It’s All About Dominionism, Kingdom Now, and the New Apostolic Reformation, Part 8

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Gary North is well-known for his specific views on the end times and his very critical views toward those who hold to Premillennialism specifically. While there are a number of views specific to Premillennialism, in general this particular definition of it will suffice for our needs.

Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the earth to gather His saints before the Millennium, a literal thousand-year golden age of peace. This return is referred to as the Second Coming. The doctrine is called “premillennialism” because it holds that Jesus’ physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration of the Millennium.

Many Christians alive today do not believe in a physical, literal return of Jesus to this earth. It’s a joke to many or something to be allegorized. Jesus isn’t actually physically returning, they argue. He is spiritually returning and that happens to a greater degree as Christians turn society around, forcing it to become more Christian-oriented. For these folks, the hint that Jesus is not now reigning is anathema. What they fail to see is that God is always reigning even now. However, there are reasons why Jesus will return physically and will reign from His earthly father’s (King David) throne in Jerusalem. There are biblical as well as legal reasons why this must be the case (Revelation 5).

Some like North, hold that He will physically return once Christians create enough positive change throughout society that will allow Him to return. This is the essential difference between Dominionism and other groups who believe in Jesus’ physical return to planet earth.

Gary North has written many books that put forth his own peculiar beliefs regarding Dominionism, Christian Reconstructionism, and the like, and how Christians, conservatives, and patriots alike are all to be involved in this growing movement. In reality, whether the movement was officially begun by his father-in-law, Rushdoony, or has an indirect link to the so-called Moral Majority, created by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Bible – to my knowledge – does not teach that Christians are to involved in changing society as a direct and overwhelming pursuit.

While Christians should pursue justice and do what they can to change the things they can change, the overriding purpose of our lives on earth after we become Christian is to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28). As noted, though Dominionists believe this is what they do, in reality, evangelizing the lost is really secondary to their primary passion – changing society. They evangelize to gain numbers so that they gain power so that society can be changed. Yet, it is clear from the many faces of Dominionism seen just in the United States that Dominionists have no qualms including plain conservatives or patriots in their circles of influence even if those individuals are not Christians.

As we’ve discussed in previous articles in this series, Dominionism insists that the Church (using conservatives, patriots, and the like), must be very active in manipulating society so that God’s rule overcomes it via leaders within the Church. This is why Mormons, patriots, Baptists, Emergent Church leaders, and plain old, every day conservatives can work alongside one another because the overriding goal is to foment change in society for the good of all society.

This change is done largely through political means, as conservative politicians (who do not need to be Christian, but merely conservative or libertarian), are elected to office, who can then assert influence over the laws that are being made at the city, state, and federal levels. These laws – it is claimed – will move all of society toward a theocratic rule and once enough of that happens in society, Jesus will then be enabled to return.

This particular belief flies in the face of so much that is presented to us in Scripture about God’s sovereignty, the facts of His physical return, His 1,000 reign here on earth, etc., yet these facts are largely ignored. Proponents of this Dominionist theology are not concerned about any flaws in their own belief system as they generally attack those who understand that the Bible literally teaches the world will worsen as it moves toward a period known as the Tribulation/Great Tribulation. This period – lasting precisely seven years – will be controlled by Satan and his spiritual son, Antichrist. At the close of the seven years, Jesus will return, not because society has become more Christian-oriented or biblically theocratic, but because He chooses to put a clear and distinct end to the evil that has had control of the earth for so long. His timing will be impeccable, as always.

Gary North, the son-in-law of Rousas John Rushdoony (whom many consider to be the father of modern Dominionism), is decidedly right-wing politically. He certainly considers himself a Christian and sees evangelical Christians who are more interested in fulfilling the Great Commission (as opposed to working to change society), as more of a threat to what North believes is the coming theonomy, or theocratic kingdom, which will allow Jesus to return. Please note the lack of sovereignty in that word “allow.”

North has no difficulty hobnobbing with people like Donald Trump and other right-wingers because they serve his purposes even if they do not share his exact beliefs. I seriously doubt that Donald Trump for instance, believes that one day, Jesus will physically return to this planet. But that doesn’t bother North (or others who believe as he does), because the overarching goal is to build a society that moves toward a theocracy. There are many steps toward that goal.

Gary North “is known for his advocacy of Biblically-influenced ‘radically libertarian’ economics and also for his support for theocracy. He supports the establishment of religious law, a view which has put him in conflict with other libertarians. Particularly controversial are his views on capital punishment, which he believes is appropriate punishment for a wide variety of crimes.”

Like many within his particular movement, he has no formal religious training, but in his case, is mainly an economist. At one point, he met and married Rousas John Rushdoony’s daughter, becoming acquainted with Rushdoony’s Calvinism and written works through him.

A 2011 New York Times article identified North as a central figure in Christian Reconstructionism, the philosophy which advocates the institution of ‘a Christian theocracy under Old Testament law [as] the best form of government, and a radically libertarian one.’ North has written: ‘I certainly believe in biblical theocracy’.

As I’ve stated before, the overall problem with human attempts to institute a “Christian theocracy” especially using Old Testament laws to do so, is that the concept of grace is gone. Beyond this, people involved in this movement are actually declaring that God is incapable of doing it Himself. Moreover, the question of who – or which group – would actually be in charge of such a system also needs to be asked. Unlike Israel of old, we do not have an “urim and thummin” as was used by the Old Testament Jewish priests. Even if we did, we have no clue how the priests determined God’s will from using it. Colossians 2:17 tells us these things were merely a shadow of the things that were found in Jesus. They are gone. North wants to bring them back.

When Jesus returns – according to Scripture – He and He alone will set up His Millennial Kingdom where He will be the law and He will mete out justice perfectly during His tenure as King of the earth. What North and others of his ilk are advocating is something that can only turn out to be a dismal failure, even if these folks are successful in implementing only half of what they want to implement.

While North has done everything he can to promote his views regarding Dominionism, Christian Reconstructionism, and the like, he has also taken time out to take official potshots at people who believe the Bible teaches a PreTribulation Rapture. He ridicules these folks unmercifully, as do others like Dave MacPherson, yet not only do his tactics come into question but his actual knowledge of Scripture because of how badly he tends to interpret things. His put downs and ridicule are the type of things his followers memorize verbatim and use as weapons against anyone who believes the Church will be raptured off the earth prior to the official start of the Tribulation/Great Tribulation period. There should be grace exhibited one toward another especially with differences in areas where there is wiggle room in Scripture. This is not how “scary Gary” North views things.

If we were to hold Gary North up as a living example of Christianity, we would be doing Christianity a major disservice. I’m not questioning whether he is or is not truly saved. That’s not for me to judge. What I am questioning is the fact that he is derelict in his understanding of Scripture in my opinion, which has caused him to go off on this major tangent that has nothing to do with the one job Christians were given to perform: the Great Commission.

The truth appears to be that Dominionism and all of its offshoots and constructs is a sham and cannot be supported biblically without doing tremendous damage to the truth of Scriptures itself. I would strongly advise anyone involved in it to get out as quickly as possible and to be about the Master’s business, which is the evangelization of the lost and there are plenty of them.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective