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Article 2018-11 Cultural Issues & Syncretism

Chapter 50: Cultural Issues & Syncretism

Introduction

The apostles’ council in Jerusalem concludes that conversion to Christ suffices, whatever culture or religion one comes from. We convert to Christ only, not to a certain church or form of Christianity. In church history this rule has been trespassed against often.
Missionaries must understand that theological and cultural issues differ greatly. Biblical principles should be maintained strictly, whereas cultural issues should serve as exercises in love. We must realize that man’s theology changes long before his cultural habits do.

About syncretism we learn that the New Testament regards it as idolatry. This mix of truth and lie makes it a dangerous deception. It is one of Satan’s vilest tactics to deceive the church. Syncretism has many, even modern-looking appearances. It thrives well on a bed of carnal ‘Christianity’, and can only be defeated by the cross of Christ.

Scripture reference

Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” … James spoke up … “It is my judgment … that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God …” (Acts 15:5,14,19)

The story

Shortly after the stormy meeting in Antioch, the leadership of the Jerusalem church met, later called ‘the Jerusalem Council’. Paul and Barnabas represented the Antioch church, but in fact were ambassadors of all other churches they had planted in the countries abroad. There was only one dominating question: Are people saved by grace, through faith in Christ alone, or must they be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses as well?

After much debate, Peter, more determined than ever after Paul’s reprimand in Antioch, spoke up in favor of Paul’s ‘Christ-only’ theology. He had taken time to think through the issues thoroughly. James, the Lord’s half-brother, backed him up and so agreement was reached. The decision was made to write a letter to all churches, in which it was stated that ‘it should not be made difficult for the Gentiles to receive Christ’. Obedience to Jewish laws and customs would not be demanded of Gentile converts. Conversion to Christ was sufficient; conversion to Judaism as only accepted form of Christianity was abolished. Single conversion was enough; double conversion was rejected.

Scripture reference

He came to … Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived … whose father was a Greek … Paul wanted to take him along …, so he circumcised him because of the Jews … who in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek (Acts 16:1,3)

The story, continued

The apostles in Jerusalem had no problem with Paul’s Christ-only theology. They understood that circumcision added nothing to Christ’s perfect work. And because their theologies were in harmony, they did not demand that Titus be circumcised.
In case of the Jews Paul’s team would be ministering to, things were different. Firstly, those Jews wouldn’t have the same understanding of and trust in Christ that the apostles had. Then, they had just come to faith. They were not leaders in the church and lacked maturity. Therefore Paul could not yet expect from them the spiritual insight, necessary to discard old covenant teachings. They needed to grow out of that system. This took time for the apostles themselves. Paul reminded Timothy of the story about Peter and Cornelius. The apostles were Jews by birth, but their theology became Christian long before their culture changed likewise. The Jews Paul’s team would evangelize, should not be put off by Timothy’s Gentile culture before their theology could change, because otherwise it wouldn’t.

He instructed Timothy about syncretism, explaining that one of the enemy’s tricks is to mix lies into the truth, so that what appears as true, remains only half true and therefore becomes more dangerous than a blatant lie. ‘Syncretism’ means: something that is added to Christianity. That ‘something’ is not Christian. Whoever serves Christ and yet sacrifices to idols, adds something to his Christianity that is not of Christ: it is anti-Christian. Paul saw it in the Galatian churches, when they added Mosaic legalism and circumcision to their service of Christ. The reverse is true too. When former Gentiles retain religious rituals from their past after coming to Christ, we also call it syncretism.

Comment

Had the church abided by the decision to just preach the gospel and not cultural forms as well, much damage to God’s Kingdom could have been avoided. The Church of Rome presented a form of Christianity with uniform teaching, liturgy, habits and language, foreign to the wider world where it was preached.
The Protestants made similar mistakes: the gospel was preached, but almost exclusively dressed in a western-cultural garment. Their churches, organs, liturgy, hymnals and clerical robes, like those of the Roman Catholics, look the same the world over.
Many Evangelicals made the same mistake by teaching their styles of worship, democracy, leadership and ministerial ethos as forms, foreign to the mission fields they served.

They all wrapped the gospel in forms which became just as much ‘gospel’ as the gospel itself. Double conversion as discussed and disagreed with in Jerusalem, was the rule rather than the exception. It was only in the 2nd half of the 20th century that indigenous forms of worship and theology became visible in parts of the Church in the Developing World.

We must distinguish between biblical non-negotiable doctrines, such as faith in Christ for salvation, or the necessity of Christ’s blood-shedding for our forgiveness on the one hand, and biblical non-essentials, such as whether a woman should wear a hat in church or whether men should have short hair. The latter two issues are of a cultural nature, whereas the former two are of a supra-cultural nature. The word of God stands above culture but has culture-related expressions. The essence  cannot be tampered with, but culturally related expressions can not be elevated as norms for all times and places. The two must be distinct. Never preach biblical culture-related expressions as if they are essential bible-doctrines.

The result of centuries in which double conversion was practiced as norm  produced a syncretistic church: biblical Christianity was mixed with pagan culture. Foreign and local world-views were mixed; issues like demon-possession, sickness and polygamy were addressed on a secular rather than on a biblical basis. The result was that Christianity became an optional extra, a thin veneer over traditional beliefs. A church, thus weakened by conflicting worldviews failed to make Jesus Lord of all, failed to transform converts into disciples and largely failed in cross-cultural missionary outreach. In places where Christianity became biblically indigenous through revival and spiritual renewal, the church regained her biblical fervor to reach the nations. Indigenous mission movements, as seen in e.g. Nigeria, Ethiopia and China, initiated in the late 20th century, prove this.

For Paul and the Jerusalem apostles circumcision or no-circumcision had nothing to do with salvation. Salvation was by faith in Christ’s work alone, regardless of the presence or absence of a piece of skin. Only when others disagreed and made that piece of skin a condition without which there could be no salvation, did it become a matter of theology. In issues of theology Paul would not budge; he never departed from his theological principles and defended them as matters of life and death – which they were.

Scripture reference

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible …To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (1 Cor. 9:19,22)

Comment, continued

It was totally different with matters of culture. There Paul always tried to meet people where they were, adapt and adjust, not offending the ‘weak’, as he calls them. To understand Paul’s view of freedom we must recognize that he was so free that, unless a theological issue was at stake, he could surrender his freedom to facilitate the spread of the gospel. He was willing to be a Jew to the Jews and a Greek to the Greeks. Truly free persons are only free when they can surrender their freedom out of love for the weak.

For Christians in the 21st century total different issues may be at stake. We must learn to distinguish between core issues of biblical doctrine and secondary issues, maybe of cultural nature. The first can not be trifled with and with regard to the second, people of other cultures should be accommodated as far as it is biblically possible. The first is a matter of principle and conscience, the second must be an exercise in love.

Scripture reference

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law (Gal. 5:1-3)

Comment, continued

In Galatians five we see Paul’s plea against reverting back to circumcision as an unnecessary addition to being saved by grace through faith. Nowadays we see the relevance of his statements, when we watch the syncretistic belief forms that we often see in the church of the Developing World. The following parallels become visible:

Being saved through faith in Christ is the ‘big prize’ in life: the permanent delivery from spiritual poverty. Jesus called it ‘the pearl of great value’. After obtaining His salvation, complete as it is, no addition is necessary. Nobody who has become a billionaire will want to earn a few more pennies through hard labor, to add to his tremendous wealth.

Paul says that he who has himself circumcised as condition for salvation alienates himself from Christ, even that Christ is of no value to him at all. Such a person has fallen away from grace. In other words: by trying to bring in your own pennies, you lose your fortune.

The little yeast that works through the whole batch of dough in this context, means that mixing human works into divine salvation will eventually spoil that salvation entirely. People who cause such confusion will pay the penalty for advocating lies.

If any action is undertaken to appease gods, to venerate ancestors, to seek protection from shamans and physical healing or spiritual deliverance outside Christ, to gain power or influence over people and fertility to bear children, to manipulate weather conditions and receive mediation between himself and God, all fall under the heading of syncretism. Syncretism is idolatry. All this goes together with fear for revenge of evil spirits.

The indescribable gift of God – Christ, and Him crucified – contains the solution to all such practices, which are pathetic man-made ways to help God along in saving us. Adding ‘help’ to God’s solution by any means insults Him, which He will not tolerate. His only way of salvation is Christ. Either we have Christ alone or we have nothing at all. In the last part of Galatians five we learn how to live the Christian life through the Holy Spirit, and the difference between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

Discussion & dialogue

  • Discuss what ‘missionary non-essentials’ the gospel was wrapped in, when it first came to your country, and in what ways that may still be visible today
  • What ‘missionary non-essentials’ are you, or is your church in the danger of exporting to the mission fields, along with the essential gospel message?
  • Explain the difference between ‘cultural’ and ‘supra-cultural’ and state which one missionaries should NOT export to their mission fields
  • As an exercise, try to assess what sort of comparable issues you will run into, when you would minister to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or adherents of folk religions
  • Discuss what forms of syncretism you have come across and explain what biblical truth you have used to combat it
  • Explain how theme 5 features in this story (think about forms of syncretism)

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