The Dominionists and their plans

John Dean has written an important article about the Dominionists - also known as Christian Reconstructionists - who are quite blatant about their desire to replace the Constitution with Old Testament law. These are very dangerous and subversive people and we need to be aware of them and oppose them at every turn. Dean's article is entitled "Michelle Goldberg's study of the rise of Christian Nationalism, and its adherents' strategy to use the courts to further their agenda". Here's part of what it says:

If more Americans would read works like Michelle Goldberg's Kingdom Coming: The rise of Christian Nationalism, the longevity of our democracy, as we know it, would be more assured. I say this because the more people who understand the thinking and agenda of the growing forces of "Christian nationalism," the less likely it will be that these forces will succeed. Not many people want to go where Christian nationalists want to take the country.

Michelle Goldberg, a journalist who writes for Salon, defines Christian nationalism as the "Christian worldview" that envisions Christianity governing "every aspect of public and private life, and [holds] that all -- government, science, history, culture, and relationships -- must be understood according to the dictates of scripture." Christian nationalists have "biblically correct positions on every issue, from gay marriage to income tax rates."

These believers are also known as dominionists. Dominionism is a theology drawn from God's instruction to Adam in Genesis (1:26-27) to take dominion over the animate and inanimate world. As Goldberg explains, "dominionism is derived from a theocratic sect called Christian Reconstructionism, which advocates replacing American civil law with Old Testament biblical law."

What is particularly troubling is their overall strategy:

It's well-established that the religious right seeks to use the courts to outlaw abortion, to return prayer to the public square, and lower the barriers separating church and state. What was news to me, however, was Goldberg's finding that the "entire Christian nationalist agenda ultimately hinges on conquering the courts." Christian nationalists, who have been working with others in the conservative movement, have declared nothing short of a war on the federal courts.

Reconstructionist leaders see federal judges -- probably correctly, Goldberg notes -- "as the only thing protecting American secularism. They know that if they can take the courts, they'll have the country."

These people are the Christian Taliban. It is profoundly disturbing to become aware of what they want to do and to see what they have already accomplished. I urge you to click through and read all of Dean's article as I really can't do it justice with just a couple of brief excerpts.