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I recently became interested in the dangers of christian dominionism when I read an internet article by Sara Diamond that discusses its influence in the policies of the Bush Administration. The precepts of dominionism are too broad for a single article, but here are some basics.
Dominionists apply their principles to both domestic and foreign policy.
In a recent example of its influence on domestic policy, James Dobson of the Focus on Family is threatening to use his political muscle to unseat six democratic senators if they oppose judicial appointments he supports – a move that goes far beyond voting his values to an un-Christian intimidation. Maybe someone forgot to tell Mr. Dobson that the six senators have families too.
In a recent CSPAN panel discussion on religion and the Bush presidency, one panelist stated that the evangelical interest in foreign policy was currently limited to the elite of the Christian right. According to Mr. Van Dulk, this elite have not discussed foreign policy with the grass roots level yet because they prefer to focus on domestic issues such as abortion and gay marriage at this level. At least with respect to foreign policy, there may still be time to keep Christians from being deceived or led astray be dominionism.
However, dominionism is not something that exists only on the fringe – it exists in our daily religious lives. I once sat in shock while a bible study teacher quoted Hitler-s propaganda for the master race that it is a woman’s duty to have children. I don-t really believe that she knew who she was quoting, and it is unlikely that whoever re-introduced this principle told people they were emulating Hitler. They were probably told they were helping to build an army for God. This capacity to deceive or lead people astray is the danger of dominionism.
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN DOMINIONISM AND WHY IS IT HERESY?
In the 1960-s and 1970-s, RJ Rushdoony founded the Chalcedon Foundation which still promotes this false interpretation of Genesis 1:26 under the label of Christian Reconstructionism. In his book, Backward Christian Soldier?, one-time Rushdoony follower Gary North states that Christians have a moral obligation to “recapture every institution for Jesus Christ.”
Another follower of Rushdoony, George Grant has stated that “It is dominion we are after. WORLD CONQUEST. That’s what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish.” In 1981, Frances Schaeffer published his version of dominionism in The Christian Manifesto.
It denies rather than follows the teachings of Jesus
In addition to contradicting what is generally considered God’s intent in Genesis, it denies rather than follows the teachings of Jesus. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus rejected Satan’s offer to have kingdoms on earth. If Jesus didn’t think that was the way to bring God’s kingdom, why would we?
During his ministry, Matthew 20:25-28 (KJV) says “But Jesus called unto them and said ‘Ye know the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority over them.
But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister, and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
And at his trial at the end of his ministry Jesus says “My kingdom is not of this world” in John 18:36. In the story of the faithful servant in Matthew 24, we are instructed to continue to serve God until Jesus returns, not to dethrone him by trying to become the master.
DANGERS OF CHRISTIAN DOMINIONISM – HOW IS DOMINION THEOLOGY MANIFESTED TODAY?
Strict dominionism is generally rejected by mainstream Christianity; however, dominionist themes have crept its way into fundamentalist practice. Some of the elements of dominionism that appear in Christian churches include:
1. Focus on the supernatural
The Assemblies of God declared the Latter Rain doctrine heresy in the late 1940’s; however, some have brought back the doctrine in the 1970’s without using the name. The neo-prophetic movement is one manifestation of this doctrine. One leading modern proponent, Bob Jones (not the university founder)
, has publicly stated that someone can still be a prophet if they are correct only 65% of the time, which clearly contradicts God’s warnings for false prophets in Deut 18:22.
Under this standard, it’s not hard to see why some people think that Bush hears from God even though he was wrong about WMD in Iraq. Others in this movement attempt to teach people how to prophesy, contradicting the bible which unquestionably describes it as a gift of the Holy Spirit, rather than a skill to be learned.
2. Focus on old testament law,
in some cases ahead of new testament teaching – This is evidenced in the support for the death penalty, which does not exactly create a “culture of life”. It is not likely they would institute ALL old testament law, such as the forgiveness of debts every seven years, making it’s implementation subject to the will of man rather than the will of God.
3. Focus on home schooling
to help create a generation to run secular institutions for Jesus – I’m not opposed to home schooling; however, Gary North, quoted above, has founded the Institute for Christian Economics, which through its website provides educational material for home schooling at no cost, but no doubt from a dominionist world view.
4. An excuse for not doing good works
Focus on salvation through faith alone – While this is biblical, it is used un-biblically as an excuse for not doing good works. (See James 2:14-18 and 2Cor 9:8) Someone truly changed through faith would likely want to do good works, and we should be wary of anyone who claims to have faith but uses this excuse.
5. Focus on eschatology (“the last days”)
One dominionist group known as Kingdom Now has as its goal the completion of the perfect church, without “spot or wrinkle” in preparation for the return of Christ. A whole host of evils could occur or have occurred under this aim, including
- ostracizing undesirables from the church in opposition to both the teaching and the example set for us by Jesus;
- the justification of doing evil to non-believers, such as the abuse of Muslim prisoners (see Lamentations 3: 34-36) or preaching that Islam’s secret goal is to destroy Christianity.
- Another evil that has been associated with the Reconstructionists is racism, based on Rushdooney’s writings prohibiting interracial marriage.
This is just a brief summary of some of the dominionist principles that have infiltrated some mainstream Christian practice. We need to continually think about our faith and be on guard against those who would lead us astray.
For More on the Dangers of Dominion Theology, See Also:
Good article in The Christian Century: The quiet rise of Christian dominionism
EXCERPT: It is dominion we are after. Not just a voice. It is dominion we are after. Not just influence. It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time. It is dominion we are after. World conquest. That’s what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish…. Although Mosaic law has not been implemented in America, Christian reconstructionism has made significant inroads in government.
Articles here at PublicChristian:
Christofascism – It’s Real, It’s Deadly, And It Intends to Dominate Us All
America’s Problem and Blessing,
Isaiah, The Consequences of our Moral Patterns.
I apologize that I do not remember who the original author of this is. In the iterations of this site over the years, that information has been lost.
OK, more than half of the people on this earth are illiterate or barely literate – and if you go to any tribal people, you will never discover atheists among them. They all bring different pictures of the supernatural and the unseen to the table, but I defy anyone to find an atheist on earth except among those rejecting JudeoChristianity. Atheism is an invention of literacy, period.
And where did this wise font of atheism first take hold? Teutonic Europe (the Enlightenment…), which also has served up Hitler, the atrocities in Russia, and fostered the materialistic orgy of the US, among other wonders.
Should we then trust these intellectual sources, exalting them over the natural spirituality of tribal people throughout the earth?
If we, as Eurocentric learners, say we are too clever to believe in the unseen, do we not exalt ourselves over all other people on earth?
So if you intellectually embrace atheism, and insult the spirituality of most of the earth, can you then live with your own conceit?
The humanly significant parts of ANY experience are “all in your head.” So we should stop having anything above the most elementary, autonomic, insignificant experiences for that reason? That’s not a very attractive philosophy of life — at least not for humans — amoebas maybe…
Behavioral nurologists have actually shown that religious experiences are nothing more than seizures in the temproral lobe, akin to temporal lobe epilepsy. So “God” is all in your head. Concentrate on having a good life, the only life you will ever have, helping people, not because you will be rewarded posthumously, but because it FEELS good. And get laid more…you would be a happier person!
There’s a very interesting piece ‘ The Crusaders: Christian evangelicals are plotting to remake America in their own image’, from Rolling Stone’ magazine, April 7th, 2005, at this page.
It put me in mind of a very interesting article I’d read earlier on Rushdoony, the ‘founder’ of the Dominionist movement, on the SurvivalistSkills.Com site, at http://www.survivalistskills.com/RUSH.HTM.
But such Christian influence in America is hardly new. Witness the huge array of Christian books for Women on the BeautyAndWomen.Com site, at http://www.beautyandwomen.com/womans.htm, and a similar listing of Christian books for men on the ‘New World Order Intelligence Update’ site, at http://www.nwointelligence.com/MEN.HTM.
Then there’s that classic battleground, creationism vs evolution. See the Toronto Christian Book Centre web page at http://www.torontochristianbooks.com/CREATION.HTM for an impressive example of how this age-old debate has flared up again under the heading of ‘Intelligent Design’…
One of the problems with President Bush is that he found religion when he stopped drinking, but he probably never reflected on what led to the addiction in the first place. We may also imagine that he did not pay much attention in Sunday school, or worry himself over the sort of spiritual doubts & questioning that many young people go through from late-adolescence well into their twenties & that drives them to study comparative religion, read poetry & philosophical novels, & talk all night with friends about the “meaning-of-life.” I think our president skipped all that. In matters of theology, George Bush is as misled & deceived as any other gullible pew-sitter with a manipulative dominionist in the pulpit.