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summer_in_TX

(4,268 posts)
Sun May 17, 2026, 05:27 PM 18 hrs ago

Christopretensism is the new word I just learned. So descriptive!

The word has the definition built in – pretending to be Christian, performing it – devoid of the actual teachings of Jesus.

When I've talked about Christian nationalism it seems still like it must be a valid branch of Christianity. No, it is heretical, a pretense and distortion, defamation of Christ and Christians.

I would love to see this spread far and wide.

15 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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sop

(19,282 posts)
1. "Christopretendocrats" are those who leverage Christian branding specifically for governance, power, or authority.
Sun May 17, 2026, 05:33 PM
18 hrs ago

summer_in_TX

(4,268 posts)
13. I like it - but on saying and hearing it realized it reminds me of the word Democrats.
Mon May 18, 2026, 12:20 AM
12 hrs ago

Not an association I want to trigger. Fits well though.

sop

(19,282 posts)
15. "Christopretendocans" then...
Mon May 18, 2026, 07:09 AM
5 hrs ago

I looked up the definition of "Chistopretensism" and "Christopretendocrat" came up as another term with a similar meaning, but more specific to those in government. The similarity bothered me as well. The suffix "crat" is from the Greek word "kratos," meaning "rule" or "strength, and "refers to a person who supports, rules, or is a member of a specific governing body," like a Democrat, someone who supports rule by the people (democracy).

littlemissmartypants

(34,339 posts)
3. See what spread far and wide? ...
Sun May 17, 2026, 06:45 PM
17 hrs ago

Christian nationalism? It's happening now.

And I didn't find your word anywhere but the urban dictionary. The words "Fake Christian" don't begin to describe these violence promoting radicals.

Have you listened to this? It's an audio book excerpt from a scholarly text by an expert in Christian Nationalism, Dr. Matthew D. Taylor.



There are all varieties of fake Christians. This group is a highly motivated and determined group destroying our democracy in hopes of a holy war.

I am very worried.

❤️

summer_in_TX

(4,268 posts)
14. They are everything you said. Very determined and hell-bent on destroying democracy.
Mon May 18, 2026, 12:29 AM
11 hrs ago

Practically slavering over the idea of a "holy war."

I ran across the word on Bluesky. While it doesn't capture the evil of Christian theocratic nationalism, it seems like a handy tool for raising the question of motivation and the (non)alignment of behavior with the teachings of Jesus.

Norrrm

(5,572 posts)
4. Perfect for those who consider Trump such a good Christian, but he could not remember a single Bible passage.
Sun May 17, 2026, 06:58 PM
17 hrs ago

Perfect for those who consider Trump such a good Christian, but he could not remember a single Bible passage.

Tikki

(15,216 posts)
9. Also known as Christohypocrites.
Sun May 17, 2026, 08:12 PM
16 hrs ago

Hypocrisy is their greatest motivator. They revel in it.
Tikki

SalamanderSleeps

(1,041 posts)
11. Roy Moore, Christocrat
Sun May 17, 2026, 09:32 PM
14 hrs ago

More fuel for the fire.

(RNS) "For Christocrats, the sovereignty of God transcends the supremacy of the Constitution."

By Lauren Markoe
November 14, 2017

(RNS) — "Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, that state’s controversial Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, has a long record as a religious right zealot.

Moore has been suspended twice from the state Supreme Court, for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments statue from state grounds and for refusing to obey the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing same-sex marriages.

Because of his beliefs and actions, Moore has been labeled a theocrat. But I prefer a different and more precise term — “Christocrat” — to describe Moore and other politicians who share similar views.

A Christocrat believes America was once “the shining city on the hill” but has in recent decades lost its moral, political, cultural and religious moorings. Christocrats believe a radical transformation is necessary for the United States to fulfill its God-ordained “manifest destiny” and be saved from the evil secular humanists who seek to destroy “Christian America.” "


More at link: https://religionnews.com/2017/11/14/roy-moore-christocrat/

I think this article explains well the characteristic traits of the Christocrat movement. What's scary to me is that this article is nine years old. It just goes to show that evil people make plans.

Iggo

(50,049 posts)
12. We call those performative christians.
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:01 PM
14 hrs ago

But performative christians are still christians. This new word comes with an insinuation (if not an assumption) that the person is faking it. And I like that. I also like that the smarter they are, the faster they’ll catch onto that. And that makes me smile.

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