One important point to note is that all three cultures—first, second, and third—can exist simultaneously in the same society. This is the reason why society now often feels like a cultural battle zone: it consists of groups of people who simply think about the moral structure of the world in utterly incompatible ways. Third-world cultures operate with a narrative framework that is incommensurable with the other two. The Southern Baptist who believes marriage is defined by the Bible to reflect the relationship of Christ to his church is inevitably going to be in conflict with the secularist who
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