The Supra-Cultural Gospel

The gospel transcends culture and worldview. It is not confined to any one culture, worldview, or people group. It is the good news for every culture, every worldview, and every people group. Yet, somewhat paradoxically, it is always wrapped up in culture and worldview. While it transcends culture and worldview it can never be separated from culture and worldview to exist as a bare gospel. The gospel message, indeed the entire Scriptures were written in a cultural context and we must know biblical culture in order to appropriate Scripture for our culture. The gospel is wrapped up in the culture in which it was written. God predetermined that his word would be written in a historical-cultural context. Therefore his word is enveloped in culture. Yet, his word transcends culture – it can be placed into every culture and applied to every person because it is the revealed will of the Lord for all of his creation.