An “older and greater” God . . .
The cardinal feature of Gnostic thought is the radical dualism that governs the relation of God and world, and correspondingly that of man and world. The deity is absolutely transmundane, its nature alien to that of the universe, which it neither created nor governs and to which it is the complete antithesis: the divine realm of light, self-contained and remote, the cosmos is opposed as the realm of darkness. The world is the work of lowly powers which though they may mediately be descended from Him do not know the true God and obstruct the knowledge of Him in the cosmos over which they rule . . .
It is significant that these are now often called by Old Testament names for God (Iao, Sabaoth, Adonai, Elohim, El Shaddai), which from being synonyms for the one and supreme God are by this transposition turned into proper names of inferior demonic beings—and example of the pejorative revaluation to which Gnosticism subjected ancient traditions in general and Jewish tradition in particular . . .
–Hans Jonas, The Gnostic Religion
The positive pole of Gnostic dualism, to which Plotinus refers in the last citation, is a higher world which, portrayed in very varied and differing fashion, culminates in the assumption of a new otherworldly and unknown God, who dwells beyond all visible creation and is the real lord of the universe. The world is not his work, but that of a subordinate being . . .
–Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis
After all, it has been a dozen years since he (C. Fitzsimmons Allison, retired Episcopal Bishop of South Carolina) decided he could no longer, with a clear conscience, receive communion during meetings of the U.S. House of Bishops. During a Bible study, several bishops had said that they believed they worshipped a god that is “older and greater” than the God of the Bible. Others said they could not affirm this belief, but would not condemn it.
“Eucharistic table became symbol of division,” By Terry Mattingly (Scripps Howard News Service 09-MAR-05)
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. "When I was in seminary over ten years ago, at Sewanee, one of my professors was asked, in class, about what he thought of the resurrection. He was honest: “Jesus is a bag of bones rotting outside of Jerusalem.” He still teaches at that seminary."
Let's think about this for a moment.
If he really believes that is true, if anyone does, then why does he bother with Christianity at all?
If Jesus is really a bag of bones rotting outside of Jerusalem, and the Resurrection did not literally, really happen, then Christianity is a steaming pile of dung, a lie, and anyone teaching in a seminary, the seminary itself, and the Church that it is attached too is just a paid entertainer in a bad Disney theme park for ugly people who can't act.
If there was no Resurrection - no actual, real Resurrection - Christianity is a personality cult and, actually, Jesus was just a suicidal idiot who got himself and a bunch of his ignorant followers killed following him down the spider-hole into messianic dementia.
If the Resurrection didn't happen, Jesus was David Koresh.
If it did happen, Jesus was God.
There is no form of Christianity that can survive without belief in a literal Resurrection.