Syncretism—A False Doctrine That Affects So Many!
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, September 24, 2026 (Donate)
One of the most devastating things that has happened to churches
in the last 200 years is syncretism. Many of you reading this probably
know very little about the false doctrine of syncretism but it is an age-old style of religion that
decimates from within.
One prime example in many churches, Christian colleges, and seminaries
today is the mixing of Christianity with tenets of the religion of secular
humanism. When Christians accept big bang, millions of years, or evolutionary
ideas into their belief system, then Genesis 1-11 is essentially thrown out,
reinterpreted in light of fallible man’s ideas (humanism) or simply set aside and ignored
as “non essentials” or secondary.
Yes, this is how false religions get a foothold into churches—when one part of the Bible goes, be ready for other tenets to fall.
What Is Syncretism?
So what is syncretism? Syncretism is the blending or mixing
of two different religions. It is typically discussed in regard to the godly
who mix their religion with another ungodly worldview or religion—sometimes it
might be just specific tenets like origins or the nature of Christ
as taught by other religions.
Don’t be deceived, this is a subtle but devastating attack
on God and His Word. When someone mixes their biblical Christianity with
beliefs, religious practices, philosophies, or worldviews that originate
outside Scripture and thus have man as the authority, it is a contradiction of
what God says. The problem is that instead of allowing God's Word to judge
outside ideas, syncretism is a model to combine Christianity with them.
Not everything originating outside the church is
automatically sinful. Christians can learn mathematics, engineering, medicine,
history, and other subjects through general revelation and our ability to investigate
things. The problem occurs when an outside belief contradicts Scripture
and Christians modify biblical teaching to accommodate it.
Biblically, syncretism is ultimately an authority problem:
Is God's Word the standard by which other beliefs are judged, or must God's
Word be reinterpreted to accommodate another authority?
The most common syncretism today in churches is the addition
of millions of years (geological evolution), evolutionary ideas (biological
evolution) and big bang (cosmological evolution) as their new origins account
and then they say “God used these evolutionary processes”. There are biblical
problems with this but also theological problems and scientific problems. Yet people
still hold to it.
Why Is Syncretism Wrong?
God repeatedly commanded His people not to mix true
worship with false religion. When Israel entered Canaan, God warned them not to
imitate the nations or inquire—He said:
“When the LORD your God cuts off
from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them
and dwell in their land, “take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to
follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not
inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I
also will do likewise.’ “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way;
for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods;
for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. (Deuteronomy
12:29-31, NKJV).
With horrible precision, ancient Israel repeatedly
violated this command. Israel worshiped Baal and Ashtoreth (Judges 2:11-13; 1
Kings 18:21), sacrificed to other gods (Deuteronomy 32:16-17), erected high
places and sacred pillars (2 Kings 17:9-12), and even participated in child
sacrifice associated with Molech (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). 2 Kings 17:33 simply
puts the big picture problem out there when it says:
They feared the LORD, yet served
their own gods — according to the rituals of the nations from among
whom they were carried away. (NKJV)
That is an excellent biblical description of syncretism in
ancient times. People attempt to retain God while mixing or syncing beliefs
and practices from opposing religions. Consider Elijah when he said:
And Elijah came to all the people,
and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is
God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a
word. (1 Kings 18:21, NKJV).
Christianity isn’t to be mixed with contradictory religious
systems because what communion has light with darkness? (see 2
Corinthians 6:14). Something always has to give and sadly, usually, the godly
began giving up the text of Scripture in order to follow pagan or anti-biblical
paths.
Even Solomon with great wisdom did this. He began offering sacrifices to pagan gods! Solomon allowed his foreign wives to turn his heart toward pagans like Ashtoreth, Milcom, and Chemosh (1 Kings 11:1-8; see also Nehemiah 13:26). In the New Testament, Paul blatantly warns us:
Beware lest anyone cheat you
through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men,
according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians
2:8, NKJV).
When people add or change God’s Word to accommodate some false
belief from other [false] religions, it elevates man above God on those
areas. This is the religion of humanism [in its broadest sense]. Thus, man is seen
as the judge over what God says. This won’t go well on judgment day for people
who do this, when God will judge them by His Word! Jesus says:
He who rejects Me, and does not
receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have
spoken will judge him in the last day. (John 12:48, NKJV)
Latin American Christianity and Paganism
Consider a parallel type of syncretism in today’s culture. This
example occurs where Christianity has been mixed with pre-Christian pagan
religions in the Americas or African traditional religions or otherwise general
types of spiritism or folklore practices.
The problem is that someone may identify as Christian while
simultaneously appealing to spirits, consulting mediums, practicing divination,
using religious charms, venerating pagan deities under Christianized names, or
performing rituals derived from earlier religions—particularly in the local areas.
The Bible overtly speaks against divination, sorcery, mediums,
spiritism, and attempts to contact the dead (Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Isaiah
8:19-20). Instead of chasing these things, we should follow the Bible. The
biblical response, therefore, to pagan religion isn’t to Christianize it by
mixing with it but to judge those false beliefs as false.
Converts at Ephesus in the New Testament publicly destroyed
their occult books rather than incorporating them into Christianity (Acts
19:18-20). This says something powerful about the power of the Gospel.
Creation And Secular Origins
As mentioned, the popular form of syncretism in the Western
World today is the syncretism that occurs when Christians attempt to combine
Genesis with naturalism/materialism which are subsets to the religion of secular
humanism (big bang, millions of years, and evolution).
Genesis describes God creating in six days (Genesis
1; Exodus 20:11), mankind being created specially in God's image (Genesis
1:26-27), Adam being formed from dust and Eve from Adam (Genesis 2:7, 21-23),
and death entering the human world through Adam's sin (Romans 5:12; 1
Corinthians 15:21-22). This isn’t rocket science—it’s rather straightforward.
When Christians reinterpret these passages to accommodate
the big bang, billions of years, or human evolution from animal ancestors, an
outside historical framework is essentially becoming the new superior
authority used to reinterpret Scripture. In other words, God is being demoted
to be subservient to man! See the problem?
The issue isn’t opposing scientific investigation. Big bang,
millions of years, and evolution can’t be observed or repeated, so they aren’t observable
or repeatable science anyway. Rather, Christians should distinguish
observational science from philosophical or historical claims that contradict
God's eyewitness revelation.
Other Syncretistic Doctrinal Errors
Without belaboring the point, there are many ways that
Christians often syncretize their Christianity with another religion. This
could be combing elements of Eastern religions. Yoga, for instance is an
aspect of Hinduism. Stretching one's
body into a particular position isn’t automatically worship. However,
historically religious forms of yoga can incorporate Hindu concepts, Eastern meditation
techniques to empty oneself, Hindu mantras, altered spiritual consciousness, or
beliefs about union with the impersonal divine.
Another form of syncretism is mixing with secular psychology.
Studying human behavior, trauma, memory, communication, or biological aspects
of the brain isn’t inherently anti-Christian.
Syncretism occurs when secular psychological philosophies concerning man's fundamental nature replace biblical anthropology. Scripture says mankind was created in God's image (Genesis 1:27), is fallen in Adam (Romans 5:12), possesses a sinful heart (Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-23), needs repentance and salvation (Acts 17:30; Romans 3:23), and ultimately needs transformation through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If a psychological philosophy says man's fundamental problem
is merely low self-esteem, environment, repression, or lack of self-fulfillment
while denying sin and personal moral responsibility, Christians shouldn’t
reinterpret Scripture to accommodate it.
New Age spirituality is commonly syncretized or mixed
with Christianity today—sadly. In doing this, adherants mix concepts such as universal divine
consciousness, spirit guides, energy manipulation, astrology, divination,
manifestation, reincarnation, crystals possessing spiritual power, or the idea
that humans possess divinity within themselves. You might have been able to
detect some Eastern mysticism in there, because New Age is an off-shoot of
Eastern religions like Hinduism.
Even so, these concepts conflict with biblical Christianity.
God is Creator and mankind is creation (Genesis 1:1, 27). Humans aren’t gods
(Isaiah 43:10; Ezekiel 28:2). Astrology, divination, mediums, and spiritism are
condemned (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Isaiah 47:13-14).
Syncretism can also occur when churches blend or mix their
Christianity with materialism, sexual humanism, political ideology,
prosperity teaching, ancestor worship, religious pluralism, critical theories,
or other philosophies that become authorities over Scripture. The list goes on!
Conclusion
When Christian leaders buy into syncretism of any form, who
does it affect the most? It affects next generation—the children, youths, and
students of these Christian leaders. So keep in mind that syncretism can
destroy a church slowly from within over generations. Romans 12:2 warns:
"And do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
The solution isn’t cultural isolation either. Christians
live in the world and should evaluate ideas carefully. The Bereans were
commended because they, rightly, searched the Scriptures to determine whether
teachings were true (Acts 17:11).
As biblical Christians we don’t need to be entertaining
pagan religion, naturalistic origins, secular philosophies, Eastern
spirituality, or New Age practices. We should test all things against God’s
perfect and holy Word and then hold fast what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Syncretism is a false doctrine as it takes outside worldview
elements and mixes or syncretizes them with Christianity in a way that
contradicts, modifies, or overrides God's Word. Our biblical response should be
to bring every belief under the authority of Scripture rather than judging
God’s Word by fallible, sinful, errant, man-made ideas.
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years
working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He
was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia. Mr.
Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in
these fields.
*Image by generative program as requested by Bodie Hodge
