Justin Welby is sounding the alarm about false unity. The Archbishop of Canterbury is warning that a faith pretending all faiths is essentially the same as throwing fuel on the religious extremism fire.
“We need to move beyond inter-religious interaction in which we, the usual suspects, issue bland statements of anemic intent with which you could paper the walls of Lambeth Palace—and much good would it do you—all desperate to agree with one another so that the very worst outcome could possibly be that we end up acknowledging our differences,” he said at an annual dinner of the Board of Deputies of British Jews in London.
“That is not enough in the face of the dangers we face at this time. It is disingenuous and ultimately dishonest because alongside all that we hold in common and all that we share there are profound differences between what we believe and the outworking of our faith. True friendships and relationships can withstand honesty about differences in values, opinions and religious understandings and a common commitment to mutual flourishing in diversity.”
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Welby is a stark contrast to his predecessor, Rowan Williams, whose rituals smell like syncretism. Williams says he spends up to 40 minutes a day squatting and repeating an Eastern Orthodox prayer while performing breathing exercises as part of a routine influenced by Buddhism, according to the Telegraph.
Although I am not opposed to people from different faiths working together, many times such endeavors lead to Christians compromising their beliefs in the name of unity—and that’s one of the key dangers of syncretism. We cannot compromise the Word of God for the sake of getting along with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Mormons or any one else. Once we’ve started embracing elements of other religions, we’ve compromised the gospel that has the power to save those who know Christ in name only.
The New Age movement is syncretistic, blending various religions, relying on various gods and crediting the “universe” with power it doesn’t have. Chrislam, as its name suggests, is also syncretistic, blending elements of Christianity and Islam. Muslims use Chrislam theology as a way into Christian pulpits, essentially opening the door to false worship.
Don’t be fooled. Just because something has Christian elements doesn’t make it Christian. In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul points to “enemies of the cross” (Phil. 3:18). Islam is not a friend of the cross. Buddha was not a friend of the cross. Leaders of false religions are not friends of the cross. And we cannot reconcile the enemies of the cross to the Christ who hung upon a tree to pay the price for their sin if we compromise the gospel and essentially worship their god.
How does God feel about syncretism? “For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14). Jesus, who is God Himself, said, “If you love Me keep My commandments (John 14:15). Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matt. 12:30).
Don’t be fooled in these last days. Ask God to give you a discerning spirit. Remember, unity without an unadulterated gospel isn’t unity at all—it’s syncretism that pours water in the gospel’s gas tank and fails to redeem the enemies of the cross. And in the hour in which we live, unity with false religions can be deadly.
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Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan’s Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
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