Taking dominion in a Christian nation: North American political theology in an African context

This article traces some of the North American theological influences on contemporary Christian nationalism in Zambia. Beginning with an overview of key tenets of Christian Reconstruction and the New Apostolic Reformation, I show how these movements have influenced the writing of some key players in Zambia’s Christian nationalist project. I also demonstrate how these authors have modified the western ideas that have shaped their thought. This analysis responds to calls in the anthropology of Christianity to better document the various forms Christian nationalism takes around the world, perhaps especially outside of the West. It also troubles easy arguments about the influence of western Christian activists on Christian politics in Africa by foregrounding the agency of local writers and theologians, even as they engage with theological ideas that originated in the West.