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Review: The Culture of God's Word

The Culture of God's Word book cover on blue background

One of my favourite topics in studying Christian theology and missiology is on culture, so this book immediately grabbed my attention.

The Culture of God's Word by Harold L. Senkbeil and Lucas V. Woodford is a book that promises exactly what the title specifies. It's also a book where the refrain of “as the word is sown, its culture is grown” is aptly and appropriately repeated throughout, reminding readers that the Bible will always supersede culture.

Many thanks to Baker Publishing Group for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

When It Comes to Spreading the Gospel, Relevance Is Irrelevant

  • A thoroughly biblical approach to social witness and the transformation of souls
  • Reminds us that while we have a part to play in evangelism, it is God who Gives the increase

Some fight to recover Christian culture; others abandon any hope of transforming culture. Both mindsets are at odds with the early church. The apostles weren't seeking to convert cultures but people, because God's word cultivates its own culture--the culture of the word. When the word is sown, the culture is grown. Our mission remains the same today: a stubborn commitment to proclaim God's word.

In The Culture of God's Word, Harold L. Senkbeil and Lucas V. Woodford reclaim the biblical approach to transformation and social witness. By returning to the apostles' own example in the book of Acts, we are reminded of the power of the gospel. God's word embraces broken hearts and broken lives and transforms them in Christ Jesus. The church is born of God's word and grows by God's word. The pursuit of relevance has failed. The culture wars distract from the mission. But God's word cultivates a faith that endures in a chaotic world.

"Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." - 1 Corinthians 3:7

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This book is one of the best arguments I've read against Christian nationalism. It’s a succinct book that packs a wallop based on how well it communicates what it means for God’s Word to form the culture in the first place rather than being focused on changing the culture of the world. The two overarching themes of the church transcending culture and the church running counter to culture are exemplified in discussions on how contextualization should not overshadow the Bible, most notably in that, “We must never aim to evangelize people into some passing sociological human subculture but into the timeless transcendent company of all the faithful.” 

In a post-Christian nation, Christians would do well to heed the notion that, “Today, we’re not striving to convert cultures but people living in diverse cultures.” Calling on the church's mission to be in the world, but not of the world, the authors present a convincing case for why it matters more that we are living out what the Bible says as opposed to trying to adapt the Bible to make it more understandable or palatable to the culture around us. The chapters on worship and how the church can grow a culture based on the Word are practical, life-giving, and foundational in specifying how overemphasizing culture can lead to the downfall of the Word taking root in people's hearts. Readers keenly interested in what The Culture of God’s Word looks like will find this a book to return to again and again, particularly as it provides a framework for thinking through culture in its proper context when aligned with the Bible.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍
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