Hey, I enjoyed reading through this informative thread.  You may find some helpful podcasts regarding Gnosticism and its relationship with establishment Christianity at Gnostic Byte.  There's a good podcast on the Gospel of John, one with Erik Davis, and many others...

I would describe myself as "Christian" if it weren't for my disdain for the behavior and attitudes of most people and churches I encounter who call themselves "Christian".  Then again, the same holds for "Buddhism" (Buddha didn't teach any 'isms'), "Islam", and other organized religions.  The a**holes mess everything up.