GNOSTICISM: THE CHURCH'S 'ALIEN'

A remarkably prescient book, which even as I read it I see more and more clearly what is happening in the world around me and in particular in the Church in the West: 

"The ‘unforeseen cultural shift’ is actually shaking the Church’s foundations. Already in 1980, Carl A Raschke, professor of religious studies at the University of Denver, saw telltale cracks. In his prophetic book, The Interruption of eternity: Modern Gnosticism and the Origins of the New Religious Consciousness, he argued that westerners are becoming Gnostic's. He singled out mainline churches that are regaining spirituality through the revival of Gnosticism without returning to Christian orthodoxy. That’s a deal. Old-time religion without old-time theology and old-time morals."(Jones, P. Pagans in the Pews, Regal 2001, pg.46)

Gnostic 'spirituality' was the heresy most countered by the early church. A parasitical, 'old-age', eastern religious belief that piggy-backed onto Christian orthodoxy until it was defeated by the early church fathers and basically withdrew to lick its wounds but was never fully crushed. We see its emergence evidenced throughout the literature, art and various 'religious' manifestations during most of the historical Church periods, including the transference of its fundamental precepts into Freemasonry during the medieval and on into the renaissance periods. It was carried into 'modern' consciousness through various 'enlightenment' scholars, until it emerged quite robustly amongst the German philosophers of the 19th Century. 

The discovery of the Nag Hammadi 'library' during the 1940's catapulted it into the seminary's, Bible schools, educational establishments, and most significantly into literature(Dan brown) and Hollywood(https://letterboxd.com/lalangue/list/gnosticism-in-cinema/).

Gnosticism is also a virulent strain through much of the Faith and 'hyper-spiritual' church groupings around the West and is considered as a powerful 'spiritual'  alternative to stale, orthodox Christianity by many of the 'post-modern, deconstructionists' who infest the Christian 'scholarship' of this new era. In fact, in far too many instances it is being hailed as 'the true Christianity' which is both confusing many believers and leading the gullible astray.

In my opinion it is the worldview/philosophy/theology that we need to examine carefully within Church circles if we hope to counter the proliferating false views of what it means to be Christian today.