In the past week, I've run across a surprising number of posts and articles by figures popular in the Dominionist stream of Christianity on the significance of eschatology. The central thesis of these writings is that Premillennialism and Amillennialism, having no optimistic theology of victory for this present age, do not produce in their adherents the right kind of attitude to win the "Culture War". Since Postmillennials look forward to the promised victory of the Christ in this age through the work of the Church, they are rightly equipped and motivated to engage the culture and take dominion for Christ. It is certainly true that our theological positions have serious practical implications. One need to look no further than the Hyper-Grace Christianity prevalent in Evangelicalism today. It has made having a "messy" Christian life normal and even ideal. Christians more often desire to associate with David's moral failings (ignoring the majority of his life) than with those who are called in Scripture perfect and upright, like Daniel, Joseph, Job and David (in the rest of his life apart from Bathsheba). Thus, the authors of these writings are absolutely right in pointing out that our theological positions affect our actions. Going beyond that though, it was unsurprising that these writings were full of optimistic presuppositions that have no basis in Scripture.
Tag: Neo-Calvinism
Revelation 21 and Continuity of Cultural Works: A Refutation and Historic Survey
The theology of Abraham Kuyper and other Dutch theologians has made significant inroads into the English-Speaking world in the last century. Kuyperian thought is popular across a wide range of views in the Dominionist spectrum, from Theonomists to Soft-Dominionists because of the popularity gained by Neo-Calvinism. The theology is primarily appealing in the affluent West because of its emphasis on cultural advancement, vocation and politics. Unsurprisingly, Kuyperianism doesn't have much of a foothold outside the region popularly called "Christendom". Many have accepted Kuyperian theological terminology like "Common-Grace" (a misnomer for Providence) without second thought, not considering that these views and terms don't predate the Dispensational innovation. It is in light of this that it is pertinent to confront a popular doctrine that has become popular in the Churches that flows out of Dutch Calvinism, the doctrine of continuity of culture and its achievements into the age to come.
The Dominion Mandate Examined Through the Lens of Scripture and Church History
The problem with the Dominionist view of the Cultural Mandate is that the natural reading of the Text doesn't allow for the added assumptions, either that of Kuyper or of the later Reconstructionists. This verse is specifically dealing with the means of sustenance in a primordial agrarian system established at Eden and has nothing to do with the notions of utilizing the full "God-given" human potential through the subduing of nature and an emphasis on civilization building, politics and arts. These are assumptions being added to the Text. Its a textbook example of eisegesis. The Dominionist is reading his preconceived notions into the Text to make way for something that the Text doesn't allow for. The natural reading utilizes an action "have" or "take" dominion and an object(s) "fish of the sea, fowl of the air, every living thing". The Dominionist expands this set of objects to include civilization, politics and culture.
Deo Vicit Mundum 