Recognizing the Absolute Detachment of Christian Knowledge-Systems (scripture, theology, history etc) from the real thing

In the past, it was a reasonably effective way to become a Christian (or a better Christian) to learn and practice Christian knowledge systems - such as theology, the history of Christianity, the Bible, doctrines, rituals etc.   

In other words, once upon a time, some generations ago; knowing-about and talking-about Christianity had some relationship to being a Christian; some correlation to the reality of actual Christian experience. 

Not any more. 

Because of changes in human consciousness; the world of knowledge systems has become detached from actual experience. Knowledge systems are now wholly abstract - that is, when they are not merely subordinated components of the over-arching totalitarian-bureaucratic system.

As of here-and-now; it does not help At All for a Christian to be knowledgeable about The Bible, theology, or history of the church - or any other knowledge system*.  

Indeed, the most knowledgeable and expert in such fields are often not-Christian or anti-Christian - and it would probably be a true generalization to state that the more adept someone is in Christian knowledge-systems, the less likely they are to be a Christian. 

That this detachment or inversion of the role of knowledge-systems is ultimately caused by changes in human consciousness, in the way that people think and behave - is evident from the fact that it affects every domain of human activity, every knowledge system. 

"Expertise" nowadays has a zero or reversed relationship with the true and original functionality of systems: 

In medicine, the higher up the ladder of expertise and status and power; the less likely it is that the person will be motivated by real-life, inter-personal, medical considerations - and at the highest levels of the medial profession, it is very probable that the net-motivation is anti-health, anti-well-being, anti-human. 

In science; the real scientific attitude (which is itself very rare) is found only at lower levels or among amateurs; and is rigorously excluded-from (or stamped-out in) professional researchers as they ascend the ladder of expertise in knowledge systems.  

This applies across the board in modern society: the most senior and expert lawyers main activity is to subvert justice; the leading journalists and media people are almost full-time engaged in manipulation and systematic dishonesty rather than informing; the highest level people in the arts subsidise and reward anti-art and calculated ugliness etc. etc.

The fact that people spend much of their lives thinking-about, communicating about symbolic-knowledge of some particular sort; does not lead-to - does not even correlate with - genuine motivation and experience of the underlying reality to which these symbol-systems supposedly refer.  

Always we find that any formerly-existing broad relationship between knowledge-about and practice-of, has now been severed.

The knowledge-system expertise is therefore a distraction at best, and actively misleading more often.   

But recognizing the absolute detachment of knowledge-systems from the real thing is probably of the greatest significance in respect to Christianity; because that is the most important subject in the world.

 

* This is how we typically find that priests are less good Christians than laity and Bishops worse than priests; why the most experts Biblical scholars - including the ordained - are the most distorted in interpretation, the most worldly, and subversive to faith... and so forth.