Readings for today: Judges 9-12, Psalms 73
One of the very real dangers to the Christian faith is syncretism. Syncretism is the attempt to merge different belief systems together. They could be religious systems, political systems, social/cultural systems, family and/or clan systems, or some combination thereof. It’s happened many times throughout history all over the world. I’ve personally seen it in our own country as people try to merge their faith with their politics or Western cultural norms or even particular church traditions. I’ve seen it in other countries where different tribal groups add ancestor worship or other ancient, pagan customs to their faith. Every time we do it, we water down true Christianity into something sub-Christian or even non-Christian and we make the same mistake as ancient Israel.
In our reading today, we run across syncretism all over the place. Yesterday, we saw Gideon make the mistake of fashioning an idol. Today, we see Jephthah treating the God of Israel like all the other pagan tribal gods of the Canaanites when he makes his tragic vow. Not only that but we read these words from Judges 10:6 CSB which clearly spell out the problem. “Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not worship him.” Why is syncretism such an issue? Because God had set His people apart. He commanded them to be holy even as He is holy. He wants them to serve as salt and light in the world. They are to be a living example of God’s original purpose for humanity. When they engage in the worship practices of the Canaanites, they lose their saltiness. They put their light under a basket. They lose their distinctiveness and the world no longer has an example they can follow. Furthermore, the religious practices of the ancient Canaanites were detestable to God because they involved all kinds of sexual exploitation and prostitution not to mention child sacrifice. In short, it was a complete horror show.
So how can we know if we’ve fallen into the trap of syncretism? I like to apply the “Jesus and” test. Ask yourself what it takes to be a Christian. Is it “Jesus and” a particular way to vote? “Jesus and” a particular social policy? “Jesus and” a particular theological camp? “Jesus and” a particular style of worship? “Jesus and” a particular cultural norm? “Jesus and” a particular group identity? If you qualify your faith in Jesus Christ in any way, shape, or form, you may be trying to merge belief systems with your faith. I think of the people I know who call themselves a “Progressive” or “Conservative” Christian. I think of the people I know who call themselves a “Mainline” or “Evangelical” Christian. I think of the people I know who call themselves a “Gay” or “Straight” Christian. The list is lengthy and I know I’ve fallen into this trap myself on occasion. “Christian” needs no qualifier because Jesus needs no qualifier. He Himself is the one who qualifies those whom He calls to saving faith.
Readings for tomorrow: Judges 13-15, Psalms 74