May 12, 2006

Christian Nationalism

Salon.com's own Michelle Goldberg has written a book on Christian reconstructionism. You can read an excerpt at Salon after you watch an ad. What bothers me is that I know many, many conservative Christians who don't believe this stuff. But they defend Tim Lahaye, Delay and even Falwell and seem to be unaware of the kinds of programs these people promote. They speak highly of Roy Moore, but don't understand what kind of racist he is.

Anyway. Read on, if you dare:
"Those who don't have a year to spare can attend one of more than a dozen Worldview Weekend conferences held every year in churches nationwide. Popular speakers include the revisionist Christian nationalist historian David Barton, David Limbaugh (Rush's born-again brother), and evangelical former sitcom star Kirk Cameron. In 2003, Tom DeLay was a featured speaker at a Worldview Weekend at Rick Scarborough's former church in Pearland, Texas. He told the crowd, 'Only Christianity offers a comprehensive worldview that covers all areas of life and thought, every aspect of creation. Only Christianity offers a way to live in response to the realities that we find in this world. Only Christianity.'

Speaking to outsiders, most Christian nationalists say they're simply responding to anti-Christian persecution. They say that secularism is itself a religion, one unfairly imposed on them. They say they're the victims in the culture wars. But Christian nationalist ideologues don't want equality, they want dominance. In his book 'The Changing of the Guard: Biblical Principles for Political Action,' George Grant, former executive director of D. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries, wrote:

'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.
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. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less...
Thus, 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.'"

3 comments:

Monk-in-Training said...

The interesting question for me is, say the Right Wing Christians win and estabish Dominion or "reclaim" the land for Jesus, then what? How would that in ANY way roll back the Fall or make us more holy and acceptable to God?

Streak said...

That is a great point. After all, theocracies have always worked out so well, haven't they?

There are times I want to throw up my hands and say, fine, you want prayer in school? You want the ten commandments plastered everywhere?

Anyway, I admire your sense of grace and desire to work with people like the pastor in Stigler. I want to be there, but I am still a little annoyed with the religious right.

Anonymous said...

Care for a shocking look at the Christian Right? Okay, fill in "Thomas Ice (Bloopers)" while Googling. Also type in "Pretrib Rapture Diehards" (the newly uncovered facts about the Right's money-making "rapture" belief), and "Appendix F: Thou Shalt Not Steal" (plagiarism found in books by Falwell, LaHaye, Ryrie and other biggies!). It would seem that the Religious Right should be renamed the Religious Rewrite!