When I first
received this manuscript from P & R, two things intrigued me;
first, knowing T. M. Moore and appreciating his writings and
second, the title had to do with kudzu. The publishers have given
it a more sophisticated title but the metaphor of kudzu still runs
throughout the book. Kudzu, as Moore explains, is that green
tenacious southern vine that grows everywhere in the south. While
it has unusual charm and can serve a good purpose, it can easily
overgrow and overwhelm everything in its path.
This is a book
that I recommend because we are engulfed in pop culture that
reaches into every area of our lives. Our decisions about food,
clothing, music, even worship and lifestyle are strongly
influenced by pop culture. Ken Myers’s book, All God’s
Children and Blue Suede Shoes, was one of the first books that
challenged us to understand that in the 20th century,
as a result of the rapid spread of modernity; we added pop culture
to our high culture and folk culture. In many ways, pop culture is
a dumbing down kind of culture that is not all bad but has the
rudiments of unsophistication. It promotes doing what feels good
verses making careful and deliberate decisions.
Our challenge, as
Moore reminds us, is not to take on the impossible by eliminating
the kudzu, but rather concentrated on controlling it. Of course
that is an endless job. Those who are willing to see the problem
and rise to the challenge will find this book helpful in that
endeavor.
We are given four
ways of dealing with pop culture. According to Moore, none of them
are complete in themselves; therefore, we are challenged to take a
more biblical approach. This requires keeping abreast of trends,
artists, and things like the TV media. As evangelical Christians,
we cannot ignore pop culture because we are here on a mission and
that requires a certain relationship to pop culture that will
enable us to carry out our task of making disciples.
Moore points out
that the impact of pop culture stems from its appeal to our
emotions. He builds on earlier writings of Jonathan Edwards to
make his case. “Anything that captures the hearts and
imagination of so many people, and with so much passion and
intensity, should certainly be of concern to evangelical
Christians,” writes Moore.
Dealing with pop
culture is a kingdom activity, and we totally agree. He delineates
five aspects of our kingdom calling: 1. Our calling is spiritual
in nature, 2. It entails both temporal and material, 3. The
calling is uniquely fitted to each individual Christian, 4. Our
calling has a communal dimension, and 5. It also has
eschatological dimensions.
You will not only
learn about pop culture and how Christians are to handle it, but
will also learn about the kingdom of God and what being a kingdom
Christian involves.
Having recently
completed a manuscript on kingdom discipleship, I welcomed this as
a companion to use alongside. One of my points is that it is
essential in discipling Christians to help them to understand that
effectiveness, survival, and ministry requires that we be
self-conscious kingdom Christians. Moore says, “We cannot
effectively engage the popular culture of our day without first
resolving to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness as the
top priority in all we do.” He further states, “By taking a
kingdom approach to our involvement with popular culture—as
opposed to an unthinking, merely pleasure-oriented approach—we
may expect to benefit in all these ways, achieving better
understanding, better communications, better recreating, better
celebration, and better culture.”
This is a good
personal read and study book, but it could also be used with a
group. The six chapters could easily be stretched into 12 classes,
if necessary.
-Charles Dunahoo
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