Genesis 1:28 (KJV) says, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
God commands a dominion of Man over Earth, as God blessed Man over all creatures of the sea, the air, and the Earth. A striking proclamation from the most influential religious text ever: The Bible.
Furthermore, Psalm 72:8 says, “He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” Man shall dominate and shall have dominion over every living thing under God’s Command and God’s Law, in other words.
Canada became a bulwark of secularism in crossing this ideology. Its status as a Member State of the United Nations with far more atheists, agnostics, and humanists than the majority of nation-states stands as a testament to the influence of modernity in Canada and, thus, on the cosmopolitan world.
By “cosmopolitan world,” I do not mean necessarily “the West.” I mean the broad set of nations influenced by the best of West, East, North, and South cultures and histories with respect and even admiration, at times, for the contributions to global culture.
Secular human rights, as an international ethic, build into this. A religious movement has been building within the Christian religion over the idea of this passage, specifically from the Bible and then the interpretation of this as a command for this world.
Not merely as a claim for themselves but one for themselves and everyone else. It becomes an absolutist socio-political philosophy. Apparently, this entire Christian theocratic renewal movement began in the 1980s with the use of the terms “dominion theology’ and “dominionism” in texts.
Jacques Poitras of CBC News pointed out the threats to this theology in Canada. He talked about a group of Christians gathering together to take a photo akin to the Fathers of Confederation. That’s merely a referral when Canada had all-male politicians, and only white men, as far as I know, able to vote.
It was a less equal Canada. These Christians gathered together for the photo to show “we’re going to be who you were, in a new time, in order to be God’s hands and feet for Canada, to reestablish the Dominion of Canada as something that honours God,” according to Russell-Chipp Tatyana Russell-Chipp, a missionary and musician.
Brent Harris, a Saint John city councillor who has worked as a minister, said, “It’s prophetic to them… Using that word was the Lord coming in to put his fingerprint on the nation, and when the resurrection happens, you know this will be the nation of Canada rising to its proper place in the kingdom.”
The Canadian Prophetic Council holds a “belief in the supremacy of the Word of God.” Faytene Grasseschi (née Kryskow) is a Christian activist from Quispamsis, New Brunswick. This was an important part of the commentary for Poitras.
Grasseschi leads the Canadian Prophetic Council. She runs 4 My Canada with open support for Premier Blaine Higgs based on changes to a policy protecting LGBTQ+ kids, Policy 713. And you know what, she has full right to freely express these views and supports. It doesn’t mean a commentary ain’t comin’.
In a CBC News interview, she said, “What motivated me is that I love Canada… If you love something you get involved, and it’s really as simple as that.” Her and others’ ideas are to influence the Conservative Party of Canada based on the New Apostolic Reformation.
A former member of New Apostolic Reformation, Sarah Ecker, said, “They just want to come across as very caring and pleasant and normal, regular people, and they’re really good at that… But then behind the scenes they’re much more radical in their beliefs.”
They aim to make society mirror heaven for Jesus to come back. This is fundamentalism, writ politics and religion turned into a political tool. Ecker claims no card exists and no formal statements of ideology as an organization.
It becomes a conservative movement matching some more radical movements in the 1960s and 1970s in North America in that sense. There is no clear leader, no formal ideology, and no central organization, but everyone follows and gets the point: Guerilla theological politics, guerilla theology.
These individuals build networks, though. These tell more of the truth of the situation. Grassechi has links with US religious leaders Cindy Jacobs and Stacey Campbell. Wagner co-founded Generals International to engage in “spiritual warfare.” It sounds clownish because it is clownish. Campbell founded the Canadian Prophetic Council.
This leads back to Dominionism, which new Apostolic Reform adherents believe, following Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 72:8, “Christians are called by God to rule, to have authority and penetrate and have influence on the social and political institutions of their country and the world,” in this theology. It could be interpreted as stewardship of the Earth, a good.
But it could be interpreted as intent to establish a Christian theocracy, which seems more likely as an intent. Grasseschi is amongst those with such a theology.
Peter Wagner named New Apostolic Reformation. He defined the areas of targeted change: arts, business, education, family, government, media, and religion. In 2011, he said the goal is “the blessings and prosperity of the Kingdom of God… permeate all areas of society… [and] push back the long-standing kingdom of Satan and bring the peace and prosperity of His kingdom here on Earth… This is what we mean by Dominionism.” It’s simple.
This is a recipe for Christian theocracy at a national level, at the least. The idea is the framing of the theocratic ideas in non-theological terms to pass in political discourse. They will play the victim, too. I have no doubt. The idea of Christian persecution while persecuting in the nation’s history is a common theme.
Even on questions about the denial of equal rights for others, e.g., when former Conservative Party of Canada Leader, Andrew Scheer, was questioned on same-sex marriage, this was proclaimed as anti-Catholic bigotry.
With the truth out now, the basic premise was the theology of the Catholic Church was influencing conservative politicians. This influence denied equal rights, in political and social stance, to homosexuals in Canada. The bigotry was a conservative stance, then projected when questioned as the bigotry of everyone else against Catholics.
It’s not anti-Catholic bigotry to demand equal rights; it’s Catholics being anti-equality when holding views denying equality to others. This would be apart from red herrings of good deeds done in other countries or helping the poor and afflicted in society.
Fundamentally, as we see with splits between churches, denominations, and faiths, in general, the fundamentals do not change.
In a 2005 book, Grasseschi made dramatic claims about dominion, etc. She claims to have evolved and matured in views, expressing this as possible for any person. Russell-Chipp is skeptical based on attendance at Grasseschi’s church.
Lying for Christ is a known phenomenon. Pious fraud is another name. It is the idea that the ends justify the means. Or the idea that lying or falsifying information for the advancement of the faith is a valid enterprise because it advances the faith. This could be happening here.
If it is happening in New Brunswick, then this may be happening in more populated areas of Canada, too. Politicized religion is a bigger problem in the United States, as Dominionism is a political force there. It could happen here, too.
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Photo credit: Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash.