Syncretism and the Construction of a Personal Spirituality

This article discusses the issue of syncretism in the contemporary European context. It argues from a Protestant perspective and takes account especially of German-speaking theology. It describes Christian faith as syncretistic in a certain manner but argues that confession of the universal soteriological significance of the person, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is a theological criterion for limits of syncretism. For the construction of a personal spirituality one has to distinguish between different meanings of spirituality, religion, and religiosity. The theological relevance of these distinctions is demonstrated by the recent discussion about syncretistic tendencies in the field of spiritual care.