📘Lexicon Entry: Practical Atheism
Theological Mutations | April 8, 2025
Definition
Practical atheism is the second of seven theological mutations identified within Dominative Christianism and Providential Identitarianism. It refers to the functional removal of Jesus as moral exemplar, replacing him with pragmatic political effectiveness while maintaining verbal affirmation of Christian belief. The practical atheist verbally acknowledges God but lives and acts as though God is absent or irrelevant to practical decisions.
Key Characteristics
Verbal/behavioral disconnect: Profession of faith without corresponding Christ-like practice
Pragmatic substitution: Replacing theological imperatives with political effectiveness
Compartmentalization: Separating "spiritual" beliefs from "practical" decisions
Means-ends inversion: Justifying un-Christlike means for supposedly Christian ends
Cultural Christianity: Reducing faith to a tribal identity marker rather than a transformative relationship
Ethical pragmatism: Making ethical decisions based on "what works" rather than Christlike character
Historical Context
The term "practical atheism" has roots in theological critiques dating back to figures like Søren Kierkegaard, who challenged nominal Christianity that had no impact on daily life. In contemporary American religious-political formations, practical atheism manifests when Christians verbally affirm Jesus while adopting political ideologies and practices that directly contradict his teaching and example.
Both Dominative Christianism and Providential Identitarianism exhibit practical atheism, though in different ways. The former often substitutes realpolitik and power politics for Jesus's example of servant leadership and non-violence, while the latter may prioritize identity politics and progressive ideology over Jesus's boundary-crossing relationships and spiritual transformation.
Manifestations
Think of practical atheism like a ship's captain who verbally acknowledges the existence of nautical charts but navigates based on entirely different principles. The captain might display the charts prominently and speak of their importance, but when making actual navigational decisions, ignores them completely.
Practical atheism manifests in religious contexts when:
Biblical passages about care for strangers, enemies, and the poor are acknowledged verbally but dismissed as "impractical" in policy decisions
Jesus's teachings about non-violence, forgiveness, and enemy love are treated as irrelevant to "real-world" political and military choices
Faith becomes primarily about defending religious privileges rather than embodying Christ's self-giving love
Political party platforms take precedence over gospel imperatives in directing moral choices
Religious language is maintained while the substance of faith practice is replaced with secular pragmatism
Theological Critique
The theological critique of practical atheism emerges from understanding faith as participation in Christ rather than merely intellectual assent to propositions about Christ. As theologian Stanley Hauerwas argues, Christianity is not primarily about believing certain things to be true but about having one's life and character formed in the pattern of Jesus.
Practically atheistic Christianity creates a gap between profession and practice that undermines the integrity of Christian witness. It enables religious language to be co-opted for purposes that contradict the core of the gospel while maintaining the appearance of faithfulness.
Related Terms
This lexicon entry was last updated on April 8, 2025