Scholars Trace Bible Influence in Society

How much has the Bible influenced society?
This was the piercing question that scholars sought to answer during the Bible forum entitled, “The Influence of the Bible in the Philippines,” held last October 17, 2015 at the University of the Philippines College of Social Work and Community Development.
Organized by the Philippine Bible Society (PBS) and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), the event intends to build a case for teaching the Bible in public schools in the Philippines.
Scholars, such as PBS Translation Consultant Dr. Daniel Arichea, Loyola School of Theology Professor Helen Graham, Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate Executive Secretary Dr. Natividad Pagadut, PBS Publishing Manager Dr. Edgar Ebojo, Asia Theological Association Publications Secretary Rev. Dr. Federico Villanueva, Asian Theological Seminary Professor Joanna Feliciano-Soberano, College of Saint Benilde Professor Pablo Millan, Jr., and Atty Charles Michael Puno, presented their papers that traced the Bible’s influence on Philippine history, law, media, music and arts, women, education and families.
“Beyond the Church, we believe that the Bible is part of our everyday lives and holds a substantial amount of influence in what happens in it, in the past, present or future. Our forum emphasizes the huge impact the Bible has on society and its viability as an academic subject,” Dr. Lucero explained.
Also present in the forum was Essentials in Education (EIE) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chuck Stetson, who shared how his organization’s Bible Literacy Project (BLP) successfully managed to have God’s Word taught in American public schools.
In 2005, the BLP published The Bible and Its Influence, which is now being used as a textbook to teach about the Bible in high school English Literature and Social Studies courses taught in 43 states in the USA, and six other countries.