Thanks for this. On my journey to Orthodoxy three decades ago, it was the realization of how much Gnosticism had affected Protestantism, in both its "progressive" and "conservative" varieties, that motivated me to seek to become a member of the Orthodox Church. Seeing Christ in the Old Testament--the only Scriptures the Apostles had--and the goodness of God in His material creation have been critically important to me. St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, and the other Church Fathers have taught me that the Incarnation of God the Son is central not only to Christology but also to soteriology and ecclesiology. I believe that, with charity and prayer for all, we each can contribute to the healing of Christian divisions by returning to, and abiding in, the original Faith and Body of the Church.
I appreciate your writing about Gnosticism. I’ve read about it and known about it for decades but only now, after reading your essay, do I feel I understand it in its many manifestations. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤️
Thank you for this … your writing always heartens me to persevere in doing my best to embrace the way of Christ although I often hang around the edges of Christian communities
I especially liked : that in Christ, even creation itself is being restored and made holy.
Kenneth - I love this helpful description and healthy framing of life and purpose. I had to chuckle a little as you began to identify the way Gnosticism presents in different cases. Perhaps you can take a note from Jeff Foxworthy and riff on Gnostic identify the way he does with “rednecks”. “IF….then you might just be a gnostic.”
I appreciate your writing. I'm a Methodist but I love both history and the liturgy of the Church. When I was a children's pastor, a young girl said to me after service that she believed the God of the Old Testament was "God before He got saved."
I thought it was my lack of understanding every time the subject of Gnosticism came up. Having thought I nailed the concept down I would find it would pop back up like a Whack-o-Mole. Your having confirmed that Gnosticism morphs and takes on various forms helps combat its' creeping into Christianity. Thanks again.
I had never thought of political Christianity as a form of gnosticism or as having a gnostic spirit. This is brilliant. I am trying to not run too fast with this idea...
Im sympathetic to the "everything is an argument" bit - but I do think that because men today never learned- were never taught - how to debate (partly because of Church failure to teach reason and logic) its become a shouting match among LCDs.
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Not everything needs to be argued about but everything that is wrong needs to be corrected, no?
Thanks for this. On my journey to Orthodoxy three decades ago, it was the realization of how much Gnosticism had affected Protestantism, in both its "progressive" and "conservative" varieties, that motivated me to seek to become a member of the Orthodox Church. Seeing Christ in the Old Testament--the only Scriptures the Apostles had--and the goodness of God in His material creation have been critically important to me. St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, and the other Church Fathers have taught me that the Incarnation of God the Son is central not only to Christology but also to soteriology and ecclesiology. I believe that, with charity and prayer for all, we each can contribute to the healing of Christian divisions by returning to, and abiding in, the original Faith and Body of the Church.
I appreciate your writing about Gnosticism. I’ve read about it and known about it for decades but only now, after reading your essay, do I feel I understand it in its many manifestations. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤️
‘This can subtly reshape online discourse into a posture of constant correction: “I am right, you are wrong, and I am called to demonstrate it.” ‘
Thank you for writing this. This is a sin that I am commit frequently - the delusion that I am called to convince someone where he/she is incorrect.
I am not called to convince anyone of anything.
Thank you for this … your writing always heartens me to persevere in doing my best to embrace the way of Christ although I often hang around the edges of Christian communities
I especially liked : that in Christ, even creation itself is being restored and made holy.
Kenneth - I love this helpful description and healthy framing of life and purpose. I had to chuckle a little as you began to identify the way Gnosticism presents in different cases. Perhaps you can take a note from Jeff Foxworthy and riff on Gnostic identify the way he does with “rednecks”. “IF….then you might just be a gnostic.”
I appreciate your writing. I'm a Methodist but I love both history and the liturgy of the Church. When I was a children's pastor, a young girl said to me after service that she believed the God of the Old Testament was "God before He got saved."
Good read.
Good questions.
Good conclusions.
I never been to a Orthodox church when i had my vision.
Most christian churches had the spiritual pressure of a fast food shop.
I thought it was my lack of understanding every time the subject of Gnosticism came up. Having thought I nailed the concept down I would find it would pop back up like a Whack-o-Mole. Your having confirmed that Gnosticism morphs and takes on various forms helps combat its' creeping into Christianity. Thanks again.
Thank you for unpacking this so clearly.
I had never thought of political Christianity as a form of gnosticism or as having a gnostic spirit. This is brilliant. I am trying to not run too fast with this idea...
Wow! That is some of the most helpful writing on Gnosticism I’ve ever read. Thank you!
Christianity is about the Transfiguration of the world, not it's rejection:
https://substack.com/@onemosthigh/note/c-271165435?r=1nm0v2&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web
Im sympathetic to the "everything is an argument" bit - but I do think that because men today never learned- were never taught - how to debate (partly because of Church failure to teach reason and logic) its become a shouting match among LCDs.
-
Not everything needs to be argued about but everything that is wrong needs to be corrected, no?
Yes, or at least discussed in a temperate spirit.