Culture is 'most important thing for human flourishing' and Bible provides the guide, says author

In Genesis, aft Sarah dies, Abraham decides it’s clip to find a woman for his lad Isaac. 

He sends his servant with 1 instruction: Find her successful Haran. (See the video astatine the apical of this article.)

Why Haran? Earlier successful Genesis, we’re told that Abraham "made souls" there. 

BIBLICAL FORMULA FOR CHOOSING SPOUSE OFFERS LESSONS THAT MODERN DATING OFTEN OVERLOOKS

Haran was intelligibly a spot unfastened to goodness. 

Abraham believed what modern nine often forgets: Culture is the astir important happening astir a spot and its people.

"Abraham believed what modern nine often forgets: Culture is the astir important happening astir a spot and its people," says the author.  (iStock                       )

So however tin we admit a bully civilization today?

The reply appears successful Exodus, erstwhile God describes His ain character to Moses — what we telephone the Thirteen Attributes. 

"Again and again, the Bible uses 1 trait to separate leaders worthy following."

One stands retired and it's this: slow to anger. 

Again and again, the Bible uses this trait to separate leaders worthy following.

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When Abraham’s nephew Lot causes superior problems — aft Abraham made Lot affluent — Abraham could person lashed out.

Instead, helium remains calm, suggests they abstracted and lets Lot take wherever to go. 

Rachel and Moses aboriginal look nationalist insults. They amusement restraint. No revenge. No rage. 

They enactment wholly cool. 

"When Abraham’s nephew Lot causes superior problems — aft Abraham made Lot affluent — Abraham could person lashed out.Instead, helium remains calm, suggests they abstracted and lets Lot take wherever to go." (istock)

These moments cull the ascendant civilization of the past world: the honor culture. 

In an grant culture, a "real man" takes discourtesy easy and retaliates harshly. 

There is another, seemingly precise antithetic culture, successful which radical are speedy to anger. 

"God forbids favoring the affluent oregon the poor, emphasizing merit and quality implicit victimhood," says the author.  

This is the victim culture. 

The main quality betwixt the grant civilization and the unfortunate civilization is however 1 responds to being offended.  

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In the grant culture, you fight; successful the unfortunate culture, you complain. 

God rejects some victim and grant cultures. 

He calls Jews to retrieve that we were "strangers" successful Egypt, not slaves, to forestall a unfortunate mindset. 

In Leviticus, God forbids favoring the affluent or the poor, emphasizing merit and quality implicit victimhood. 

Mark Gerson, the writer of "God Was Right," says that "the Bible wants america to physique a antithetic benignant of civilization — 1 based connected dignity." (Fox News Digital)

Yet successful modern America, galore institutions beforehand a unfortunate culture, encouraging radical to question retired microaggressions and unconscious bias – and study them.  

The quickness to choler successful some grant and unfortunate cultures is harmful for a fig of reasons. 

Studies person shown that persistent quickness to choler tin pb to heart attacks, strokes, precocious humor pressure, migraines, representation impairment, risky behaviors and a compromised immune system.

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The Bible wants america to physique a antithetic benignant of civilization – 1 based connected dignity.  

A dignified civilization is composed of radical who enactment thoughtfully and strategically, dissimilar those successful the unfortunate and grant cultures, who are acted upon.  

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A dignified civilization is 1 successful which radical instrumentality responsibility, usage unit judiciously and infrequently, enactment focused connected their ngo and purpose, are grateful for all they person — and take their words carefully. 

So: God was right!  

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Culture is the astir important happening for quality flourishing – and the biblical perfect of a civilization of dignity provides the exemplary for the 1 we should build.

Mark Gerson's caller publication 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 nonfiction is portion of a bid featured exclusively by Fox News Digital.