N.T. Wright has made a profound observation about the way in which gnosticism has invaded the conservative Evangelical world. I believed this in theory but it wasn't until watching the report Bill Moyer did about the rift in Evangelical circles about the environment that it hit home. Strikingly gnostic in tone was Calvin Beisner's view of the hope of the Christian life ("this earth is not my home") and the questionable nature of the creator ("God is the author of natural disasters").
It's highly ironic that Dan Brown is bedfellows with some of the most conservative in the Evangelical camp. If you don't believe it...listen to Wright, then watch the Moyer interview again. Scarry.
2 comments:
Does Wright say anything about a link between Gnosticism and bad use of statistics? Because after reading through some of Beisner's essays, I found this little gem:
"Maybe it will cost more than that [the $3.5 billion promised by the Bush administration] to stop AIDS. But is it rational to allocate $3.5 billion dollars [sic] to fight a disease that is almost 100% self-inflicted by people intent on immoral and irrational behavior?" (from the essay Aids and Rationality)
I think he needs to hear some stories about AIDS orphans. And child prostitutes. It makes me wonder about the depth of his research.
I don't think we need to worry about Beisner being Gnostic as much as he is one of the premier douchebags to represent Christianity in America.
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