Andy Crouch, known as one of Christianity's most compelling visionaries on culture, was the featured speaker at the Q session in New York City Tuesday and Wednesday, September 17 and 18. Crouch addressed one hundred leaders at the Q session on the topic of power and what it means to bear God's image in a culture that has substituted it for many other images. Q, a learning community started by Catalyst cofounder Gabe Lyons, mobilizes Christians to advance the common good in society.

Andy Crouch, author of Playing God

"Few friends impact my thinking, organizational mission and theological grounding the way Andy Crouch does," said Lyons. "In addition to being the Q Conference's top-rated speaker year after year, my personal time with Andy always leads to deep reflection, conviction and adjustments in my thinking on gospel-minded cultural engagement."

Crouch was also the featured guest on Lyons' QCast, which aired live from the American Bible Society atrium in New York on Wednesday. Crouch drew from his new book, Playing God (IVP Books, October 2013), to talk about what constitutes "good news" and why power isn't such a dirty word.

"It was amazing to get to dig so deeply into the themes of Playing God with such a seasoned and committed group of one hundred leaders from all over the country," Crouch said. "I think we all left more aware of how good power can be, and how deeply corrupted power and privilege and status have become, but the dominant emotion at the end of the two days was hope in God who can rescue and redeem us. It was also a great challenge to boil the themes of two days down into thirty minutes! The QCast is a great place to go for a briefing on some themes that I believe are going to be essential for Christian cultural creativity in the coming years."

In Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power Crouch unpacks the dynamics of power that either can make human flourishing possible or can destroy the image of God in people. While the effects of power are often very evident, he uncovers why power is frequently hidden. "Playing God is a clear and compelling call for Christians to steward the kind of power that enables flourishing," said Lyons.

Crouch's previous book, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling,  won Christianity Today's 2009 Book Award for Christianity and Culture and was named one of the best books of 2008 by Publishers Weekly, Relevant, Outreach and Leadership. Crouch currently serves as the executive editor of Christianity Today, where he was also executive producer of  This Is Our City, a multiyear project featuring documentary video, reporting and essays about Christians seeking the flourishing of their cities.