Kinism is a belief system within some conservative Reformed Protestant denominations which advocates the separation of ethnic groups, particularly whites from other races. The term “Kinism” comes from the word “kin” meaning one’s family, relatives or tribe.
Kinists believe that God intentionally divided humanity into different people groups and nations. They argue that maintaining this God-given diversity is His will. Kinists oppose interracial marriage and integration as violations of God’s created order.
Kinism has its roots in Christian Reconstructionism, a theonomic movement advocating a return to Old Testament civil laws in modern society. R.J. Rushdoony, the founder of Christian Reconstructionism, promoted ethno-nationalism and opposed interracial marriage. His writings influenced early Kinist thinkers.
Kinists look to the Bible to support racial segregation. They point to Old Testament passages prohibiting intermarriage between Israelites and foreigners (Deuteronomy 7:3). They cite the division of humanity into nations and tribes at Babel (Genesis 10-11). Kinists also reference New Testament verses such as Acts 17:26 which speaks of God determining the allotted periods and boundaries of nations.
While not all Kinists advocate white supremacy, the belief system lends itself to racist ideologies. Most Kinists view white European peoples as superior. They argue God gave the largest land masses to the white race to exercise godly dominion. Most Kinist organizations are openly anti-Semitic and deny the Holocaust.
Kinism is not an organized movement but rather a loose association of several likeminded groups. Most Kinists identify with Reformed Presbyterian or Lutheran denominations. They are frequently at odds with their own church leadership over their racial views.
Prominent Kinist organizations include Spirit/Water/Blood Ministries, Biblical Foundations Academy, and the Polemics Report. Kinist literature includes the Occidental Quarterly journal and books by authors like Calvinist Alistair B. Clarke. Annual Kinist conferences attract several hundred participants.
Kinists promote homeschooling to pass their beliefs onto the next generation. They operate churches, ministries and books stores catering to Kinist families. Most advocate Christian Patriarchy, Quiverfull ideology, and family-integrated church models as well.
Online discussion boards like Kinism.net and the putting on the Kinism Facebook group allow Kinists to share their racist interpretations of the Bible. Social media outlets have banned most Kinist sites for violating hate speech standards.
All major Reformed denominations have condemned Kinism as a heretical teaching contradicting Scripture and their confessions of faith. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church ruled in 2012 that Kinism involves “a denial of the Gospel of Christ.” The Presbyterian Church in America, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod have also denounced Kinism.
So in summary, Kinism is an ethnocentric ideology focused on preserving perceived ethnic and racial purity through strict separation. This fringe movement originating among some conservative Reformed groups promotes a racist biblical interpretation at odds with mainstream Christianity. Most Kinists advocate various shades of white nationalism, patriarchy, homeschooling, and Reformed theology as well. All major denominations have repudiated Kinism as unbiblical and unchristian. The pseudo-intellectual writings of Kinist leaders fail to mask the hateful core of their segregationist beliefs.
Origins and Influences
Kinism has its origins among fringe thinkers within conservative Reformed Protestant traditions in the latter half of the 20th century. The earliest Kinists came out of Christian Reconstructionist circles influenced by the works of R.J. Rushdoony and Gary North.
Rushdoony was the founder of Christian Reconstructionism, a movement seeking to impose Old Testament laws on modern society. Rushdoony taught that God’s law required ethno-nationalism and condemned interracial marriage. Kinists adopted these views on race as they developed their theology.
Other early influences on Kinist ideology included the 19th century theologian Robert Lewis Dabney who defended slavery and opposed public education. Kinists also embraced the writings of Southern Presbyterian theologian James Henley Thornwell who argued in favor of segregation.
The adoption of the Kinist label itself dates back to a 2007 blog post titled “What is Kinism?” by Brian Schwertley. He defined it as believing God “providentially created the races and segregated them geographically and culturally.” This blog popularized the Kinist brand among racists in Reformed circles.
In recent years, Kinism has been influenced by neo-Confederate and white nationalist groups as well as the alt-right movement. Most Kinists now combine their racist biblical interpretations with more secular white identity concepts. This had led some scholars to dub Kinism as “Reformed racism.”
Beliefs and Practices
Kinists hold several distinctive beliefs centered around concepts of race, nationality and ethnic identity:
– God intentionally created different nations and ethnicities. Maintaining distinctions is His will.
– Interracial marriage violates God’s design with negative consequences.
– Whites are culturally and intellectually superior to other races.
– Whites have a God-given right to exercise dominion over non-white nations and peoples.
– Segregation of ethnic groups is the biblical model that should be followed.
– Multiracial and multicultural societies are unbiblical and contrary to God’s will.
On a practical level, Kinism leads to varying degrees of adherence to the following practices:
– Advocating for white separatism and restricting immigration.
– Condemning interracial relationships and supporting laws against miscegenation.
– Favoring homeschooling and kinist-friendly private schools to pass on beliefs.
– Excluding ethnic minorities from church membership and leadership roles.
– Promoting large kinist families under patriarchal gender roles.
– Boycotting businesses viewed as advancing multicultural agendas.
– Denying racism exists and resisting attempts at racial reconciliation.
However, not all Kinists put these teachings into practice in the same way. There is diversity in how these common Kinist beliefs take form in families, churches and communities.
Biblical Basis
Kinists attempt to root their racist ideology in the Bible. Some of their main biblical arguments include:
– God separated humanity into nations and ethnicities at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). This division should be preserved.
– The Old Testament prohibited intermarriage between Israelites and those of other nations like the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:3). This supports racial endogamy.
– Leviticus 19:19 prohibits blending fabrics. By analogy, blending races through intermarriage is forbidden.
– God determined the boundaries and periods of ethnic groups (Acts 17:26). Changing those divine demarcations is wrong.
– Abraham sought a wife of his own kin (Genesis 24). Interracial marriage violates this principle.
– Nations are to maintain their identity as distinct peoples (Revelation 21:24). Universalism violates this.
However, these proof texts are all decontextualized and twisted to support racist presuppositions. No major Christian denomination finds Kinism to be a biblically sound theology.
Overlap With Other Movements
Kinism acts as an overarching ideology that overlaps with several other conservative religious movements:
Christian Patriarchy – Most Kinists believe in male headship and restrictive gender roles for women. Large kinist families are common.
Quiverfull – Having many children to raise as Kinists is seen as a form of spiritual warfare.
Homeschooling – Education at home allows indoctrination into Kinist interpretations of history and religion.
Family-Integrated Churches -Kinists favor insular church models that exclude youth programs and age-divided classes.
Christian Reconstructionism – Kinism shares Reconstructionism’s theocratic goals and emphasis on God’s law.
Paleoconservatism – Kinists favor isolationist foreign policy and protectionist economic policies coupled with traditional values.
In these ways, Kinism unites tendencies toward nativism, religious fundamentalism, anti-feminism, anti-globalism and dominion theology. It acts as a connecting ideology between various far-right movements.
Kinist Organizations
Kinism lacks any centralized organization or institutional structure. However, various kinist groups and ministries promote its racist agenda:
– Spirit, Water, Blood Ministries – Founded by Protestant ministers, it provides kinist books and pastoral resources.
– Biblical Foundations Academy – An online Kinist school founded by Brian Schwertley to promote kinist home education.
– Polemics Report – Hosts annual Kinist conferences and operates a podcast led by Reformed theologian Joe Rios.
– Christogenea Ministries – A neo-Confederate group blending Kinism with Christian Identity beliefs.
– Calvinist Confederate League – A kinist group that romanticizes the Confederacy and advocates southern secession.
– Occidental Quarterly – An academic racist journal that provides intellectual justification for Kinist viewpoints.
These groups tap into the latent racism that sadly exists among some conservative Reformed Christians. They give Kinism a veneer of theological respectability to recruit followers.
Relationship With Mainstream Christianity
No major Christian denomination accepts Kinism as a valid expression of biblical Christianity. All Reformed churches have forcefully condemned Kinism in recent years:
– Orthodox Presbyterian Church – Its General Assembly declared in 2012 that Kinism involves “a denial of the Gospel.”
– Presbyterian Church in America – Has formally repudiated Kinism as incompatible with biblical Christianity on multiple occasions.
– Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America – Labels Kinism a heretical movement that twists Scripture.
– Lutheran Church Missouri Synod – Passed a resolution in 2019 denouncing Kinism in response to it spreading among some churches.
Many local congregations have also had to excommunicate vocal Kinists. This includes prominent Kinist leaders like Matthew Parrot who was expelled from his PCA church in 2015.
Mainstream Christian pastors and scholars point out that Kinism’s obsession with race is utterly unbiblical. The ethnocentric pride at the heart of Kinism could not be more contrary to the humility Christ exemplified and taught. Christians are exhorted to transcend cultural barriers and ethnic hostility through the unifying blood of Jesus. Kinism tries to undo the equality of all peoples before God that the Gospel establishes.
Kinist Presence Online
The internet has been the lifeblood allowing the spread of Kinism despite widespread condemnation from Christian authorities. Websites, forums and social media aid recruitment:
– Kinism.net – The most active discussion board where Kinists share views forbidden in their churches.
– Facebook groups – Niche groups like “Putting on the Kinism” thrive before eventually being banned for racism.
– Twitter – Kinist leaders maintain accounts until being suspended for violating hate speech policies.
– YouTube – Sermons and lectures promoting Kinist interpretations of Scripture are frequently uploaded.
– Gab – This free speech social network contains Kinist user groups. It acts as an echo chamber.
– AltCensored – A video platform containing clips censored elsewhere for racism. Lots of Kinist content.
– Kinist Podcasts – Podcasts allow the regular dissemination of Kinist ideology to supporters.
This online footprint exposes a wide audience to Kinist radicalization. Impressionable Christians get hooked by pseudo-intellectual attempts to justify racism using Scripture. The internet has facilitated the spread of Kinism despite mainstream rejection.
Kinist Rhetoric and Responses
When confronted, Kinists typically resort to the following rhetorical tactics to deflect criticism:
– “Kinists don’t hate other races, we just believe in ethnopluralism.”
This is their attempt to reframe racism as simply wanting racial preservation and self-determination. But the ethnocentric pride at the core of Kinism is undeniable.
– “No one called this view racist for centuries until modern times.”
While ethnic nationalism existed historically, labeling it “Kinism” is new. And past racism does not justify present racism.
– “You’re imposing foreign, modern notions of equality onto Scripture.”
Ethnocentrism was an unfortunate part of cultures that Scripture writers addressed for their time. The Bible’s message transcends particular cultural limitations.
– “Kinism is just being faithful to biblical law.”
But they conveniently dismiss New Testament teachings that supersede aspects of Old Testament law code. This reveals inconsistency.
– “The church today has compromised with liberal multiculturalism.”
While the church today isn’t perfect, this is simply a way to dismiss all orthodox critiques of Kinism as compromised.
These arguments may sound appealing to some initially. But under scrutiny, they do not hold up biblically or logically. They represent distortions of Scripture and deceptive rhetoric aimed at justifying racism.
Impact on Families and Churches
The impact of Kinism on families and churches that embrace it is highly destructive:
– It fosters suspicion and hatred of other ethnic groups who are seen as threats.
– It leads to distrust toward Christian leaders who refuse to promote Kinist teaching.
– It divides churches and ruins fellowship with bigoted rhetoric.
– It twists Scripture to instill unwarranted pride in children instead of Christlike humility.
– It leads people to judge others based on ethnicity rather than godly character.
– It causes trauma when family members reject Kinism, resulting in shunning.
– It disillusions followers when expected political and social victories fail to materialize.
– It distracts from the Gospel mission of making disciples of all nations.
In these ways and more, Kinism often psychologically and relationally harms those under its influence. The hateful identitarian outlook it breeds sabotages Christian witness. Only by fully repudiating Kinism can its destructive effects within churches and families be remedied.
Comparison With Other Racial Groups
Unlike Kinism, other racially-focused religious movements do not promote inherent ethnic superiority or seek to subjugate other groups:
Black Liberation Theology – Emphasizes the dignity of black people created in God’s image in response to racism against them.
Native American Spirituality – Celebrates indigenous culture and spiritual customs that faced eradication under colonialism.
Liberation Theology – Focuses on alleviating poverty and injustice faced by minority social classes.
These theologies may have imbalances but do not exalt one ethnicity above others. They represent oppressed groups affirming their equal humanity in response to discrimination. Kinism, rooted in historical white power structures, promotes racism rather than fights against it.
Fringe Status and the Future
Kinism remains a fringe movement rejected by mainstream Christianity. Despite a small revival thanks to social media, its future growth faces considerable challenges:
– Lack of institutional support from established Christian denominations.
– Its extreme views are unable to attract most Christians.
– Rising multiethnic participation in conservative Reformed churches.
– Mass migration makes ethnic homogeneity difficult to maintain.
– Public shame for churches and leaders associated with bigotry.
– Bans from major online platforms limiting its reach.
For these reasons, Kinism is likely to remain confined to a narrow subculture unable to achieve wider credibility. The Gospel call to tear down walls of division stands in opposition to Kinism’s vision.
Ultimately Kinism represents a heretical theology at odds with biblical Christianity. Its racially charged worldview fractures churches, families and society. The road of repentance and renewal awaits churches polluted by Kinism’s false teachings. Only a return to the unifying message of Christ can wash away the stain of this sinful ideology from Christianity.