Syncretism and Christian Tradition

Syncretism has been a part of Christianity from its very beginnings. Defined as the phenomena of religious mixture, syncretism carries a range of connotations. In Christian theology, syncretism shifted from a compliment during the Reformation to an outright insult in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Ross Kane argues that the history of syncretism's use accentuates wider interpretive problems, drawing attention to attempts by Christian theologians to protect the category of divine revelation from perceived human interference. Syncretism and Christian Tradition examines how the concept of race figures into dominant religious traditions associated with imperialism, and reveals how syncretism can act a vital means of the Holy Spirit's continuing revelation of Jesus.