New Culture, Part 2

In my previous post “New Culture” I mentioned that I would be writing
a new post mentioning those in today’s world who are culture shapers
and whether or not they are using their influence to carry a message.
Here a a few:

Steve Jobs:
Jobs is definitely a culture shaper, a man who has tremendously
progressed computer technology and has embraced the idea that design
and appearance are just as important as processing power. This
design/computing approach has made Apple (MAC) an every day staple in
today’s world. As far as a message…he’s not really using his
influence to spread a message. The only thing remotely close to a
message that he is spreading is that the ascetics of the things wen
use every day are important.

Rob Bell:
Rob Bell burst onto the stage of Evangelical Christianity in America
in the early 2000′s with his explosively growing church, his NOOMA
videos, and his limit pushing books (i.e. Velvet Elvis). Bell changed
the modern perception of what a pastor should look like, and has
progressively shaped the way that today’s pastor’s speak- all in about
a decade. As far a message, though, Bell and his
Christianity/spirituality have become very vague to say the least. As
a Christian a find the subject of his teaching very hard to nail down.
I can’t imagine the conclusions that an unbeliever is led to arrive
at, as there is very rarely, if ever, a clear definition of who Jesus
is, what He has done, and how one can be saved by Him. If there’s any
message at all that he is communicating, it’s that the church needs to
be more socially conscious.

James Cameron:
Cameron has completely changed the culture of film over the last 15
years. He has shown that a movie can be as big and as impressive as a
film maker wants it to be- if they have access to the appropriate
funding. He has proven that a big blockbuster doesn’t have to be just
flash and  bang, but can also carry with it a powerful story familiar
and accessible to all humanity. His masterpieces (love them or hate
them) Titanic and Avatar have proven that a movie can radically effect
every aspect of the world’s culture. With the release of last year’s
Avatar, Cameron used his cultural influence to spread a very clear
message: extreme environmentalism (to the point of nature
worship/paganism). I am all for the environment but one would be naive
to not realize that the environmentalism portrayed in Cameron’s
message was extreme.

I could think of dozens more culture shapers, some who probably have
much more influence than the ones I listed, and some who have a
stronger message, but this is just a sampling.

All I am concretely aware of is that I wish to be not merely a reactor
to, or a rider of, culture, but one who shapes it and then uses that
influence to spread my message: the message of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Maybe the culture that I shape will be that of a neighborhood,
a nation, a city, or the world- I don’t know. All I know is that I
have been  given God’s attribute of creativity and I hope that He can
create culture through me.