Catalyst Conference 2008 - Andy Crouch

Andy Crouch - author of “Culture Making”

Okay, I’m going to confess something here. This session was the most difficult for me to swallow. Not because the language was techo-jargon or I couldn’t follow his presentation - he was quite clear & well-prepared.

My problem is this: Are we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, called to shape culture? To make culture?

One of Andy’s early comments/questions in his talk was, “Why aren’t we shaping culture? Copying, condemning & critiquing culture is what we’re comfortable doing.”

Here are some comments from Andy’s talk:

Gen. 2:15 - We are to cultivate culture, to take what is good & keep it good.
Rev. 21:2, 26 - We are to create culture.

CREATING CULTURE:

1. It always starts in community/together (often with 3 people) - something becomes possible when culture is changed, that originally did not exist or is makes something possible

Then he communicated how to begin change:

Start with 3 people - Andy calls 3 the “suspension of impossibility”
Then you bring in others to have between 3-12 people to build DEPTH
And finally, you expand to 120 people which gives you BREADTH.

Constantly ask others who their 3-12-120 are?

What are you cultivating/creating?

Celebrate the answers.

Maybe I need to read his book to catch the essence of his talk. Maybe I just needed a cup of Land of a 1000 Hills coffee (I discovered this at Catalyst and the Rwandan coffee is excellent - trust me. I’m picky about my coffee and this is good stuff.)

Anyway, I felt like I lost the point of Andy’s talk. Sorry, Andy, nothing personal and I’m certainly not “dissing” your book or work. I just wonder if the Kingdom of God is about changing culture as a strategic point as opposed to a by-product of people becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ and serving & meeting the needs of the world as an expression of the Kingdom.