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Is Obama a Reconstructionist Postmillenialist?

CNN reports that Barak Obama told an evangelical church in South Carolina that:

“We’re going to keep on praising together. I am confident that we can create a Kingdom right here on Earth.”

As a matter of politics, of course, such a statement reflects the belief in human perfectibility that characterizes certain strains of modern liberalism, especially in the social democracy and socialist-leaning traditions. As a theological matter, however, it’s an interesting claim. In Christian eschatology, there are basically three major sets of views:

• Amillennialism, which interprets Revelation 20 in a non-literal way and thus denies that there will be a Kingdon on Earth.
• Pre, which holds that there will be a literal Kingdom on Earth, but also holds that man cannot create that Kingdom of God, but rather that the millenial Kingdom on Earth will come about only after the Second Coming.
• Postmillenialism, which holds that there will be a literal Kingdom on Earth and, more important, that human effort can bring about that Kingdom.

(Personally, I’m a panmillenialist, since I think it will all probably pan out in the end.)

It seems fair to interpret Obama’s statement as suggesting he adheres to a Postmillenial theology. If so, this is where it gets interesting. Postmillenialism can be divided into two basic categories. First, Revivalist Postmillennialism, which is a bottom up theology. It holds that the Kingdom of God is created at the grass roots by missionaries and others carrying out the Great Commission. Second, Reconstructionist Postmillennialism, is more of a top down theology. It holds that Christians must work through government and the laws to change society so as to bring about the Kingdom of God. Is that what Obama meant?

Here’s why that would be interesting. In the United States, Reconstructionist Postmillennialism is most closely associated with politically conservative fundamentalist Protestants; i.e., the right wing of the religious right:

Christian Reconstructionism arose out of conservative Presbyterianism in the early 1970’s. Followers believe “that every area dominated by sin must be ‘reconstructed’ in terms of the Bible.” ... Its most common form, Dominionism, represents one of the most extreme forms of Fundamentalist Christianity thought. Its followers, called Dominionists, are attempting to peacefully convert the laws of United States so that they match those of the Hebrew Scriptures. They intend to achieve this by using the freedom of religion in the US to train a generation of children in private Christian religious schools. Later, their graduates will be charged with the responsibility of creating a new Bible-based political, religious and social order. One of the first tasks of this order will be to eliminate religious choice and freedom. Their eventual goal is to achieve the “Kingdom of God” in which much of the world is converted to Christianity. They feel that the power of God’s word will bring about this conversion. No armed force or insurrection will be needed; in fact, they believe that there will be little opposition to their plan. People will willingly accept it. All that needs to be done is to properly explain it to them.

All religious organizations, congregations etc. other than strictly Fundamentalist Christianity would be suppressed. Nonconforming Evangelical, main line and liberal Christian religious institutions would no longer be allowed to hold services, organize, proselytize, etc. Society would revert to the laws and punishments of the Hebrew Scriptures. Any person who advocated or practiced other religious beliefs outside of their home would be tried for idolatry and executed. Blasphemy, adultery and homosexual behavior would be criminalized; those found guilty would also be executed. At that time that this essay was originally written, this was the only religious movement in North America of which we were aware which advocates genocide for followers of minority religions and non-conforming members of their own religion. Since then, we have learned of two conservative Christian pastors in Texas who have advocated the execution of all Wiccans. Ralph Reed, the executive director of the conservative public policy group the Christian Coalition has criticized Reconstructionism as “an authoritarian ideology that threatens the most basic civil liberties of a free and democratic society.”

Oddly, however, Christian Reconstructionists and political liberals have at least one thing in common; namely, a belief in human perfectibility. Of course, their definitions of the perfect human differ quite a lot.

I’m emphatically NOT suggesting that Obama is a closet Christian Reconstructionist. I am suggesting that his comment opens an eschatological can of worms. It would be very interesting if some religiously astute reporter would sit Obama down and explore his views on human perfectibility, the nature of the Kingdom on Earth, and eschatology.

P.S. Or maybe all Obama was saying is that he wants to immanentize the eschaton.

Update: It turns out that Obama likely subscribes to a fairly standard iberal Christian variant of amillennialism. How very anticlimactic. It would have been much more interesting if he had turned out to be that rarest of birds--a politically liberal Reconstructionist Postmillenialist. For more, go here.