Against the Protestant GnosticsIn this penetrating and provocative assessment of the current state of religion and its effects on society at large, Philip J. Lee criticizes conservatives and liberals alike as he traces gnostic motifs to the very roots of American Protestantism. With references to an extraordinary spectrum of writings from sources as diverse as John Calvin, Martin Buber, Tom Wolfe, Margaret Atwood, and Emily Dickinson, he probes the effects of gnostic thinking on a wide range of issues. Calling for the restoration of a dialectical faith and practice, the book points to positive ways of restoring health to endangered Protestant churches. |
From inside the book
Page viii
... reality and structure of the community of believers to be a regenerative leaven in the churches of North America and in North American culture and society . He does not hesitate to challenge established thinkers and widely accepted ...
... reality and structure of the community of believers to be a regenerative leaven in the churches of North America and in North American culture and society . He does not hesitate to challenge established thinkers and widely accepted ...
Page xiv
... reality we call Protestantism ; that something like the ancient misalliance has occurred in our own time , particularly in the North American expression of Protestant- ism ; and that within Protestantism the faith of Christ has become ...
... reality we call Protestantism ; that something like the ancient misalliance has occurred in our own time , particularly in the North American expression of Protestant- ism ; and that within Protestantism the faith of Christ has become ...
Page 7
... reality is not terribly alarming ; every great religion has variations on the theme . When , however , we come to a period like that of the first four centuries of the Church , when the gnostic way almost prevailed , how can we speak of ...
... reality is not terribly alarming ; every great religion has variations on the theme . When , however , we come to a period like that of the first four centuries of the Church , when the gnostic way almost prevailed , how can we speak of ...
Page 15
... reality . the tribes of Jacob could only be- come Israel by disentangling themsleves from both gnosis and magic . 13 Perhaps , in the typological comparisons that follow , it can be seen that the grave threat Buber felt gnosticism posed ...
... reality . the tribes of Jacob could only be- come Israel by disentangling themsleves from both gnosis and magic . 13 Perhaps , in the typological comparisons that follow , it can be seen that the grave threat Buber felt gnosticism posed ...
Page 20
... reality , which is the object of knowledge in orthodox Christianity . Not so for the Christian gnostic : " For Basilides the world and his- tory were merely symbols referring to an inner process . " Similarly , states Quispel , in ...
... reality , which is the object of knowledge in orthodox Christianity . Not so for the Christian gnostic : " For Basilides the world and his- tory were merely symbols referring to an inner process . " Similarly , states Quispel , in ...
Contents
GNOSTICISM IN ASCENDANCE IN NORTH AMERICA | 81 |
GNOSTICISM ESTABLISHED WITHIN NORTH AMERICAN PROTESTANTISM RESULTS AND REFORM | 187 |
Epilogue | 282 |
Notes | 284 |
Bibliography | 325 |
Index | 337 |
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accept alienation American Protestantism ancient gnostics Apostle baptism become biblical Bultmann Catholic Christian claim concern congregation cosmos creation divine doctrine early Elaine Pagels elitism Emerson Ernst Troeltsch escape Ethics Eucharist evangelical experience faith Fathers Gilles Quispel gnosis Gnostic Gospels Gnostic Studies God's grace Greven Hans Jonas Harold Bloom Harper & Row Harvey Cox heresy Holy human human potential movement Ibid individual Institutes Irenaeus Israel italics Jesus Christ John Calvin Jonas Karl Barth knowledge liberal liturgical Lord Luther Marty Medieval ment modern nature Niebuhr North American Old Testament orthodox Pagels Parrington Paul person political preaching Protes Protestant churches Protestant Temperament Protestantism Puritan Quispel Quoted reality Reformed Reinhold Niebuhr religion religious Righteous Empire Roman Rudolf Bultmann sacraments salvation Scripture secular sense sexual social soul spiritual syncretism T. F. Torrance teaching theologians theology things thought tion trans Troeltsch truth understanding University Press Word York
Popular passages
Page 259 - Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, "and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.
Page 120 - Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.
Page 36 - Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him ? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him : was not this to know me ? saith the LORD.
Page 25 - I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
Page 143 - Then do you want us to go and gather them?' ^But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ^Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, 'Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.
Page 119 - Man is the dwarf of himself. Once he was permeated and dissolved by spirit. He filled nature with his overflowing currents. Out from him sprang the sun and moon; from man, the sun; from woman, the moon.
Page 23 - Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Page 55 - I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. "I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me, Amen.
Page 30 - And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.