Richard Smoley's "Inner Christianity" isn't really a guide to a unified, Christian esoteric tradition. The reason, arguably, is that no such tradition exists. Indeed, Smoley admits that some of the ideas in the book are his own, and he is sometimes mildly critical of the various Gnostic and Gnosticizing groups which form part of his "tradition".
In the end, Smoley serves a somewhat eclectic dish. It seems to be a
combination of Boris Mouravieff, Valentin Tomberg, G.I. Gurdjieff and A Course
in Miracles (ACIM). He attempts to paint the ACIM in mysterious colours, but
surely a well-read person like Smoley must know that Schucman simply reworked
New Thought?
It's not clear whether Smoley believes that Jesus is a real historical figure,
or simply an allegory. Perhaps it's not important, since all humans are part of
both "Adam" and "Christ". Smoley does admit that the
Christian message is unique at one point: the role of forgiveness. If we
forgive and love our enemies, our negative karma will, to that extent, be
forgiven us and disappear. This idea - that bad karma can be forgiven - is the
great innovation of Christianity.
Personally, I found this book to be pretty boring and, as I said, very
eclectic. I'm not sure whether it can really serve as an
"introduction" to the subject. But yes, it does crack a few interesting
ideas here and there.
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