Syncretism

Syncretism is the amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought. It is most commonly used in religious terms, the merging of different religions. When Spanish Catholics invaded pagan America, they produced a syncretism of religions. Santeria is probably the best known syncretism, where African mysticism merged with Roman Catholicism to produce a religion that incorporated both voodoo and Catholicism. So they recognize divine beings -- Yoruba orishas -- and Catholic saints. They pray to Jesus and call on demons. It's an irrational mishmash (or mismatch) that joins together to nullify both while affirming both. We're much more sophisticated today. We don't do that. Really? Mix the Spirit with spirits? Don't be silly! And then we go on to be equally silly albeit a bit more subtle.

I think the most common syncretism in the American church today is the joining of American patriotism and Christian beliefs, landing somewhere around the notion that America is "God's chosen people." This becomes problematic to Christians. When the early Christians became "bad Romans" because they opposed the deity of Caesar, they were "unpatriotic." When modern Christians oppose the evils perpetrated by the government, we are unpatriotic. That's because people fail to ask Whose kingdom we serve. The other most popular syncretism today is among the so-called Christians who hang on to the label while disposing of the content. They'll tell you, "I believe in Jesus," but they've discarded the sole source on who Jesus is and what He taught and what "Christian" is. They set aside God's Word and substitute ... syncretism. Maybe it's some science or some philosophy. Maybe it's "social justice" or just "what I like." (You may think I'm being glib. I've actually been told that by some. "That can't be right. It doesn't feel right.") Instead, then, of receiving "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3), they customize their own version. The "red letter" Christians who claim to follow just what Jesus said do so with care, dropping or modifying what they don't much like, forgetting that Jesus was "the Word" (John 1:1) and all that we have in our Bibles is from Him. So they cannot teach others "to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt 28:20) since they've strictly trimmed, pared, skinned, and mitigated "all that I have commanded you" down to "all that you accept that I have commanded you."

Syncretism is a problem. Always has been, from the early days of judaizers and legalists importing laws for Israel into laws for God's people through the missionary work that brought us Santeria up to our day where "Christian" often barely resembles "Christian" as the Scriptures present it. "But we know better today," they tell me, a decidely dangerous position to take when it is in opposition to the Word. From "theistic Evolution" to "Jesus as a Social Justice Warrior and not a savior" to "America is God's favorite" and beyond, it is all around us. It may be a lot of things, but it is not following Christ.