Dispensationalism, Islamophobia, and the Mass Media in America

This thesis argues that Christian dispensationalist theology has played a major role in promoting and sustaining the anti-Islam discourse, often referred to as Islamophobia, in the media and among the mainstream American populace. Islamophobia is best understood as an othering discourse which creates a stark "us/them" dichotomy in which Muslims represent "them." Othering is also a major component of Christian dispensationalism since it too produces an extreme dualistic worldview. Dispensationalists typically read current geo-political events into the Bible aiming to identify a group of people or region from which the Antichrist and his allies will emerge, thus providing the primary "other." The attacks of 9/11 have served as a catalyst in shifting the focus from the Soviet Union and communism to Islam and the Middle East. Since 9/11, dispensationalists have established themselves as credible "experts" and "insiders" in the media and have subsequently been instrumental in promoting anti-Islam ideology. This study examines the ways in which this has been accomplished.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Smith, Christopher Cameron

• anti-Islam

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/39279

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/39279