Gnostic Framing Is a Conservative Tool

The article argues that labeling modern progressive movements as a reincarnation of 'Gnosticism' is less an accurate historical diagnosis than a recurring conservative rhetorical strategy that repackages disagreement as theological heresy. Woods traces the trope from mid‑20th‑century conservatives through contemporary writers (Voegelin, Feser, Barron, Lindsay) and shows how the label simplifies diverse political claims into a single moralized enemy. — Recognizing the 'gnostic' frame as rhetorical (not purely analytic) helps critics and reporters avoid granting it undue explanatory authority and exposes how such framings polarize debate.