Dominionism

"Wilkins argues that the direction of development of the North was towards rejection of the Christian foundations of Western civilization and the "visions of the founding fathers of the American nation," which he understands as being the establishment of a biblical Calvinist American state. Thus, according to Wilkins, the defeat of the Confederates in the Civil War signaled the beginning of a revolution in American culture and political life away from the Christian foundations of Western civilization.

"In recent years, many politicians and commentators have cited what they consider a nationwide “war on religion” that exposes religious organizations to hostility and discrimination. But such organizations — from mainline Presbyterian and Methodist churches to mosques to synagogues to Hindu temples — enjoy an abundance of exemptions from regulations and taxes. And the number is multiplying rapidly."

Exemptions, Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Separation Of Church And State, Church Law & Tax Report, Institute of Church-State Studies, Dominionism

"Since GOP leaders have tasted the heady stuff of unlimited power and watched the success of their bullying tactics, they seem to take pride in the fact that intimidation and coercion silences all opposition. They’ve begun to step more boldly toward the goal of taking control of the judiciary—and it appears that nothing can stop them from destroying the system of checks and balances built into our constitution. Americans don’t seem to mind. We love the swagger of the cowboys in charge.

"Joel's Army followers, many of them teenagers and young adults who believe they're members of the final generation to come of age before the end of the world, are breaking away in droves from mainline Pentecostal churches. Numbering in the tens of thousands, they base their beliefs on an esoteric reading of the second chapter of the Old Testament Book of Joel, in which an avenging swarm of locusts attacks Israel. In their view, the locusts are a metaphor for Joel's Army.

"Powerful political movements usually fade away when riled up supporters tire and slowly return to their normal lives. That’s why savvy political theorists keep stirring the pot, mixing in new issues and variations, turning up the heat and causing the pot to boil over, not just once, but over and over again.

Americans and the main-stream media have been very slow in catching on to the fact that we are in a war—a war that is cultural, religious and political. One document not mentioned in The Despoiling of America is the closeted manual that reveals how the right wing in American politics can get and keep power. It was created under the tutelage of Paul Weyrich, the man who founded the Free Congress Foundation.

"The First Prince of the Theocratic States of America

It happened quietly, with barely a mention in the media.

The CNP should concern people, but not necessarily for the reasons that the Left present. Groups like the CNP can draw innocent Christians into the practice of deep politics. Deep politics is a term first coined by Professor Peter Dale Scott. Scott gives the following description of deep politics:

"Currently, the majority of people in America associate the name of Ted Haggard with sexual scandals within the U.S. Evangelical movement. On November 2, 2006, Haggard was accused of engaging in a homosexual tryst (Harris, no pagination). This accusation was made by Michael Jones; a former gay escort/body builder who claims Haggard paid him for sex and drugs (no pagination).

"Some years ago I felt the term “religious right” was accurate enough for describing a large segment of the church world’s involvement in American “conservative” politics, but it seemed inadequate as a term when one struggled to understand the theological underpinnings that were driving the movement. Questions kept surfacing such as, “Why were so many religious conservatives becoming so politically militant?” It seemed like a contradiction in terms.