HOW SYNCRETISM BECAME A BAD WORD: Theology's insult.

The article examines the evolution of the term syncretism as a derogatory term in theology. Topics discussed include the initial use of the term as an expression of admiration for the ability to form alliances across ecclesial divisions, use of the term in relation to the anxieties of White Christianity about its purity in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and implication of the concern about purity for the Christian understanding of revelation.