The Gnostic Question: Debating the Religious Shape of Modernity

“Is the Left a Gnostic Death Cult?” — with this provocative question headlining a livestream in 2022, Keith Woods reignited debates over the religious shades of modern liberalism.

In The Gnostic Question: Debating the Religious Shape of Modernity, Richard Storey and Keith Woods confront the dark underbelly of modernity, exploring how ancient religious ideas and archetypes underlie the crisis of the modern West. From liberal statecraft and the frenzy of wokeism to the cult of technology, they offer competing diagnoses of the metamorphosis of Western civilisation, yet converge on the need to recover the deeper spiritual roots of the European soul.

Featuring an Afterword by Tyler Hamilton.

A fascinating and accessible debate. — Prof. John Milbank, University of Nottingham

“Thousands of bloggers, vloggers and podcasters explore the interface between politics and theology on a daily basis. While many are merely in the click bait business, many others put forth thoughtful observations and speculations… This is what Richard Storey and Keith Woods do… I highly recommend The Gnostic Question.” — Prof. Frank van Dun, Ghent University

“This is a fascinating and delightful engagement between two very interesting thinkers on what we might call a first-philosophy attempt to define the core of modern liberalism.” — Dr. Paul Tyson, University of Queensland