HOW (NOT) TO CHANGE THE WORLD

Andy Crouch—Partner for Theology & Culture at Praxis

ANDY CROUCH REMINDS US OF THE glory and LIMITATIONS OF OUR CREATIVE CALLING.

Andy Crouch is Partner for Theology & Culture at Praxis and has profoundly shaped the thinking behind The Praxis Course. He is an author of several books that explore faith, culture, and leadership including Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing, Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, and Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling.

In this talk, Andy addresses the widely-held ambition to "change the world" that comes from our creative calling as God's image bearers. He goes deeper to explain four incomplete ways that Christians have responded to culture (condemn, critique, copy, consume). Then he confronts us with our limitations in creating change - even within ourselves - and offers three ways to pursue true transformation and take on our creative calling as image bearers.

 

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OPEN IN PRAYER

WATCH (22 min)

REFLECT (3-5 min)

Spend a couple minutes in silence, praying and reflecting on the videos. Ask participants to jot down questions that were raised, significant points, where they felt encouraged or challenged by the Lord, etc.

DISCUSS (50 min)

1. Name examples where you have seen today’s evangelicals tend towards culture using the following postures:

  • Condemned Culture

  • Critiqued Culture

  • Copied Culture

  • Consumed Culture

What happened as a result?

2. As a case study, select and examine an everyday object or cultural phenomenon through the following lenses:

  • What does this cultural artifact assume about the way the world is?

  • What does this cultural artifact assume about the way the world should be?

  • What does this cultural artifact make possible?

  • What does this cultural artifact make impossible (or at least very difficult)?

  • What new forms of culture are created in response to this artifact?

Do these answers align with God’s vision for the world? If not, what might be an alternative?

3. In light of the previous exercise, what do you make of the phrase, “The only way to change culture is to make more of it”?

4. Andy suggests that in order to change the world, we must first focus on how we become changed. How might you become the kind of person who is available to participate in God’s restoration project in the world? What stands in the way of you taking that action or adopting that practice? How does this alter your perspective on “changing the world” or your approach to entrepreneurship?  

5. In light of your own entrepreneurial ambitions, what might it look like to glean? Or as Andy puts it, “What are you going to leave undone in your life and work that will allow others to flourish, perhaps even more than you”?


 

FINISHED THIS SESSION?

PROTOTYPE (3 min)

Go about your week by selecting everyday objects and/or cultural phenomenons and examine them through the following lenses:

  • What does this cultural artifact assume about the way the world is?

  • What does this cultural artifact assume about the way the world should be?

  • What does this cultural artifact make possible?

  • What does this cultural artifact make impossible (or at least very difficult)?

  • What new forms of culture are created in response to this artifact?

 

END IN PRAYER

INCUBATE

ACTIVITIES 

  1. Download the Bible App reading plan: Called to Create, which features brief Scripture readings and stories from four prominent entrepreneur/creators (5 day plan).