Just finished another great article in byFaith magazine: an interview with Ken Myers of Mars Hill Audio, which is sort of like Books & Culture meets NPR. The interview included some great reflections on common grace, how evangelicals think about culture, and the right response to the "new and improved." The writer framed the piece around Myers' reputation as a "well-informed generalist" and how Mars Hill Audio provides rigorous content on a variety of ideas. I love it. One major reason I was an international relations major in college was because of its interdisciplinary nature; I wanted to take history, political theory, and languages all at the same time. My book club in Iowa City showed me how teachers, doctors, singers, and secretaries can all gather around African lit. Myers says, "I'm convinced that one of the reasons the church has been culturally inert is because we don't have a lot of laymen who are interested in the whole big ecosystem of culture and all its inter-related aspects. Culture is the way our humanity in all of its forms and expressions is lived out, so understanding culture is necessarily interdisciplinary. You can't do it in a piecemeal way."
So, keep the book club going. Read a friend's magazines. Learn about the joys and difficulties of someone else's profession. And contemplate ideas for their own sake.
Update: The article is now posted online.
Update: The article is now posted online.
I finally read the Ken Myers article and enjoyed it very much. The thought that will buzz around in my head for a long time is his observation of the irony that the spoken word is more old-fashioned (I forget his actual word) than the printed word. It seems his observation on the prevalence of "youth culture" sometimes at the expense of the fifth commandment, and his observation on the poverty of our conversational lives may be related to the scarcity of the "well-informed generalist." We would be a lot further down that road if we talked and listened to a lot of different kinds of people, of different generations, from different cultures, backgrounds, and vocations. I've learned a lot from thoughtful conversations (with you, in fact) over coffee.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, thanks for pulling more of the "meat" out of that article and commenting. His point about the spoken word's role in history (indeed, pre-history) was a good reminder about the importance of listening (especially to resources like his!). Thanks.
ReplyDeletedid you both see the review of adiche's new collection of short stories in the current books and culture? made me want to re-convene the book club, distance be darned!
ReplyDeleteMy Books & Culture arrived AFTER yours, just got it yesterday ... will comment soon! I spoke with a pastor and an imam from Nigeria here ... they knew of "Half of a Yellow Sun" and talked to our group about the war and reconciliation.
ReplyDeleteI realize I'm very late to the party, but I just came upon this post (I've been perusing (and loving) your varied thoughts, Anna) and had to remark that I too am a generalist. In fact, I have also determined that this is a major reason why I studied international relations. It follows unsurprisingly, therefore, that I also majored in Spanish and minored in history. :)
ReplyDeleteTwo thumbs up for Mars Hill Audio and cultural study, too. (Anthropology remains one of my favorite social sciences.) Culture speaks to the human experience, which is truly interdisciplinary. What an important concept for the church universal to take up!