How Modern Culture Promotes Passivity in Men and Biblical Ways to Resist It
- Mike Sonneveldt
- Oct 15
- 9 min read
The Cultural Trap of Passivity
I knew I should be doing more. But I couldn't stop. My finger kept pulling the screen, searching for that strong dopamine payoff that rewarded me for dedicating myself to the social media scroll. Instead of pursuing my purpose, I was too busy hoping for some video that would make me feel better or get a little jolt of pleasure.
Despite knowing how social media weakens men daily, I struggled to fight. I found it tough to resist the ways in which modern culture promotes passivity in men – men like me.
The Trap of Passivity in Men
We're bombarded by stimuli. And unfortunately, modern culture promotes passivity in men through constant distractions, consumerism, and the weakening of values, but Christian men can and should resist. And how do men resist passivity? Christian men?
It's simple. Christian men should resist passivity with biblical discipline.
So how do you start resisting cultural influences on masculinity? The first step is building discipline against cultural decadence. This means knowing why modern culture makes men passive and recognizing the tools it uses. Unfortunately, decadence is a major driver of passivity, which means overcoming passivity in modern society is done by rejecting modern society itself.
It means internalizing biblical steps to overcome your passivity in daily life and then applying them, particularly when the temptation feels like too much to resist.
So, take some time, be blunt with yourself on where you're at with these habits, and of course: subscribe if these resources help you overcome passivity and become the disciplined, masculine man God called you to be.
How Modern Culture Promotes Passivity in Men
The Role of Social Media and Entertainment
Mindless scrolling
, dopamine-driven content, and escapism all weaken your resolve. These things not only eat up your time, but they also rob you of the mental bandwidth that makes productivity possible.
In 2023, a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine revealed that excessive screen time in young men correlates with long-term productivity loss, as endless scrolling displaces purposeful action.
The researchers took over 1,000 participants and found that higher screen times (over 2 hours per day on social media or TV) are linked to things like reduced productivity and a higher risk of a sedentary lifestyle in adulthood. Men even showed a higher risk of obesity and diabetes due to the passivity caused by modern culture and its influences.
Meanwhile, a 2025 Harmony Healthcare IT survey of over 1,000 Americans found that men average more than 5 hours daily on their phones alone, contributing to widespread passivity through constant distractions.
How does social media promote passivity in men? At the very least, it sucks us in. We become consumers instead of producers, draining away the hours of our day in hopes of some type of positive hormonal reaction to what we see or experience. But the problem is, scrolling social media constantly leaves us feeling drained, despondent, and disconnected from reality.
Consumerism and Comfort-Seeking
While social media is a major vehicle for modern culture to create passivity in men, it's only the tip of the iceberg. As algorithms force-feed certain videos and advertisements into a man's brain, he is constantly trained to aim for certain things.
Some men are feeling the effects of media on their masculine strength when they constantly see six-pack abs and thousand-pound deadlifts. Even though these videos are not necessarily dangerous or even negative, the constant barrage subconsciously trains a man to see himself by the AI-modified and algorithmically perfected standards of genetic freaks and fake videos.
Then, ads promoting transformation in the areas of health, wealth, and relationships are targeted specifically to those men, giving them the solution to their problem (as any good marketer understands).
Why does consumerism weaken masculine responsibility? Because consumerism preys on our insecurities, desires, and dreams. It tries to satisfy our wants...for a price. But so often, it must make us feel inferior, insecure, fearful, or lacking first.
Each time we pursue a quick answer to our insecurities or buy a product to fulfill our desires, we risk losing our masculine responsibility. We look inward instead of outward. We take a small step toward the selfish as opposed to the selfless –and if we don't actively focus on building discipline against cultural decadence, then we're likely to slide into what plagues so many American men: keeping up with the Joneses and the destructive comparison game.
On a shallow side, consumerism satisfies our baser desires, such as seeking out the things we know are bad for us. Our vices are extremely profitable for others. Whether gambling, fast food, alcohol, pornography, or smoking...our vices help drive the economy.
While partaking in something like alcohol or some fast food every once in a while isn't necessarily destructive to men's ability to continue resisting cultural influences on masculinity, the slide is easy to slip down.
Not only that, but that spiral of consumerism eating away at masculinity only gives more ammo for the cultural narrative against masculinity.
Cultural Narratives Against Masculinity
How does modern culture undermine biblical masculinity?
We all know.
We even have a name for it. The Homer Simpson effect.
The media, for the last 4 or so decades, has progressively slipped into presenting men as bumbling fools. Sitcoms, commercials, and movies all built on uplifting the female voice and presenting her as the smart leader of the group, while also showing the man as the fool who needs to be saved by the wife.
Couple this with the rise of the feminist movement and its disdain for what they've termed "the patriarchy", or a belief that men systematically and purposefully oppress women for their advantage, and it's no wonder that young men grow up feeling purposeless and forgotten.
Imagine you're told your whole life that "You are what is wrong with the world. All of it is your fault. You're evil." Most of us would succumb to the destruction of our identity and would internalize it. Modern culture intentionally breeds passivity in men. It's not a random mistake. It's organized. It's strategic.
But an answer does exist.
The Biblical Antidote to Passivity
Modern culture may breed passivity in men, but the Bible gives men a better answer. Biblical resistance to cultural decadence and passivity is found throughout scripture. One powerful verse makes it clear how a man should respond to what the world is trying to tell him to do.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love."
Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, calls men out. His call is to the man who lives within the culture. He knows how easy it is to get swept away with the passive, cultural tide. So what does he call us to do? Stand firm in the faith and act like men. How do you act like a man? Be strong, courageous, and stand firm.
However, Paul isn't just making this idea up. We're given example after example of men in Scripture who stood firm in the faith and acted like men. In fact, it's their courage in faith that is counted as righteousness for them.
Nehemiah builds the wall despite the attacks of his enemies.
David slays Goliath when the rest of the armies of Israel fear stepping forward.
Jesus never backed down when faced with threats, aggression, or even death.
Paul was stoned and left for dead. He got up, dusted himself off, and walked back into the city and kept preaching.
Hebrews 11 is filled with examples of men who refused the passive route and instead stood firm in their faith.
What does the Bible say about overcoming passivity? Every example of faith is shown by a man (or a woman) who steps into the danger, risk, or challenge and believes that the Lord will be there with him. He does it for the Lord and because he is called of the Lord.
That's the true opposite of passivity.
Want to figure out what is holding you back from standing in courage? Want to heal some things that have been eating at you for way too long? Get the Become Forged program!
Practical Steps to Resist Cultural Passivity
1) Build a Discipline Routine
It's time to build your spiritual routine. We are creatures of habit, but more importantly, we are creatures of consistency. In the end, what we do defines us. If we smoke every day, are we not smokers? If we lie over and over, are we not considered liars?
Our disciplines matter, and they are the most powerful way to help stave off passivity. Each day is a training ground, and you must build yourself up. The decadence of culture breeds passivity in men, and the only way to prevent its erosion of masculinity is by actively defending against it through disciplines such as prayer, scripture, physical training, and eating healthy.
2) Limit Cultural Noise
How can men limit cultural influences daily? It may sound foolish, but if you want to offset the ways modern culture breeds passivity in men, then you need to cut out the sources that are promoting that passivity. This means setting up limits on your screen time or social media exposure. You should be actively curating your content consumption, and pursue community...real community. As in, an in-person community.
In other words: build your brotherhood.
When you have a brotherhood around you, the voices of the world are less obtrusive and powerful.
3) Embrace Leadership in Small Ways
Those wondering "What are practical ways to build masculine discipline?" are typically men who feel the desire to be a leader in some respect. They recognize they have more in them than what has been actualized.
If you feel that, then it's time to start leading.
Start small. Make small decisions. Become a leader in the small things. A passive man does not lead but follows blindly and submits to whatever whim is pressed upon him.
A real leader makes decisions and takes action. If you're not used to this, then that's okay. But start leading in some way.
When it's time to make a decision on what to have for dinner, you make the decision. Without ums, uh's, or "whatever you want". Confidently choose.
Make the decision to organize something.
Decide to wash the car.
Choose a budget item for the family budget.
Start making decisions that lead your family. And then teach others how to lead.
The Stakes of Resistance
Not fighting the passivity culture creates in men is just that: a passive move. It accepts that this is "just the way things are" and that "nothing will ever change."
You are the one who must change it. Culture and the world around you are actively trying to push you into that passive, submissive role. And most importantly, it's because Satan knows that a strong head of house is a spiritual force to contend with. He wants to get the father to become passive, the parents to divorce, and leave the children completely open to exposure.
Why is resisting passivity crucial for Christian men? Because Satan does not want authoritative, courageous, and active Christian men. For too long, many men in the church have sat silently in the pews, believing that consuming more sermons and going about their day quietly is the formula for being a good man.
It's not. It's a recipe for being a wicked man. And it has brought our modern culture to its knees. The more men sit and do nothing, the worse the culture will pressure them into staying silent.
Passive men allow evil to run roughshod over them, their families, and their communities. It's men who stand strong and are not passive who do the work to carry the kingdom forward.
Be disciplined. Cut out the voice of the enemy. Lead by making decisions.
Conclusion: Take Action Today
Modern culture breeds passivity in men through the many influences and forces working against them. It's not just the constant noise of social media and entertainment. It's also the active nature of culture that degrades men and attempts to force them into a corner.
It's the constant attack on young men's identities and making them believe they are not only purposeless and useless, but that they are downright evil for being who God created them to be.
Today is the day you do one thing. You make one step. It doesn't matter whether it's big or small, but do something to actively counteract the passivity in your life.
And if you need inspiration on how to do that, then join our newsletter, buy the book, or get with an online workbook group. Now is your chance to step up and do what you need to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does modern culture promote passivity in men?
A: Through endless distractions like social media, consumerism, and weak role models.
Q: What are the biblical ways to resist passivity?
A: Prayer, discipline, and leadership, rooted in scriptures like 1 Corinthians 16
Q: How can I start overcoming cultural influences today?
A: Limit screen time, build routines, and seek accountability (like joining a men's group)
If you desire to achieve transformation in your life, then check us out at The Forged. We've produced powerful materials designed specifically for the man in mind. Our resources bring you on a journey of personal development and help you learn and grow in ways you never thought possible. Check out what we offer today!
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