Defining “Christianist”

The Atlantic ‘s Megan McArdle is attempting to narrow down the definition of a term created by her colleague Andrew Sullivan:

A number of my commenters are arguing about the meaning of the word “Christianist”. All I can come up with is something along the lines of “Christianist n. Someone who selectively ignores different parts of Christian scripture than I do.” Perhaps my readers have a better one?

I was going to propose this definition, based on the way that Sullivan uses the term:

Someone who adheres to the traditional view of Christianity and/or an orthodox view of Scripture, particularly the passages that condemn homosexuality.

But then I remembered that Sullivan has applied the term to a broad range of people, from me to Barack Obama . So perhaps a more apt definition would be:

Someone who calls themselves a Christian and who Andrew Sullivan thinks is wrong about a particular issue.

Does anyone other than Sullivan even use the stupid term?

Dear Reader,

Can I be direct with you?

War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.

First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.

But we can’t do it without readers like you.

Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.


Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.

Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.

GIVE NOW

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

The Church in the Age of Therapy

Matthew Loftus

In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…

Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot

Anna Farrow

On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…

The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen

Mike Aquilina

Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…