Christian right Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Use of dominionism labeling=== Some social scientists have used the word "dominionism" to refer to adherence of [[dominion theology]],<ref name="Barron1992a">Barron, Bruce. 1992. ''Heaven on Earth? The Social & Political Agendas of Dominion Theology''. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan. {{ISBN|0-310-53611-1}}.</ref><ref name="DavisHankins2003">Davis, Derek H. and Hankins, Barry, 2003. ''New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America'', Baylor University Press.</ref><ref name="DavidsonHarris2006">{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1177/0306396806061086 | last1 = Davidson | first1 = Carl | last2 = Harris | first2 = Jerry | year = 2006 | title = Globalisation, theocracy and the new fascism: the US Right's rise to power | journal = Race and Class | volume = 47 | issue = 3| pages = 47β67 | s2cid = 143793920 }}</ref> as well as to the influence in the broader Christian Right of ideas inspired by Dominion Theology.<ref name="Barron1992a"/> Although such influence (particularly of Reconstructionism) has been described by many authors,<ref name="Martin1996a"/><ref name="Berlet-Lyons2000a">Berlet, Chip and Matthew N. Lyons. 2000. ''Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort''. New York: Guilford Press.</ref> full adherents to Reconstructionism are few and marginalized among conservative Christians.<ref name="Martin1996a"/><ref name="Diamond1998p213">Diamond, Sara, 1998. ''Not by Politics Alone: The Enduring Influence of the Christian Right'', New York: Guilford Press, p.213.</ref><ref name="OrtizKennedy">Ortiz, Chris 2007. [http://www.chalcedon.edu/blog/2007_09_01_archive.php#3737641030821242405 "Gary North on D. James Kennedy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011080305/http://www.chalcedon.edu/blog/2007_09_01_archive.php#3737641030821242405 |date=October 11, 2009 }}, [[Chalcedon Foundation|Chalcedon Blog]], September 6, 2007.</ref> In the early 1990s, sociologist [[Sara Diamond (sociologist)|Sara Diamond]]<ref name="Diamond1995c">Diamond, Sara. 1995. ''Roads to Dominion: Right-Wing Movements and Political Power in the United States''. New York: Guilford Press. {{ISBN|0-89862-864-4}}.</ref><ref name="Diamond1989a">Diamond, Sara. 1989. ''Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right''. Boston: [[South End Press]].</ref> defined ''dominionism'' in her PhD [[dissertation]] as a movement that, while it includes Dominion Theology and Reconstructionism as subsets, is much broader in scope, extending to much of the Christian Right.<ref>In her early work, Diamond sometimes used the term ''dominion theology'' to refer to this broader movement, rather than to the specific theological system of Reconstructionism.</ref> She was followed by journalists who included [[Frederick Clarkson]]<ref name="Clarkson1994a">Clarkson, Frederick, 1994. [http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v08n1/chrisrec.html Christian Reconstructionism: Theocratic Dominionism Gains Influence"], ''[[Political Research Associates|The Public Eye]]'' 8, Nos. 1 & 2, March/June 1994.</ref><ref name="Clarkson1997a">Clarkson, Frederick. 1997. ''Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy''. Monroe, Maine: Common Courage. {{ISBN|1-56751-088-4}}</ref> and [[Chris Hedges]]<ref name="Hedges2004a">[http://www.theocracywatch.org/chris_hedges_nov24_04.htm The Christian Right and the Rise of American Fascism By Chris Hedges] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511180104/http://www.theocracywatch.org/chris_hedges_nov24_04.htm |date=May 11, 2008 }}, ''[[TheocracyWatch]]''.</ref><ref name="Hedges2005a">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.harpers.org/archive/2005/05/0080541 |title=Feeling the hate with the National Religious Broadcasters |access-date=April 11, 2007 |last=Hedges |first=Chris |date=May 2005 |magazine=[[Harper's Magazine]]}}</ref><ref name="Hedges2007a">Hedges, Chris, ''American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America'', Free Press, 2006.</ref> and others who have stressed the influence of Dominionist ideas on the Christian right.<ref name="Goldberg2006a">Goldberg, Michelle 2006. ''Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism''. New York: W. W. Norton. {{ISBN|0-393-06094-2}} (10). {{ISBN|978-0-393-06094-2}} (13).</ref><ref>Phillips, Kevin 2006. ''[[American Theocracy]]: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st century'' {{ISBN|0-670-03486-X}}</ref><ref name="McCarraher2006a">McCarraher, Eugene 2006. "Empire Falls", ''[[Commonweal (magazine)|Commonweal]]'' 133(9), May 5, 2006.</ref><ref name="Yurica2005a">Yurica, Katherine 2004. [http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/TheDespoilingOfAmerica.htm "The Despoiling of America" published February 11, 2004] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928014442/http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/TheDespoilingOfAmerica.htm |date=September 28, 2007 }}. Retrieved October 3, 2007. And also published in ''Toward a New Political Humanism'', edited by Barry F. Seidman and Neil J. Murphy, Prometheus Books, New York, 2004.</ref><ref name="Yurica2005b">Yurica, Katherine 2004. [http://www.yuricareport.com/Religion/TheBloodGuiltyChurches.html Blood Guilty Churches] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930221309/http://www.yuricareport.com/Religion/TheBloodGuiltyChurches.html |date=September 30, 2009 }}, January 19, 2005. Retrieved October 6, 2007.</ref><ref name="Yurica2005c">Yurica, Katherine 2005. [http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/Conference/YuricaRespondsToKurtz%20.html Yurica Responds to Stanley Kurtz Attack] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015846/http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/Conference/YuricaRespondsToKurtz%20.html |date=September 28, 2007 }}, May 23, 2005. Retrieved October 6, 2007.</ref><ref name="Maddox2005a">Maddox, Marion 2005. ''God under Howard: The Rise of the Religious Right in Australian Politics'', Allen & Unwin.</ref><ref name="Rudin2006a">Rudin, James 2006. ''The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us'', New York: Thunder's Mouth Press.</ref><ref name="HarrisLAT">Harris, Sam 2007. "[https://latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-harris15mar15,0,5899452.story God's dupes]", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', March 15, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2007.</ref><ref name="TheocracyWatch2005a">[http://www.theocracywatch.org/ "The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912052937/http://www.theocracywatch.org/ |date=September 12, 2008 }}, ''[[TheocracyWatch]]'', Last updated: December 2005; URL accessed May 8, 2006.</ref> The terms "dominionist" and "dominionism" are rarely used for self-description, and their usage has been attacked from right-leaning quarters. [[Stanley Kurtz]] labeled it "conspiratorial nonsense", "political paranoia", and "[[association fallacy|guilt by association]]",<ref name="Kurtz2005b">{{cite journal |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/kurtz/kurtz200505020944.asp |title=Dominionist Domination: The Left runs with a wild theory |author=Stanley Kurtz |date=May 2, 2005 |journal=[[National Review|National Review Online]] |access-date=October 6, 2007}}</ref> and decried Hedges' "vague characterizations" that allow him to "paint a highly questionable picture of a virtually faceless and nameless 'Dominionist' Christian mass."<ref name="Kurtz2005a">{{cite journal |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/kurtz/kurtz200504280758.asp |title=Scary Stuff |author=Stanley Kurtz |date=April 28, 2005 |journal=[[National Review|National Review Online]] |access-date=October 6, 2007}}</ref> Kurtz also complained about a perceived link between average Christian evangelicals and [[extremism]] such as [[Christian Reconstructionism]]: <blockquote>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 (the one by Chris Hedges) 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 β by any means necessary.<ref name="Kurtz2005b"/></blockquote> [[Lisa Miller (journalist)|Lisa Miller]] of ''[[Newsweek]]'' said that many warnings about "dominionism" are "paranoid" and she also said that "the word creates a siege mentality in which 'we' need to guard against 'them.{{'"}}<ref>Miller, Lisa, 2011. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/dominionism-beliefs-among-conservative-christians-overblown/2011/08/17/gIQAb5eaNJ_print.html 'Dominionism' beliefs among conservative Christians overblown]. ''[[Newsweek]]''. Published August 18, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2011.</ref> [[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."<ref name="Douthat11b">Douthat, Ross 2011. [http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/the-new-yorker-and-francis-schaeffer/ The New Yorker and Francis Schaeffer]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Published August 29, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.</ref> According to Joe Carter of ''[[First Things]]'', "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",<ref name="Carter11">Carter, Joe, 2011. [http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2011/08/a-journalism-lesson-for-the-new-yorker A Journalism Lesson for the New Yorker]. ''[[First Things]]''. Published August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.</ref> while Jeremy Pierce of ''First Things'' coined the word "dominionismist" to describe those who promote the idea that there is a dominionist conspiracy.<ref name="Pierce11">Pierce, Jeremy, 2011. [http://firstthings.com/blogs/evangel/2011/08/dominionismists/ Dominionismists]. ''[[First Things]]''. Published August 14, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2011.</ref> Another criticism has focused on the proper use of the term. Berlet wrote that "some critics of the Christian Right have stretched the term dominionism past its breaking point",<ref name="Berlet2005a">Berlet, Chip, 2005. [http://www.publiceye.org/feeds/public/berlet/2005/11/christian-right-dominionism-and.html The Christian Right, Dominionism, and Theocracy] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918061837/http://www.publiceye.org/feeds/public/berlet/2005/11/christian-right-dominionism-and.html |date=September 18, 2008 }}. Retrieved September 25, 2007.</ref> and argued that, rather than labeling conservatives as extremists, it would be better to "talk to these people" and "engage them".<ref>Ellis Henican, [http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/Conference/SpiritualOliveBranchChipBerlet_Newsday.html "A spiritual olive branch for the far-right faithful"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006070752/http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/Conference/SpiritualOliveBranchChipBerlet_Newsday.html |date=October 6, 2008 }} ''Newsday'', May 1, 2005. Reposted at YuricaReport.com. Retrieved September 23, 2006</ref> [[Sara Diamond (sociologist)|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."<ref name="Diamond1995b">Diamond, Sara. 1995. "[http://zena.secureforum.com/Znet/ZMag/articles/feb95diamond.htm Dominion Theology]". ''[[Z Magazine]]'', February 1995</ref> Dan Olinger, a professor at the [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist]] [[Bob Jones University]] in [[Greenville, South Carolina]], said, "We want to be good citizens and participants, but we're not really interested in using the iron fist of the law to compel people to do everything Christians should do."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.independentmail.com/news/2007/feb/10/bible-user-or-reader/?print=1 |title=Pastors: Christian government not Jesus' cause |work=[[Anderson Independent-Mail]]|date=February 10, 2007 |access-date=December 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314003921/http://www.independentmail.com/news/2007/feb/10/bible-user-or-reader/?print=1 |archive-date=March 14, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bob Marcaurelle, interim pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist Church in Piedmont, said the Middle Ages were proof enough that Christian ruling groups are almost always corrupted by power. "When Christianity becomes the government, the question is whose Christianity?" Marcaurelle asked.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/16678837.htm|title=Pastors don't embrace movement|work=[[The State (newspaper)|The State]]}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20070213/NEWS/702130319|title=Pastors fret Christian group might be a threat|work=StarNewsOnline.com}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page