Conquering or Cultivating?
Posted in Andy Crouch;, Anne Jackson, Catalyst, Culture Making, conquering, cultivation on October 9th, 2008 by Steve Bradley – 2 CommentsStill chewing on this post from Anne Jackson at Catalyst Backstage. Shows Anne’s notes from yesterday’s lab session at the Catalyst Conference with Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making.
Here’s a sample:
This is one of the things we’re missing in our Christian engagement of culture. CULTIVATION: tending and keeping that which is already good. Are Christians known for cultivation? Andy thinks no. Christians are known for wanting to impact or transform culture. There are churches named Impact, Revolution, etc…but there aren’t any Cultivate churches. Why is that? There are things in our culture that need to be changed, but we aren’t known for cultivating what is already good.
Crouch argues that the call to cultivation is rooted (no pun intended) throughout Scripture, in passages such as the first two chapters of Genesis (it is the “Garden” of Eden after all), and in Christ’s parables of the Kingdom (mustard seed, vine and branches, etc.).
This is great stuff. Reveals a really different perspective on transforming culture, than the more antagonistic impacting/revolution/conquering mindset that I grew up with. Sees God as active and working within culture, rather than having abandoned it altogether — in which case, an invasion is necessary. Have to admit though, I’m still more revved up with the notion of Onward Christians Soldiers than with Onward Christian Gardeners…
What’s your perspective? Do you tend to see culture as needing to be impacted and conquered, or created and cultivated?
