Narrative Preaching 3

Last updated on: February 12, 2010 at 12:01 am by Scot McKnight

Narrative Preaching 3 2010-02-12T00:01:52-06:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Tom Long, in true pastorally responsible fashion, is not afraid of biting off major food offerings in the American religious context, so in his new book, Preaching from Memory to Hope

, he takes on the rise of gnosticism.

After the jump I have four points in the new gnostic impulse: Where are you seeing these? Are you seeing these? What is the impact of these four elements?

Preachers have an ear for the timely quote, and if they listen well enough, they begin to provide their own, and here’s one of Tom’s:

“… today this nasty suspicion that Christian leaders are like stockbrokers peddling junk bonds has made its way from the academy into church pews and is finding vigorous expression in congregations …” (55). What’s this nasty suspicion? That religion refers to nothing real; church language is smoke and mirrors. It’s nothing but empty lingo pointing to nothing…

So Tom Long takes on gnosticism in the church today. He will eventually take direct aim at a prime example of the new gnostics, Marcus Borg, but that’s in his next chapter.

Long is glad that so many folks downstairs (in Sunday school classrooms) are learning and asking, and he’s surprised at how much a difference there is between downstairs and upstairs, but he’s concerned about some of the implications of this new gnosticism and knows that intellectual vigor upstairs is needed and urgently. The nasty suspicion doesn’t wonder so much if talk of God is useless but if the church’s talk is useless. What has happened is that the nasty suspicion has created a conspiracy theory: the church is hiding behind myths but many are now learning better and are ready to blow the gaffe.

The wildness of folks caught up by the claims of the Jesus Seminar or the Da Vinci code stuff or the bone box of Jesus’ so-called brother is one thing; the need for lay folks to be informed at the level they already know is another. Lay folks today, if they are curious and have studied, often have learned things that preachers are nervous about raising in sermons. So they find conversation elsewhere — like this blog or with professors in the area or with others like them. He knows they are landing on folks like Spong and Pagels and Ehrman and Borg.

Tom Long thinks this impulse is re-enlivening the gnostic ghosts. He knows this is analogous to early Church opponents. He’s not on a heresy hunt, but thinks there’s something profoundly mistaken in this gnostic impulse. Tom thinks the Pagels line that there was rich diversity suppressed by those in power is not a good enough description, but that instead the church was sifting through how best to articulate its faith in Christ and how he was related to the Father. The ideas of gnosticism were intellectually and ethically inadequate.

Four themes he finds in contemporary gnostic impulses:

1. Humanity is “saved” by gnosis, by knowledge. It’s about illumination and enlightenment.

2. There is an antipathy toward incarnation and embodiment. It’s a spiritual but not religious impulse. No need for real death or real resurrection.

3. A focus on the spiritual inner self, the divine spark within.

4. An emphasis on present spiritual reality rather than eschatological hope, on the God of timeless truth rather than the God who will bring history to consummation.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 11, 2010

Which Side is More ... Condescending?

Next Post

February 12, 2010 Tea Party as Emerging Politics (yes)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Jesus use to heal blind man?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Mud and saliva Water Cloth Oil