Thank you for the influence of the Bible on our modern society, “Does the Bible still possess the same influence in society that it once had?”
As I read the Bible, the influence of the Bible will diminished because of the condition and increased hardness of man’s heart.
The Apostle Paul wrote this in II Tim. 3, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone” (NIV).
If “believers” can be described as such in Paul’s time, how much more will it be in our modern cultural! The words of the Bible hasn’t changed, but the hearts and minds of people have changed.
Today, we lived in a skeptical world that questions all values. There are no moral absolutes. Facts are elevated to “deity” status. Modern scholars have questioned the veracity of the Bible including its historicity based on archaeological and scientific discoveries or facts. Thus people are reluctant to read and even less to put their trust in the Bible when it has been called into question.
In the Western culture, the influence of the Bible is significantly reduced as people rely on social norms. Social norm changes so there is no anchor for one’s beliefs or moral values. In the Asian countries, the influence of the Bible is greater especially in China where a generation has been taught there is no God and they have experienced the dictates of the Cultural Revolution. Many don’t want any part of it. The new generation of Asians are seeking for something substantive and sustaining through life’s stages. The Bible offers them life and peace that they haven’t found in their cultural and political surrounding. We’re finding that health and wealth, fame and fortune isn’t enough. What else is there except to “zone” out with recreational drugs. That’s the alternative now, but the end is “deadly” in my opinion. Will there be a resurgence to the Bible even with their questions? It will depend on how Christians addresses the questions of agnostics and atheists.
SUMMARY: Unless the Holy Spirit works in a person’s heart and mind, the Word will fall on deaf ears.
For more perspectives:
https://www.quora.com/Does-the-Bible-still-possess-the-same-influence-in-society-that-it-once-had