101: Dominionism

This 101 was updated on August 21, 2024.

Dominionism remains one of the most significant, yet little-known ideological forces in the U.S. and, increasingly, globally over the past few decades. This broad theological idea has been gathering strength for a half century and is transforming conservative evangelical Christianity into political movements that are driving contemporary politics.  

We continue to see Dominionism-informed conservative Christian support for political candidates at all levels, from school boards to the presidency.

Here are the three main features of Dominionism: 

1. Dominionism is the theocratic idea that Christians are called by God to exercise dominion over every aspect of society by taking control of political and cultural institutions. For example, taking over the role of government, the form and content of public education, and eliminating rights related to bodily autonomy. Thus, it does not envision a society defined by democracy and equality. It is rooted in what is called the dominion mandate or cultural mandate found in Genesis 1:28: “[A]nd God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
2. Dominionism promotes religious supremacy, insofar as it does not respect the equality of other religions or even other versions of Christianity. Dominionism promotes theocratic visions of governance, whereby the Ten Commandments as the foundation of a broad vision of biblical law, should be the foundation of American law, and the U.S. Constitution is seen as a vehicle for implementing biblical principles.
3. Dominionism is the underlying ideology that gives an agenda to Christian nationalism. Dominionism is the key element in contemporary notions of Christian nationalism—the belief that the U.S. once was, and should once again be, a Christian nation. This narrative denies the Enlightenment roots of American constitutional democracy. 

It is not possible to have a thorough understanding of contemporary politics, including the contemporary efforts to roll back reproductive and LGBTQ rights and democracy itself—let alone how to respond—without a basic understanding of the animating ideology behind these efforts. For Dominionism, there is no one single issue, or issue cluster, that is of particular focus because the ideology mandates the promulgation of a comprehensive biblical worldview. Biblical worldview is another way of saying Dominionism. 

As evidence of Dominionism’s significance, it is helpful to understand that over the course of about a half century, conservative evangelicals were previously far less politically organized and engaged. In recent years, the Republican Party has become dominated by conservative evangelicals allied with conservative Catholics, and this block now constitutes a permanent feature of U.S. and global culture and politics.