Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a post that I published March 11, 2021.
Let's talk about something that's been really bugging me. It's the whole conspiracy theory thing, especially how it's taken root in the Christian community. Some of the biggest names, the folks leading massive ministries, are knee-deep in this stuff. I've been wanting to get this off my chest for ages, but finding the right words without sounding like I was has been tough.
Basically, I'm worried about how this whole conspiracy theory craze is messing with our Christian witness. What finally pushed me to write this was an old article by Brent Rinehart, "If the Truth Sets Us Free, Why Do We Believe Conspiracy Theories?"
Look, we all know fake news has been around forever, but social media has turned it into a full-blown wildfire. Someone tweets some bogus information, and boom, it's everywhere and when it’s corrected nobody notices.
The last few years have been wild. The 2020 and 2024 elections, COVID, QAnon, I could name other stuff but you get the point, it's all been a breeding ground for crazy theories. And it's found it’s way, helped by the enemy, Satan, the devil, into the church.
It's heartbreaking. I see people I respect, people who love Jesus, sharing total garbage. Even pastors! There was a Lifeway Research study that says almost half of Protestant pastors hear their members repeating conspiracy theories. How can we, who follow "the way, the truth, and the life", fall for this stuff?
John 14:6 NLT Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
So, what's the deal with conspiracy theories? They offer easy answers, like mental fast food. They simplify complex issues and tell us what we want to hear. We share them to feel smart and important.
But here's the kicker. Spreading this stuff isn't just a bad idea. It's straight-up harmful to our faith. God tells us not to spread lies.
Exodus 23:1 NLT “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.
We're supposed to share Jesus, the Truth, with the world. If we're sharing fake news, who's gonna listen to us?
John 14:6-7 NLT [6] Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [7] If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
John 14:15-17 NLT[15] “If you love me, obey my commandments. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. [17] He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
John 17:13-19 NLT[13] “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. [14] I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. [15] I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. [16] They do not belong to this world any more than I do. [17] Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. [18] Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. [19] And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
This disinformation thing is a mess. But the Truth (with a capital T) is still here, and He's the only one who can set us free. Let's choose truth, folks. Let's choose Jesus.
John 8:31-32 NLT [31] Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Let's talk about something that's been really bugging me. It's the whole conspiracy theory thing, especially how it's taken root in the Christian community. Some of the biggest names, the folks leading massive ministries, are knee-deep in this stuff. I've been wanting to get this off my chest for ages, but finding the right words without sounding like I was has been tough.
Basically, I'm worried about how this whole conspiracy theory craze is messing with our Christian witness. What finally pushed me to write this was an old article by Brent Rinehart, "If the Truth Sets Us Free, Why Do We Believe Conspiracy Theories?"
Look, we all know fake news has been around forever, but social media has turned it into a full-blown wildfire. Someone tweets some bogus information, and boom, it's everywhere and when it’s corrected nobody notices.
The last few years have been wild. The 2020 and 2024 elections, COVID, QAnon, I could name other stuff but you get the point, it's all been a breeding ground for crazy theories. And it's found it’s way, helped by the enemy, Satan, the devil, into the church.
It's heartbreaking. I see people I respect, people who love Jesus, sharing total garbage. Even pastors! There was a Lifeway Research study that says almost half of Protestant pastors hear their members repeating conspiracy theories. How can we, who follow "the way, the truth, and the life", fall for this stuff?
John 14:6 NLT Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
So, what's the deal with conspiracy theories? They offer easy answers, like mental fast food. They simplify complex issues and tell us what we want to hear. We share them to feel smart and important.
But here's the kicker. Spreading this stuff isn't just a bad idea. It's straight-up harmful to our faith. God tells us not to spread lies.
Exodus 23:1 NLT “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.
We're supposed to share Jesus, the Truth, with the world. If we're sharing fake news, who's gonna listen to us?
John 14:6-7 NLT [6] Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [7] If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
John 14:15-17 NLT[15] “If you love me, obey my commandments. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. [17] He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
John 17:13-19 NLT[13] “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. [14] I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. [15] I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. [16] They do not belong to this world any more than I do. [17] Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. [18] Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. [19] And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
This disinformation thing is a mess. But the Truth (with a capital T) is still here, and He's the only one who can set us free. Let's choose truth, folks. Let's choose Jesus.
John 8:31-32 NLT [31] Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
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