📘 Lexicon Entry: Dominative Christianism

Short Definition
The transformation of Christian practice into a mechanism of control rather than liberation, subordinating Christ’s kenotic model to power-seeking frameworks.
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. Derived from Latin *dominare* (to rule, to dominate) and Greek *-ismos* (systemic practice), this term captures the systematic tendency to transform Christian practice into a mechanism of control rather than liberation. This distortion manifests across the theological spectrum, replacing Christ’s boundary-crossing love with ideological control and reducing Jesus to a rhetorical tool rather than a transformative exemplar whose cruciform pattern defines authentic Christian existence.
Category
Primary Concept
Keywords
Dominative Christianism, Christian nationalism, religious power, political theology, kenotic theology, power structures, Christian identity, theological distortion, imperial Christianity
Citation Guide
APA: Geevarghese-Uffman, C. (2025). Dominative Christianism. Political Theology Lexicon. Common Life Politics. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon
Chicago: Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Dominative Christianism.” Political Theology Lexicon. Accessed [date]. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon.
MLA: Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Dominative Christianism.” Political Theology Lexicon, 2025, www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon.
Theological: Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Dominative Christianism.” In Political Theology Lexicon. Digital theological resource. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon (accessed [date]).
Orthodox Position
Christianity fundamentally structured around Christ’s kenotic (self-emptying) love as revealed in Philippians 2:5-8, with power understood through service rather than domination
Divine sovereignty expressed through vulnerable love that enables rather than competes with human agency, grounded in trinitarian understanding of mutual indwelling without domination
Ecclesial authority as service to community flourishing rather than institutional control, following Jesus’s teaching that greatness comes through serving others
Mutated Position
Christian identity transformed into vehicle for power acquisition and control, with Christ’s example subordinated to pragmatic political effectiveness and domination frameworks
Divine sovereignty collapsed into human control mechanisms that justify religious, political, or cultural domination over others rather than service to flourishing
Ecclesial authority corrupted into hierarchical control that prioritizes institutional victory over reconciliation and community formation
Key Characteristics
Kenotic Inversion: Replaces Christ’s self-emptying pattern with power accumulation and control mechanisms
Rhetorical Instrumentalization: Reduces Jesus to rhetorical tool for political or cultural dominance rather than transformative exemplar
Victory Prioritization: Values institutional or ideological triumph over reconciliation and community building
Cruciform Abandonment: Fundamentally divorces Christian practice from Christ’s pattern of vulnerable love and sacrificial service
Historical Development
Derived from Latin *dominare* (to rule, to dominate) and Greek *-ismos* (systemic practice), the term captures the systematic tendency to transform Christian practice into a mechanism of control rather than liberation. Manifests in parallel through conservative and progressive expressions.
Imperial Christianity Legacy: Traces back to Constantinian settlement where church power became aligned with imperial control rather than prophetic witness
Christendom Nostalgia: Contemporary expressions often seek to restore perceived Christian cultural dominance rather than embody cruciform discipleship
Modern Political Integration: Systematic subordination of theological integrity to political effectiveness across conservative and progressive contexts
Theological Foundations
Kenotic Christology: Central theological foundation emphasizing Christ’s self-emptying as pattern for authentic Christian existence and community formation
Trinitarian Participation: Understanding Christian life as participation in divine communion rather than acquisition of power over others
Cruciform Discipleship: Following Jesus’s pattern of vulnerable love that transforms rather than dominates social relationships
Biblical Foundation
Philippians 2:5-8 Christ’s kenotic self-emptying as fundamental Christian pattern contrasting with dominative approaches
Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus teaching that Christian leadership serves rather than dominates, rejecting gentile models of power
Luke 4:18-19 Jesus’s mission to liberate rather than control, bringing good news to oppressed rather than maintaining systems of domination
John 13:12-17 Foot washing as paradigm of Christian authority through humble service rather than hierarchical control
Contemporary Expression
Manifests distinctly in two parallel theological formations: MAGA Christianism (expressed through nationalist, conservative power structures that prioritize cultural and political dominance) and Providential Identitarianism (articulated through progressive, identity-based power claims that similarly replace Christ’s boundary-crossing love with ideological control).
MAGA Christianism: Conservative expression prioritizing cultural and political dominance over cruciform discipleship, using Christian identity to justify nationalist power claims
Providential Identitarianism: Progressive expression subordinating Christ’s boundary-crossing love to identity-based power claims and ideological control mechanisms
Megachurch Empire Building: Institutional expressions that prioritize organizational growth and influence over community formation and prophetic witness
Theocratic Aspirations: Political movements seeking to impose Christian identity through legal and cultural control rather than evangelical witness and service
Sociopolitical Context
Emerges in contexts where Christian identity becomes entangled with political power, cultural dominance, or institutional control rather than prophetic witness
Manifests across political spectrum when theological integrity becomes subordinated to pragmatic effectiveness in cultural or political contests
Cultural Impact
Public Witness Corruption: Damages Christian credibility by associating faith with power-seeking rather than service and reconciliation
Ecclesial Polarization: Creates division within Christian communities between those prioritizing institutional power and those emphasizing cruciform discipleship
Academic Research
Represents a critical departure from orthodox Christian understanding by reducing Jesus to a rhetorical tool rather than a transformative exemplar; replacing communal discernment with hierarchical power structures; substituting divine economy with transactional or identitarian frameworks.
Samuel Wells’s analysis of imperial versus incarnational models of Christian engagement with power and authority
William Cavanaugh’s critique of how Christian identity becomes subordinated to state and market mechanisms
Stanley Hauerwas’s examination of how Constantinian settlement corrupted authentic Christian witness
Contemporary political theology scholarship analyzing intersection of religious identity and power structures
Key Authors
Path Navigation
Key Mutations: Practical Atheism, Binary Apocalypticism, [Authoritarian Spirituality – TBP]
Contemporary Movements: Christian Nationalism, Identity Synthesis
Theological Alternatives: Being With, Servant Power, Kenotic Sovereignty
Historical Context: Civil Religion, Covenant Theology
Last Updated
May 18, 2025
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*This entry is part of the Political Theology Lexicon, accessible exclusively to subscribers. View the complete lexicon to explore related concepts and the full theoretical framework.*
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