Simply put, any idea that posits racial superiority as a basis for church or civil social order is to be seen as out of bounds with Christianity as a religion and as a source of truth, and is sin. The Synod is asked to reaffirm the Bible and our Confession of Faith’s witness to this matter and to remind all of our churches and their members of the fidelity to which all believers are called in loving the Triune God, and our neighbor, in all holiness and righteousness. This includes reaffirming the dignity of all human beings, regardless of their national origin, and their equality in calling and purpose in the eyes of their Creator for His kingdom and for the blessing of all in His grace.
Definitions: What is “Kinism,” and what is “Race Realism?”
Kinism (from The Kinist Institute): “The belief that God has ordained the existence of distinct ethnic and racial groups and that these groups should be preserved and protected . . . It is the conviction that the love of one’s own kind is a natural and biblical duty, and that the modern drive for ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘universalism’ is a rebellion against the created order.”
Race Realism The doctrine that differences in human races extend beyond simply geography, appearance, and ancestry. Racial differences also include differences in virtues and vices, intelligence, a tendency to rule or be ruled, and a propensity towards different gods and religions. These racial distinctions are not just real, but immutably set and maintained by God. This means certain boundaries ought not to be crossed, including mixed-race marriages, mixed-race schools, and mixed-race churches. It also means racial slavery, racial segregation, and intentionally exclusive white leadership can be biblical and good.
History: Where did Kinism (and its close counterpart of Race Realism) come from?
While Kinism is partly a synthesis of a certain line of 19th-century southern protestant thought and 20th-century racial separatism, it arises today from an internet subculture of Dutch South Africans, former U.S. based reconstructionists, and loosely connected bloggers. The main web organs have been Faith and Heritage (now preserved on Antelope Hill), Tribal Theocrat, and Iron Ink. Race Realism is best exemplified by the magazine American Renaissance and its parent institution, New Century Foundation. It recently arrived in NAPARC circles mostly from the writings of Bret McAtee, Michael Spangler, and the Pactum Institute. Its presence in the ARP was first noticed through an ecclesiastical investigation of two former ministers in Grace Presbytery, Michael Hunter and Eric Hancox. Other members and former members of the ARP were engaged in the support of Kinism and Race Realism on X and other internet platforms. The statement made at the 2025 ARP General Synod was in response to the growing influence of these men. Our paper under consideration at the 2026 General Synod will help the ARP’s response to such teaching.
Scripture: Does Kinism align with God’s word?
No. Kinism is backwards theology; it is man trying to justify his own prejudices with the Bible, rather than letting his prejudices be transformed by it. Read more»
Special Moderator’s Committee on Kinism and Race Realism | 2026
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This ARP report needs more attention than it has gotten so far.
Kinism and related theological defenses of separation of races, unfortunately, do have a history in the Reformed world. It wasn’t just cultural presuppositions being accepting unthinkingly by the church, though certainly that was also happening. Unlike broad evangelicals who didn’t usually think theologically in the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s, there WERE people in the Reformed world who made theological arguments, often based on covenantal theology, for race-based separation.
Those arguments have often been forgotten, and deservedly so. The problem is that there are men who are fishing them out of the garbage pail and presenting them as something from our past that we need to recover.
Rebukes by liberals won’t help. Conservative denominations like the ARP and RPCNA need to take the lead, and are doing so. Good for them.
Well stated. Unfortunately, we have a lot of work ahead.