"...there is no one of the heresies which have torn the bosom of the church, which has not derived its origin from the various interpretation of the Scripture. The Bible itself is the arsenal whence each innovator has drawn his deceptive arguments. It was with biblical texts that [[Pelagianism|Pelagius]] and [[Arius]] maintained their doctrines. Arius, for instance, found the negation of the eternity of the Word—an eternity which you admit, in this verse of the New Testament—''Joseph knew not his wife till she had brought forth her first-born son''; and he said, in the same way that you say, that this passage '''enchained''' him. When the fathers of the [[Council of Constance]] condemned this proposition of [[John Huss]]—''The church of Jesus Christ is only the community of the elect'', they condemned an error; for the church, like a good mother, embraces within her arms all who bear the name of Christian, all who are called to enjoy the celestial beatitude."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/luther/lutherbyluther.html#secondnarrative|title=Life of Luther (Luther by Martin Luther)|author=Martin Luther|publisher=}}</ref>
</blockquote>See [http://biblehub.com/multi/hebrews/13-17.htm Hebrews 13:17] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/hebrews/13-17.htm commentaries on Hebrews 13:17]
==Protestantism as a form of [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] Christianity==
[[Relativism|Relativist]] interpreters emphasize that "the true value of the Gospel" lies primarily in its profound psychological and emotional impact, in '''''the telling of the story''''', without the necessity of it being factually and historically true, as a powerful means of causing spiritual transformation through personal identification with "the struggle and triumph of the mythical Jesus invented by Paul and the Gospel writers and the developed tradition of Christianity". The [[Historical-grammatical method (Literal hermeneutic)]] of [[orthodox]] [[catholic]] biblical [[hermeneutics]] directly contradicts this approach.
The "myth" assertion that the story of Jesus is an [[Archetype|archetypical]] [[icon]]ic pattern for personal insight and development—''being profoundly "awakened" and transformed by being dynamically engaged and absorbed in the telling of the story''—is a prime element of [[Gnosticism|gnostic initiation]] and [[Cosmic Humanism]], which is in direct opposition to the grounded reality of the [[Christian mysteries]].<ref>Compare [[Subjectivism]], [[Mysticism]], [[Gnosticism]], [[Humanism]], [[Christian socialism]].</ref> See
*[https://odyssey.antiochsb.edu/literary/joseph-campbell-the-heros-journey/ '''Joseph Campbell & The Hero's Journey''' - Odyssey Online. Antioch University, Santa Barbara (odyssey.antiochsb.edu)]
*[http://www.tlu.ee/~rajaleid/montaazh/Hero's%20Journey%20Arch.pdf '''Excerpts from ''Myth and the Movies'', Stuart Voytilla''', by Christopher Vogler (tlu.ee)] pdf (9 pages)
*[https://asyourpoetshavesaid.com/does-jesus-follow-joseph-campbell-heros-journey/ '''Does Jesus follow Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey?''' (asyourpoetshavesaid.com)]
*[https://strangenotions.com/gospels-myth/ '''Are the Gospels a Myth?''', by Fr. Dwight Longenecker - Strange Notions: The Digital Areopagus—Reason. Faith. Dialogue (strangenotions.com)] ''They only seem to be, but they are not a myth.''—see '''[[Fallacy of analogy]]'''.
*[https://www.firstthings.com/article/1996/04/are-the-gospels-mythical '''Are The Gospels Mythical?''' by Rene Girard (firstthings.com)] ''Some people insist that they are, in spite of evidence to the contrary.''
Author Philip J. Lee, '''''Against the Protestant Gnostics''''' <ref>[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/845498.Against_the_Protestant_Gnostics Against the Protestant Gnostics, Philip J. Lee, Oxford University Press, 1993 (goodreads.com)] <br> See [https://preachingpeace.org/against-the-protestant-gnostics/ ''Against the Protestant Gnostics'': Book Review, by Caleb Miller - Preaching Peace (preachingpeace.org)]</ref> shows that Gnostic tendencies are being taught alongside Christian orthodoxy, and that the Reformation at its heart fostered the inherent Gnostic tendencies toward a disdain for authority and the physical nature of things, and the Gnostic disdain of the [[sacrament]]s and disdain of the doctrine of the [[Last Judgment|physical resurrection of the body]], and a ''[[sola scriptura]]'' reading of scripture ''[[sola spiritu]]'' with the hope of a bodiless spiritual-only salvation forever in heaven after death, through a direct "personal relation with Christ" (as a cosmic spiritual entity) and "knowing Jesus" by the "chosen elect".<ref>The same elements are found in the earlier [[Bogomil: Bogomilism|Bogomils]] and the [[Cathar]]s or [[Albigenses]].</ref> He demonstrates how these teachings of Gnosticism have wormed their way into Christian teachings, particularly in North American Protestantism. Pastor and author Peter Dietsch, in summarizing Lee's book, says, "''In both the Old and New Testaments, the knowledge of God is not self-discoverable. God has revealed Himself in and through a community (His people, the Church), therefore He may be known only through that community.''" <ref>[https://www.theaquilareport.com/gnosticism-vs-christianity/ '''Gnosticism vs. Christianity:''' Six contrasts between the teachings of Gnosticism and the Christian faith, Written by Peter M. Dietsch - The Aquila Report (theaquilareport.com)]
:—Peter M. Dietsch is pastor of Providence PCA (''[[Presbyterian Church in America]]'') in Midland, Texas. He summarizes '''''Against the Protestant Gnostics''''', by Philip J. Lee.</ref>
== References ==