Culture is 'most important thing for human flourishing' and Bible provides the guide, says author
By Mark Gerson
Published June 14, 2025
In Genesis, after Sarah dies, Abraham decides it's time to find a wife for his son Isaac.
He sends his servant with one instruction: Find her in Haran. (See the video at the top of this article.)
Why Haran? Earlier in Genesis, we're told that Abraham "made souls" there.
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Haran was clearly a place open to goodness.
Abraham believed what modern society often forgets: Culture is the most important thing about a place and its people.
So how can we recognize a good culture today?
The answer appears in Exodus, when God describes His own character to Moses — what we call the Thirteen Attributes.
"Again and again, the Bible uses one trait to distinguish leaders worth following."
One stands out and it's this: slow to anger.
Again and again, the Bible uses this trait to distinguish leaders worth following.
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When Abraham's nephew Lot causes serious problems — after Abraham made Lot wealthy — Abraham could have lashed out.
Instead, he remains calm, suggests they separate and lets Lot choose where to go.
Rachel and Moses later face public insults. They show restraint. No revenge. No rage.
They stay totally cool.
These moments reject the dominant culture of the ancient world: the honor culture.
In an honor culture, a "real man" takes offense easily and retaliates harshly.
There is another, seemingly very different culture, in which people are quick to anger.
"God forbids favoring the rich or the poor, emphasizing merit and character over victimhood," says the author.
This is the victim culture.
The main difference between the honor culture and the victim culture is how one responds to being offended.
WHY GOD AND THE BIBLE WERE RIGHT ABOUT YOUR WORK SCHEDULE ALL ALONG
In the honor culture, you fight; in the victim culture, you complain.
God rejects both victim and honor cultures.
He calls Jews to remember that we were "strangers" in Egypt, not slaves, to prevent a victim mindset.
In Leviticus, God forbids favoring the rich or the poor, emphasizing merit and character over victimhood.
Yet in modern America, many institutions promote a victim culture, encouraging people to seek out microaggressions and unconscious bias – and report them.
The quickness to anger in both honor and victim cultures is harmful for a number of reasons.
Studies have shown that persistent quickness to anger can lead to heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, migraines, memory impairment, risky behaviors and a compromised immune system.
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The Bible wants us to build a different kind of culture – one based on dignity.
A dignified culture is composed of people who act thoughtfully and strategically, unlike those in the victim and honor cultures, who are acted upon.
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A dignified culture is one in which people take responsibility, use violence judiciously and infrequently, stay focused on their mission and purpose, are grateful for all they have — and choose their words carefully.
So: God was right!
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Culture is the most important thing for human flourishing – and the biblical ideal of a culture of dignity provides the model for the one we should build.
Mark Gerson's new book is "God Was Right: How Modern Social Science Proves the Torah Is True," published by BenBella Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster (June 2025). This article is part of a series featured exclusively by Fox News Digital. Print Close
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