Five questions with Andy Crouch.

Andy Crouch will be teaching a course for our D.Min program on October 8th-11th titled “Creativity and Innovation in Ministry.” We have interviewed him for our D.Min news letter:

1. Tell us about your upcoming book that will be published in Spring of 2013.

I am just finishing Playing God, which is a book about power. I came in to this with the idea that power is more a subset to our humanity, but I have come to see it as the “superset” if you will, the framework of existence. From the onset, God gives us power, which can be used as a great gift for dominion, earth keeping etc., or be used to alienate, abuse, coerce, and destroy.

2. You have been involved in the Christian Vision Project, raising the question, “How Can We Be Countercultural for the Common Good?” Where are you today with this question?

 

I am still focused around this question but it has moved to “This is Your City,” a project focused around helping cities flesh out this question of common good. It was actually launched inPortland(see Christianity Today and its fall issue). At one time, evangelicals embraced suburbanization, and now there is a movement back to the city. We are looking at cities as cultural systems, and looking at how Christians can team up with the structures to promote the common good (e.g. Luis Palau Association and Seasons of Service inPortland).

3. You are passionate about Christians creating culture, as underscored in your last book. If a redeemed person is one in whom the image of God is being renewed/restored, why is so much of our culture-making cheesy and thin? Shouldn’t our culture-making stand out with greater creativity and substance?

Yes, it should. But look at it this way. Much of culture itself is thin, having given way to commercial culture that aims for a broad audience and makes minimal demands.

Christians do not have a market on thinness at all. Diet Coke is a good metaphor. It is popular because it is widely available, inexpensive, makes no demands, and is powerfully marketed. Evangelicals have fallen in to this same approach in their ministries and culture-making. We do have the potential to create amazing culture, but we tend to follow the main impulses out there. The good news is that in some of the more Creative film making, as an example, more and more Christians are doing some of the very best work.

 

4. Ross Douthat has written a significant work, Bad Religion, which gives an analysisof culture. Your take?

It is a worthwhile read, and does a good job assessing our times. He gives a good summary, but there is still work to be done thinking clearly about what the church must truly carry out.

5. What do you want students to take away from your upcoming course here at Western?

First, I want them to gain a deeper ability to help congregants understand their vocations from akingdomofGodperspective. Second, I want students to gain a clear sense of how their ministry can be an instrument of transformation in the place God has placed them in.

Read the full newsletter: July Newsletter

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