Dominionism - A Theology That Intermingles with Mysticism
But Not the Word of God

"There has been a significant rise of cross-pollination between evangelical dominionists and New Age Theosophists.41 Since the late 1970s there has been a closeted fraternization between dominionists and Theosophists for the purpose of finding common ground for the future. Both groups seek to bring in a "Christ" figure to solve the world's problems. Both groups have grand utopian plans to create "peace" on earth. During the past decade, the two groups began borrowing doctrinal terminologies from one another and working on common theologies. The events of 9/11 gave a new impetus to this effort. Jay Gary, who has been a leader within all three sects of dominionism has had close ties with the Theosophists and is adopting new theologies, including a hybrid of preterism called "transmillenialism." Bob Buford of Leadership Network ... has been working since the mid-1990s to create a youth culture based on "emergent" theologies called the Emergent Church - a mixture of New Age paganism, eastern mysticism and evangelical dominionism. And Patriotic Dominionist leaders have long-standing, close ties with the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who has his own messianic kingdom ambitions.

"Throughout the 2000 year history of Christianity there has always been a vein of dominionism embedded in the strata of doctrines. This seam has ebbed and flowed for 20 centuries, sometimes submerged, sometimes exposed. Whenever out in the open, it has given rise to horrible abuses done in the name of Christ. In the early 21st century, once again this vein is now showing and active. Keep in mind: Dominionism is always an aberration of true Christian theology....

"A remnant of believers has always opposed it, often suffering a martyr's fate at the hands of intolerant dominionists. Since the latter half of the 1990s the three major dominionists sects have openly converged into an ecumenical force. These three branches of dominionism are linked historically at many levels, and there is solid documentation to support the idea that the current convergence was planned and intentional....

"Dominionism teaches:
The Gospel of Salvation is achieved by setting up the "Kingdom of God" as a literal and physical kingdom to be "advanced" on Earth in the present age. Some dominionists liken the New Testament Kingdom to the Old Testament Israel in ways that justify taking up the sword, or other methods of punitive judgment, to war against enemies of their kingdom.

"Dominionists teach that men can be coerced or compelled to enter the kingdom. They assign to the Church duties and rights that belong Scripturally only to Jesus Christ. This includes the esoteric belief that believers can "incarnate" Christ and function as His body on Earth to establish His kingdom rule. An inordinate emphasis is placed on man's efforts; the doctrine of the sovereignty of God is diminished." Click here to read the rest of article, "Dominionism and the Rise of Christian Imperialism"

The end times 'paradigm shift"
Mike Oppenheimer

There has been a change of focus and ministry over the years in our preparing for His coming. The Bible teaches that the church is to be taken to a place that He told us about almost 2,000 years ago (Jn.14 that we will be with Him where He is in heaven; He is coming to take us to the heavenly Jerusalem). Instead the strategy has changed to other desires replacing the church’s hope of heaven. Now many are saying - we must make it change, we are now in charge to bring the kingdom to earth. When Peter writes of their saying the fathers fell asleep, it has to do with those of faith who have died, we can safely assume this is connected to the awaiting resurrection. The day when the saints (bodies) who died in Christ  will arise from the grave.

If we are at the end of the age and threshold of the rapture of the church and the resurrection of the saints and the tribulation taking place (though there various views of which takes place first), then those who have accepted this new paradigm of kingdom now dominionism are actually fulfilling Biblical prophecy! At certain times in the past individual groups sat around waiting for the rapture to occur to solve all their problems. Today many have ridiculed the hope of being taken to heaven replacing it with a new hope of the Church being called to take over the world and establish the kingdom of God on earth. Both are wrong views. Jesus never told us to wait for the rapture but to be busy working doing what he told us, so we are found doing His Fathers will when He comes again. On the other hand the focus has changed from our winning souls to be citizens in heaven, to an immediate earthly concern. This involves social agendas of cleaning up society, christianizing the world and even delivering cities and nations of demons by spiritual warfare; called spiritual mapping, done by binding territorial spirits, by now I’m sure you have heard of these terms.

Is the Church the New Israel?
by Tony Pearce

"When I became a Christian in 1970 I read most of the Bible and came to three main conclusions:

1. That the Bible is the Word of God.
2. That Jesus is the one way to God.
3. That we are living in the last days.

A major factor influencing me to believe point 3 was the return of the Jewish people to Israel and the resulting conflict which tied in with such prophecies as Jeremiah 30, Zechariah 12-14, Matthew 24 and Luke 21. I saw also many factors in contemporary world events which seemed to be pushing us in the direction of the Great Tribulation and the reign of Antichrist prophesied in the Bible. Somewhat naively I imagined that Christians who took the Bible literally came to roughly the same conclusion.

I soon discovered that this was not the case as I encountered a quite different interpretation of the Bible and contemporary events which looked for a great revival of Christianity which would take the nations for Jesus and cause the global triumph of Christianity with great signs and wonders convincing people of the truth of the Gospel as all other political and religious systems fail. In this scheme of things prophecies relating to the restoration of Israel in the last days should in fact be applied to the church because the church has replaced Israel (or is the New Israel). Click here to read the rest of this article, Is the Church New Israel?