📘 Lexicon Entry: Dominative Christianism

Short Definition
The transformation of Christian practice into a mechanism of control rather than liberation.
Definition
Dominative Christianism describes a theological phenomenon wherein Christian identity is systematically subordinated to power-seeking frameworks that fundamentally misappropriate Christ’s kenotic model of self-giving love.
Category
Primary Concept
Keywords
Dominative Christianism, Christian nationalism, religious power, political theology, kenotic theology, power structures, Christian identity
Citation Guide
Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Dominative Christianism.” *Political Theology Lexicon*. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon. Accessed [date].
Orthodox Position
Christianity is fundamentally structured around Christ’s kenotic (self-emptying) love and sacrificial example
Power understood through service rather than domination
Christian identity rooted in participation in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection
Community formation occurs through shared participation in Christ across differences
Mutated Position
Christian identity becomes primarily a vehicle for power acquisition and control
Christ’s example subordinated to pragmatic political effectiveness and domination frameworks
Divine sovereignty transformed into human control mechanisms
Christian practice divorced from Christ’s exemplar
Key Characteristics
Replaces Christ’s sacrificial model with pragmatic political effectiveness
Transforms divine sovereignty into human control mechanisms
Prioritizes institutional or ideological victory over reconciliation
Fundamentally divorces Christian practice from Christ’s exemplar
Reduces Jesus to a rhetorical tool rather than a transformative exemplar
Historical Development
Derived from Latin *dominare* (to rule, to dominate) and Greek *-ismos* (systemic practice)
Captures the systematic tendency to transform Christian practice into a mechanism of control rather than liberation
Manifests in parallel through conservative and progressive expressions
Represents a critical departure from orthodox Christian understanding
Theological Foundations
Systematic misappropriation of Christ’s kenotic model of self-giving love
Replacement of communal discernment with hierarchical power structures
Substitution of divine economy with transactional or identitarian frameworks
Subordination of theological principles to power-seeking frameworks
Biblical Foundation
Contrasts with Philippians 2:5-8 where Christ "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:5-8)
Contradicts Jesus’s teaching that "whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant" (Matthew 20:26)
Violates Jesus’s rejection of worldly power models: "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them" (Mark 10:42)
Contemporary Expression
Manifests distinctly in two parallel theological formations
MAGA Christianism: expressed through nationalist, conservative power structures that prioritize cultural and political dominance
Providential Identitarianism: articulated through progressive, identity-based power claims that similarly replace Christ’s boundary-crossing love with ideological control
Religious institutions functioning as political mobilization networks rather than spiritual formation communities
Sociopolitical Context
Emerges during periods of perceived threat to religious or cultural influence
Functions through religious institutions, political organizations, and ideological movements
Appeals to believers who fear loss of cultural relevance or institutional access
Operates across political spectrum through different theological expressions
Cultural Impact
Transforms Christianity from prophetic tradition into cultural ideology
Creates religious justification for political and cultural domination
Contributes to polarization by sacralizing ideological conflicts
Reduces theological discourse to power competition
Academic Research
Political Theology: Analysis of how religious symbols function to legitimate power structures
Theological Studies: Examination of departures from orthodox Christian understanding
Sociological Research: Investigation of how religious movements mobilize for cultural and political control
Historical Analysis: Tracing patterns of religious-political fusion across different contexts
Key Authors
Last Updated
May 21, 2025
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