“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” – Madeleine L’Engle
Creating for change in the culture around us is less an exercise in pushing our views on those around us and more an exercise in attracting others to something (Someone!) so wonderful, so lovely, so amazing they just have to know more.
In sales and marketing, two different approaches are contrasted: push vs. pull. Push marketing takes the product or service to the consumer and pitches it to them (“pushes” it on them). On the other hand, pull marketing draws the consumer in to consider their product or service by aiming to make it as enticing and intriguing as possible, building a loyal following and prompting others to become interested in what all the fuss is about. In short, push marketing takes the product or service to the consumer and pull marketing brings the consumer to the product or service.
The same principle holds true when attempting to influence the culture. One can push a belief on an unwilling public—and, yes, some will change their minds in the process—or, better yet, one can paint a picture of what the good life really looks like where the public actually desires that belief for themselves. It’s no secret that heavy-handed sales techniques and top-down political maneuvering are more in line with push marketing than with the winsome and compelling storytelling techniques of a high budget television show or movie that aims to attract viewers to a holding a new viewpoint all of their own accord. “Narrative is our culture’s currency; he who tells the best story wins.” [1]
Art as Culture Shaper
The beauty of good art is that it allows you to see the world in a new way. The accompanying responsibility of good art is that it can be weaponized to persuade generations of new beliefs that are unhelpful at best and patently false at worse.
Say what you will about any sinister worldview implications, the TV show Will & Grace embodied this claim of culture-changing art.
“Art, in its best form, allows you to experience life and ultimately changes the way you view the world. Will & Grace was one of those rare television shows to do just that. It was entertaining, but it did more than just amuse its viewers. Will & Grace presented America with a perspective that was completely contrary to popular belief. In September 1998, following the 1997-‘98 failure of ABC’s Ellen, Will & Grace was launched on NBC-TV as the first program to have an openly gay male character as the lead on primetime television. Defying expectations, the sitcom would run from 1998 through 2006 and be ranked as the highest-rated sitcom in America among viewers aged 18 to 49 from 2001 to 2005. The show undoubtedly opened doors and desensitized America to homosexuality, paving the way for future shows.” [2]
Street Preacher or Street Painter?
Christians have long excelled at push marketing; from bullhorn-shouting street preachers on street corners to televangelists hawking holy water, there is a long tradition in evangelical circles of being aggressively focused on sharing the good news, as we should. But in our zeal for sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will listen—a great thing! —we have neglected the many other clear Scriptural examples to be winsome and persuasive in our speech and conduct with the world, and even to be somewhat, dare I say, canny and clever in our approach.
It’s a tough thing to be both wise as serpents while also being harmless as doves, and in fact, it’s a supernatural thing that requires our reliance on the Holy Spirit, but yet, that is what we are called to do. Just as Paul engaged the Athenians with wit, contextual awareness, and smooth, polished repartee, so too, we must be willing and able to drop the megaphone and maybe to write that book, produce that movie, or direct that TV show that pulls and attracts people to the true and lasting good life.
To be clear, let this reminder be a call to approach our witness in a multi-pronged way, not an excuse to avoid sharing the truth in clear and concise ways. After all, Paul also said that he did not come preaching with eloquent words of wisdom, but the simple message of the cross. But Paul was also willing to be all things to all people. Though we are called to preach, may we also not forget our call to tell stories and create art that influences the culture around us in a contextually meaningful way.
Maybe you are called to create good art as a vehicle for a higher message. Yes, as Francis Schaeffer has said, art has value in itself, [3] because of inherent beauty and as a reflective of our beautiful Creator God, but the weighty responsibility of good art is also that it can teach us all something about how we must live, what we must prize, and what the good life really looks like. In our desire to influence the culture, may we still aim for push influencing when appropriate, but may we never forget the call to and the power of pull influencing.
“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” [4]
Write, create, paint, build, direct, produce, draw, edit, manage, and act so as to draw people toward the good life with your art.
We are all called to create for change. How well are you changing the culture around you? Take this free assessment to get your Culture Change Score and find out.
Get Your Culture Change Score
[1] Bobette Buster
[2] Jack Myers The Future of Men: Men on Trial Inkshares, 2016
[3] Francis Schaeffer, Art and the Bible, IVP Books, 2006, p.
[4] Madeleine L’Engle Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art Convergent Books October, 2016 p. 112
