Dominion Theology or Dominionism is a theocratic ideology that seeks to
implement a nation governed by conservative Christians ruling over the
rest of society based on their understanding of biblical law. Dominion
Theology is related to theonomy, though it does not necessarily advocate Mosaic
law as the basis of government. Prominent adherents of Dominion Theology
are otherwise theologically diverse, including the Calvinist Christian
Reconstructionism and the charismatic/Pentecostal Kingdom Now
theology and New Apostolic Reformation. The term Dominion Theology is applied
primarily among non-mainstream Protestants in the United States. Some
elements within the mainstream Christian right have been influenced by Dominion
Theology authors. Indeed, some writers have applied the term "Dominionism" more
broadly to the mainstream Christian right, implicitly arguing that that
movement is founded upon a theology that requires Christians to govern over
non-Christians. Mainstream conservatives do not call themselves "Dominionists,"
and the usage has sparked considerable controversy.
Etymology The term "Dominion Theology" is derived
from the King James Bible's rendering of Genesis 1:28, the passage in which God
grants humanity "dominion" over the Earth.
And God blessed [ Adam and Eve ], and God said unto them, "Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth." In the late 1980s, several prominent
evangelical authors used the phrase Dominion Theology to label a loose
grouping of theological movements that made direct appeals to this passage in
Genesis. Christians typically interpret this passage as meaning that God gave
humankind responsibility over the Earth, but the distinctive aspect of Dominion
Theology is that it is interpreted as a mandate for Christian stewardship in
civil affairs, no less than in other human matters.
= Seven Mountains = David Barton has advocated what he calls
"seven mountains prophecy" where Christian conservatives should control
and dominate "family, religion, education, media, entertainment,
business and government. History
Most of the contemporary movements labeled Dominion Theology or Dominionism
arose in the 1970s in religious movements reasserting aspects of
Christian nationalism. Ideas for how to accomplish this vary. Very doctrinaire
versions of Dominion Theology are sometimes called "Hard Dominionism" or
"Theocratic Dominionism," because they seek relatively authoritarian theocratic
or theonomic forms of government. Christian Reconstructionism
An example of Dominionism in reformed theology is Christian Reconstructionism,
which originated with the teachings of R. J. Rushdoony in the 1960s and 1970s.
Rushdoony's theology focuses on theonomy, a belief that all of society
should be ordered according to the laws that governed the Israelites in the Old
Testament. His system is strongly Calvinistic, emphasizing the sovereignty
of God over human freedom and action, and denying the operation of charismatic
gifts in the present day; both of these aspects are in direct opposition to
Kingdom Now Theology. Full adherents to Reconstructionism are
few and marginalized among most Christians. Dave Hunt, Hal Lindsey, and
Thomas Ice specifically criticize Christian Reconstructionism from a
Christian viewpoint, disagreeing on theological grounds with its theocratic
elements as well as its Calvinism and postmillennialism. J. Ligon Duncan,
Sherman Isbell, Vern Poythress, Robert Godfrey, and Sinclair Ferguson analyze
Reconstructionism as conservative Calvinists, primarily giving a
theological critique of its theocratic elements.
Michael J. McVicar has noted that many leading Christian Reconstructionists are
also leading writers on libertarian economic theories.
Social scientists have used the word "dominionism" to refer to adherence to
Christian Reconstructionism. Kingdom Now theology
Kingdom Now theology is a branch of Dominion Theology which has had a
following within Pentecostalism. It attracted attention in the late 1980s.
Kingdom Now theology states that although Satan has been in control of
the world since the Fall, God is looking for people who will help him take back
dominion. Those who yield themselves to the authority of God's apostles and
prophets will take control of the kingdoms of this world, being defined as
all social institutions, the "kingdom" of education, the "kingdom" of science,
the "kingdom" of the arts, etc. C. Peter Wagner, the founder of the New Apostolic
Reformation, writes: "The practical theology that best builds a foundation
under social transformation is dominion theology, sometimes called 'Kingdom
Now.' Its history can be traced back through R. J. Rushdoony and Abraham
Kuyper to John Calvin." Kingdom Now theology is influenced by
the Latter Rain movement, and critics have connected it to the New Apostolic
Reformation, "Spiritual Warfare Christianity", and Fivefold ministry
thinking. Kingdom Now theology should not be
confused with Kingdom theology, which is related to inaugurated eschatology.
Dominion Theology and the Christian Right
In the late 1980s sociologist Sara Diamond began writing about the
intersection of Dominion Theology with the political activists of the Christian
Right. Diamond argued that "the primary importance of the [Christian
Reconstructionist] ideology is its role as a catalyst for what is loosely called
'dominion theology.'" According to Diamond, "Largely through the impact of
Rushdoony's and North's writings, the concept that Christians are Biblically
mandated to 'occupy' all secular institutions has become the central
unifying ideology for the Christian Right." in the United States.
While acknowledging the small number of actual adherents, authors such as Sara
Diamond and Frederick Clarkson have argued that postmillennial Christian
Reconstructionism played a major role in pushing the primarily premillennial
Christian Right to adopt a more aggressive dominionist stance.
Misztal and Shupe concur that “Reconstructionists have many more
sympathizers who fall somewhere within the dominionist framework, but who are
not card-carrying members.” According to Diamond, "Reconstructionism is the most
intellectually grounded, though esoteric, brand of dominion theology."
Journalist Frederick Clarkson defined dominionism as a movement that, while
including Dominion Theology and Reconstructionism as subsets, is much
broader in scope, extending to much of the Christian Right in the United
States. In his 1992 study of Dominion Theology
and its influence on the Christian Right, Bruce Barron writes,
In the context of American evangelical efforts to penetrate and transform
public life, the distinguishing mark of a dominionist is a commitment to
defining and carrying out an approach to building society that is
self-consciously defined as exclusively Christian, and dependent specifically on
the work of Christians, rather than based on a broader consensus.
In 1995, Diamond called the influence of Dominion Theology "prevalent on the
Christian Right". Journalist Chip Berlet added in 1998
that, although they represent different theological and political ideas,
dominionists assert a Christian duty to take "control of a sinful secular
society." In 2005, Clarkson enumerated the
following characteristics shared by all forms of dominionism:
Dominionists celebrate Christian nationalism, in that they believe that
the United States once was, and should once again be, a Christian nation. In
this way, they deny the Enlightenment roots of American democracy.
Dominionists promote religious supremacy, insofar as they generally do
not respect the equality of other religions, or even other versions of
Christianity. Dominionists endorse theocratic visions,
insofar as they believe that the Ten Commandments, or "biblical law," should
be the foundation of American law, and that the U.S. Constitution should be
seen as a vehicle for implementing Biblical principles.
Essayist Katherine Yurica began using the term dominionism in her articles in
2004, beginning with "The Despoiling of America",, Authors who also use the term
dominionism in the broader sense include journalist Chris Hedges Marion Maddox,
James Rudin, Michelle Goldberg, Kevin Phillips, Sam Harris, Ryan Lizza, Frank
Schaeffer, and the group TheocracyWatch. Some authors have applied the term to a
broader spectrum of people than have Diamond, Clarkson, and Berlet.
Sarah Posner in Salon argues that there are various "iterations of dominionism
that call on Christians to enter...government, law, media and so
fort...so that they are controlled by Christians." According to Posner,
"Christian right figures promoted dominionism...and the GOP
courted...religious leaders for the votes of their followers." She added:
"If people really understood dominionism, they’d worry about it
between election cycles." Michelle Goldberg notes that George
Grant, wrote in his 1987 book The Changing of the Guard: Biblical
Principles for Political Action: “Christians have an obligation, a
mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for
Jesus Christ — to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other
aspect of life and godliness.....But it is dominion we are after. Not just a
voice.... Christian politics has as its primary intent the conquest of the land
— of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts, and governments
for the Kingdom of Christ.” = A spectrum of dominionism =
Writers including Chip Berlet and Frederick Clarkson distinguish between
what they term "hard" and "soft" dominionism. Such commentators define
"soft" dominionism as the belief that "America is a Christian nation" and
opposition to separation of church and state, while "hard" dominionism refers
to dominion theology and Christian Reconstructionism.
Michelle Goldberg uses the terms "Christian Nationalism" and
"Dominionism" for the former view. According to Goldberg:
In many ways, Dominionism is more a political phenomenon than a theological
one. It cuts across Christian denominations, from stern, austere sects
to the signs-and-wonders culture of modern megachurches. Think of it like
political Islamism, which shapes the activism of a number of antagonistic
fundamentalist movements, from Sunni Wahabis in the Arab world to Shiite
fundamentalists in Iran. Berlet and Clarkson have agreed that
"[s]oft Dominionists are Christian nationalists." Unlike "dominionism", the
phrase "Christian nation" occurs commonly in the writings of leaders of
the Christian Right. Proponents of this idea argue that the Founding Fathers of
the United States were overwhelmingly Christian, that founding documents such
as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are based on Christian
principles, and that a Christian character is fundamental to American
culture. They cite, for example, the U.S. Supreme Court's comment in 1892
that "this [the United States] is a Christian nation," after citing numerous
historical and legal arguments in support of that statement.
= Criticism of the usage of the term "dominionism" =
Those labeled dominionists rarely use the terms "dominionist" and
"dominionism" for self-description, and some people have attacked the use of
such words. Journalist Anthony Williams charged that such usage aims "to smear
the Republican Party as the party of domestic Theocracy, facts be damned".
Journalist Stanley Kurtz labeled it "conspiratorial nonsense", "political
paranoia", and "guilt by association", and decried Hedges' "vague
characterizations" that allow him to "paint a highly questionable picture of
a virtually faceless and nameless 'Dominionist' Christian mass". Kurtz
also complained about a perceived link between average Christian evangelicals
and extremism such as Christian Reconstructionism:
The notion that conservative Christians want to reinstitute slavery and rule by
genocide is not just crazy, it's downright dangerous. The most disturbing
part of the Harper's cover story was the attempt to link Christian conservatives
with Hitler and fascism. Once we acknowledge the similarity between
conservative Christians and fascists, Hedges appears to suggest, we can
confront Christian evil by setting aside 'the old polite rules of democracy'. So
wild conspiracy theories and visions of genocide are really excuses for the Left
to disregard the rules of democracy and defeat conservative Christians — by any
means necessary. Joe Carter of First Things writes:
[T]here is no “school of thought” known as “dominionism”. The term was coined in
the 1980s by Diamond and is never used outside liberal blogs and websites. No
reputable scholars use the term for it is a meaningless neologism that Diamond
concocted for her dissertation. Diamond has denied that she coined the
broader use of the term "dominionism," which appears in her dissertation and in
Roads to Dominion solely to describe Dominion Theology. Nevertheless, Diamond
did originate the idea that Dominion Theology is the "central unifying
ideology for the Christian Right." Jeremy Pierce of First Things coined the
word "dominionismist" to describe those who promote the idea that there is a
dominionist conspiracy, writing: It strikes me as irresponsible to lump
[Rushdoony] together with Francis Schaeffer and those influenced by him,
especially given Schaeffer’s many recorded instances of resisting exactly
the kinds of views Rushdoony developed. Indeed, it strikes me as an error of the
magnitude of some of Rushdoony’s own historical nonsense to consider there to
be such a view called Dominionism [sic] that Rushdoony, Schaeffer, James Dobson,
and all the other people in the list somehow share and that it seeks to get
Christians and only Christians into all the influential positions in secular
society. Lisa Miller of Newsweek writes that
"'dominionism' is the paranoid mot du jour" and that "certain journalists use
'dominionist' the way some folks on Fox News use the word sharia. Its
strangeness scares people. Without history or context, the word creates a
siege mentality in which 'we' need to guard against 'them'." Ross Douthat of
The New York Times noted that "many of the people that writers like Diamond and
others describe as 'dominionists' would disavow the label, many definitions of
dominionism conflate several very different Christian political
theologies, and there’s a lively debate about whether the term is even useful at
all." Other criticism has focused on the
proper use of the term. Berlet wrote that "just because some critics of the
Christian Right have stretched the term dominionism past its breaking point does
not mean we should abandon the term", and argued that, rather than labeling
conservatives as extremists, it would be better to "talk to these people" and
"engage them." Sara Diamond wrote that "[l]iberals' writing about the Christian
Right's take-over plans has generally taken the form of conspiracy theory",
and argued that instead one should "analyze the subtle ways" that ideas
like Dominionism "take hold within movements and why".
See also Christ of Europe
Christendom Christian Patriot movement
Christian Exodus Christian Zionism
Christofascism Evangelical environmentalism
Fundamentalism First Amendment
Islamism Liberation theology
National Catholicism New Apostolic Reformation
Neo-Calvinism Tenth Crusade
References Notes
Sources Barron, Bruce A.. Heaven on earth?: the
social & political agendas of dominion theology. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan.
ISBN 0-310-53611-1. Rushdoony, Rousas John; Gary North.
Institutes of Biblical Law. Phillipsburg, N.J: P & R Publishing.
ISBN 0-87552-410-9. Diamond, Sara. Roads to dominion:
right-wing movements and political power in the United States. New York: Guilford
Press. ISBN 0-89862-864-4. Lindsey, Hal. The Road to Holocaust.
London: Bantam. ISBN 0-553-05724-3. Wagner, C. Peter. Dominion!: How Kingdom
Action Can Change the World. Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books. ISBN
0-8007-9435-4.