Introduction: Lies about salvation by knowledge

But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. — Daniel 12:4

The amount of knowledge now at our fingertips is mind-boggling and unprecedented. Yet we think nothing of it and actually get impatient, even angry when we lose instant access to this world of knowledge. For most people in North America, Europe and most of the world, Google stands ready to answer just about any question you may imagine: global weather forecasts, images of any planet, animal or human artifact; video instructions on how to build, fix, install, beautify, or sell practically anything; news from every local, regional, national source in the world, translated on the fly

Knowledge is everywhere 365/24/7; it’s assumed to be available anytime we need it. This knowledge has become an extension of ourselves through our devices and has fundamentally altered our character so that we now assume that our knowledge and our access to it empowers us to near god-like status. With this superhuman power we imagine that we can save ourselves and others. We can hardly imagine a problem that cannot be solved by this universal knowledge. Life has now become reduced to a series of tasks and knowledge-solvable problems. See I can become a god, part 1 and part 2.

Got a headache, backache, earache or toothache? Google it! Got cancer, diabetes or heart disease? Just Google it! Got marital issues, a delinquent son, abusive boss? Google it and you’ll instantly find thousands of self-proclaimed gurus, books, webpages, DVDs, YouTube videos and even live seminars that stand at the ready. Depressed? Plagued by habits, unruly children or dogs or cats? No worries. It’s all simply a matter of time and self-education. Worried about the future? Keep your pulse on the 24/7 news cycle. If you scan the right news frequently enough, you can stay ahead of the panic and beat the ignorant masses, while you keep your head and take shelter in your do-it-yourself bunker, filled with stores of the 37 necessities required for any disaster.

My tongue is somewhat in cheek. I may have overstated our present attitude toward knowledge, but not by much. For many knowledge has become their savior. This amounts to a form of Gnosticism – the ancient philosophy that promised salvation to enlightened initiates who possessed their secret knowledge.

I have a confession — this deception poses a significant threat for me personally, especially with the advent of the internet and its ‘secret knowledge’ – one form of which is the alternative media. Does a secret knowledge exist? Yes, but the truth is, we are not saved by it. Knowledge, as it’s commonly conceived of today, is a huge false god and many of God’s people have gone gaga for it. In this category we will explore the many ways that the false promises of knowledge ensnare us and why we should not put our trust in it.