I suppose it has been a decade or more since “The Real Reason. . .” became so commonly used by headline writers. You see it used in what could be regarded as the most respectable media and by the bottom feeder rags. We might call it the Buzzfeedization of journalism. A quick search of Google News produced these examples (you can do your own investigation):

• The Real Reason Chick-fil-A’s Chicken Is Better Than All Others
• The Real Reason American Socialists Don’t Win
• The real reason Trump is deploying the National Guard across America
• Karl Urban Explains the Real Reason Behind Mortal Kombat II Delay
• The Real Reason Men Should Read Fiction
• The real reason Meghan Markle and Prince Harry quit royal life

Taking a cue from an opinion writer who argues “Political Gnosticism Is a Modern Sickness,” we might simply say “Gnosticism is a modern sickness.”  The “Real Reason” headlines are just one symptom of our sickness.

Gnosticism as a historical reality is rooted in the late First and Second Century Church, with roots in Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Jewish thoughts. Banner of Truth tells us, “The name comes from the Greek gnosis, meaning ‘knowledge’, and states the distinguishing tenet of Gnosticism; salvation is for the Gnostic primarily a matter of acquiring and using secret knowledge.” Ligionier.org summarizes Gnosticism this way: “The word gnōsis itself is Greek and means ‘knowing’ or ‘having knowledge.’ ‘Having knowledge’ is a significant part of Gnosticism. To say you were a Gnostic was to say: ‘I know something you don’t. I’m in on the secret. I’ve been enlightened. I’ve woken up. I’m spiritually on a higher level.’”

The real reason. The secret. Gnosticism in its theological and its modern American form says you can get in on it. For a price. Vote for my candidate, subscribe to my Substack, buy my supplements, believe my conspiracy theory, go to my church.

The Church Fathers opposed theological Gnosticism for its denial of the divinity of Christ, its denigration of the human body and the embodied life, and its secret-keeping mysticism. They denied a need for some sort of stealth spirituality, an initiation into things mysterious.

The Apostle Paul seemed to love nothing more than making public that which was once secret, the mysteries.

•  He defends his ministry among the Corinthians by telling them, “We impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:7)
•  Paul says the purpose of the Gospel is “to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things…” (Ephesians 3:9)
•  And to the Colossians he writes, “God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

Jesus tells the Disciples that he has come to open wide that which was once kept secret, “For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.” (Mark 4:22)

I don’t know or care to know the real reason Chick-Fil-A chicken is better than all others or why Meghan and Harry quit royal life. Keep your secret.

As to the real reason Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, came down from heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary? The real reason is that God so loved the world. You don’t have to be Gnostic to be in on that secret.