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Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, by Andy Crouch
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2014 Midwest Publishing Association Award of Excellence (General Trade) 2014 Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year ("Also Recommended," Leadership) ForeWord 2013 Book of the Year Award Honorable Mention (Adult Nonfiction, Religion) Power corrupts―as we've seen time and time again. People too often abuse their power and play god in the lives of others. Shady politicians, corrupt executives and ego-filled media stars have made us suspicious of those who wield influence and authority. They too often breed injustice by participating in what the Bible calls idolatry. Yet power is also the means by which we bring life, create possibilities, offer hope and make human flourishing possible. This is "playing god" as it is meant to be. If we are to do God's work―fight injustice, bring peace, create beauty and allow the image of God to thrive in those around us―how are we to do these things if not by power? With his trademark clear-headed analysis, Andy Crouch unpacks the dynamics of power that either can make human flourishing possible or can destroy the image of God in people. While the effects of power are often very evident, he uncovers why power is frequently hidden. He considers not just its personal side but the important ways power develops and resides in institutions. Throughout Crouch offers fresh insights from key biblical passages, demonstrating how Scripture calls us to discipline our power. Wielding power need not distort us or others, but instead can be stewarded well. An essential book for all who would influence their world for the good.
- Sales Rank: #123082 in Books
- Brand: InterVarsity Press
- Published on: 2013-10-06
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x 1.06" w x 6.00" l, .55 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 288 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
Review
"Perhaps no question with such urgent life-and-death consequences is more poorly understood among Christians in our era than the stewardship of power; but gloriously, in Playing God, Andy Crouch provides the clarity we need in this once-in-a-generation work of sweeping theological and sociological depth. It is fresh, rigorous, profoundly helpful and a delight to read." (Gary A. Haugen, president & CEO, International Justice Mission)
"How are power and idolatry related? What can we learn from powerful people in our business culture like Steve Jobs? How can a Christian in power be a good steward and use it to help solve injustice in the world? These are just a few of the questions that readers will ponder from Crouch's deeply layered study." (Publishers Weekly, October 14, 2013)
"If this book hadn't been by Andy Crouch, I wouldn't have read it. A book on power? No thanks. But a book on power by Andy Crouch? Yes, I'll give it a try, maybe a bit reluctantly. Glad I did. (So much so that I started over immediately and read it a second time.) (John Wilson, Books & Culture, "Favorite Books of 2013", December 2013)
"Readers will find plenty of insight and inspiration here. As a journalist, Crouch places high value on clarity of style and usefulness for everyday life. He brings in stories from his personal life and from popular culture that sustain interest and shed important light. And he illuminates his theme through multipage explorations of key biblical passages, which will be helpful to readers with preaching responsibilities. Crouch's evangelical perspective bears provocatively on a conversation pertinent to everyone." (Charles Scriven, The Christian Century, February 5, 2014)
"Andy Crouch's Playing God goes a long way to helping a wide variety of audience members understand networks of power and the power they personally hold. Having power is one thing. How one uses power is a whole other matter and strikes at the heart of what Crouch is seeking to argue in his worthwhile read." (Todd C. Ream, Christian Scholar's Review, XLIV:3)
"A good book prompts you to ask questions you wouldn't have otherwise. A great book embeds some of those in your gut so that you can't shake them for a while. On that score, Playing God is a great book. It provoked nagging questions I haven't been able to shake (or answer!). . . . Playing God's proclamation of the good news about power is crucial and timely--an antidote to both our penchant to seize power exclusively as well as our allergy to assume responsibility." (James K.A. Smith, Comment Magazine, September 27, 2013)
"Playing God is an excellent resource for pastors who are afraid to use the power at their disposal. Crouch contrasts God-given power that brings light, hope and goodness to the world with a different kind of authority: that which corrupts and can be abused." (Bill Easum, Outreach Magazine, 11th Annual Resources of the Year: Leadership "Also Recommended," March/April 2014)
"In the end, power is for human flourishing, and it takes the shape of the cross. As Crouch says, '. . . We are meant to pour out our power fearlessly, spend our privilege recklessly, and leave our status in the dust of our headlong pursuit of love,' like Christ, who loved us and gave himself up for us. That is our calling. That is what it means to play God in the truest sense." (Tim Hoiland, PRISM, Winter 2014)
"Playing God will be an important resource for undergraduate and graduate classes on leadership, reconciliation, and service. . . . It will also be helpful for organizational leaders in CCCU schools, helping them to think about how they view power and how their institutions organize the flow of power. Crouch is an evangelical thought leader, offering wise and intelligent advice here for Christians engaging a rapidly changing society and world." (Jenell Paris, CCCU Advance, Fall/Winter 2013)
"Playing God is an audacious, admirable work. Crouch's first book, Culture Making, aspired at nothing less than offering an alternative to Reinhold Neibuhr's seminal Christ and Culture. But the sequel is even bolder in targeting the philosophical giants Michel Foucault and Friedrich Nietzche, whose influence on the modern world defies superlatives. Crouch's contention is that the philosophers are right that power is everywhere--but perversely wrong in seeing it as essential coercive and violent. . . . Per Crouch, those called to redeemed lives, freed by the promise of resurrection from the prison of seeking status, can regard their power as a very good gift to be given away for the flourishing of all." (Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, Books & Culture, November/December 2013)
"The timeliest aspect of Playing God is its attention to social justice and how American Christians both empower and dispossess people around the world in attempts to help them. Rather than blindly striking at world ills, Crouch encourages us to understand idolatry and injustices as the negative consequences of ill-used power. If we 'play god' by swooping in and saving the day, we make ourselves into idols, rather than restoring the image-bearing capabilities of the people we seek to help. . . . There is something in Playing God both for those who are sensitive about their privilege and for those who feel hopeless to change anything. The reality is somewhere in the middle, and Playing God sets the stage for action, challenging us to acknowledge and use our power to increase mankind's capacity for image bearing." (M. G. Hager, Fare Forward, Issue 7, 2014)
"Crouch is insightful and backs up his anecdotal and social discussions of power with biblical examples . . . . This is worthwhile reading for anyone looking to reevaluate power and its wordly place within God's kingdom." (Church Libraries, Winter 2013-2014)
"With his trademark clear-headed analysis, Andy Crouch unpacks the dynamics of power that either can make human flourishing possible or can destroy the image of God in people." (Light Magazine, Canada, October 2013)
"Playing God is an essential book for thoughtful Christians, a true gift, a must-read. I am thankful that God has graced Andy Crouch with the power of words, with the gift of gab, with the ability to report and to ruminate. Perhaps it is enough to say this: this book will help you understand our world and be God's image bearers with Christ-like fruitfulness. We commend it to you as it is surely one of the most important books we've seen in years." (Byron Borger, Hearts & Minds bookstore, September 18, 2013, www.heartsandmindsbooks.com)
"Once again, Andy Crouch cuts to the heart of the matter by challenging us to take seriously the One whose image we bear. Playing God is a clear and compelling call for Christians to steward the kind of power that enables flourishing." (Gabe Lyons, coauthor of unChristian)
"What do poverty, the cello, human trafficking, iPods, loan sharks, wine, the tower of Babel and the Olympics have in common? Crouch shows that all of these are expressions of power, God's unique gift to humanity. With unceasing eloquence, Crouch delivers a unique perspective on everyday life that opens readers' eyes to a whole new world of conflict, meaning and possibility. A truly transformative experience." (Brian Fikkert, coauthor of When Helping Hurts)
"This book plowed through my heart, leaving idol shards everywhere in its path. Andy Crouch, one of Christianity's most compelling visionaries on culture, examines power and the ways we should harness it for human flourishing and the glory of God. The book will prompt you to rethink assumptions and perhaps to reset priorities. It is a 'powerful' read, in the right sense of that word." (Russell D. Moore, president, Southern Baptist Convention Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission)
"Andy Crouch presents an essential treatise on one of the most important yet undiscussed topics for the promotion of justice in American Christianity--the issue of power. The work of God's justice in the world requires an understanding of the dynamics of power. Crouch shines the light of Scripture on what could be a divisive topic. Playing God should spark this long overdue conversation." (Soong-Chan Rah, Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism, North Park Theological Seminary, and author of The Next Evangelicalism)
"It's likely that most readers of this book will both possess more power than they realize and feel uncomfortable with the amount of it that they know they've got. This book holds keys to liberation. It illuminates that power is, foundationally, good. It offers 3D pictures of what power is for (flourishing) and what its right use looks like (creative image-bearing that expands our own and others' joyful 'meaning-making'). Crouch's Bible-saturated teaching frees us from guilt and guides us in the active, humble and, importantly, essential calling to steward our power, thus helping us avoid the equal dangers of abusing our power and neglecting it. Playing God is a wise, deeply insightful, imaginative work; by heeding its lessons, Christians will be far more fruitful in their efforts to advance Jesus' kingdom in our broken world." (Amy L. Sherman, author of Kingdom Calling)
"This is a thoughtful and compelling book about power. Thinking of power as a gift which is meant for flourishing gives the reader much to consider. Institutions are meant for flourishing. Therefore, leaders of institutions must ask the question about how they are using the power gifted to them. Are they image bearers of that power or god players? The author's biblical and personal stories help the reader work through these and many other great questions." (Mary Andringa, president/CEO, Vermeer Corporation)
"In deft moves of integrating sound biblical theology with astute observations about culture, Andy Crouch wades into the immense topic of power--the powers, institutional power, cultural power, racial power--to offer the alternative Christian perception of power, a power that can be reshaped by the gospel about Jesus Christ, refashioned by love and reoriented by a new community called the church. In this book worldly power is deconstructed and replaced with a new kind of gospel power." (Scot McKnight, professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary)
"Playing God is certainly a healthy challenge to the spiritual-power paradigm by which many of us may be operating without even knowing it. For anyone interested in a firmly theological yet brilliantly practical discussion on our place as God's children on this earth, Playing God is most certainly a great place to begin. Any leader who fears an inability to use their power well should pick up this book and take comfort from its stories." (Andrew M. Whytock, Haddington House Journal, 2015)
"Crouch helps us place power within the overall biblical story, beginning not at the fall but at creation. By doing so we discover that power is a gift, rooted in creation and tied to our calling (or 'vocation') to bear God's image in the world." (Fitz Green, Study Center Newsletter, Fall 2014)
"Playing God is highly commendable reading for any student of scripture who longs for a deeper understanding of how we, as stewards and witnesses, are to use our gift of power to live and flourish in this world between Creation and New Creation. It will inspire your heart and engage your mind, while simultaneously confronting and challenging any strongholds of power that you may cherish." (Susan M. Haack, Ethics & Medicine, Vol. 31:1, Spring 2015)
About the Author
Andy Crouch (MDiv, Boston University School of Theology) is executive editor of Christianity Today and the author of books such as Culture Making and Playing God. Andy serves on the governing boards of Fuller Theological Seminary and Equitas Group, a philanthropic organization focused on ending child exploitation in Haiti and Southeast Asia. He is also a senior fellow of International Justice Mission’s Institute for Biblical Justice. His writing has appeared in Time, the Wall Street Journal and several editions of Best Christian Writing and Best Spiritual Writing. Crouch served as executive producer for the documentary films Where Faith and Culture Meet and Round Trip, as well as the multi-year project This Is Our City, which featured documentary video, reporting and essays about Christians seeking the flourishing of their cities. He also sits on the editorial board for Books & Culture and was editor-in-chief of re:generation quarterly. He also spent ten years as a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Harvard University. A classically trained musician who draws on pop, folk, rock, jazz and gospel, Crouch has led musical worship for congregations of five to twenty thousand. He lives with his family in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Superb expository on power
By Daniel S
I have been waiting for a book like “Playing God” by Andy Crouch for years now, since I got more serious about reading (and applying what I read). There really is not a lot out there on Christian non-fiction related to the notion of “power”. It’s discussed somewhat in philosophy circles and even some theological circles, but even then it is under the umbrella of discussions around politics, economics, or social justice. All that is well and good, Crouch would say, but where is God in the midst of it and what do normal, everyday Christians, do with any of that?
In his book, Crouch offers an excellent portrayal and exposition of key narratives and events in the Bible within the meta-narrative scope of human history and experience. He also reflects deeply, yet with pristine precision of making sure his reading audience “gets it” a thought provoking and powerful (pardon the pun) discussion of power – its misuse and we can get regain or use it once more for good. Each chapter builds on its predecessor, with a common theme going through that of “idolatry and injustice”. This, argues Crouch, is at the core of what is really going on here. Why is it that “institutions” misuse their power? Idolatry and injustice. Why do some instigate violence as a means of power? Idolatry and injustice. Why do some use their privilege (which is not inherently evil) for evil instead of good? Idolatry and injustice.
The book talks about relatively “heady” objects of discourse, but in insightful and transparent ways – often times Crouch brings in personal examples in his life, which is always a good way to grab a reader’s interest (words without actions are just words). The climax of the book is toward the end with an exposition of “Sabbath” and its coattails of discussing “gleaning”, “jubilee” and even “sabbatical”. It’s refreshing in a book like this that even while one can get frustrated at “the world” for being the way it is (and not installing an economic system of jubilee for example), it is also encouraging that the Christian can understand all of this in the grand crescendo of eschatology (end times). Satan’s temptation to “be like God” in the beginning will only run its course for so long until we celebrate and worship our benevolent King near the flourishing Tree of Life.
My only critique, if you want to call it that even, is that I think more attention could be spent discussing the “principalities and powers” that one finds in other exhortations on power; such as that of Walter Wink’s trilogy of books examining that very subject. “Principalities and powers” are only alluded to briefly by Crouch. Personally, I would have loved to see such a sharp and applicable thinker like Crouch discuss this concept more. Apart from that, this book filled in a lot of gaps in my thinking about this matter. I find it extremely pragmatic for the everyday layman who also seeks to fill in those same gaps. I will be giving away copies of this book to friends for Christmas with a note to say: If you apply elements of this book into your business and ministry life, you will fail in the eyes of the world but succeed for eternity in the eyes of our Lord.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
An apt subtitle: "Redeeming the Gift of Power"
By Scott M.
“Power is a gift.” So begins Andy Crouch’s latest book, Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power. What follows is certainly the most comprehensive , thoughtful, and imaginative meditation on power I’ve ever read. Crouch’s first book, Culture Making, remains one of my favorite books of the last 10 years, so it comes as no surprise that I enjoyed Playing God as much as I did.
My original temptation was to summarize the book as a theology of power, but to do so would be to misread Crouch entirely. Playing God is theological, but it’s also social, cultural, historical, economical, political, practical, relational, and so on. In other words, the book considers what the Bible has to say about power, but it does not stop there.
Crouch wants to share with us a robust vision of who God is, who God made us to be, and how we might better pursue the flourishing of God’s creatures and creation.
And what does that pursuit look like? Playing God invites us to forsake our god-making and god-playing in favor of true image-bearing. To be image bearers, as Crouch so masterfully articulates, is to be empowered by the Spirit of God toward lives of grace, justice, creativity, community, humility, wisdom, and worship.
This book will open your eyes to the power that both surrounds and indwells us. Watch the news and you’ll see power used and abused. Review your checking account activity or your calendar and you’ll see traces of god-making, god-playing, and image-bearing. Step inside what Crouch calls an “arena” — maybe a mall, a stadium, a church, or a school — and you’ll hear the hum of power above the din of the crowd.
Read this book, not because you’re hungry for power, but because you’re hungry for redemption of the power you already possess.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
We all have power, whether more or less, and how we use it matters
By Adam Shields
I have been looking forward to this book for a while. Andy Crouch's book Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling was an excellent look at why it is important to be making culture that reflects God.
Playing God seems like a natural follow up to Culture Making. Playing God starts with the simple (and somewhat controversial idea) that power can be used for good or bad, but we all have it, and we all need to think about how to use it to God's glory.
Christians have a mixed view of power. People with power have often used it poorly. So some Christians suggest that power and use of power is sinful But rarely do these Christians complain about either God's power, or of the positive uses of power that are all around us.
For Crouch the highest power is creation. God created us and expressed his power in the world. We, as images of God, also have the ability to create and through creation we give to others.
To over-simplify Crouch's argument, the difference between good and bad use of power comes down to whether that power is used to strengthen others or yourself.
This is a wide ranging book and hard to review in a few words. Crouch talks about everything from Nietzsche to Jesus' parables to his own exercise in learning to play the Cello as an adult to a good look at the necessary power of institutions.
He does not stay with easy topics, the role of privilege and unearned power and the unreflective use of power is probably the most important thing for many Christians that are unused to thinking about power to read.
I highly recommend this book and think it is probably the most important book I have read this year.
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