St Irenaeus is honored each year not simply because he was a defender of the faith but because he was, as his name indicates, a peaceful man. Committed to addressing the dangerous heresy of Gnosticism which taught that a certain few Christians were blessed with knowledge about Jesus and the Gospels that was reserved only for them, Irenaeus worked diligently to speak respectfully with the Gnostics about their beliefs because he was more concerned with maintaining the unity of the church than winning battles with those who thought differently from him.
Gnosticism is still dangerous. When Christians, especially those very well educated, suggest that their extensive knowledge about faith not only gives them insight that others don't have but a special path to holiness, their teaching divides the community into haves and have-nots, and creates a kind of hierarchy not intended for the good of all but to elevate some over others. This danger is not reserved only to theologians but the hierarchy itself if their teaching suggests that some are holier than others simply because of the knowledge they have or the office they hold.
Knowledge is important and can be formative. It can also lead to deep transformation, but only when those with the knowledge follow the example of St Bonaventure, the 13th century Franciscan theologian, who struggled mightily to penetrate the most basic tenets of faith in order to teach them more clearly, only to realize that no matter how hard he worked at grasping faith, he had to accept the limitations of human insight and embrace it with humility.
Today, study the scriptures and then ask God for insight about what you have studied.
What do you think are the biggest dangers to faith in the 21st century?
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