... worldly matters and its adoration of the individual soul can be seen in the works of such ur-American titans of the spirit as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mormon founder Joseph Smith. America's present gnostic renaissance lacks the social reformist impulses that informed the faith of both Emerson and Smith. In fact, America's romance with the gnostic coincides with a culture-wide ... on the primal drama of seekers after knowledge pitted against an indifferent, and often hostile, cosmos. George Lucas has steeped his Star Wars trilogy in the work of myth scholar Joseph Campbell, yet another co...

• Word Count: 1846
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... displayed.He imagines the impact of the virgin birth on a first century Jewish community, noting that under Jewish law Mary could have been stoned for becoming pregnant while betrothed to Joseph. When Jesus was born, Palestinian Jews were rejecting the Greek culture popular among Romans and instead celebrating their own heritage. Yancey notes that Jesus' genealogy is traced back to Abraham ... ...

• Word Count: 959
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate