Beyond a doubt, Christianity emerged in the first place as a historically and socially contingent movement in the context of late ancient Judaism and the Roman occupation. Over the years and around the globe, Christianity has changed to fit its local circumstances; that’s why there is no such thing as “real” Christianity but rather many (and often incompatible) Christianities. If the “periphery” of Christianity—all the little flourishes and details—is cultural, and it indisputably is, then what is to convince us that the “core” of Christianity is not just cultural too? In
