It's become clear through historical research that there was a real competition in the years after Jesus' death to define "Christianity." Among the divisions were the more "literal" Christians (stick to the accounts in the 4 main Gospels known to us today, and take the words pretty literally) and "seeker" Christians (gnostics and others, using other "Gospels" such as Thomas, and using allegory and interpretation more than a literal approach). Of this second group, Elaine Pagels (who has written extensively on the gnostics and their religious writings) says,
They felt that faith was necessary, but as a first step. It's not where you stop, it's where you start. After that, you start exploring. You try to understand and verify in your own experience and seek.
(via Beliefnet.com)
Perhaps that's a better statement of the faith/action issue than I've achieved below.
GP
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