Hello and welcome to ex libris (“from the library”), my monthly roundup of book discussion and recommendations. This work will be better with your contributions, so please feel free to chime in below if you’d like!
The Books That Made Me: An Occasional Series
Culture Making, by Andy Crouch
Readers who are looking for seven easy steps to cultural influence will have to look elsewhere—because I do not happen to believe that anything lasting is easy. What we most have to learn about being creators of culture is the very thing we human beings find hardest to learn: everything about our calling, from start to finish, is a gift. What is most needed in our time are Christians who are deeply serious about cultivating and creating but who wear that seriousness lightly—who are not desperately trying to change the world but who also wake up every morning eager to create.
I freely say to people that this is a top-ten nonfiction book for me. I don’t usually hand out rankings so freely, but I wish every Christian would read this book.
The first half of the book explains some sociology: ways that culture affects us as people; our usual reactions to culture; the ways we cannot “think ourselves into new ways of behaving,” but rather we ought to “behave ourselves into new ways of thinking.” The second half of the book is a journey through scripture, in which we observe how culture is regarded, stewarded, and talked about by God and his people.
One idea from this book that has stuck with me is the idea of “postures versus gestures.” We understand our posture to be the general orientation of our body in relation to the world. A posture is our usual position. A gesture, on the other hand, is an occasional motion. We don’t usually make gestures and then hold onto them as postures.
We ought to take a moment to evaluate our posture toward the world. Is it a posture of care or disdain towards the world? The problem arises when a gesture of discernment or critique becomes a constant posture. “…while there is much to be condemned in human culture, the posture of condemnation leaves us closed off from the beauty and possibility as well as the grace and mercy in many forms of culture.”
There is so much more to say here, including a nice little shoutout to the trees and rocking chairs in the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (hooray!). I recommend you make time for this one.
This month’s book stack:
How to Keep House While Drowning: KC Davis This book has been on my list at the library for a long time, since it’s in high demand. The author had post-partum depression after her second baby and (not surprisingly) struggled to keep things afloat with everyday care tasks such as laundry and cleaning. The book is specially designed for those who are neurodivergent, and you don’t have to read it all in order — you can drop in and out however you’d like. I think it might be helpful for anyone. (spicy language)
Sense and Sensibility: Jane Austen A re-read. Elinor Dashwood is probably the Austen character to whom I relate most closely. If you haven’t read any Jane Austen before, I’d suggest starting with this one.
The Life We’re Looking For: Andy Crouch Yes, we’re leaning in fully to the Andy Crouch issue of this newsletter. This book explores our current moment and the promises made by technology, money, and the devices we use. One thing that always strikes me about Andy’s writing is that he’s unflinchingly honest about our world’s shortcomings, but he always stays buoyantly optimistic.
The Hiding Place: Corrie Ten Boom I picked up an “engaging visual journey” version of this book just recently. I had read it before, but the photographs, artwork, and newspaper clippings contained herein bring it to life in a new way. This series also contains versions of Les Miserables, A Christmas Carol, and Hinds Feet on High Places.
A note on purchase links: I’m a happy supporter of independent bookshops, so the links I provide will almost always go to my affiliate link at bookshop.org. For my local readers, I heartily recommend you buy them through our favorite, Goldberry Books, but you might have a shop closer to you. Of course, you can always find these selections on That Big Website That Ships Quickly, But Not As Quickly as It Used To, and Remember How They Sucked Us All In By Being a Bookstore to Begin With? I’m also a big fan of saving money and patronizing your local library. Happy reading!
Kelly- I had the pleasure of sitting in on a lecture by Andy Crouch in a local church recently. Wow! I was astounded by his intelligence, deep thinking, honesty and like you said, ability to stay buoyantly optimistic. I'm looking forward to reading his latest book and definitely want to check out Culture Making as well!