Vol. 16, No.2 nternatlona• April 1992 etln• Syncretistn: Good? Bad? Inevitable? n the ancient world, few peoples were considered as There is always a concern that interreligious dialogue may I mutually hostile and incompatible as the tribes of Crete. lead to syncretism and hinder the proclamation of the Gospel in Or as brutish and unreliable (cf. Titus 1:12). Yet on at least one mission. In response to this concern, the recent Vatican document occasion the Cretans cast their lot together to unite against a on "Dialogue and Proclamation," excerpted here, gives help­ common enemy. Plutarch searched for a word to describe this ful guidance on the relationship between these two "authentic unlikely fusion and came up with "syncretism." forms of the one evangelizing mission of the church." The state­ In this issue Peter Schineller, superior of the Jesuit Nigeria­ ment affirms that, "while not on the same level," both activ­ Ghana Mission, reviews the history and use of "syncretism" ities are "legitimate and necessary ... intimately related, but to describe the phenomena associated with Christian mission. not interchangeable." Many hear only negative connotations when "syncretism" is Syncretism: by whatever name, we still must be on guard! used in this context. Others maintain that syncretism is not only inevitable but that the results are often positive and desirable. Certainly, a mixing and fusion of cultural elements inevitably takes place as the people of our globe interact. The result-if not On Page "syncretism"-may be called inculturation, accommodation, 50 Inculturation and Syncretism: adaptation, indigenization, or contextualization. What Is the Real Issue? For himself, Schineller would prefer to drop "syncretism" Peter Schineller, S./. from the missiological vocabularly because it invites fruitless ar­ gument and deflects from the real issue: how to decide what qual­ 54 After the Glasnost Revolution: ifies as authentic, valid inculturation. Soviet Evangelicals and Western Missions .As it happens, other features in this issue also bear on the Walter Sawatsky topic. Adrian Hastings, in "My Pilgrimage in Mission," recalls 60 My Pilgrimage in Mission a point in his years of service in East Africa when the strictures Adrian Hastings imposed by the expatriate hierarchy prompted him to say, in 1966, 66 Olyphant and Opium: A Canton Merchant "[We should] limit the intake of missionaries, relax canon law, Who II} ust Said 'No' " and then wait and see!" That is, rather than continuing to resist Robert Charles indigenous adaptations out of fear of syncretism, let the national 69 The Legacy of A. B. Simpson church chart its own path. Gerald E. McGaw Lesslie Newbigin's essay on the mission legacy of W. A. Visser 't Hooft gives prominence to Visser 't Hooft's concern 78 The Legacy of W. A. Visser 't Hooft about syncretism, most forcefully expressed in No OtherName-a Lesslie Newbigin concern, of course, very much taken up these days by Newbigin 80 Noteworthy himself. 82 Dialogue and Proclamation (Excerpts) Although syncretism is not overtly the focus of Walter Sa­ Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples watsky's assessment of Western mission in the republics of the and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue former Soviet Union, he nevertheless deals with the issue in con­ nection with the current danger of "Americanizing" Russian 88 Book Reviews evangelicalism, in careless disregard of Russian history and cul­ 94 Dissertation Notices ture. 96 Book Notes of •sSlonary • search Inculturation and Syncretism: What Is the Real Issue? Peter Schineller, 5.J. n the process of Christian mission and inculturation of that describes syncretism as an "uncritical affirmative ap­ I the Gospel, is syncretism always wrong? Are syncretism proach" to the evaluation of Eastern religions and cultures, and and inculturation incompatible? Is syncretism inevitable? Is syn­ "the unjustifiable fusion of irreconcilable tenets and prac­ cretism a necessary step in the process of inculturation? Is there tices."? any clear, agreed upon definition of syncretism? These are some A theologian from India speaks of the "fusion of incom­ of the questions raised when syncretism and inculturation come patible elements" and the "mingling [of] authentic notions face to face. and realities of the revealed faith with realities of other spiritual The word. "syncretism" has contrasting meanings and worlds.r" The concern is that one may borrow elements of another connotations, many of them pejorative. A number of theologians, religion without critically passing them through the screen of however, view syncretism more positively, often approaching it Christianity, with Christianity being watered down or destroyed from an anthropological rather than a theological perspective. For in the process. As another author puts it, "Ultimately, syn­ them it is a necessary stage in the process of inculturation. cretism is but another form of Christ-rejection.':" In light of this ambiguity, my view is that the word "syn­ We might note that Vatican II, in its Decree on the Missionary cretism" cannot be redeemed. After briefly reviewing current Activity of the Churches, in section 22 on the need for a more thinking about syncretism and citing a number of historical ex­ profound adaptation of the faith, warns against syncretism: amples of syncretism, I will focus in this essay on what I believe "Every appearance of syncretism and false particularism will is the crucial issue-namely, the criteria by which to distinguish be avoided." The concern of the Council Fathers is that true adequate and valid inculturation from inadequate and invalid Christianity will not be nourished by such syncretism but rather attempts at inculturation. diluted or destroyed. Some authors seem to wish to save the word "syncretism" The Many Meanings of Syncretism by rescuing it from inadequacies. Thus Aylward Shorter warns that many religious movements in Africa are "crudely syn­ Both in the history of its usage and in contemporary usage, cretistic.?" by which he suggests that some movements may not "syncretism" has had varied meanings. Originally it was ap­ be crudely syncretistic. Lamin Sanneh speaks against an "un­ plied to political alliances in ancient Greece. Some Old Testament critical syncretism.r" which again implies that there can be a crit­ ical syncretism. Pinto writes that "not all types of syncretism are negative and to be shunned.:" Louis J. Luzbetak asks, "Must syncretistic assimilations always be judged pejoratively'"" Boff tries to establish I similarly hold that particular cases of syncretism, or the criteria for an authentic inculturation of the Gospel, must be examined to judge whether the inculturation is adequate and authentic. In this sense syncre­ syncretism. tism refers to the necessary, ongoing process of the development of Christian life, practice, and doctrine. Michael Kirwen writes: "The term syncretism is used in scholars use it to describe the process by which ancient Israel the sense of a developmental process of historical growth in re­ assimilated elements from surrounding cultures. In the age of the ligion by accretion and coalescence of originally conflicting forms Reformation it pointed to the links between Christianity and hu­ of beliefs and practices through processes of interaction, suppres­ manism; and also to the need for Protestant and Catholic churches sion, and development.i'" We only understand and assimilate the to come together. Today it retains many of these meanings, with new in terms of the old. For Kirwen, therefore, syncretism does both positive and negative connotations. As used by anthropol­ not involve religious compromise or inconsistent eclecticism. ogists and historians of religion, it is generally used positively. Eugene Hillman believes that syncretism is more often than As used by theologians and church leaders, it may be used either not both desirable and necessary "for the progressive univ­ positively or negatively. Whether one takes a positive or negative ersalization and tangible catholicization of Christianity."10 Sanneh view will depend on how one defines syncretism and usually will writes that "the charge of syncretism, so often invoked against reflect a conservative or liberal stance. the increasing importance of African leadership in the church, Harvie M. Conn quotes the African theologian Byang Kato loses its force."!' He sees Christianity as one of the most syncre­ as saying that syncretism occurs "when critical and basic ele­ tistic of religions, basing this upon his understanding of the doc­ ments of the Gospel are lost in the process of contextualization trine of incarnation. Pinto writes that "at times syncretism may and are replaced by religious elements from the receiving cul­ be even indispensable in the process of casting off the old man ture."l Similarly, Conn refers to an Asian evangelical declaration and putting on the new.,,12 Most positive of all is Leonardo Boff, in his Church: Charism, and Power. In chapter 7, entitled "In Favor of Syncretism: The Peter Schineller, S.J., is Superior oftheNigeria-Ghana Jesuit Mission. Hereceived Catholicity of Catholicism," syncretism is seen as something pos­ his doctorate from the University of Chicago, has taught at Weston School of itive and a normal process. Syncretism reflects the church at its Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Jesuit School of Theology in best, searching openly and courageously for true catholicity. Boff Chicago, and was lecturer and dean at the