The discipline, self-control, and serenity of some religions can be very attractive to Christians. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT). So, it is no wonder that Christians and non-Christians can agree that these qualities are desirable to develop in one’s life. If the Word of God acknowledges the attributes we admire in other religions or non-religious practices, then why is there a need for a Christian to incorporate non-Biblical practices/beliefs/ideas into his faith?

This blending of truth with the non-Biblical is a hybrid Christianity that is deceptive and denies the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:1-5). “Hybrid Christianity usually finds a ready audience, because it talks our language – it removes the mystery and it removes the impossibility of the faith: it restores some deity to human beings” (Transforming a Cretan: Titus as a Case Study for Holiness by Pastor Brad Powers). The great deception of our culture is the teaching that it is acceptable to create a god that adapts to our belief system. The Bible teaches that there is only one kind of Christian, the kind with a surrendered life to Christ and whose actions, words, deeds, practices and habits reflect Jesus Christ. Hybrid Christianity is turning the world off of Christianity because it is unable to produce fruit.

And, our conduct at times does not make Christianity (or the Gospel for that matter) attractive to those who are seeking “inner peace”. However, we are “to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives” (Titus 1:1). “The aim is not merely good words – that is, not just knowing what the truth is; the aim is a life of Christ-likeness, a life that reflects the priorities and ethics of a holy God” (Cretan by Pastor Brad Powers). No matter how seemingly compatible it is, there is nothing that the mixing of non-Biblical practices/beliefs/ideas into the Christian faith can add to make “a better Christian” that has not already been provided for by God through His Holy Spirit.

We “have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given [us] the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17). The Bible is good enough, powerful enough, and the only resource we need to find “inner peace” – the kind of peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).