Christian supremacy is the belief that Christianity is superior to other religions or referring to a form of identity politics that asserts that Christians are superior and are better suited to rule thus marginalising religious minorities. Christian supremacy overlaps with and can be considered a core tenet of Christian nationalism.[1] The New Apostolic Reformation, a dominionist political movement, is described by The Washington Post and scholar Bradley Onishi as promoting Christian supremacy through a mix of hard-right politics and prophecy.[2] [3] Joseph Wiinikka-Lydon of the Southern Poverty Law Center and religion scholar Matthew D. Taylor points to the Seven Mountain Mandate as the plan for Christian dominance and supremacy.[4] [5] [6] [7]
Christian fundamentalism is a major undercurrent and central ideology in Christian supremacism and there are overlaps with Theonomy and Dominion theology. Additionally, premillennialism and to an extent postmillennialism has been cited to influence Christian supremacy over its emphasis of the end times especially with regard to the New Apostolic Reformation, its wider relative; the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement and potentially even Evangelical Christianity.[8] Christian supremacy may coexist with antisemitism and Islamophobia to varying degrees while homophobia, transphobia and misogyny maintain a high presence within Christian supremacist discourses often through the belief and promotion of conspiracy theories such as LGBTQ grooming conspiracy theory and that of Cultural Marxism.[9] [10] Additionally, sectarianism may arise over different denominations of Christianity through vying for supremacy.[11]
Christian supremacy often intersects with other forms of supremacy such as White supremacy with various White Christian supremacist groups existing such as the Ku Klux Klan and Christian Identity. Scholars such as Jenny L Small and others have highlighted that Christian supremacy is related with Christian privilege and Christian hegemony of which it is characterised as a system of interlocking discourses that privileges Christians and marginalises non-Christians thus assuming the universalization of Christian values. Christian hegemony and privileges are deeply embedded in western societies which sustains Christian supremacy. Even when religious plurality is acknowledged, the entrenchment of Christian values serves to obscure Christian privilege and sustain it.[12]
Christian supremacy was used as one justification for stealing lands from Native Americans and enslaving Africans around the founding of the United States.[13]
In the 1930's, Father Coughlin believed in and hoped to promote Christian supremacy by recruiting a militia he called the Christian Front.[14]
Erik Prince of the mercenary company Blackwater was accused of being a Christian supremacist and deploying Christian supremacists to Iraq that he hoped would murder Iraqis.[15] The company used large amounts of imagery from the Crusades.
The growing role of Christian supremacy in the GOP since Donald Trump's election in 2016 has drawn concern from leaders of other faiths.[16] [17] Al Sharpton and Doug Pagitt both called for Christians to reject Christian supremacy ideas promoted by Trump in 2020.[18]
The storming of the US Capitol following the fallout of false accusations of electoral fraud was partially motivated by Christian nationalism which was undergirded by notions of Christian supremacy with many rioters flying the Appeal to heaven flag and extensive use of Christian imagery albeit with heavy use of militarized themes.[19]
In 2021, NBC published an article outlining how some Asian American Christians felt discrimination within their churches, citing professors Lucas Kwong and K. Christine Pae on the connections between white supremacy and Christian supremacy.[20]
Kristin Kobes Du Mez described Mike Johnson as believing in Christian supremacy.[21]
Dutch Sheets has promoted the belief of Christian supremacy.[22]
Ziklag was described by Matthew D. Taylor as a Christian supremacist organization working to ensure the election of Donald Trump in 2024.[23]