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Plowing in Hope: Towards a Biblical Theology of Culture

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Christians desperately need books of this kind to think about God's view of human culture. The author does a wonderful job of laying out a biblical theology of culture. I especially appreciated his demonstration of the progressiveness of God's redemptive work in culture as well as in us! If you are tired of "culture wars" and "boycott lists" as the only interaction many evangelicals have with culture- this book is for you.

The book is well written and solidly argued. A must for anyone interested in reforming all of life for the glory of God!

David Hegeman has written an interesting book called 'Plowing in Hope: Toward a Biblical Theology of Culture.' Noting that the Bible begins with a garden and ends with a city, Hegeman walks through the Scripture showing the importance of culture, and our role in it. It is his prayer that " this book will help the bride of Jesus Christ recover her vital call to rule, fill, work, and preserve the earth as a high and indispensable priority. Culture-making is not optional; it is a command which from the very beginning has never been revoked" (23). This book is helpful for anyone desiring to know what the Scripture says concerning culture.
----Quotes:
----This is the goal of the culturative enterprise. We rule as vice-regents of the Creator, bringing the whole earth under human subjection so that we in turn may present the creation to God. Our rule of the earth has its ultimate fulfillment in Christ's perfect rule." 43
----"We are redeemed so that we may work! The human race is brought back to a state of righteousness so that we might return to our Edenic calling to develop ('work') the earth into a glorious garden-city and finally take possession of our long-awaited inheritance." 71

DAVID BRUCE HEGEMAN IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY GIFTED AUTHOR WITH AN INHERENT ABILITY TO PRESENT INSIGHTFUL INTERPRETATIONS IN A FORTHRIGHT AND EQUALLY PRECISE MANNER. 'PLOWING IN HOPE' IS A MUST READ FOR ANYONE.

Hegeman here attempts to craft a biblical theology of culture rooted in the persistence of the Cultural Mandate (Gen 1:28, 2:15, 9:1-6, etc) after the Fall as God's plan for the cultivation of the earth. He envisions the New Jerusalem as furnished with those cultural artifacts which turn out to be eternal and redeemable - which seems in the long run to be determined by Hegeman's opinion of what makes an artifact "excellent." He looks to a passage like 2 Pet 3:10-12 as evidence that most cultural artifacts will be destroyed, but that the re-creation at the End of Times will be accomplished by a refining, not a purely destroying, fire. As a result, some things will last into eternity.

The problem with Hegeman's vision is threefold: First, it relies on shoddy exegesis. This can be seen in his treatment of Ephesians 6:2-3. Hegeman repeats an interpretation which I have seen in other Reformed theologians (a personal hero of mine, Greg Bahnsen, for example), but one which is really simply disproved. Paul does NOT alter the 5th commandment to expand the promise from "that you may live long in the land" to "that you may live long in the earth," as Hegeman claims (pp. 66-67). A quick check of the Septuagint shows that Paul quotes the Septuagint's rendering of Exod 20:12/Deut 5:16. The Greek word ''' is used in all three locations to translate the Hebrew ''''. This does not stop Hegeman from following the interpretive tradition to which he is attached. Similar questionable moves occur throughout the book wherever Hegeman makes a controversial claim, and he usually presents the claim as though it were both certain and brilliant.

Second, Hegeman employs a view of culture that is elitist and insulting. His argument is, essentially, that the cultural artifacts which will survive into the Eschaton were created essentially for the benefit of the Elect. This is nothing new; it's a distillation of Calvin, and Hegeman admits as much. But Hegeman comes across as triumphalistic on this point. His view of culture is insular; he could view it as one of many ways by which we understand how to contextualize the Gospel for the furtherance of the Kingdom through evangelism. Instead, he sees it as something for the Church to plunder.

Third, Hegeman advocates a method for evaluating culture that is subjective and (again) insulting. "High" and "low" culture rear their ugly heads, along with subjective criteria for which falls into what category. Hegeman has the audacity to claim that while "pop" and "folk" culture have utility and may function well within their intended place, ballet and the TUXEDO (of all things) are essentially more worthy of enjoyment by Christians. Hegeman even distinguishes between "mature" and "immature" cultures.

One must wonder whether Hegeman, had he lived in Davidic Israel, would bemoan the fact that none of his king's melodies were "high" enough to last into eternity, though his words were clearly reflective of a more culturally-refined mind. And what happens to Hegeman's vision of the world if one begins to question whether ballet is truly a "higher" art than popping and locking? The aesthetic Hegeman commits himself to verges on the ethnocentric and naive. In his appendix, he actually sets two paintings of Picasso side-by-side and determines that one of them is worthy of "plunder" by the Christian while the other is to be avoided because it seems too chaotic for the author. Frankly, the subjectivity of his criteria for "high" and "low" culture is embarrassing.