A Creative Minority: Influencing Culture Through Redemptive Participation

by Jon Tyson, Heather Grizzle

How should the church engage our culture? The recent political cycle has shattered the lens through which the American church has looked at politics through much of our lifetimes. If we return to the Scriptures, we see Jesus offers us a compelling, alternative vision. His heart was that His followers would be a city on a hill and that people would see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven. This was not dependent on the laws on the books, the rulings of the courts, or the leaders in power. His heart was that we would influence culture through redemptive participation, being not just a faithful, but also a fruitful presence. His vision was that the church functions as a Creative Minority in a dominant culture. A Creative Minority seeks not to propose a way to regain cultural dominance, take back our world for God or revisit an unrealistic and nostalgic past. It humbly proposes that if we take on the posture and identity of a Creative Minority, we may rekindle the light in the bushel, and in so doing, cast a hopeful glimmer on the world. A Creative Minority paints a compelling picture of the way the church is called to participate in these challenging and demanding times - seeking neither to control nor abandon the world, but to love it to new life through redemptive participation.

Genres: Faith, Theology, Cultural, Church, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2016

About the author

Jon Tyson is a pastor and church planter in New York City. Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Jon moved to the United States over two decades ago with a passion to seek and cultivate renewal in the Western Church. He is the author of Sacred Roots, A Creative Minority, and The Burden Is Light. He serves as the lead pastor of Church of the City New York.

Reviews

[Sally Nikesch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Very on point, easy to read and yet so powerful and important. It was hopeful and encouraging for me and reminded me of some truths I needed to hear.

[Peter Breazeale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I keep giving books 5 stars, but they really are that good. However, I’d give this one 6 if this app let me. So short, yet so compelling and challenging. Tyson casts an exciting and expectant vision for Christian community that challenging yet encouraging for me to read.

[Kelsey Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but sweet. Does such a great job at casting a vision for churches to actively engage and participate in culture, all while having influence for Christ in those very spaces!

[Grant Lewandowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great word on living differently as a follower of Jesus and what that can look like in today’s world. Since it’s short I will definitely be coming back to this book!

[Jack Key · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and compelling. Would definitely recommend.

[Corey Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We need a vision that is not based on a fear of a godless future, or a longing for an idealized past, but a rich presence in our own time that inspires the beauty and possibility of Christ’s church.” - Tyson & Grizzle

I read this short work as a sophomore in college with a dear friend and mentor, and I remember being particularly captivated in the comparison of Jesus’ contemporaries ways of engaging culture (i.e. the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes and Zealots) to our own cultural moments way of utilizing their same miscalculated tactics to proclaim the gospel and the coming of the Kingdom of God.

After 4 years from that first read, I still find myself connecting the through lines from history until now where those previous versions of misapplied faith have strong roots in some of our own ideas about church, evangelism, community, etc.

I think that Tyson and Grizzle in this condensed bookish essay lay a great foundation for initiating discussion in communities of faith - how will we pursue being a people of a certain makeup and grain, and how will we live that out in the moments, jobs, families, cities we find ourselves in? I believe that this book paired with Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together” could provide ample amount of dialogue for the regular group of believers wanting to commit themselves to the pursuit of being people of the Way of Jesus.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter titled “Narrative: A Compelling Alternative Story”. They so easily defined the minute gospel we have inherited in Westerm Christianity as an individualized personal ”get out of hell free card”, and simply offered instead the historically robust version of the gospel where people are endowed with the image of God and invited into partnership with God to pursue the redemption of all things - what a better story. Love it, and for all my friends who also grew up with a salvation-centric gospel, let’s give a round of applause for the people reminding us that the gospel is so much more.

Nothing particularly radically new in this work, but very digestible and feels quickly actionable/discussable in a community setting. Recommend, especially since you can literally read it in an hour and a half.

[Hunter Harwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0

Super great small read, really think it’d be an interesting topic to study further and actually put into practice. Our church right now is focusing on being a radical Christian in America, and it honestly might not be drastic steps that we need to take just difficult ones. Need to die to self before dying for Christ vibe. The author focuses on what it looks like to be radically generous instead of just being moral, and how starting in our small communities might be the best step.

Jon always does a great job of including some inspiring stories which fires me up, but sometimes it’s hard not to feel like you’re a small lil fish lol—might actually be the point.

“Far too often, Christians spend time working on the answer for a question people are simply not asking because our lives look identical to those around us.”

“The idolatry of Self has gone so far that people are able to speak without irony of “my truth,” as if their preference or perspective somehow creates objective reality”

[Nathan Hildenbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good (and short) read on how the church can shape and influence an increasingly post-Christian culture. Tyson is well-read, and that is reflected in his extensive use of stories and quotes from other authors. My one critique of this book would be in that Tyson could go further to give some more clearly defined “next steps” to help readers live out what he envisions life as a creative minority. A culturally insightful, prophetically written encouragement for the church in these days.

[Grant Klinefelter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great quick-read on practical ways we can influence culture like Christ and the early Church - not by waging culture wars or vying for power. But by being a Creative Minority telling a compelling narrative that draws people in.

Read this book. And when you want to go deeper, read Graham Tomlin’s A Provocative Church. And when you want to go even deeper, read one of my all time favorites The Patient Ferment of the Early Church.

[Chloe Walker]

“One of the challenges for every Christian is that of misinformation: we know everything about that which we can do little about and we know little about everything we can do everything about. Rather than aiming to influence people far and wide, perhaps we should turn our attention to the seemingly mundane around us where we can actually have impact.”

[Mufaro Mutambiranwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick but important book for how Christian’s should live as followers of Jesus. Very practical and insightful by Jon Tyson.

“A Creative Minority does not accept the status quo - through tangible actions it steps into the brokenness of the world and begins to release a prophetic imagination about what life can be like.”

[Elisha Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trevor Atwood wrote this book. I guess his pen name is Heather Grizzle- nice try, but I found you out!

[Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this because it was very short and sweet. This book simplifies what it means to be a Christian by focusing on being in the world but not of the world.

[Nolan Bechtold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Convicting. This book is now a prayer for my life, and for my church.

[Jill Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, deep and relevant.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y’all know I love a good culture making moment

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short read, super practical, convicting & encouraging 🫰🏽

Def needed that 🙂‍↕️

[Alan Rathbun · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but powerful book that encourages believers to influence the world through creative participation in it together. It calls for a full understanding of the gospel that believes we are called to express the Kingdom of God on earth, not just long to go to heaven. The book has helpful stories and quotes that illustrate the author's intent.

[Isaac Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may be short but it's jam packed with truth!

Jon Tyson shows himself to be a true visionary as he unpacks the definition of a creative minority and highlights the importance of establishing authentic Christian community where ever you live.

[Luke Lackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, practically a pamphlet (cheat code for the reading challenge haha), calls out many lies that Christians believe and calls us to a higher standard by envisioning our daily lives as ones where we participate in the redemption of Creation and hold fast against the pervasive culture.

Creative Minority: Christian community in a web of stubbornly loyal relationships knotted together in a living network of persons who are committed to following the way of Jesus together for the world's renewal.

6 defining characteristics:
1. Covenant Community: find accountable unity over loose networks. Moravians!
2. Living in God's Full Narrative: We are not only here to save lives but also are made in God's image and must join God in renewing all things!
3. Distinct Vision of Ethics: Instead of being driven by money, sex, and power we must be driven by faithfulness, generosity, and servanthood.
4. Counter-Formative Practices: Don't accept the status quo but tangibly step into the brokenness and release a prophetic imagination of what life can be like
5. Living under God's Authority: Our internal allegiance leads to a confident humility despite any leader, temptation, or environment that would seek to make us capitulate to the status quo.
6. Participating in Redemption: we do not hate the world but participate in the way of Jesus. Sara Frazier Miller and Philip Yancey stories!

The call to participate in the redemption of our world brings beauty to every aspect of our lives. Cleaning the house becomes an opportunity to restore things to their original beauty, and working a 9-5 job is just an opportunity to refine things back to the perfect vision God has for them. Meanwhile, we are awaiting a Divine King to come and restore all things, physical and spiritual. How can the redemptive heart of God be exemplified in the way that I live my life?

Fire quotes:
- "If there is no interpersonal conflict in your life, no elements of your character being confronted about, you are networking, you are not in close community."
- "We need to be people marked by financial promiscuity and extramarital sexual stinginess"
- "We must live in the kingdom of God in such a way that it provokes questions for which the Gospel is the answer" - Leslie Newbegin
- "Doctrinalism robs the church of ethical seriousness through sheer neglect, imagining that calling Jesus 'Lord, Lord,' in just the right language will somehow lead to entrance into the kingdom of heaven."
- "In the soil of this violent disordered world, an alternative community may take root. It lives in hope of a day of liberation, in the meantime it aligns itself with another world, not just spreading rumors but planting settlements in advance of that coming reign" - Yancey

[Michelle Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book, written by my pastor at Church of the City and a congregant. I read it in one sitting- compelled by the vision of the church as a creative minority, a group of influencers who are working towards the redemption of all things by living in intentional counter-formational ways, meaning making decisions and cultivating habits that reform them to live in the way of Christ. This felt especially relevant considering evangelicals make up 5% of Manhattan, and in many ways Christians have "lost their saltiness" amongst the powerful intellectuals of the city; in fact, they mention a recent Barna Poll that the cultural perception of Christians is that they are "irrelevant" and "extreme." Tyson and Grizzle suggest a new way forward to combat this disturbing perception, "a vision that is not based on a fear of a godless future, or a longing for an idealized past, but a rich presence in our own time that inspires the beauty and possibility of Christ's church"(p 13). I love how the way of Jesus is not about grabbing for power or coercion, but it is a hospitable invitation to flourishing. They write, quoting Mel Lawrenze, that influence is the hidden power behind leadership. "The word influence (influentia) means something that flows in and causes changes, usually a force that is imperceptible or hidden. Influencers are people who lead by living in proximity to scores of ordinary people who are looking for some source of wisdom, discernment, power, truth and other qualities that begin a transformative work on their lives"(p. 51). This resonated because I feel like people around me at work are thirsting for some hope, some direction, and some mercy. I was excited that they actually wrote about the neighborhood I spend my days teaching high school in, S. Bronx. They explain that it has the highest rate of poverty in the country, and more than half of the kids there live below the poverty line. 2/3 of the adults are unemployed and 60% don't have high school diplomas, only 4% have graduated from college. This is the place I hope to put some of these principles and ways of being into action, praying for redemption and restoration of education systems and my students' impossibly difficult lives every day. I feel like I should read this little book every day to get me in the right frame of mind!

[Bret Hicks]

A Creative Minority: Influencing Culture Through Redemptive Participation by Jon Tyson and Heather Grizzle (Kindle) - This is a short ebook I received free from The Gospel Coalition. Jon Tyson is an influential pastor and church leader in New York City, though he is originally from Australia. The book is short, but is arguing for a specific model of how Christians should engage the culture. The basic posture for which Tyson argues is redemptive participation. He lists 6 areas and ways this can be done, but the basic idea is that it is more biblical and effective to build an alternative community that reflects biblical values and labors to serve the people around us than it is to engage in slash and burn culture war. Though he lists the six areas (things like Covenant:Authentic Community; Narrative: A Compelling Alternative; Ethics: A Distinct Moral Vision; and Authority: A Humble Alternative), the book is really more about arguing for a particular posture towards the culture than it is a list of specific ways to do this. The posture is one of the church for the city (when possible) rather than the church against the city or the church dominating the city through politics. I already agreed with this model in general prior to reading the book, and so I do agree either what Tyson proposes here. It is a short book so it is far from exhaustive, but it is a good introduction to the idea.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jon Tyson is a calm, measured voice in an age of widespread and far-reaching anxiety in Christian communities. This book concisely outlines a way forward that is neither reactionary nor passive in its approach. His overarching premise is that beautiful things have spoken to human souls throughout the ages and continue to do so today. The way to cultivate beautiful ways of living and moving in the world is to invest oneself in "the creative minority" or rather, rich pockets of Christian community. The only critique I would reserve for this book is that it is highly theoretical and does not lay any foundation for what a "Creative Minority" is to look like in very practical, literal ways. That being said, I believe there are other books to speak to this and I like that Tyson's book is kept short and sweet without gratuitous information folded in between.

[Trevor Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, quick read. I totally share his basic premise that God's kingdom is not about abandoning the world or trying to control it but by redemptive participation in it as a creative minority gradually transforming it. And this is often done in small, unseen but creative ways - hey, like a seed sown in a field! Who'd 'a thought! This guy has a captivating style. I especially liked his emphasis on a truly united covenant community as opposed to a 'loose network' being a key to missional impact - a la the Moravians. Have not read such a reflection on covenant community, or even those words, for a long time! Great! Encouraging other leaders to read this and want to go back to for further reflection.

[Rasool Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short vision casting for Making Cultural Impact

This is a great book to read in one sitting and get vision about being a winsome, and faithful Christian presence in the rapidly changing world of today. Between compromise and culture wars, the authors set a course for how we can be different in our specific spaces. Drawing from experiences of leading people in vocations and in the church, Jon Tyson shows a way forward that gives hope and challenge to those disoriented by the shifting cultural sands underfoot. The footnotes serve as a reading list and is part of the value of this compact work.

[Fred Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am working with an organization in St Paul on a Redemptive Entrepreneurship program and they recommended this book. I'm quite familiar with social entrepreneurship but I found this similar mindset worth spending more time on. There's a lot of overlap between the 6 marks described here for a creative minority and much of the writing about innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship. It's about being true to yourself but in this case also being true to your faith. It's a very short book but dense ideas. Don't feel it's not for you if you don't consider yourself religious or Christian. I am a pretty pragmatic Catholic. It's about mindset. Being part of a creative minority anywhere is good.

[Dustin Tramel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We have to exercise counter-formative practices that shape our culture rather than allowing cultural norms to sculpt us." p.39, "Instead of being driven by sex, money, and power, we must be driven by faithfulness, generosity, and servanthood." p.35, "The church is the Trinity on earth." p.18. A creative minority is marked by radical dissimilarity and hopeful promise. It's a Christian community in a web of stubbornly loyal relationships, knotted together in a living network of persons who are committed to practicing the way of Jesus together for the renewal of the world.

[Timothy Koller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully concise, theologically-grounded directive to followers of Jesus from the trenches of ministrty

As a faithful steward of that which God has entrusted to him, Tyson offers a fantastic resource filled with practical examples on how to faithfully follow Jesus today. He avoids shallow, pithy solutions which sound pleasing but ultimately cannot transform. Through reflection on well-cited sources, the Bible, and his own perspective, Tyson masterfully takes us behind-the-scenes to a deep analysis of Jesus-shaped counter-cultural engagement.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Being a radical is pretty easy: just give away 10% of your money and watch less TV and that will make you a witness to the people around you.” - Andy Crouch speaking at Church of the City

Solid perspective and encouragement to live our lives differently from the world by bringing the Lord’s Kingdom to earth. Love your neighbor, give generously, and use the gifts God has given you to serve the poor and vulnerable.

[Luke Van Dyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read. Have a lot of appreciation for Jon Tyson and his approach, and this book very succinctly and helpfully painted the vision of a Creative Minority. Inspiring and provided a helpful framework for the possibility of Christian influence in todays culture. Especially loved his call to faithfulness (stubborn loyalty in relationship) and fruitfulness. Glad to have tipped my toes in Tyson’s writing and will be back for more in the future, I’m sure!