What Is Christian Reconstructionism?
Christian reconstructionism is a fundamentalist Calvinist theonomic movement. It developed primarily under the direction of R. J. Rushdoony, Greg Bahnsen and Gary North and has had an important influence on the… Part of the Religious family.
Definition
Christian reconstructionism is a fundamentalist Calvinist theonomic movement. It developed primarily under the direction of R. J. Rushdoony, Greg Bahnsen and Gary North and has had an important influence on the Christian right in the United States.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Christian reconstructionism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Biblical law as the basis of civil law.
- Christian dominion over society.
- Limited civil government with strong family and church.
Origins
United States, 1960s–1970s.
Associated thinkers and leaders
R. J. Rushdoony
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Christian Reconstructionism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 80 | toward market | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 100 | strongly toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 86 | strongly toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 91 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 45 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 79 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 73 | toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 91 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 100 | strongly toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 99 | strongly toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 100 | strongly toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 20 | toward free market |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 45 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 100 | strongly toward religious authority |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The government should be able to restrict how certain religions are practiced, such as their places of worship, clothing or schools. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A strong leader who gets things done matters more than following proper procedures. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Monarchism, Christian Reconstructionism sits 15 points further toward authoritarian on the authority dimension.
- Compared with Absolute Monarchism, Christian Reconstructionism sits 13 points further toward market on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Authoritarian Conservatism, Christian Reconstructionism sits 12 points further toward market on the economic dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Christian Reconstructionism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Christian reconstructionism
- Wikipedia: Christian Reconstructionism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Religion and Political Theory
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Environmental Ethics
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.