©2008, InterVarsity Press, 285 pp., hardback.

We are living in a day of cultural shaking and re-making. This should be sufficient reason for Christians to give much thought to the calling of the regenerated to shape culture.  The author focuses on a more important reason. We have been created in God’s image, the very God Who created the world. Crouch defines culture as “what we make of the world” (p. 40). Culture is not individualistic. He rightly points out that culture requires a public. The immediate culture that shapes us and that we impact in our immediate family.

He desires that readers realize that we are to be culture makers and not react to current culture by only condemning, critiquing or copying it. Through three sections entitled “Culture”, “Gospel”, and “Calling”, he keeps the reader focused on our responsibility to shape culture in a positive way and on our continued need to always proceed with humility in this endeavor.

Crouch points us to the impact that Christ and the New Testament church had on shaping culture as he takes the reader through Christ’s recorded ministry in the Gospels and the testimony of the early church that Acts provides. He then turns the reader’s eye to eternity and states that culture will be the activity in eternity (p. 173).

Excellent points are made throughout this book. A key point is that every Christian is called to make culture. It is not just the duty of ministers or professionals. Also, the insight that Christians are to make culture provides direction, hope, and encouragement for Christians readers. The author keeps hope within proper direction, hope, and encouragement for Christian readers. The author keeps hope within proper boundaries by reminding readers that we should not expect to change the world-at-large. He rightly states that we have enough trouble changing ourselves in certain areas. He repeatedly stresses the importance of the family unit and the impact one can have within this basic group. I appreciated his insight on the danger and the proper use of power in regard to cultural change.

I wish there was a greater emphasis on the covenant on culture as Christians live out their life by grace. He clearly writes that Christians impact culture by grace alone. Scripture also teaches that God blesses Christian obedience generationally (Dt. 7:9). As Christians actively seek to make culture they should do so with the expectation of generational influence and the hope that Christians in forthcoming generations will increasingly do a better job than their forbearers.

Secondly, I believe a chapter devoted to prayer would have been very helpful. We need to pray for wisdom in, and God’s blessing on, culture making. In the midst of temptations to critique or compromise with, rather than create, culture we need through prayer to be reminded of our constant dependence on God. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to increasingly come on earth. (Mt. 6:10) Prayer is a very important part of making culture.

This is a good book for Christians to read. The author includes successes and seeming failures from his life, to show how God takes what we do and impacts the lives of others. He keeps the readers focus on God and also on our responsibility to make culture where we are. This book is very readable and thought-provoking.

Review ©2009 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia