Category: Gnosticism

Although, Gnosticism is an orientation towards religion, here we focus on Gnostic Christianity as taught by Paul, John, Thomas, and Valentinus.

The Occult Versus the Mystical

The occult deals with the keeping and passing down of secret information. These secrets are reserved for the few, the chosen.

The mystical deals with thea experience of the Divine. It is not information, it is the consciousness of God. And it is reserved for the few as well, for those who follow the mystic way.

Gnosticism had both strands in it. Unfortunately, the occult eventually overpowered the mystical and the Church ended up rejecting it. However, they stifled the mystical in the process.

But the mystical survived in the Eastern Orthodox church and was eventually revived in the Roman Catholic Church. The Pentecostal movement was mystical in its origin. But Evangelicals tend to have a relationship with the Bible rather than an actual relationship with God.

As a progressive Christian, I am sympathetic to Christian Gnosticism, but I reject the occult elements. I believe mysticism is the lifeblood of vital Christianity. Once we lose conscious connection with God, Christianity becomes merely a system of morality.

Sola Deo not Sola Scriptura

The Roman Catholic Church proclaimed itself the ultimate authority on Earth. The cry of the Reformation was sola scriptura, which is a Latin phrase meaning “scripture alone.” That was used to mean that the Bible alone was the ultimate authority for the Protestant.

But Gnostic Christians proclaim sola Deo, which is a Latin phrase meaning “God alone.” By that, we mean that God alone is the ultimate authority. The scriptures are a secondary authority. To put the Bible in the place of God is bibliolatry (from the Latin biblio, “book” and the suffix -latry, “worship”).

Gnostic Christians hold general revelation and special revelation as complementary ways of understanding God and his relationship with us. When nature and scripture contradict one another, One of those interpretations must be wrong.

One of the major difficulties that most Christians have is that they take the Bible. Literally. The Bible is not historical facts or literally true. It is a religious book filled with myths, metaphors, and parables that are to be interpreted allegorically.

The Bible is not an answer book, it is a guidebook. It records people’s relationship and dealings. With God, we can help us in developing our own personal relationship with God. The Bible is not supposed to be a substitute for a personal relationship with God, but a guidebook to lead us to that relationship.

Christianity Renew or Reject

“If a person is really involved in a religion and really building his life on it, he better stay with [it]…. You can keep an old tradition going only by renewing it in terms of current circumstances…. When the world changes, then the religion has to be transformed.” – Joseph Campbell

Many are leaving Christianity because it is no longer meeting their needs. They see it as out of date and out of touch. The overwhelming evil in the world doesn’t make sense if there is an all good and all powerful being in charge.

Gnostic Christians deny that God is in charge. Rather, Satan is “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4). The good God entrusted Adam with dominion over the earth, and he surrendered it to the devil.

In this and many other ways, Gnostic Christianity improves on Catholic Christianity. As more and more of the Bible is questioned as to its historical accuracy, Gnostic Christians have always maintained that it is primary myths, metaphors, and parables. But so have the mystics.

The Confusion of Gnosticism

How do you relate the Bible and the Valentinian writings in the Nag Hammadi Scriptures?

First, what authority do the Valentinian writings have?

Second, what authority does the Bible have?

Third, how do the Nag Hammadi Scriptures and the Bible relate to one another?

These are difficult questions and little consensus among Gnostic Christians. But more importantly, this has to be answered before we can even talk about beliefs.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of ungrounded talk under the banner of Gnosticism. Most talk past one another. Everything strange and weird is found under the banner of Gnosticism. That is why these three questions have to be answered for the conversation can even begin.

Marrying Church and State

Gnostic Christianity began as one of many kinds of Christianity. It followed the teachings of the apostles Paul, Thomas, and John.

Unfortunately, the organized institutional Church joined up with the imperial Roman Empire and decided that only one form of Christianity would be tolerated. Therefore, gnostic Christianity became a persecuted group, and eventually died out or merged with the Catholic Church.

But Christians are beginning to stir. They’re beginning to wonder if a great mistake was made by marrying church and state. And the resulting Christianity has tried to control the hearts and minds of the entire world.

It’s in the midst of this inner questioning, that gng Gnostic Christianity is beginning to have a revival. That is not a bad thing, that’s a good thing. Is not a heresy, it is a better way of being Christian.