Who to trust? Christian belief in conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories are universal. But some political trends have raised their profile in
recent years, especially populism and political polarisation. II: §2–3
Conspiracies happen, so we can’t just dismiss them. But those that have been exposed
have not been global conspiracies, but rather crime and corruption. They have been
uncovered by mainstream institutions like journalism and the courts, not conspiracy
theorists. I: §3.b
Conspiracy theories are enormously varied, but frequently share distinctive kinds of
reasoning. They prefer fringe sources to ‘mainstream’ sources; favouring the “speculative,
contrarian, esoteric, and amateur” (Cassam). They seek truth, but not in a general way;
they are looking specifically for mainstream lies. They seek to confirm a counter-theory,
but not always to test or critique it. They propose enemies who are necessarily vague and
remote; which excuses poor or incomplete evidence. I: §1.b
Many factors predict or motivate belief in conspiracy theories: anxiety, pattern-seeking,
marginality, alienation, and believing in other conspiracies. But while trends matter for
policy and leadership, they are difficult to apply to individual people or ideas. I: §3.d
Conspiracy theories cause problems in relationships and in society:
• Building isolation, paranoia, anxiety, or depression in some individuals. I: §3.d
• Splitting friends, families, churches, and communities by advocating for conspiracy theories in disruptive ways. I: §1, III: §3–4
• Undermining public institutions through cynicism and mistrust: democracy,
scholarship, public health, journalism, the courts. II: §1
Christians should guard against these disruptive behaviours, especially false or careless
accusations (slander), strife and partiality, or angry judgements and insults. Most of these
are sins under any normal Christian understanding. We must be reasonable and persuasive, find agreement, and patiently bear with each other in our disagreements. III: §3–4
We can take immediate and practical steps to limit the problems that conspiracy theories
can cause in churches and communities.
• A Christian conspiracy theorist should understand themselves to be seeking truth
and justice; this is common ground to build upon. III: §1
• Everyone believes some conspiracy theories and rejects others. We should ask,
not assume, what confidence a person gives to different conspiracy ideas. I: §2.c
• Christians can be prone to conspiracism through specific biblical ideas, historical
suspicions of expertise and authority, and concerns for the loss of social influence
or political power. These concerns can be addressed directly. I: §4, II: §5
• Inoculation is better than cure. We can guard against both common bad ideas
and common bad behaviours. We should understand conspiracism, cognitive
biases, and disinformation. We should train Christians to hear diverse views;
have good conversations; debate ideas; hear from Christians who work as
experts or authorities in public life; demand consistent democratic values in
public life; and have the emotional maturity to be generous in spirit toward their
opponents. IV: §2–