Changing Culture by Culture-Making

The other day, my family and I were driving along a major commercial road in our town when we noticed a throng of people walking together and holding up large signs for passing cars to see. As we neared the moving mass, Brian and I realized that we were passing a group of anti-abortion pro-lifers, and that the signs they were hoisting depicted aborted fetuses at various stages and ages. We immediately ordered our boys to shut their eyes, and one glance was all I needed to turn away from the photos of bloody carnage myself. The incident was disturbing, as it was intended to be, and I found myself feeling more than a little outraged that the group had decided it worth the time and effort to picket their opinions in this way, and that they apparently didn't care that numerous youngsters would be passing by and taking in the violent images. Whose minds did they think they were changing, anyway? If the signs had this kind of negative effect on me, someone they might think of as being representative of a sympathetic audience, I can't even imagine what kind of response they would have received from others who were opposed to their cause.

Whether or not I agree with their particular stance is not the issue; I just cannot agree with the method they chose to use in order to persuade others of their perspective. The incident reminds me of something I recently read in Andy Crouch's new book Culture Making (IVP). Andy is a friend and former colleague from my magazine publishing days, as well as the spouse of my college friend Catherine (Hirshfeld). I've read the first five chapters online thus far, and I am eager to finish the whole book because what I have read has been fascinating and thought-provoking, not to mention expertly, excellently written. He points out several strategies that are typically used by people to change culture (critique, copy, consume, or condemn--the last being the strategy employed by the aforementioned pro-life rally). It's well worth reading the book to better understand why these strategies are only minimally effective at producing any lasting cultural change. In contrast, Andy's book will aim to argue that the best way to change culture is to make more of it. Reading his book is really the only way to better understand what he is talking about. But just to throw out an example, consider the movie Juno.

Now, a disclaimer: I've never actually seen the movie. It's been years since I've been to the theatre (since The Passion of the Christ, I believe!) and I just haven't had the time to rent DVDs despite how easy NetFlix and Blockbuster would like to make the process. But, given the movie's popularity and the fact that it won the best screenplay Oscar last year, I read the screenplay in its entirety online. Not the same as watching the movie, no doubt, but I could understand why so many people loved the film and found it so appealing. And I have to believe that a movie like this, which wasn't even intended to put forth any type of pro-life message or advance some sort of agenda, did more to help the pro-life cause than any billboard depicting the ravages of abortion could, thus supporting Andy's thesis. I am so looking forward to reading the rest of the book; it's already out of stock at Amazon.com because so many feel the same way.

I have a feeling that this idea of being a "culture-maker" will be one that enters my conversations with our kids repeatedly in the future. I would love for us, individually and as a family, to have positive impact on our culture by the creation of more cultural goods, hopefully of decent quality! Time will tell, but this is certainly a topic I will revisit, perhaps even as soon as after I read the rest of Andy's book!