Gnostic America: A Reading of Contemporary American Culture & Religion according to Christianity's Oldest Heresy

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Gnostic America is a reading of current American culture, politics, and religious life according to the ancient movement known as Gnosticism In it, Peter M Burfeind builds off the foundations of Hans Jonas, Denis de Rougement, Norman Cohn, William Voegelin, Carl Jung, and Harold Bloom, each of whom saw the effects of Gnosticism in contemporary American and Western life He explores the spiritual mechanisms going on behind everything from transgenderism to so called contemporary worship, from the deconstructionist movement to the role pop music and media have in our culture, from progressive politics to the Emergent Church Particularly challenging is Burfeind s claim that both progressivism and Neo evangelicalism seemingly at odds in the culture wars actually share the same Gnostic roots Burfeind s book is a tour de force through contemporary rock, pop, movies, television, politics, and religion showing how many of the values driving these cultural elements are informed by the ancient esoteric teachings of Gnosticism Burfeind marshals a ton of surprising evidence to make his case, taking us through ancient and Medieval history, through the Enlightenment and Romantic periods, to today Those willing to grapple with the philosophical and spiritual positions of the fathers of contemporary American life will be rewarded Gnostic America is a must read for those who sense a new spiritual but not religious religion has arisen in America, but who can t put their finger on what exactly this religion is Burfeind commits the sacrilege of defining a religion that claims to be beyond definition More importantly, he poses the question, if the spiritual trends of contemporary culture are indeed a religion, what First Amendment safeguards remain for those who haven t evolved with the emerging new consciousness, but choose to remain stuck in supposedly retrograde paradigms of thought Free Download Gnostic America: A Reading of Contemporary American Culture & Religion according to Christianity's Oldest Heresy [ By ] Peter M. Burfeind [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr This book could have been a Masterpiece of Sharp Invective if had beensubtly written It s just Too Bad it wasn t The Gnostic Heresy has its etymological root in the Greek Word GNOSIS Knowledge But in this case it refers to the semi Open Secret of Dark Knowledge Therefore the author unwisely thought he could mincemeat of his Gnostic targets by REALLY exposing them BAD move.For Gnostics have very ready means at hand for promptly disposing of such na vet It s like when you re at a This book could have been a Masterpiece of Sharp Invective if had beensubtly written It s just Too Bad...This book is broad and deep, it covers a fascinating concept and attempts to do so extremely thoroughly Rev Burfeind weaves together history, art, literature, pop culture and philosophy to make his case our contemporary American culture is the culmination of the heretical gnostic movement I wanted to give this 5 stars for the unique and timely topic, and for the bold attempt to grapple with it so thoroughly But I give it 3 stars because he desperately needed a better editor In fact, it This book is broad and deep, it covers a fascinating concept and attempts to do so extremely thoroughly Rev Burfeind weaves together history, art, literature, pop culture and philosophy to make his case our contemporary American culture is ...The sub title of this book is A Reading of Contemporary American Culture Religion according to Christianity s Oldest Heresy Peter Burfeind has accomplished that by identifying Gnostic traits and following the movement of this heresy as it was vigorously opposed and suppressed in the early church, through to emergence during the Reformation and Enlightenment, then coming to full bloom in modern manifestations both politically fascism, communism, and nazism and religiously Liberalism The sub title of this book is A Reading of Contemporary American Culture Religion according to Ch...Check my book list to see how rarely I give 5 stars.This is a must read for everyone who thinks they ve got it all figured, that they know what is right and what is wrong and why, for everyone who thinks they can explain what s wrong with the world and how to fix it, and for everyone who thinks they re smarter than everyone else for having figured all this out.Surprise However, if you insist upon Political Correctness walking, delicately, over eggshells, then you re probably too easily offended Check my book list to see how rarely I give 5 stars.This is a must read for everyone who thinks they ve got it all ...I actually didn t get to finish this book before it needed to return to the library it came to me on ILL from, so you can consider it a review of what I finished between two thirds and three quarters.This book was the best explanation I had yet read or seen about the theology of ancient Gnosticism, and I came out with a much fuller understanding of Gnosticism than I had before The rest of the book is tiresome and very much a chore to wade through Only a relatively small proportion is I actually didn t get to finish this book before it needed to return to the library it came to me on ILL from, so you can consider it a review of what I finished between two thirds and three quarters.This book was the best explanation I had yet read or seen about the theology of ancient Gnosticism, and I came...A Spiritual and Political Colonoscopy Wow, this was a deep excursion on the history of the gnostic philosophy religion and how it affects so many domains in our country today This was not an easy read for me, it cut me deep in my thinking For many years I have wondered about where progressive democracy may lead us, and this book help add flesh to my concerns As a Christian, this book has challenged me to further my understanding of my faith journey and how that may inform my future choice of A Spiritual and Political Colonoscopy Wow, this was a deep excursion on the history of the gnostic philosophy religion and how it affects so many domains in our country today This was not an easy read for me, it cut me deep in my thinking For many years I have wondered about where progressive democracy may lead us, and this book help add flesh to my concerns As a Christian, this book has challenged me to further my understanding of my faith journey and how that may inform my future choice of where ...This is a very difficult read, especial for what in the LCMS passes for a Missionary pastor I ve Seen throughout my career People leave their boring main line church to join the fun glitzy warehouse church Only I find a few years later, they have now left the warehouse church Rather that coming back to what they know, they just stop going altogether The neo Evangelicals and so called emergent church are acting as halfway houses to Gnosticism A spiritual but not religious mix of This is a very difficult read, especial for what in the LCMS passes for a Missionary pastor I ve Seen throughout my career People leave their boring main line church to join the fun glitzy warehouse church Only I find a few years later, they have now left the warehouse church Rather that coming back to what they know, they just st...If you think you know about gnosticism, read this book You ll probably, like me, realize you re a lotgnostic than you thought you were No book is prefect But this is the best thing I ve read in a long time.Should Give It 2 StarsBecause of The Lie This panoramic view of American culture via Western history, the arts, politics and sciences staggered me Most folks will be offended somewhere along the way and with a smattering of self doubt readers will reflect on what and where we are headed in politics, culturally and as a country I trust scholas...the best book I ve read all year May be the best book I ve read in a decade So well written, well documented and educational informative HIGHLY Recommended Reading for all.

Gnostic America: A Reading of Contemporary American Culture & Religion according to Christianity's Oldest Heresy
  • English
  • 12 April 2019
  • Kindle Edition
  • 418 pages
  • Peter M. Burfeind
  • Gnostic America: A Reading of Contemporary American Culture & Religion according to Christianity's Oldest Heresy