Avoiding the Pitfall of Syncretism

Churches and pastors must respect the razor's edge between obscurantism and syncretism.

A quick search for the word "contextualization" on this blog will reveal how important I believe it is for the church that truly wants to engage in God's mission. I have written and spoken on the subject extensively. And though I don't believe it to be the totality of the missional conversation, it is central, and I will continue to remind churches of it's importance.

When it comes to issues of contextualization, however, Christians and churches must be careful to not fall to the right or the left. In my last post, I described what I believe to be one of the major issues plaguing American Christianity: obscurantism; that is, obscuring the gospel by emphasizing things that are actually external to the gospel as being central to it. The end result is a false gospel that becomes a stumbling block to those Christians and churches are trying to reach.

If obscurantism is the danger to the right of the razor's edge, then the equally harmful danger of syncretism lies in wait to the left. (These ideas are laid out in much greater detail in the book The Word Among Us: Contextualizing Theology for Mission Today.)

Syncretism, in this case, is the mixing of Christianity with something else such that they become a different gospel. Syncretism can take place with a postive-thinking gospel, a nationalist emphasis, or emerging culture. Syncretism happens more than we might know.

When anything is added to the message of the gospel, the uniqueness and sufficiency of Christ is compromised and another gospel can be created that is, well, actually not the gospel. In this, obscurantism and syncretism are closely related, each leading to the creation of a false gospel. Keep reading

Syncretism can also occur when we borrow practices from another Christian tradition. Such practices may carry theological baggage that conflicts with what we ourselves believe. The practices cannot be disconnected from the theological baggage they carry and they can do considerable harm in a number of different ways. For example, a pastor who introduces a practice from another Christian tradition into his church may choose to ignore the theological baggage it carries. The pastor who succeeds him, however, may unpack that baggage. The practice facilitates the introduction of unbiblical and unsound doctrine into the church.