SYNCRETISM is "the mixing of Christian assumptions with those worldview assumptions that are incompatible with Christianity so that the result is not biblical Christianity."17 Syncretism weakens the church, warps non-Christians' understanding of Christianity and withholds from God the full devotion and complete obedience that is rightly due to Him. So the spiritual health and vibrancy of Christian churches depends on developing a faith that is as free from syncretism as possible, a faith that is both biblical and culturally relevant. Several key elements can contribute to discipling oral learners with a minimal amount of syncretism.

The first key element in avoiding syncretism is communicating with people in their mother tongue - the language in which they learned their religion, values and cultural identity. They house their innermost thoughts in their mother tongue, so it is the language through which their worldview is most likely to change. They can explain their new faith more readily to others in their people group when they use the mother tongue. In using the mother tongue, one must carefully consider the key biblical terms to use in a language if there is not yet a Bible translation. Concepts like love, grace and sin, or even the basic notion like the name used for God, the Holy Spirit, or Christ need to be carefully identified. Inadequacies in this area readily lead to syncretism.

When pastors are asked why they preach in a national language or trade language instead of the local language of their congregation, they often respond that they did their theological training in the trade language and that the local language is not rich in theological terms. If the pastor does not know how to express theological terms in the local language, you can be sure that his people are not grasping these important concepts. When the pastor does not preach and teach in the local language, he is leaving the important task of choosing the correct term to interpreters who do not have the benefit of the pastor's theological training. The use of interpreters who are not trained in biblical language can result in wrong words being used for important Christian concepts and this can lead to syncretism or even heresy.

The Puinave people of Colombia were "re-discipled" when missionaries uncovered syncretism.18 Although the Puinave had become culturally "Christian" in the 1950s, they mixed magic with their understanding of Christianity's behavioral norms. Many misunderstandings resulted from using the national language, Spanish, in their Christian activity. When New Tribes Mission workers spent seven years learning the Puinave language in the 1970s, they were surprised at the syncretistic beliefs held. At first, they tried teaching the Bible using traditional teaching methods. The Puinave nodded their agreement, but missed many of the key points.

It was only through a chronological presentation of God's word, beginning with the Old Testament and on to the Gospels, story by story, that they were able to vividly portray the holy nature and character of God, the sinful condition of man, the grip that Satan has on this world and the redeeming solution to man's predicament found in Jesus Christ. Reflecting on this redemptive panorama of God's provision, the village elder held up his thumb near to his forefinger and observed: "I came just this close from going to hell…"

17 Charles Kraft, "Culture, Worldview and Contextualization," in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 3d ed., ed. Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1999), 390.

18 New Tribes Mission, Now We See Clearly, video, 1998.