Culture Care
Culture Care emerges from Makoto Fujimura's decades as a practicing artist and his growing concern that contemporary discourse has reduced culture to a battlefield of competing ideologies. Writing as both a visual artist trained in traditional Japanese nihonga painting and a Christian deeply engaged with questions of faith and public life, Fujimura observed that the prevailing "culture war" metaphor had created a destructive cycle where cultural engagement meant primarily opposition and critique rather than cultivation and care.
Fujimura proposes replacing the combative framework of culture wars with what he calls "culture care" — a generative approach that prioritizes creating, nurturing, and tending cultural soil rather than merely defending positions. He argues that beauty serves as a crucial bridge across ideological divides, offering a shared language that transcends partisan boundaries. Drawing on his experience in both Eastern and Western artistic traditions, Fujimura contends that artists and cultural creators have a particular responsibility to serve as "border-stalkers" who cross between different communities and worldviews. He advocates for a patient, agricultural model of cultural engagement that focuses on planting seeds for future flourishing rather than winning immediate battles, suggesting that Christians especially should adopt this posture of generous creativity rather than defensive reaction.
The work has resonated particularly during a period of heightened political polarization, offering an alternative vision for how people of faith might engage culture constructively. Fujimura's concept of culture care has influenced discussions in Christian institutions, arts organizations, and interfaith dialogue settings, providing vocabulary for those seeking to move beyond adversarial models of cultural engagement.
Who should read this: Artists, pastors, and cultural leaders frustrated with polarized approaches to faith and public life will find Fujimura's vision compelling, though readers seeking detailed practical strategies may find his approach more philosophical than tactical.