The Surprising Pro-Life Message of The Mandalorian

Have you seen the Mandalorian? It's a surprisingly successful television show given the failure of the Disney Star Wars movies to tell a coherent compelling story. Why is the Mandalorian so successful? One could point to many factors, strong story, mystery, action, familiar locales, and so on. But one element I'd like to point you toward is a strong pro-life message in the hit show.

Mando is a no-nonsense bounty hunter, and we see his ruthlessness displayed. He has a somewhat transcendent worldview, in his connection to the Mandalorian way. But his means to that end is defined by dispassionate pursuit of bounties against individuals, often evil in nature. 

But then Mando encounters someone special, the child. 

The child, is a baby. And despite Mando's dogged dedication to emotionless service to wealth acquisition, he encounters something that is sacred, something in the child that he recognizes as a transcendent value that must be preserved: innocence.  

The child is innocent, unable to protect itself.  So Mando launches his rescue mission, to save the child, giving up everything, becoming a target to all his former associates, and a target to the imperial remnant.

The child is a mystery, slowly being unfolded. The child is special. The child is beautiful in a way. Mando makes it his mission to protect the child. 

I can't help but see an incredibly strong pro-life message unfolding here. The child floats around in a cocoon of sorts, along with Mando wherever he goes.  The cocoon carrying pod reminds me of an unborn child carried in the womb of a mother. 

The unborn child is considered garbage to modern society. It is not protected.  It's life is forfeit.  And Mando begins by following that same ethic, turning the child in to the authorities, who proceed to begin experimenting on it, attempting to study it and gain medical insight from it. Watching these scenes I couldn't help but think of Planned Parenthood's underground sales of baby body parts, on a black market of sorts. They carve up the aborted fetus, study it, and many companies even include fetal cells in their products, like vaccines and such.  The unborn baby is seen as medical meat, to be carved up, studied, and sold on the market.  Much seems to be the same for the child in the Mandalorian.  He is regarded as a commodity. 

But Mando as he considers this reality, is moved to action. He realizes, even if no one else will protect the child, he must protect the child. Why? Because there is something sacred and special, about the innocence of a child.  The child is special, unique, worthy of life, and ought to be protected. So he makes it his new mission in life to protect the child.  The child, who floats around in a large pod, not so dissimilar from the unborn child floating in the womb of the pregnant mother.

The man, Mando, the strong male character, again another surprise from a Disney that has promoted an agenda of displaying strong female characters recently, is urged toward morality, toward sacredness, toward a transcendence, in regard to life. And this gives the character meaning. It gives the character a hill to die on.  And it inevitability begins to characterize the entire life of Mando. He is now defined in a new way, simply by recognizing a reality many of us deny, that all life is sacred, and even and especially, helpless, innocent life, the life of a child. 

And so all of us join in with Mando in his primal, basic realization, that a helpless baby is worth protecting, even if we don't know that baby by name. It doesn't matter if we're related to that baby or not, by family or by blood, the life of the child still matters infinitely. And must be protected. And as an audience we fall in love with this mission. The bounty hunter story is appealing. But it lacks transcendence. It lacks that something special that stirs the best in us. But marry the bounty hunter with protecting the child, and we find something very special indeed.  It's something we've all lacked in our lives: True meaning. It's something we all long for deep within: To believe there is something special in the universe.

Many of us have slowly died inside, listening to the skeptics and the modern philosophers who tell us nothing has any meaning, even an unborn child.  But never-the-less our hearts still ache for that cause to live for. We long to believe.  We are all the empty, miserable bounty hunter, lonely, serving wealth and status, and power. And we all long for that moment when something deep within us in stirred by the sacredness of the life of a child, that sets us on a mission to live differently. We come alive. We believe again. And we rise above our old lives, to stand for something right, something pure, something good. It changes our entire lives.  The baby is special. The baby is sacred. The unborn life truly does matter. 

So, we all ought to declare with Mando, the simple phrase, "Protect the child, this is the way." 

Mysteries of the Crucifixion: The 7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross

The day that Jesus was crucified was one might call a nightmare day. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a nightmare day. But it began with Jesus sharing the Passover feast with his disciples in the upper room. That night Jesus prayed at the garden of gethsemane in great anguish and sorrow, because he knew what the cross meant. That night Judas betrayed Jesus to the authorities, and Jesus was arrested. He was awake all night being questioned by the Pharisees. And the next day he went before the roman officials, was beaten, scourged, and forced to carry his cross to Golgotha, where he would be crucified.

Jesus did this freely for us. No one took his life from him. He gave it up willingly. But why? To receive the punishment, we deserved for our sins.

Does it penetrate to the deepest recesses of your being, your soul, and your understanding of the world? Do we really understand the significance of the cross?

Let us consider the state of reality. Did you know that the way things are right now are not as they were intended to be? It’s true. These lives we live today are a struggle, often broken, filled with chaos and strife.

We as a species we're destined for paradise. But paradise was lost, through a string of events we call the fall of man. Today we live in the fall. But as Christians our ultimate destiny is paradise. It’s paradise regained, thanks to Jesus.

We live here 80 to 90 years. We’ll spend forever in paradise. Millions and millions of years are just the beginning of eternity with Christ. But today, right now, really matters. Because the door stands cracked open. And soon it will be shut forever. That is the door to salvation. That is the door to eternal life. Who is the door? Jesus. But once Jesus returns and sets all things right on Earth, that door will close. Many people will be very surprised, and the fate that awaits them is terrible indeed.

Every person we see, every single one is made in the image of God. Every person we see, our coworkers, our friends, family, strangers and gas station attendants. Their souls hang in the balance, today. They die for lack of knowledge. Everything is at stake right now. Right now is when we can make a difference.

Paradise was lost, but it has been regained and we are destined for that eternal city, the New City of God. This place is where I want to be! John wrote of the city when he said:

“It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” -Revelation Chapter 20

We have access to this glorious future, to eternal life, to eternal joy, to paradise itself! We know why:

Two thousand years ago Jesus willingly went to the cross, voluntarily. He was there for hours, suffering. Today as we consider reaching those in our community, I’d like to draw your attention to the 7 sayings of Jesus while he was nailed to the cross.

Our savior is nailed to the wooden cross beams, and lifted up and the cross base is dropped into a hole in the ground. And as Jesus is there, slowly dying, having been whipped and beaten, he makes several statements. Let’s take a look at these statements and see what they teach us about the mysteries of the cross.

The roman soldiers were debating over who would get Jesus’ robe. This was right after Jesus had been hoisted upon the cross. And this is when Jesus made his first statement:

Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

So often in our world violence begets violence, hatred is met by hatred. The Jews and the Islamic nations have fought back and forth for hundreds of years. Family disputes go on and on. They hurt us, so we hurt them. Back and forth, back and forth. When hate was thrown upon Jesus, when violence was thrown upon Jesus, it did not bounce back, it stopped with Jesus. At the cross, Jesus returned the hatred of his enemies with love, and He absorbed the sin of the world, ending it. Next…

The criminal on the cross says to Jesus, “If you’re really the son of God get us down from here.” Then the second criminal says, “We are punished justly, we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Luke 23:43: “Truly, I say to you on this day, you will be with me in paradise.”

At that moment, the criminal confessed his own sinfulness, and declared that Jesus Christ was the king who would come into his kingdom. And by his humility, his willingness to see the truth, that he was guilty, and Jesus was innocent, did he receive eternal life. He repented, and said that Jesus was pure, and he was justly deserving judgment. So he received grace.

Mary the mother of Jesus and John the disciple of Jesus were there when Jesus was on the cross. So after Jesus’ words with the criminal, he turns his head towards mom and says, “Mom, this is your son” gesturing toward John. And then to his dear friend John he said, “Son, this is your mother.”

This reminds of us the importance of relationships, and family.

In Matthew chapter 27 it says “42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

At this moment it is believed, that for three hours the presence of God the Father left Jesus Christ utterly alone on the cross. At this moment Jesus atoned for the sins of the world, in total darkness. An eclipse of the sun occurred, and it was completely dark.

Jesus saved others, but he did not spar himself. He went to the cross, suffered the condemnation for the sins of the world. Jesus became sin, in so doing, God the Father could not look upon God the son, but turned his being away from Him and left him alone. That is the punishment we deserved, and Jesus took it for us. What a terribly high cost.

Jesus declares forgiveness, he declares grace to those who slaughter him, but he does not spare himself the great suffering, the great passion of being utterly left alone, to have all the sin of the world poured upon him like a great river of filth and darkness descended.

Three hours, total darkness. And after three long hours Jesus cried out “Father, father, why have you forsaken me?”

He’s suffering, and he’s crying out in sadness that he has been left so incredibly alone, left condemned with the worst sinners.

Jesus’ then utters the phrase: “I thirst.” And many consider this a declaration of his extreme suffering. He is in the most intense state of suffering. He is offered the sour wine but does not receive it. He accepts no consolation.

Shortly after these words Jesus declared victory when he said, “It is finished.” He had atoned for the sins of the world, and it had been fully accomplished. Jesus was victorious to the very end, just as he is victorious in our lives today.

Then finally Luke 23:46 Jesus is reunited with God the Father, when He says “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” And then Jesus died.

Jesus cried out one last time (Matthew 27:50) and he gave up his spirit. Matthew 27:51 then says “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open.”

Jesus’s victory on the cross had torn away the veil between God and people. Jesus opened the door to relationship between God and man through his mediation. He shook the world, defeated Satan, and opened up the tombs, in that he had defeated death, and declared eternal life open to all who would believe in Him.

These things are true! And real! This all really happened. It’s recorded by eye witnesses in the gospels. Jesus Christ is alive. He is resurrected, and he has defeated sin and death. Think of the weight, value, and importance of what Jesus has done. Eternal life is open to all who would believe in Jesus. It’s open today.

Friends we are so blessed in this church, to come here every week and celebrate our glorious Jesus. But friends, there are so many out there today who don’t have that opportunity. They know nothing of Jesus. And we have to reach them. It’s easy to sit here on Sunday and worship God. It’s a lot scarier to leave our comfort zone, to step out into the community and minister to someone we don’t know much about.

Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.” And he said, “go forth and preach the gospel to everyone.”

We know everything hangs in the balance. The stakes are so high. Today I invite you to go into your communities; to visit with someone who needs Jesus, develop a relationship with them, and bring them into the family of believers.

The Faithfulness of Ruth: God's Sovereign direction in the Little things of Life

We’ve just gone through the book of judges with all these vast, brutal wars, and chaos and destruction and now we turn to the next book, right after Judges, the book of Ruth. We saw how God is very concerned with huge world events, like the nation of Israel and it’s enemies, and Israel’s sins and their leaders. But in the book of Ruth we get a whole new angle on who God is and how he interacts with us.

In the book of Ruth we learn about how God is providentially at work in the seemingly small, everyday events of our lives. God cares about the little things in our lives. Even in the life of just one person, or a small group of people. God’s hand is at work, in providence. And if you aren’t clear of the meaning of providence, providence refers to how God guides events behind the scenes. He’s at work, even in the smallest decisions we make.

So the book of Ruth, the first line of the book of Ruth tells us these events take place during the time of the judges. Scholars are uncertain as to the exact time frame in which ruth was written, but the probably author of Ruth seems to be Samuel. It’s probably written well after the actual historical events took place, as a retelling of these events.

So at this time in Israel’s history, there is a famine taking place in the land. People are starving to death left and right.

You can turn to Ruth chapter one in your Bibles. So it says in Ruth 1:1-2:

“So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.”

Notice where they’re from: Bethlehem. Very interesting. So Eli and Naomi. They’ve got two sons, Mahlon and Kilion. And they’re fleeing a famine. Very common in antiquity. There were all sorts of famines in the middle east at this time in history. Usually these famines were caused by lack of rains, or hail storms, sometimes also related to sieges from foreign nations as well.

So they head to a foreign nation, to hopefully escape the famine. They’re making decisions, to protect themselves.

Things don’t work out too well in Moab unfortunately. It says, “3 Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. 4 The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.” Ruth 1:3-5

This must’ve been extremely devastating for Naomi. She’s essentially lost everything. Her husband has died, it doesn’t say how. But it may have been that the famine spread to Moab as well. Imagine how painful that must’ve been! I saw how my grandma struggled after losing my grandpa when he died. I imagine it must feel like losing your other half.

But at least she has her two sons, and they both get married. That’s very good. But then we jump ten years into the future. And it says that both her sons died as well. Once again we don’t know how they died. But it’s possible that it was due to famine.

So now Naomi is left alone, miserable, with only two foreign women, who are both widows now as well.

Naomi hears word that back in Israel the famine has passed and there is food available. So she sets out with Orpah and Ruth. But on the way she asks Orpah and Ruth to turn back and go to Moab. She told them they should look for husbands there among their own people the Moabites.

In the ancient world, women basically had to be married to have their needs met. An unmarried woman was basically at the mercy of the world and would have nothing. So it was very important in ancient times for a woman to have a husband to work to provide for her needs. So understand that cultural context here.

Both of them refuse to leave Naomi’s side. But eventually Orpah agrees to leave and goes back to her people.

But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”

And here we find our first principle today. The absolute and complete faithful devotion of Ruth. She loves Naomi as herself. The biblical standard of love. If only we had this kind of love amongst us. But we don’t. We’re too busy selfishly seeking our own desires. And that really needs to change amongst us. We need to learn to love each other the way Ruth loved Naomi. She was not willing to leave Naomi alone in her misery. Often times we’re too focused on getting everything we want, arguing over stupid things, and ignoring each other, to actually take time to love each other. That’s my first challenge to you today. We must learn to love each other more deeply. Loyalty. Devotion. A willingness to sacrifice for others. Guess who models that best in this room? Scott does. Always he is willing to help.

So they journeyed back to Bethlehem. So the setting is historic Bethlehem. Very interesting. As they enter the city, everyone is astonished. This was a small town kind of thing. Much smaller than even little Owosso. Everybody knows everybody in Owosso. But in Bethlehem, everybody really knows everybody, tight knit community. They’re all amazed, Naomi is back!

But she replies, “20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”

Can anyone here relate to how Naomi felt at this moment in her life? She’s lost her husband. She’s lost her two sons. She’s really lost everything. Everything aside from Ruth. She has suffered terribly. Can anyone relate here? Have you suffered? Has it felt at times in your life that the Lord has left you empty? Has it felt at times like the Lord caused you to suffer and sent tragedy upon you?

I believe the Bible mentions this incident particularly because we all face situations as Christians, and just as human beings, where we face struggle. If so, this saga of Naomi and Ruth proves one thing: God really cares about our sufferings. He deeply cares about our pain. That’s my second point for you today.

We’ll see how the changes in Naomi’s story prove to us that God cares about even the sorrows of one seemingly insignificant person. God is at work in nations, the United States, the world, but also, he is at work in your little life, and cares about you.

So Naomi and Ruth are in Bethlehem. And Ruth offers to go collect grain in the fields, because it’s harvest season. Naomi gives her permission to do so. This is a practice called gleaning. Gleaning is a concept found in the Old Testament law. Foreigners and the needy were allowed to follow after in the fields after those gathering barley. And they could collect what was left on the ground for themselves.

So Ruth goes out into the fields and begins gleaning. And it just so happens, that she ends up gleaning in the field of a man named Boaz, a relative of her deceased father in law Elimilech.

Then we see in Ruth chapter 2:8-16 “8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”

10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”

11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”

13 “I hope I continue to please you, sir,” she replied. “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.”

14 At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.” So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over.

15 When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. 16 And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time!””

Often times, you don’t see what God is doing. Seemingly random events are taking place in your life. You get this job. You become friends with this person. You go out to eat on this day. You visit the park over the weekend. And it all seems kinda random. But quietly, beneath the surface, God is weaving strands of your life together to form a tapestry, a plan, in which your destiny, God’s will, is being unfolded.

That is my third point to you today: God’s will is being unfolded in the “random” events of your life.

So Ruth continues to glean in Boaz’s fields, and Boaz is obviously helping her and blessing her, and impressed by her faithfulness. Ladies, if you’re hoping for a Boaz to come into your life. Follow God’s will for your life. And be a faithful woman, when no one is looking. Be faithful. Be loyal to those you love. Honor God. And people will take note.

Ruth continues to glean through Spring and into early Summer. One day Naomi says to her, from Ruth chapter 3, ““My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. 2 Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. 3 Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”

So God has brought together seemingly random events in the life of Naomi and Ruth. He’s guided events. There’s an opportunity here. So Ruth receives excellent advice and guidance from this motherly figure to her Naomi. And we should always seek the Lord when making a big decision like this.

But my fourth point to you is this: When God orchestrates His will in our lives, we must recognize the opportunity in front of us and take it. God isn’t going to force Ruth to approach Boaz. He isn’t going to force Boaz to marry Ruth. They both have free will. And Ruth wisely gets godly counsel from Naomi, and then listens and takes the advice.

Now, just a caution, sometimes we can get very bad advice from family and friends as well. So watch out for that. Always check God’s word and pray to make sure.

So Ruth does just as Naomi says. She goes to Boaz at night, uncovers his feet, and he wakes up and sees her there. Everybody please remember this is a Jewish cultural practice. This was a way of the woman to propose marriage to someone who is called a “kingsman redeemer.” For a woman that had suffered great loss, and her husband had died, a redeemer from the same family could redeem the situation by taking the widow as his wife. And that’s what Boaz does.

He realizes that there is another relative that is closer in relation to Ruth’s father in law Elimilech. So Boaz goes to talk to this person. He’s probably very worried, because he wants this honorable woman Ruth to become his wife. But he honors God by obeying the laws of that time. He goes and talks with the man, but he doesn’t want to redeem the family, because he’d have to marry Ruth. So Boaz agrees to redeem the dead man’s family name. He declares this in front of the whole crowd in the marketplace, and they’re very excited about this beautiful situation. Remember it’s a small town, and everybody knows about Boaz and Naomi and Ruth.

Ruth 4:11-12: “Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, “We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”

Ruth 4:13-17 "So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”

16 Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed.”

My fifth point today is, When we respond to God’s opportunity, He blesses us and makes it wonderful.

Ruth and Boaz get married. She gives birth to a son. And Naomi is blessed. It’s a moment of rebirth in her family line, that looked like it was coming to an end. Naomi was completely hopeless. She was totally bitter and depressed and miserable. And God completely changed her story.

So the whole city rejoices with Naomi. And her bitterness is turned to comfort and healing. Ruth is married to an amazing man who loves her dearly. Boaz after being single for so long, he’s a middle-aged guy, is married to a wonderful godly woman.

Point number six, if you’ve been waiting on God for a long time, keep waiting, because God is faithful. He will turn your bitterness to rejoicing.

And they have this child named Obed. Does that name sound familiar? Yes. Obed was the father of Jesse. Making Obed the grandfather of David, who would become king of Israel. Not only that, guess what? Ruth and Boaz’s son Obed is part of the line of David, meaning Obed, this miracle child, is great great great great (28 greats) grandfather to Jesus of Nazareth, who would one day be born in that little backwater town of Bethlehem.

And my final point today is this: Not only will God turn our bitterness to rejoicing. Not only is Jesus Christ our ultimate kingsman redeemer, who redeems us from the grave, and redeems us from sin and death, not only is all that true, but when we obey God and become part of His plan for the universe, He gives us an honored place in his very own family. Just like Ruth and Boaz were part of the family line that would eventually give birth to Jesus the son of God. Amen!

The Heresy of Gnosticism

Gnosticism was a large umbrella of varying perspectives around basic beliefs heretical to the Christian faith. Gnosticism tended to be based on dualism, this idea of good vs. evil, material vs. spiritual. Gnostics were always on a search for "hidden knowledge" that would bring about salvation, which is in stark contrast to the Christian faith, that indicates faith in Christ as the means to salvation.  Generally in gnosticism the idea is that the physical world is evil, the physical world is bad, the human body is bad, and things spiritual are good.  

In fact, gnostics believed that the natural world itself was the prideful creation of an evil false god.  Christ was the solution to humans escaping from the material universe. So Christ can't be physical, because the physical is evil, so Christ is seen as a ghost. Christ also isn't considered to be God either, just one of many spiritual beings.

The early church father Irenaeus dealt with the heresy of gnosticism two thousand years ago. He challenged the gnostics, not by individually dealing with all the various sects of gnosticism, of which there many, but instead by simply addressing the main ideological viewpoints of the gnostics, and refuting them.  To his mind, this was as good as refuting all the sects at once.  

Irenaeus regarded creation documented in Genesis to be fundamentally a good thing. Humanity and the universe were created good, which he would indicate is counter to what the gnostics taught, which was that creation was fundamentally bad. Irenaeus validates the doctrine of the Trinity, which of course refutes the concept that Christ is a mere spiritual being and not the son of God.

Thankfully, gnosticism did not prevail over the ages. Though it still exists in some minor forms in the modern world.  But how might things have been different if the early church lost out? 

What would it be like in modern Christianity if gnosticism had prevailed? Well, since gnosticism essentially completely departed from the scriptures, church authority, and biblical theology, I don't suppose there would be any sort of Christian movement remaining in the world, unless it picked up again after the imminent collapse of the victorious gnostic movement. Any church movement that charges in the direction of lowered view of scripture, heresies, and neglect for church authority tends to disappear over time.  At least that has been the case in more recent times with church movements that begin to depart from the authority of scripture. Though one might cite the flourishing of heretical movements like the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormon church to counter that idea.  In that case, I would suggest perhaps gnosticism would've morphed over the centuries, as such open-ended ideologies tend to, into a conglomeration of religions something similar to Unitarian universalism.  That's just a guess, but it's certainly plausible.