I do not deny that this is still the case for theonomy, but, I admit it is less than useless when first explaining your views to others.
Not only that it could be more harmful by painting you as a fascist to someone that is brainwashed into thinking the mainstream right represents the true philosophically right wing. (Justified force vs Statism). It is useful still when properly defined as is Christian Fundamentalism when properly defined.
However, not everyone has all day to get a friendly lesson on philosophical terminology or natural Godly Heirarchies or leadership VS Statist Forced hierarchy. Or what Capitalism is VS our current Rigged Market. I do not use the term fundamentalism or fundamentalist with everyone either due to the same sort of misunderstanding pushed by the brainwashed stream media. In fact, my own church is filled with people that want nothing to do with the term and I understand why.
The point is that we will get further if we give a brief actual description of our views. It is important to define yourself or be defined. Explain what you stand for always and then explain where that puts you on the spectrum after. It is easier to explain how the Old Right was always a Gosh Darn the Establishment movement not a Raw raw Establisment movement after they know you and your views.
It is easier to use the term theonomist after explaining yourself too. As they are libel to look it up and find the definition given by the mainstream and think you are out of your mind. As Wikipedia and many online dictionaries literally use the worst examples by taking the movement out of context. Making it seem like it is synonymous with stoning homosexuals and non Christian folks. Which it certainly is not.
Even people that do support making homosxuality a capital crime do not support stoning, but, the death penalty by the civil magistrate. (Something I do think is insane myself, but, at least get the story straight.) Also, this is not the opinion of all theonomists in the past only a very vocal minority. Christian Reconstruction is a broad movement and these people do not represent theonomy as a worldview.
The point being that whether it is spectrum definitions or anything else we need to explain what we mean not just use labels. Definition labels are important. However, if someone has no idea or the entire wrong one based on your label it does more harm than good. It is more important that people know where we stand on subject a or b than they know what label we represent. Giving what labels we fall under is important, but, it is more important people understand where we are coming from.
