NPR on the difference between dominionists and evangelicals

Check out this report from Fresh Air with guest Rachel Tabachnick.
There is much of interest in the report but here is some money that caught my eye:

A ‘Different’ Evangelicalism

Tabachnick, who has been researching and writing about the apostles for a decade, says her own religious background has helped her with her research. She grew up as a Southern Baptist and converted to Judaism as an adult.
“Having the Southern Baptist background and growing up in the Deep South has helped me to be able to do this research and has also helped me realize something that might not be apparent to some other people looking at the movement,” she says. “This is quite radically different than the evangelicalism of my youth. The things that we’ve been talking about are not representative of evangelicalism. They’re not representative of conservative evangelicalism. So I think that’s important to keep in mind. This is a movement that’s growing in popularity, and one of the ways they’ve been able to do that [is because] they’re not very identifiable to most people. They’re just presented as nondenominational or just Christian — but it is an identifiable movement now with an identifiable ideology.”

Recently, some evangelicals have reacted strongly against accusations of dominionism, even going so far as to deny it exists (e.g., this Christian Post op-ed). It exists for sure but as Tabachnick says, many evangelicals wouldn’t recognize it as being “them.”
What has been concerning to me is the marriage of traditional evangelicalism with the New Apostolic Reformation through right wing politics. For instance, Cindy Jacobs speaking at Liberty University’s Awakening conference was an odd combination of beliefs. The focus becomes societal change as opposed to proclaiming the religious message of the gospel.
I think Tabachnick’s critique is valuable and her distinctions helpful.

14 thoughts on “NPR on the difference between dominionists and evangelicals”

  1. I saw this video of Cindy Jacobs I thought I would share.
    Cindy Jacobs prayed for a woman who had a hysterectomy and the woman became pregnant. I gotta say I am a skeptic
    http://youtu.be/T2-5eq_WVMI

  2. It may come down to terminology and emphasis. Evangelicals prefer to emphasize the positive and friendly aspects of their faith over damnation, red/blue politics, and public policy. Even while maintain the fundamentalist doctrines, evangelicals detest being identified as fundamentalists dismissing fundamentalism as fire and brimstone preaching. Similarly, some evangelicals may even disavow being Republicans, but will certainly not stand in the way of voting for a evangelical political leader.

  3. Patrocles,
    Would you mind “fleshing out” what you mean by that post above? Obviously an unbalanced understanding of the word “dominion” is not the same thing as Dominionism as it is understood and espoused by some very right-wing evangelists today

  4. Patrocles,
    Would you mind “fleshing out” what you mean by that post above? Obviously an unbalanced understanding of the word “dominion” is not the same thing as Dominionism as it is understood and espoused by some very right-wing evangelists today

  5. I may humbly recall that “dominion” means nothing else than “god’s kingdom on earth” which is a pet idea of left wing protestants since the time of Calvin via the “social gospel” movement up to liberal protestants and evangelicals at present.
    Now, “god’s kingdom on earth” doesn’t claim the suppression of homosexual behaviour (at present) but obviously claims the suppression of a lot of other things which would be allowed by right wing “dominionists” (e.g. so called “hate speech”).
    So I think the critique of dominionism is somewhat unbalanced, if not even hypocritical.

    1. Patrocles – Gary DeMar and Gary North both call for the execution of gays. They say that they don’t want to round them up but they say the law suppresses the behavior. Your claim is counter to the facts.

  6. I may humbly recall that “dominion” means nothing else than “god’s kingdom on earth” which is a pet idea of left wing protestants since the time of Calvin via the “social gospel” movement up to liberal protestants and evangelicals at present.
    Now, “god’s kingdom on earth” doesn’t claim the suppression of homosexual behaviour (at present) but obviously claims the suppression of a lot of other things which would be allowed by right wing “dominionists” (e.g. so called “hate speech”).
    So I think the critique of dominionism is somewhat unbalanced, if not even hypocritical.

    1. Patrocles – Gary DeMar and Gary North both call for the execution of gays. They say that they don’t want to round them up but they say the law suppresses the behavior. Your claim is counter to the facts.

  7. Thank you for highlighting this ongoing debate on your blog. Tabachnick is indeed on target. I grew up in a Pentecostal preacher’s home where Peter Wagner, Mike Bickle and Cindy Jacobs were household names. I’ve been to Rick Joyner’s conferences, received my Master degrees from Regent University, and used to attend an Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the Virginia Beach area. There were threads of Dominionism in each of these, some greater than others. The networks that have been established among all the entities I mentioned above are just parts of the idea of a dominion ideology that has gradually worked its way into a broad spectrum of churches both within the US and internationally. I should know, I was once one of those people who went overseas to export these ideas! I would have never identified myself as a Dominionist at the time but have since become increasingly alarmed at how it has become more visible across the political landscape. Looking back, I am horrified to think how I may have played a small role in advancing this agenda. While I still consider myself to be Evangelical, it’s now with an understanding of the Kingdom of God reigning in my heart/life rather than as a political solution to be enforced over others!

  8. Thank you for highlighting this ongoing debate on your blog. Tabachnick is indeed on target. I grew up in a Pentecostal preacher’s home where Peter Wagner, Mike Bickle and Cindy Jacobs were household names. I’ve been to Rick Joyner’s conferences, received my Master degrees from Regent University, and used to attend an Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the Virginia Beach area. There were threads of Dominionism in each of these, some greater than others. The networks that have been established among all the entities I mentioned above are just parts of the idea of a dominion ideology that has gradually worked its way into a broad spectrum of churches both within the US and internationally. I should know, I was once one of those people who went overseas to export these ideas! I would have never identified myself as a Dominionist at the time but have since become increasingly alarmed at how it has become more visible across the political landscape. Looking back, I am horrified to think how I may have played a small role in advancing this agenda. While I still consider myself to be Evangelical, it’s now with an understanding of the Kingdom of God reigning in my heart/life rather than as a political solution to be enforced over others!

  9. It may come down to terminology and emphasis. Evangelicals prefer to emphasize the positive and friendly aspects of their faith over damnation, red/blue politics, and public policy. Even while maintain the fundamentalist doctrines, evangelicals detest being identified as fundamentalists dismissing fundamentalism as fire and brimstone preaching. Similarly, some evangelicals may even disavow being Republicans, but will certainly not stand in the way of voting for a evangelical political leader.

  10. My view is that the term ‘evangelical’ refers to a very broad spectrum of Christian traditions. Many evangelical Christian espouse a strongly progressive ‘social justice’ agenda based firmly on the core values of the Christian faith. In this, and in many other respects, there is a real unity of purpose (the most important kind of unity perhaps) between them and many catholic and liberal reformed Christians, differences in theological dialectic, or on matters of ‘church order’, notwithstanding.
    ‘Marriages’ between particular Christian traditions and authoritarian and/or theocratic politics is not confined to the evangelical tradition; it is an issue for Catholic Christianity as well. There is perhaps one advantage that the catholic tradition might possess though, and that is its ‘international’ dimension which helps to remind its adherents that they belong to a community that transcends nation state, tribe or culture. When I go to Mass in the USA or Norway or Germany or wherever, it is essentially the same deal as it is here in London. And when a Ugandan Catholic Archbishop issues a statement, I can at least relate to what he is saying and how he is saying it, even if not all the views expressed therein are identical to my own! (For example, Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga has recently suggested that tackling poverty and social injustice is the primary means of tackling ‘moral decay’ – although there was the inevitable mention of ‘homosexuality’ as one example of such decay! Mind you, one implication of his statement was that he did not favour the punitive, even murderous, approach that certain Ugandan dominionists seem to favour. Here’s a report on what he said: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/18/760776?highlight&q=cyprian%20lwanga)

  11. My view is that the term ‘evangelical’ refers to a very broad spectrum of Christian traditions. Many evangelical Christian espouse a strongly progressive ‘social justice’ agenda based firmly on the core values of the Christian faith. In this, and in many other respects, there is a real unity of purpose (the most important kind of unity perhaps) between them and many catholic and liberal reformed Christians, differences in theological dialectic, or on matters of ‘church order’, notwithstanding.
    ‘Marriages’ between particular Christian traditions and authoritarian and/or theocratic politics is not confined to the evangelical tradition; it is an issue for Catholic Christianity as well. There is perhaps one advantage that the catholic tradition might possess though, and that is its ‘international’ dimension which helps to remind its adherents that they belong to a community that transcends nation state, tribe or culture. When I go to Mass in the USA or Norway or Germany or wherever, it is essentially the same deal as it is here in London. And when a Ugandan Catholic Archbishop issues a statement, I can at least relate to what he is saying and how he is saying it, even if not all the views expressed therein are identical to my own! (For example, Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga has recently suggested that tackling poverty and social injustice is the primary means of tackling ‘moral decay’ – although there was the inevitable mention of ‘homosexuality’ as one example of such decay! Mind you, one implication of his statement was that he did not favour the punitive, even murderous, approach that certain Ugandan dominionists seem to favour. Here’s a report on what he said: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/18/760776?highlight&q=cyprian%20lwanga)

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