The Trouble with Syncretism in a Syncretistic World

There has been a lot of discussion as of late about the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and what Scripture teaches about joining in joint worship services with other Christians who do not agree with us in all areas of Christian doctrine as well as with those who don't even believe in the Triune God. This all first reared its ugly head after 9/11 when a pastor in the LCMS joined in a joint worship service. Mollie Hemingway wrote an article on that here.Well, after the shootings in Connecticut, there was another service. And another LCMS pastor found himself caught up in controversy and the LCMS is in the middle of it. A few more posts have been made that do a great job of explaining things once again. First is Mark Surburg's article on The Grief Ritual of American Civic Religion.  Then there is an article by Mollie Hemingway on Covering Opposition to Syncretism in a Syncretized World. Give them both a read.Finally, go to the LCMS President's posting to read about how Matthew Harrison dealt with the issue in one of the more pastoral ways. Let me know what your thoughts are as well.