A few abstract thoughts on Christianity, with practical implications
Esoteric Christianity consists of the substance of the religion (of which faith is an integral part, but by no means the only part – it is worth noting here that faith without religion can consist of nothing but a solipsistic emotivism), accessible only through language, comprehensible only in the language developed within the Church community, of which there are many, many dialects, yet a grounding commonality due to a joint subscription to a single root text (this is why non-scriptural Christianity very quickly stops being Christianity). It might be assumed that the word ‘esoteric’ could imply some kind of hermetic self-sufficiency or gnostic revelation to the elect, but that is not how it is being used here.
Exoteric Christianity consists of the symbols and language, accessible to all, apparent in public representation, easily misused, abused, and impossible to understand properly (yet alluring) outside of the contexts and contents of esoteric Christianity.
In actuality, there is no clear distinction between the two.
The Protestant Church tends to destroy the exoteric aspects of the faith. This is based on the realization that without the substance behind the symbols, the symbols are pagan and misleading. This attempt is futile, and dangerous, because the elimination is believed to be necessary (symbols are deemed idolatrous), but its impossibility leads adherents to ignore the exoteric aspects of their religion (sometimes even denying religion itself, and substituting it with mere faith or spirituality), which ironically prevents them from delving behind the images into the substance.
It is worth noting that the many of Protestant orthodoxy’s greatest representatives, most notably John Calvin, did not make this mistake. But the reader who does is likely to miss the tensions existing in Calvin’s text.
The Catholic Church recognizes both aspects of Christianity, yet at times extends the distinction empirically to its adherents (such that the clergy are initiated into esoteric Christianity, while the laity are left with pagan symbolism).
I have no desire to comment at this time regarding the relationships between theology and practice and the errors involved in relating esoteric and exoteric Christianity. But I thought these observations were worthwhile (if not completely developed) in and of themselves.