Christianism

English

Etymology

From Latin christianismus; compare French christianisme, equivalent to Christian +‎ -ism.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪʃ.t͡ʃən.ɪzm̩/, /ˈkɹɪs.tjən.ɪzm̩/, /ˈkɹɪs.t͡ʃən.ɪzm̩/
• Hyphenation: Christ‧ian‧i‧sm

Noun

Christianism (countable and uncountable, plural Christianisms)

1. The Christian religion; Christianity.
2. The Christian world; Christendom.
3. (US, derogatory) A political ideology centered around Christian fundamentalism. [from 21st c.]
   • May 7, 2006, Andrew Sullivan, ‘My Problem with Chistianism’, TIME Magazine:

     Christianism is an ideology, politics, an ism. The distinction between Christian and Christianist echoes the distinction we make between Muslim and Islamist. Muslims are those who follow Islam. Islamists are those who want to wield Islam as a political force and conflate state and mosque.

   • 2007, Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz, The Colors of Jews: Racial Politics and Radical Diasporism, page 31:

     At its extreme, as in the Christian identity movement, Christianism merges with white supremacy.

   • 2015, Stefan Borg, European Integration and the Problem of the State, page 129:

     Because I was always against any extremist ideology whether Islamism or Christianism or whatsoever.

   • 2021, Jeffrey Haynes, Trump and the Politics of Neo-Nationalism:

     Christianism is characterised by overt, often extreme, anti-Islamism.

Synonyms

• Christianity
• Christendom

Related terms

• Christianist
• dominionism

Translations

Christian religion — see Christianity

Christian world — see Christendom

ideology centered around Christian fundamentalism

• Finnish: kristillismi
• German: Christianismus (de) m

References

• “Christianism”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “Christianism”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “Christianism”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “Christianism” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.
• “Christianism”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• WordReference.com: https://www.wordreference.com/definition/Christianism