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The Gnostic West: Ancient Heresy and the Contemporary Western Worldview (Pt. 2)

In part one, we explored what Gnosticism is. Now we will consider some ways this ancient heresy overlaps greatly with the modern Western worldview.

Today the Western worldview defines personhood and identity almost exclusively by a person’s inner being and psychology. Our bodies are thought of as mere “meat suits” for the true inner self. This is why today an increasing number of people refer to language as being potentially violent. After all, if one’s psychology is their true self, then language which offends or contradicts someone’s self-perception can easily be seen as an act of violence against their true self. The entire outer world is expected to submit itself to one’s individual psychology. 

In service of being “true to yourself,” any authority outside of oneself is met with suspicion, as it is likely designed to prevent one from listening to their inner self. Any designation which is given to someone from outside of themselves that does not match their psychology, no matter how natural or seemingly accurate it may be, can be escaped from by rejecting or ignoring it. The outside world and those who buy into its lies are unsophisticated and ignorant in comparison to those who are true to their inner being. Therefore, the rules and regulations from the outside world have no power over one who is enlightened with an understanding of their true inner self.

In light of what we’ve already explored, I hope the connection between Gnosticism and the modern Western worldview is evident. Both believe that the inner self is trustworthy and of primary significance, and the outside world is untrustworthy and of lesser significance. For the gnostics this was because the inner self carries the divine spark, but today, in a Western world which largely ignores God’s existence, people rather believe that they are divine, period. We are all seen as our own gods, therefore we must follow our infallible and inerrant inner self, wherever it leads, to reach our chief end of full self-actualization. This leads to the same escapism and elitism seen in Gnosticism, as the Western worldview simply rejects authorities that disagree with them and thumbs their noses at those who submit themselves to the authorities.

The modern world tells us that self-actualization can only come from following our inner desires. We have come to see ourselves as our own gods.

Areas of life which are impacted by this divide between the inner self and the outer world are vast today. This divide is fundamental to how the contemporary West understands sexual expression and identity. If the outer body and the inward mind are fundamentally disconnected, then room is left to believe that there is discontinuity between the two. And if someone believes that it is their psychological and emotional sense that defines who they are, this means that their outer self and their body can be essentially ignored in conversations about sex and identity. This divide between the inner and outer world also contributes to the current sacred-secular divide, where religion is seen as a private/inner matter which should not bleed into public/outer life.

What is an alternative Christian worldview to this modern gnostic worldview? First and foremost, we profess that it is not our inner selves which defines who we are, but rather it is God. If God is our creator (Gen. 1.27), then He is the one who has the right to define humanity’s purpose and being. Because God is our creator, this also means that the material reality of the world is meaningful, not arbitrary, and can be logically understood.

Secondly, as Christians we profess that God intended for us to be embodied beings, which means that while we do differentiate between our inner and outer selves, we cannot totally divorce them because they are interconnected. God intended humanity to be physically embodied and this embodiment is a good thing (1 Cor. 15.35-49).

Thirdly, as Christians we profess that truth is not something that is found through looking internally, but rather it is found by looking externally to the One who describes himself as Truth (John 14.6), Jesus Christ. He is trustworthy, because while our hearts often deceive us (Jer. 17.9) and leave us still wanting, Jesus never will (John 4.13-14). As Christians we do not fear God’s authority because we have come to rest in the fact that God is the only One who can rightly and accurately define and lead humanity. In the words of St. Augustine, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”  

In conclusion, I must issue a warning: today many Christians also have gnostic tendencies, albeit in a different way than just explored. If we treat our religion as private and separate it from our public presence, stressing only looking toward heaven and focusing solely on escaping the world, then we are also buying into the gnostic narrative of a division between the inner/spiritual and the outer/physical. Scripture challenges this tendency by teaching us to pray saying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.10). Jesus has commanded us to teach all the nations to obey all that he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). We must not hide or retreat from cultural engagement but rather engage culture creatively in an authentically Christian fashion.

Author’s note: If you’ve enjoyed this series so far, soon we will continue by exploring a new heresy called Pelagianism to see how it also overlaps with the modern Western worldview.

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