Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
People politically opposed to Christian conservatives have been getting a lot of press recently by accusing their opponents of something they call "Dominionism." Jeremy Pierce over at First Things calls these folks obsessed with warning people about the threats of Dominionism "Dominionism-ists." These conspiracy theorists were getting quite a bit of press. They formed the basis of the arguments against Michele Bachmann in that epic New Yorker profile. They are favorably profiled in the New York Times. Their charges are featured in Newsweek. The term appears everywhere on politically liberal blogs.
But there's been some pushback, too. Religion writer Cathleen Falsani had a helpful primer on evangelicalism at Religion News Service. Newsweek published a lengthy response from an actual evangelical. Over at the Washington Post, writer Lisa Miller called the dominionism charge overblown and the "paranoid bon mot du jour":
Evangelicals generally do not want to take over the world. “Dominionism” is the paranoid mot du jour. In its broadest sense, the term describes a Christian’s obligation to be active in the world, including in politics and government. More narrowly, some view it as Christian nationalism. You could argue that the 19th- and early 20th-century reformers – abolitionists, suffragists and temperance activists, for example – were dominionists, says Molly Worthen, who teaches religious history at the University of Toronto.
Extremist dominionists do exist, as theocrats who hope to transform our democracy into something that looks like ancient Israel, complete with stoning as punishment. But “it’s a pretty small world,” says Worthen, who studies these groups.
Mark DeMoss, whose Atlanta-based public relations firm represents several Christian groups, put it this way: “You would be hard-pressed to find one in 1,000 Christians in America who could even wager a guess at what dominionism is.”
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.”
I'd made this comparison previously. People who see much Muslim activity as part of some nefarious sharia plot share something with those who easily connect all the dots between evangelical political candidates. I am not an evangelical but it's important for people to defend the right of evangelicals to participate in the political process.
Or, as Michael Gerson writes in the Washington Post:
Many have become unhinged by the interpretive power of a simple idea. In the case of Dominionism, paranoia is fed by a certain view of church-state relations — a deep discomfort with any religious influence in politics: Even if most evangelicals are not plotting the reconstruction of Cromwell’s Commonwealth, they nevertheless want to impose their sectarian views on secular institutions. It is a common argument among secular liberals that the application of any religiously informed moral reasoning in politics is a kind of soft theocracy. Dominionism is merely its local extension.
He points out that this would make Dominionists out of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Obama himself.
I know people get riled up during election seasons, but some calmer minds need to prevail. I am all for criticizing the overreach of the religious left or right, but let's do it rationally and with less fearmongering and bigotry.
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Jun '11
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Great summary, Mollie.
Nov '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I would be one of those 999. I had never even heard the term before this article.
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
TheRoyalFamily
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I would be one of those 999. I had never even heard the term before this article. · Aug 24 at 8:33am
Or maybe you're just saying that because you're hiding your role as part of the Christian theocracy .... or so would say the conspiracy theorists ...
Sep '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
TheRoyalFamily
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I would be one of those 999. I had never even heard the term before this article. · Aug 24 at 8:33am
Or maybe you're just saying that because you're hiding your role as part of the Christian theocracy .... or so would say the conspiracy theorists ... · Aug 24 at 8:51am
Its important to point out that the Lutherans and Catholics have a working arrangement to achieve Dominionism: Catholics get to rev up the Flemish Inquisition with all due haste, while Lutherans get to transcribe a panel discussion between Richard Epstein and Pope Benedict XVI into German on the market and its social effects.
I think its Wynn-Wynn.
Update: And no, private emailer, I wasn't making any allusions to anyone's historical understanding of German-Jewish, Catholic-Jewish, or World War II relations. I was taking a simultaneous jab at the reflexive fear of a a new Spanish Inquisition and Luther's very long sermons. I think Richard can handle himself just fine.
Edited on Aug 24, 2011 at 9:15amJun '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
They have it wrong. It's us Mormons who are the "dominionists." You know, all those polite young men in white shirts and ties dragging people off the streets at the point of a gun, forcing them to be baptized.
The MSM doesn't seem to get the fact that for a religion to have meaning, its adherents need to actually believe in it. Evangelicals do; orthodox Catholics do; Mormons do (as do others). But for someone to believe in something is not the equivalent of saying they plan to impose it on others. Last I checked, most of us believe in some version of "free will."
May '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
I have a Facebook friend who regularly posts links to articles warning about the coming theocracy. I've read a couple of them, and they are just strange - they bear no relation to anything I've ever heard anyone say. They're even worried about John Boehner being a theocrat!
I told him, "Look, Reagan won 49 states and couldn't get rid of a single cabinet department or agriculture subsidies. You really think the separation of church and state is going to go away??"
Jun '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
If I had the sense of humor of Kennedy Smith, I would have said something like:
"When I saw the word 'dominationism' three things came to mind: whips, leather, and handcuffs."
But I don't have his sense of humor, so I would never say it.
Dec '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
So Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann are to the urban secular elites what the apocalyptic aftermath of Y2K was to yokels? To quote my friend Josh, "I should buy a 9mm so I can get ammunition off the dead bodies. No one carries a .45 anymore."
Nov '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
tabula rasa:
The MSM doesn't seem to get the fact that for a religion to have meaning, its adherents need to actually believe in it. Aug 24 at 9:20am
Excellent! You're dead on. :)
Aug '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Extremist dominionists do exist, as theocrats who hope to transform our democracy into something that looks like ancient Israel, complete with stoning as punishment. But “it’s a pretty small world,” says Worthen, who studies these groups.
I know people get riled up during election seasons, but some calmer minds need to prevail. I am all for criticizing the overreach of the religious left or right, but let's do it rationally and with less fearmongering and bigotry. ·
Once again my past life on the lunatic fringe proves useful. You have a better shot at happening upon Bigfoot than real live a Dominionist. But unlike Bigfoot, they are not in fact imaginary.
The unfortunate truth is if you decided to track one down, a Dominionist that is, Bachmann's previous reading lists would lead you right to them.
But here is the point- people can change, they can disavow silly ideas. That's a good thing.
Edited on Aug 25, 2011 at 10:22amRe: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Squishy Blue RINO
Once again my past lfe on the lunatic fringe proves useful. You have a better shot at happening upon Bigfoot than real live a Dominionist. But unlike Bigfoot, they are not in fact imaginary.
The unfortunate truth is if you decided to track one down, a Dominionist that is, Bachmann's previous reading lists would lead you right to them.
But here is the point- people can change, they can disavow silly ideas. That's a good thing. · Aug 24 at 11:49am
Edited on Aug 24 at 11:50 am
See, the way the New Yorker article put it, reading Francis Schaeffer -- Francis Schaeffer -- makes you a dominionist. His most famous political disciple is probably Jack Kemp. Are we really supposed to be scared about this? Are we supposed to believe he laid the groundwork for the coming theocracy? I am happy to criticize the Christian right and enjoy doing so, in fact. But reading lists that include Francis Schaeffer are not what alarms me.
Aug '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Squishy Blue RINO
But here is the point- people can change, they can disavow silly ideas. That's a good thing. · Aug 24 at 11:49am
Edited on Aug 24 at 11:50 am
See, the way the New Yorker article put it, reading Francis Schaeffer -- Francis Schaeffer -- makes you a dominionist. His most famous political disciple is probably Jack Kemp. Are we really supposed to be scared about this? Are we supposed to believe he laid the groundwork for the coming theocracy? I am happy to criticize the Christian right and enjoy doing so, in fact. But reading lists that include Francis Schaeffer are not what alarms me. · Aug 24 at 12:12pm
I never saw Schaeffer as fringe. I never read him, never saw the movie the article mentioned. I never met a lunatic who quoted Schaeffer. So on that at basis alone I agree the article got Schaeffer wrong.
It was usually R.J. Rushdoony or David Barton that inspired the hardcores I knew.
The really troubling example for me was the Robert E. Lee biography cited and the quotes included in the article. I heard Ramesh Ponurru say the same.
Edited on Aug 24, 2011 at 12:47pmMay '11
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Questions: Those who so fear even the word religion in the same sentence as the word government...
Do you think it might be because they are afraid they may in some way be forced to live a "moral" life?
Do they have some hidden guilt they fear?
Are they happy with moral relativism that minimizes right and wrong?
Jul '11
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
"You could argue that the 19th- and early 20th-century reformers – abolitionists, suffragists and temperance activists, for example – were dominionists, says Molly Worthen, who teaches religious history at the University of Toronto."
So early progressives were dominionists. Makes sense; one of my favorite ironies about modern liberals is that if you trace their ideology back far enough you arrive at religious activism.
-E
Aug '11
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Okay, just five minutes ago I was out picking tomatoes from the garden, when my neighbor approached and said "I heard this really scary thing on NPR!"
Yes, Terry Gross is putting on her tin-foil-hat, too.
So I pointed her to the articles you posted above, Mollie. Thank you for this tremendous service. Without having just read your piece, I would have been ill-prepared to even discuss this.
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
DrewInWisconsin: Okay, just five minutes ago I was out picking tomatoes from the garden, when my neighbor approached and said "I heard this really scary thing on NPR!"
Yes, Terry Gross is putting on her tin-foil-hat, too.
So I pointed her to the articles you posted above, Mollie. Thank you for this tremendous service. Without having just read your piece, I would have been ill-prepared to even discuss this. · Aug 24 at 4:46pm
Happy to serve!
Aug '11
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
See, the way the New Yorker article put it, reading Francis Schaeffer -- Francis Schaeffer -- makes you a dominionist. His most famous political disciple is probably Jack Kemp. Are we really supposed to be scared about this? Are we supposed to believe he laid the groundwork for the coming theocracy? I am happy to criticize the Christian right and enjoy doing so, in fact. But reading lists that include Francis Schaeffer are not what alarms me. · Aug 24 at 12:12pm
I think part of the reason we're supposed to see Francis Schaeffer as scary is because his son, Frank Jr., has spent several years attempting to convince people that his dad was scary -- even wrote a book about it!
Franky seems to think that the Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells of the world control the GOP like some shadowy puppet masters. I think he's still working through his anger, and we probably should pray for him, though on occasions like this, there is a strong temptation to mock.
Edited on Aug 24, 2011 at 5:18pmAug '10
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
DrewInWisconsin: Okay, just five minutes ago I was out picking tomatoes from the garden, when my neighbor approached and said "I heard this really scary thing on NPR!"
Yes, Terry Gross is putting on her tin-foil-hat, too.
So I pointed her to the articles you posted above, Mollie. Thank you for this tremendous service. Without having just read your piece, I would have been ill-prepared to even discuss this. · Aug 24 at 4:46pm
Happy to serve! · Aug 24 at 5:11pm
Yes, thank you Mollie!
Mar '11
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
At 0.01% of 85% of the population, that makes a conspiracy of a quarter million. However there are more US Jews than that and also more US Muslims. And also more adherents of the LDS Church. Hence the end times, or an amazingly odd reality TV series.
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
TheRoyalFamily
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I would be one of those 999. I had never even heard the term before this article. · Aug 24 at 8:33am
Or maybe you're just saying that because you're hiding your role as part of the Christian theocracy .... or so would say the conspiracy theorists ... · Aug 24 at 8:51am
Re: Dominionism-ists Run Rampant
DrewInWisconsin
I think part of the reason we're supposed to see Francis Schaeffer as scary is because his son, Frank Jr., has spent several years attempting to convince people that his dad was scary -- even wrote a book about it!
Franky seems to think that the Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells of the world control the GOP like some shadowy puppet masters. I think he's still working through his anger, and we probably should pray for him, though on occasions like this, there is a strong temptation to mock. · Aug 24 at 5:15pm
Edited on Aug 24 at 05:18 pm
Wrote two books. And if you're interested in the topic, I'd point you to my review of a remarkably friendly NYT profile of the younger this weekend (the comments to my post get a bit out of control, fwiw).
As it turns out, I spent an hour yesterday debating Frank on Bloggingheads. I thought it was a great debate and certainly would have been must-see-TV for those who follow this stuff but, unfortunately, I'm told that Frank's side of the debate had technical problems.