice, the movies we watch and make, the enterprises we earn our paychecks from and invest our wealth in — be identified as the glory and honor of our cultural tradition? Or will they be remembered as mediocrities at best, dead ends at worst? This is not the same as asking whether we are making “Christian” culture. “Christian” cultural artifacts will surely go through the same winnowing and judgment as “non-Christian” artifacts. Nor is this entirely a matter of who is responsible for the cultural artifacts and where their faith is placed, especially since every cultural good is a collective effort. Clearly some of the cultural goods found in the new Jerusalem will have been created and cultivated by people who may well not accept the Lamb’s invitation to substitute his righteousness for their sin. Yet the best of their work may survive. Can that be said of the goods that we are devoting our lives to?¹ (emphasis mine)

I found this paragraph to be a key to the way in which we should live – socially, emotionally, creatively, economically within our lives. Are the “things” we are involved in bringing that glory and honor to our cultural tradition as stated above? Are we living and creating in a selfless fashion that leads to excellence? Or one of selfishness ambition or vain conceit², leading to mediocrity or the dead end road?

I don’t find this to be a limited activity. I need to examine my role as husband, father, son, brother, friend, teacher, writer/poet, and whatever other place I have within the cultures I am living. Am I creating a culture of the highest good, one worthy of furnishing the new Jerusalem?

How about you?

(ok…now back to the book )

1. Culture Making pg. 171
2. Philippians 2:3

Only artifacts that leave the solitude of their inventor’s studios and imaginations can move the horizons of possibility and become the raw material for more culture making. Until an artifact is shared it is not culture.¹

He goes on to quote Steve Jobs: “Real artists ship”

My interpretation: Eric needs to get on with things and start posting, submitting, sharing the writing he’s doing offline with the outside world.

Enough said.

1. Andy Crouch Culture-Making, pg. 40