Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. [Colossians 2:8-10 (NLT)]
Without a globe, I allowed a random number to decide the nation for which I’d pray this week. Number 19 was Benin and I’m embarrassed to admit knowing nothing about this narrow strip of land in West Africa between Nigeria and Togo. These three nations once were part of the kingdom of Dahomey and it was in Dahomey that the ancient practice of voudon/vodun/vodou (commonly called voodoo) began. Now a republic, Benin is a severely underdeveloped nation, rife with corruption, where the life expectancy for men is just 60! A little over 40% of the population are Christian, nearly 30% Muslim, about 17% practice voodoo, and another 10% follow other indigenous/animistic religions. As a side note, ARDA (The Association for Religion Data Archives) stated that many of those identifying as Christian also practice voodoo.
Since my limited knowledge of voodoo comes from bad movies with zombies, hexes, and pins stuck into dolls, I did some research. The voodoo of movies and fiction bears little resemblance to real voudon beliefs or practices. Rich with proverbs, songs, and folklore, voudon includes belief in a universal energy, many spirits, a soul that can leave the body during dreams, spirit possession, and folk medicine. Nevertheless, even without the gruesome zombies, voodoo (no matter how you spell it) is incompatible with Christianity.
Voudon came to the New World with enslaved West Africans and is the only traditional African religion to survive here. While it’s the primary religion of a little over 2% of the Haitian population, ARDA noted that a much larger number of people identifying themselves as Christian continue to practice it. ARDA also found that a number of Christians in the Dominican Republic secretly practice witchcraft (brujería) or voodoo.
Converting isn’t easy and it’s not just voudon practitioners who have difficulty completely abandoning their culture’s traditions for Christianity. I had a Japanese friend who struggled to find a way to honor her ancestors without praying to them as she’d done for decades before converting.
Back in Paul’s day, the Colossians had difficulty preventing their new faith in Christ from becoming a mixed religion combining Christianity with elements of their Jewish roots and the popular philosophical movement of Gnosticism. What they ended up with were human traditions, circumcision, a requirement to observe both the Sabbath and the annual and monthly Jewish holy days along with dietary laws, the worship of angels, and even self-abasement—none of which were compatible with Christianity.
Rather than voodoo or Gnosticism, it’s belief in things like Kabbalah, tarot reading, astrology, manifesting, reincarnation, the spiritual energy of objects, psychic mediums, channeling, and crystals that have found their way into American Christians. Often called “new age,” there’s nothing new about them. While they may seem “spiritual” or self-affirming, they cut us off from God’s divine sovereignty, power, and purpose. Nevertheless, in 2018, Pew Research found that 61% of Americans identifying as Christian also believed in at least one of these things: reincarnation, astrology, psychics, or that spiritual energy can be in physical things.
Christianity doesn’t come with an ala carte menu. We don’t get to pick and choose individual dishes according to our preferences, make substitutions, or add a few extra sides because they’re intriguing, trendy, or promise earthly rewards. Christianity comes with a table d’hôte or prix fixe menu. Additions or substitutions aren’t allowed because the menu was set by God and Christ is all-sufficient.
Salvation is offered to everyone but, in Matthew 7, Jesus warned us that God’s gate isn’t wide enough for the addition of other beliefs! He continued with his caution when He said that some who expected to enter the Kingdom wouldn’t be allowed entrance; a similar warning is found in Luke 13. Those who identify as Christian but also follow voodoo or other non-Scriptural beliefs probably expect to enter through that narrow gate. I suspect they are mistaken and will find it shut tight.
As I prayed for Benin, I also prayed for all people who’ve combined false doctrine or pagan practices with their belief in Jesus. May they know and understand that the broad road leading to the wide gate is the road to destruction!
Last month we took a driving trip through Virginia and North Carolina to enjoy the fall colors in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains. While taking a train ride along the Nantahala River Gorge, we commented on the beautiful vines covering the hillside. Our seat-mate told us this lovely looking plant is a destructive weed called kudzu. Native to Asia, this semi-woody vine was introduced to the U.S. back in 1876 during the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Originally advertised as an ornamental plant, kudzu’s ability to grow up to a foot day (and up to 60-feet a year), overtake, grow over, and smother just about anything in its path, has given it a new name: “the vine that ate the South.”
Last year, our family rented a lake home in Idaho. Although we never saw our next-door neighbors, we saw their landscaper nearly every day. A robotic lawnmower, it was meticulous about not missing even a small patch of grass on their expansive lawn. About twice the size of our robotic vacuum, this mower puts our little vac to shame. Rather than going in seemingly random circles, it efficiently cut in back-and-forth straight lines. The gizmo never strayed onto the beach, got lost in the shrubbery, banged into lawn furniture, or wandered into our yard! From lakeside to house, it went up and down the slope without slowing down and returned to its charging station when its power ran low. An obedient and hard-working servant, it was on call 24/7 and would have mowed all night if so directed. The mower’s schedule, boundaries, and grass height requirement were controlled by its master’s smartphone! Because that technology came with a hefty price tag, it also came with a built-in-alarm system, GPS theft-tracking, and a pin code.
When the woman joined our group at the table in the school gym, she said, “I got a late start so I was speeding to get here. If a cop stopped me, I was going to tell him I was doing the Lord’s work and, since God will forgive me, he should too.” She insisted that speeding for a godly purpose was a justifiable offense and, since God offers forgiveness, so should the police. Granted, we were doing God’s work by packing meals for the needy but, as the Blues brothers learned when they saved the orphanage, a mission from God is not a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.
Saul, a man willing to kill his son rather than concede his error in making a foolish vow, wasn’t quite as eager to fulfill other vows he made. Later, he promised his daughter (along with exemption from taxes and military service) to the man who killed Goliath. While the vow prohibiting his men from eating came from his desire for revenge, this one may have come from fear. It was the king’s job to lead his men into battle and Saul, as the tallest man and the only one with bronze armor like Goliath’s, was the obvious choice to take on the Philistine. Perhaps Saul hoped the promise of wealth, honor, and a place at the king’s table would be incentive enough for someone else to volunteer to face the Philistine. For 40 days Goliath had taunted Israel but there were no takers until David.
Last week, when writing how Jephthah’s reckless vow caused his daughter’s death, I remembered how Saul’s equally foolish vow nearly cost his son’s life. While Israel was at war with the Philistines, Saul and his 600 men were camped near Gibeah. Israel was seriously out-numbered by the better-armed Philistines and, because their enemy controlled the pass at Micmash, Saul’s troops could proceed no further. Although the rest of Saul’s men were afraid, Jonathan and his armor bearer were confident that the Lord was with them. Tired of the hopeless standoff with their enemies, the two snuck out of camp and headed toward the Philistine garrison. After passing through two treacherous cliffs and scaling a steep slope, they entered the enemy outpost and, outnumbered ten to one, killed them all.
Devotions of the Heart 