{"id":218,"date":"2018-01-13T16:16:24","date_gmt":"2018-01-13T23:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/claytonhowardford.com\/?p=218"},"modified":"2026-04-03T02:37:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T02:37:51","slug":"dominion-theology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/claytonhowardford.com\/?p=218","title":{"rendered":"Dominion Theology"},"content":{"rendered":"

I see two disturbing trends within today’s Christian worship, trends that are rapidly spreading through the Western Church. The first trend is that an increasing number of “worship” songs are promoting the false teachings of Dominion Theology and Kingdom Now Theology. Let me explain what those are.<\/p>\n

Dominion Theology is a false teaching that arose in the 1970s and is most popular in Reformed churches such as Baptist and Presbyterian churches. It is based on three basic beliefs:<\/p>\n

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  1. Satan usurped man\u2019s dominion over the earth through the temptation of Adam and Eve.<\/li>\n
  2. The Church is God\u2019s instrument to take dominion back from Satan.<\/li>\n
  3. Jesus cannot or will not return until the Church has taken dominion by gaining control of the earth\u2019s governmental and social institutions, often referred to as the seven \u201cmountains\u201d or spheres of influence: family, education, government, economy, arts, media, and religion.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It teaches that God gave dominion over the earth to Adam in Gen. 1:28. This dominion was not just over the living creatures but over all of the earth: physically, spiritually and politically.<\/p>\n

    Satan stole that dominion away from Adam when Adam fell. Jesus gained that dominion back and gave it to the Church. It is the job of the Church, therefore, to exercise its dominion and \u201ctake back everything that Satan has stolen.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The Church, therefore, must take over all of the governments, all of the schools, all of the economies, and all of the social institutions, and impose God\u2019s law on the whole earth. In short, it is the Church\u2019s job to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth.<\/p>\n

    Once the Church has taken dominion over the earth and essentially ensured that everyone is behaving righteously (either through conversion or obedience to God\u2019s law), then Jesus will return and reign as king.<\/p>\n

    It teaches that there will be no rapture. In fact, it teaches that the idea of the rapture is what is keeping the Church from doing its job. It also teaches that everything in Revelation is symbolic and refers, not to future events, but primarily to past<\/em> events that occurred in Israel from 30 AD to 70 AD.<\/p>\n

    This theology is wrong for several reasons:<\/p>\n

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    1. The dominion over the earth belongs not to the Church but to Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18). We operate within Christ\u2019s authority, meaning that we have no authority of our own.<\/li>\n
    2. The Church has been commanded to preach the Gospel (Matt. 28:19-20), not to reform society.<\/li>\n
    3. Christ will not return to a pure and righteous earth that is governed by the Church; rather, he will return to a wicked and sinful earth that is governed by the Antichrist (Rev. 19:11-21).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      To be continued…
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