For years I was under the impression (through no one’s fault but my own) that Christianity had a responsibility to oppose culture. Culture was typically bad, and using the bible, we’re going to fix it.

I open up with this because I want to clearly express to anyone reading that this is an unhealthy way to view culture, Christianity, and the bible.

There are also voices out there who claim the bible transcends culture, and that’s why it is timeless in its truth.

this position I have less problems with, but it still doesn’t sit right. If the bible is essentially beyond culture, how in the world does anyone in the world understand it? (cue the people who go, “We’re not of this world!” which is true, but we are in it)

Another position, the best one, in my view, is that the bible has a cyclical relationship with culture.

See, culture is defined as the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of human intellect regarded collectively.

All of these things are given to humans by God, and human agency allows us collectively to form culture and continuously influence each other.

The bible is a form of what Christians call divine revelation, which is revelation given to humans by God, who transcends human culture but does not disregard it.

Right away some of you are going, “See!? the Bible does transcend culture!”

Hold on a minute. God’s revelation comes in more ways than just the bible. Here’s what happens.

Humans are given revelation by God, maybe through God speaking to them, through prophetic witness, through angelic messengers, or some other way. These revelations utilized ancient cultures to frame the context in which they were given.

Here’s an example: Covenants are all over the bible. God makes a covenant with Noah (Gen. 8:20-9:17), with Abraham (Gen. 12-17), and with Moses and Israel (Ex. 19-34), Laban makes one with Jacob (Gen. 31:44-50), God makes a covenant with David (2 Sam. 7), and so on.

Covenants were one of the most widespread practices in ancient cultures. They were a way of creating family-like relationships beyond natural family. Major nations established covenants with smaller people groups (called vassals) all the time. This was visualized for the parties involved by taking an animal, dismembering it, placing it on the ground, and having both parties pass between the pieces. This was to show what would happen to the person who broke the covenant.

God did not disregard the powerful practice of covenant-making when he entered into a relationship with humans, rather he worked within the cultural context and operated in covenants as well (see Gen. 15:17).

So, here’s the process broken down:

God creates the universe, including humanity.

Humanity creates culture.

God divinely communicates something sensible to humans within human culture.

Humans then take the influence from God’s revelation and use it to reform culture.

Culture shifts and changes.

God divinely intervenes again, this time within the context of where culture has shifted, and gives new revelation.

The cycle repeats.

The bible is a collection of divine revelations given by God to humans within the context of their culture, giving the bible and culture a cyclical relationship where one impacts the other.

This does not mean culture in any way has authority over the bible. It simply means that culture helps us understand the bible because culture helped us receive divine revelation from God, the same way culture helps us receive anything.

Without culture, we wouldn’t be able to understand anything. That’s why God gave us culture.

When you see the world getting increasingly chaotic and confusing, don’t blame or fear culture. Instead, ask how this moment in culture can help strongly communicate God’s divine revelation, and pray for God to move within culture to powerfully display his truth, love, grace, and kingdom to shape this world into his good created world once again.