presenting the unchanging gospel in forms ... - Global Interaction

06
By Grace Munro
HEALTHY INTEGRATION
or unhealthy syncretism
A legitimate concern when presenting the gospel
and nurturing faith is the fear that new believers
may drift into syncretism. We see the risk that they
might merge aspects of their previous religious
systems or unhealthy aspects of their culture with
the beliefs and practices of their new faith. We
fear that their walk with Jesus will be put at risk.
Perhaps we even fear that they will pollute the
gospel and displease God.
Perhaps, though, we need a mirror. We might ask,
“In what ways are we syncretistic?” Note that the
question is not, “Are we at risk of syncretism?”
As we will see, we need not look far to see our
syncretism. The question is, “Has our integration of
culture and faith, which can be eminently healthy,
drifted into unhealthy syncretism?”
Healthy integration
Jesus’ life and ministry was a healthy integration
of his spirituality and human culture. He was a
Jew – he wore Jewish clothing, ate Jewish food,
spoke Aramaic, expressed himself in cultural
and contextual Jewish forms in his teaching and
parables and accepted most Jewish values.
But he challenged aspects of the culture, including
religious culture. He asked for water from a
Samaritan woman; a Samaritan became the “good
guy” in Jesus’ story. He treated women radically
better than did other Jewish men. He constantly
upset religious leaders by “breaking the rules”.
He was thoroughly Jewish, but he freed himself
and others from limitations in the Jewish culture,
whether in their social or religious culture.
Syncretism in Australia
In Australian Baptist churches, we won’t fi nd
people bowing to carved fi gures, or offering
sacrifi ces on altars to other gods. Such actions can
be an overt form of syncretism. Syncretism here is
usually more subtle, but just as real. Here are some
questions which are likely to reveal our syncretistic
beliefs and practices:
Do we tend to measure our own and other people’s
value and worth by where we live, what we own
and the type of work we do? We easily drift away
from the foundational truth that God values all of us
no matter who we are and what we do.
How dependent is our sense of wellbeing on
our earning capacity, status, possessions or a
good retirement provision? As we look into our
syncretism mirror with honesty, we may fi nd we
aren’t as dependent on Jesus as we like to think.
How much are our values, priorities and practices
driven by the fashions of the day? I am not
speaking of clothing fashions – but fashions in
management styles in our workplaces or churches,
in ministry focus, and in our attitudes to people
of other races or the environment? It is so easy
to go with the cultural fl ow rather than assessing
ourselves against God’s priorities and desires and,
if necessary, challenging the latest trends.
The cult of body image is rampant, and church
people are not exempt. Are we spending more on
our appearance than on donations to people who
lack the basics of life? Perhaps this is our idol.
Individually or corporately as a church, how well
does the way we act toward other people refl ect
the Biblical obligation to show concern and
compassion for each other? Do we really love our
neighbours – whether across the street or across
the world – as we love ourselves? How would our
church life and home life change if we were just
as concerned about the wellbeing of others as we
are about our own wellbeing? Individualism is a
strong aspect of our western ethos which we often
incorporate into our walk with Jesus.
As believers, or corporately as a church, has our
western tendency to divide the sacred and secular
polluted the gospel? Do we treat our social life,
FEBRUARY 2008 | VISION | GLOBAL INTERACTION