A Change of Vocabulary

This quarter in school it seems like there is a lot of discussion on culture, what it is, who is part of it, how we are part of it, how the church fits in it, and so on.  But after spending the last 22 years working in advertising, observing "culture," studying "trends," and watching the great marketing machine feed the masses their media manna, I ask this: is culture really anything more than just another word for humanity? If so, then by replacing humanity with another word, what do we (and the church) gained or worse, what have we lost? If it is safe to suggest that by calling it "culture" we place the emphasis (and blame) on the individual, do we lose a deeper purpose for the community or humanity as a whole? The church can either accept or reject culture, but can it do the same with humanity?
How we partake in culture is up to the individual, but how we partake in humanity is how we build a world where culture can be enjoyed by all.