We live in exciting times in the history of the church, but saying that does not mean that there were less exciting times. We often hear ecclesiastical history talked about in such a way that it can be illustrated as a roller coaster with several ups and downs. Perhaps we should consider the history of the church more like times in which the spotlight was more lit in certain regions than in others. In the course of time, what God has done is moved the more intensified sections of the spotlight from one area to another on the planet. So, to say that we are living in quite exciting times in the history of the church is not arbitrary but relative, in this case, to the context of the Spanish-speaking world.
A Unique Moment Thus Far
Latin America has never seen such great a movement by the church of Christ, by the protestant church of Christ. Not only do we see an awakening to a biblical gospel, but Latin Americans are taking it to the ends of the world, literally. I do not think this point is debatable, especially for those who have traveled a lot. As an example, I just arrived from a series of conferences in England, France and the Basque Country in northern Spain. Of the grand total of all eight conferences, 90% of the attendees were Latinos, even in Spain.
Not only that, but we also work with young, second-generation Latin Americans who, with a burden for their compatriots of their birth countries, have prepared themselves to bring a pure gospel to them. This point can be summed up when we consider the vast number of Christians in Latin America and the groups of them that are taking the gospel to countries that are traditionally not Spanish-speaking. There are currently Christian radio stations in Spanish and Hispanic preachers in countries of other cultures and languages, such as Switzerland, Australia, Germany, the United States, among others. The potential to impact the world with the gospel is more than many can estimate.
It is no exaggeration to conclude that the ball is in the court of Latin Americans. This observation is not a reason for boasting, but an exhortation to have sober minds and strengthened hearts. And when I say that the ball is in the court of Latin Americans, I mean it in the sense of the sovereign plan of God in history, not in regards to the responsibility of the individual, since every Christian is responsible for the great commission and its respective implications, regardless of which nationality or time he lives in. Each of the redeemed is not only an influence in the church, but will also leave a lasting impact that will remain long after we leave this world.
However, this can’t be any truer, with growth, all sorts of challenges come also. The church is composed and surrounded by human beings. And human beings are stubborn and rebellious. There is no smooth or easy growth. As a result, there are apologetic ministries (defending the faith) for those inside and outside the church.
Good Apologetics Needed in the Face of Syncretism
At this crucial moment, the discipline of apologetics is needed outside of the church for the proclamation of the gospel, responding to questions that distract unbelievers from a direct and clear view of the gospel. Apologetics is also needed within the church in order to grow in the knowledge of the glory of Christ, fostering strong foundations in the faith and thus avoiding syncretism.
What is syncretism exactly? It is an attempt to place the fruit of one worldview on the foundation of another, or the attempt to mix two or more religious worldviews in their practices and philosophies. The syncretism in the church is simply the product of a confused faith in regards to what its foundation is and the systematic parameters that come from it.
Faith can not float in the air forever, and like a balloon losing its helium, it lands on a foundation in obedience to the laws of gravity. Similarly, we will also land on a foundation, be it the Scriptures, or another. Although a saving faith does not exist outside of biblical foundations (the gospel is based on the Scriptures), that connection, that rootedness, needs to grow in discipleship.
Syncretism can certainly infiltrate a believer’s faith up to a point (well, we all sin in this regard one way or another). But there is also the danger of believing that one can be saved outside of a biblical understanding of the gospel. It is for this reason that evangelism and discipleship must be saturated with good apologetics so that the believer can land and remain in the Scriptures.