There is a conflict between the desire for conservation and belief in Darwinian natural selection. This paper has now been published on creation.com 11 March 2021.
Conspiracy theories have become increasingly popular in society at large, and amongst Christians. Why is that, and how should we as Christians respond? Part of the attraction is the desire to solve mysteries, to be at the cutting edge of research, but they can be unsatisfactory – I confess I have read quite a few of them, trying to weigh truth and falsehood. Christians are of course a people who are committed to truth, and are called to a higher level of moral conduct than the world. There is a balance to be struck between seeking to understand the world at a deeper level, and maintaining sound judgement so as to be a good witness to non-believers. But also, people increasingly want to know what is true in a Post-modern world that sometimes seems dystopian. Christians are asked to provide answers to complex questions.
Firstly, we need to consider what a conspiracy theory is. It may be noted that conspiracies do occur, and there are laws against conspiracies in the legal system. People may be charged with conspiracy to defraud, or to rob a bank, or to commit murder for example. Conspiracies normally involve several people working together in secret to commit a crime. The Police gather evidence, and then it is presented in court by the officers and prosecution lawyers so that it may be tested. In that sense the prosecution case may be described as a conspiracy theory, until the case is proven, or rejected.
Unfortunately, what often passes as conspiracy theory today
doesn’t deserve to be called theory. This is because there is insufficient
evidence, or no attempt to gather evidence or engage in validation. Conspiracy
hypotheses, or conspiracy hunches, or even just plain old-fashioned gossip may
be a more appropriate description. Some of the conspiracy claims descend into
new age beliefs, with beliefs about aliens mixed in, or that leading western
leaders such as the Queen are possessed by lizards. That is a good clue to move
on, and pay no further attention.
But on the other hand, increasingly today any political or
social position that doesn’t agree with the official narrative of politicians
and the main stream media is labelled a conspiracy theory. We may note that
politicians don’t always tell the truth, and the media often seeks to establish
truth through sentiment instead of through objective discussions; this along
the lines of a Humean approach to ethics. Increasingly, the media doesn’t allow
honest dialogue over controversial subjects, but promotes its own preferred,
and rather narrow agenda. More often-than-not today, television presenters
interview their own internal correspondents in a way that establishes the
limits of social interaction over various issues. Perhaps they are not even
aware of their bias.
It is in this context that people seek out alternative
media. But even here we find increasing censorship, and this is plain to see.
Twitter and Facebook ban, or shadow-ban, people for voicing the wrong opinion.
An alternative to Twitter, Parler, was closed down by Amazon Web Services
because it was becoming popular by conservative voices. As well, Google
searches are weighted towards official fact checkers, thus hiding alternative
views, which makes weighing competing claims and evidence increasingly
difficult.
So, there is a real struggle to get to grips with what is
true in our society, and what we are allowed to think or say. But often it is
necessary to keep an open mind between the claims of the mainstream media and
the alternative media when there is insufficient evidence to form an opinion.
Otherwise, we risk being deceived, and if we share such things, we may spread
false gossip. We can say that some conspiracies are true, and are tested, some may
be true, but are not tested, and some are obviously false. Real discernment is
needed sorting the wheat from the chaff.
Christian response to conspiracies
We also need to recognise that unscrupulous people can play
both sides of an argument at the same time to sow division. The devil may even
appear as an angel of light for instance (see 2 Corinthians 11). Paul warns
against listening to those who might lead us away from the gospel and a pure
devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.
In secular terminology, there is the concept of Hegelian
dialectics. The formation of a thesis and an anti-thesis, with the devil, or
people with evil intent, influencing both sides of the argument. This allows
the formation of a new synthesis away from biblical Christianity. In the
context here deception may arise through the official narrative of the
mainstream media, and / or through the conspiracy narrative of the alternative
media. We may be led to act in ways that are not Christian by allowing us to
become angry through false beliefs and fears for example, whether from official
sources or alternative ones.
Q
An example of conspiratorial thinking and the danger of
error on both sides is possibly QANON – for several years cryptic messages were
posted on the web, which seemed to support Donald Trump against the so-called
Democrat ‘swamp.’ This led to groups of people, and many Christians, to search
out the hidden meaning. Q seemed to have access to inside information, thus
supporting his credibility. But Q failed in the end to stop Trump losing, and
many Christians are deeply troubled by this – they perhaps loved Trump too much
thinking he is a saviour. But it takes away from faith and true prayer. Some
have suggested the Q cryptic game was a way of getting people hooked. There is
another possible darker motive: that Q’s ‘Trust the Plan’ was similar to the
Marxist Operation Trust from the former Soviet Union, which ran from
1921-26. It deceived patriots into thinking there was a plot to get rid of the
communists, when there wasn’t – it only exposed the patriots to capture and
defeat. The devil, and the ideological forces of this world, can play both
sides, left and right, at the same time to ensnare God’s people.
Heavenly Wisdom
It is in this context that we need heavenly wisdom – it is a
blessing to have the Scriptures that are full of wisdom. The Word of God is our
only true foundation.
In Matthew 7:24-27 we are told to put into practice the
words that Jesus spoke – it is like building our house upon the rock, who is
Christ. Jesus said that we shouldn’t cast our pearls before swine, or give to
the dogs those things which are sacred (Matthew 7:6). If these pearls are
pearls of wisdom, then it is analogous to searching for truth from amongst
non-believers. We may be deceived – instead let us build our houses upon the
rock by searching out truth in Christ and in his word.
We are told in this passage that we can pray and that God
hears us. We can pray for deliverance from the world system. Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask
and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to
the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
But some may respond that the Bible encourage conspiratorial
views. Revelation 17-18 speaks of mystery Babylon, a controlling world system
ruling over the affairs of mankind. It seems conspiratorial. Both Daniel and
Revelation give prophecy in terms of hidden coded information (for example the
7x70 of Daniel 9:24-27), although the code begins to unfold when centred upon
the work of Christ. But even so, for those who love to search out these
prophecies, we need to remember to focus upon the main theme of Scripture,
which is Christ and the health of his Church, and hold future prophecy lightly
when it has not yet been fully revealed.
Daniel 2 also speaks of the great statue of Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream, with head of gold, chest of silver, thighs of bronze, and legs and feet
of clay and iron. This represents world powers, and yet the final power is
brittle – we are told that the statue will fall, crushed under the feet of the
stone kingdom that will be established – that is interpreted as the Church with
Christ as head. Jesus said to Peter and the disciples that He (that is Christ)
is the great rock-face, and that Hades will not prevail against the Church
which is built upon the rock. In this light we as believers have spiritual
authority to prophecy in the world – and to the world. To bind evil spiritual
powers through prayer, and to pray for righteousness, bringing people into
God’s freedom through faith in Jesus (Matthew 16:18). If we are going to trust
the plan, then let us trust God’s plan, and use the authority that God has
given us, not casting our pearls carelessly before the world by getting carried
away with untested conspiracy theories.
While Luther’s contradictions are well known, we should not
forget the great sacrifice that many people, largely from Christian nations,
made during the war-time struggle to end Nazi tyranny. This action brought an
end of Hitler’s death camps. Even in Germany, brave theologians such as
Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood against fascism and paid with their lives. The darker
side of Luther’s more complete teaching were in fact revealed at the time in
Britain, with its negative influence on the German psyche. For example, Peter
Weiner’s Win the Peace pamphlet Martin Luther: Hitler’s Spiritual Ancestor
laid it out in detail for the British reader in the 1940s.
In historical context, a sometimes-fierce struggle for
identity developed between Jewish and Christian believers from the earliest
centuries. This struggle is related to the personhood of the Messiah and the entity
that is Israel. With this struggle, anti-Semitism grew in response from the
fourth century after the joining of Church and State. The Christian Church gained
a power and wealth from Rome it had not had before, and with power came
opportunity for abuse. The Roman Church claimed authority over all of
Christendom, and Jews faced discrimination and forced conversion.
Augustine had taught that Jews should at least not be
killed, which partially tempered Jewish suffering. But regrettably the
rhetorical preaching style of some other early theologians, such as John
Chrysostom, led to riots and violence against Jews – and pogroms have continued
into modern times. Chrysostom was well read by Luther, although we may note
that the golden-mouthed theologian also applied his rhetorical preaching
against Christian luminaries such as the Roman Empress Aelia Eudoxia, thus at
least not showing favouritism. But the lesson for modern evangelists and
theologians is that we need to be careful with how we preach and teach. Through
respectful dialogue, and in humility, we can at least build understanding
between Jews and Christians over questions of identity.
After initially embracing Jews in the hope of their
salvation, Luther came to fiercely oppose them with his later teaching, thus
showing himself to be inconsistent and a poor follower of Augustine. As well,
absolute obedience to the state formed part of Luther’s teaching, which partly
explains German acquiescence to the Nazi regime. But we should not forget some
of the good teaching that Luther recovered, such as the doctrine of
justification by faith. And with the coming of the Reformation there was a
desire to break from the corruption and power of Rome. Unfortunately, it only
put in place a new set of power structures based upon nation states. Protestant
and Catholic states used their power to put to death opponents across Europe,
measurable in terms of hundreds of thousands of bodies, and justified in terms
of a divine mandate.
The Reformation in Britain followed more closely the
teaching of John Calvin, especially as escaping French Huguenots settled in the
country. Calvin persistently believed in a future revival amongst Jews because
of divine election, and called for respect towards them, so moderating the
Lutheran hostility. And many Jews have come to faith over the centuries and
made a positive contribution to the growth of the faith. The struggle for
ascendency between Protestants and Catholics lasted for several centuries in
Britain, but with the new settlers there was also a growing non-conformist
tradition that faced persecution from both sides – for example as outlined in
Joseph Besse’s Collection of Sufferings of the People called Quakers.
When we look at anti-Semitism in context, we need to remember that Christians
of different persuasions persecuted each other through many centuries, and this
collective suffering was because of an abuse of power by state-sanctioned
churches and poor theology.
The other influence that led to the rise of fascism and
anti-Semitism in early twentieth century Germany was a liberal, naturalised
faith. As a result, many came to reject faith altogether with a preference for
Paganism and nature worship, and acquiescence towards acceptance of evolution.
The German Church was compromised by a liberal faith through theologians such
as Friedrich Schleiermacher, and with the influence of higher biblical
criticism the authority of Scripture was undermined, as was the moral voice of
the Germanic churches. This helps to explain why, in response, Karl Barth, the
main author of the 1934 Barmen Declaration, was so set against natural
theology.
Hitler’s belief was in essence Positive Christianity – a
faith devoid of any real meaning, and without a divine being that one might be
relationally accountable towards. Hitler spoke of Almighty God in Mein Kampf
(My Struggle) but it was in terms of the ‘iron logic of nature’ having
creative power over humanity – a power that could not be resisted. Essentially,
God was the power of evolution through violent struggle and natural selection.
Arthur Keith, in Evolution and Ethics, commented that the
Nazi leader in Germany was “an evolutionist not only in theory, but, as
millions know to their cost, in the rigor of its practice.” Darwinian
survival-of-the-fittest and eugenics informed the Nazi mindset to rationally
justify genocide, as much as any real commitment to the Lutheran faith.
The question of identity still divides Jews and Christians
into the twenty-first century, and divides Christians who hold to the Reformed
Covenantal theology on the one hand, and Christian Zionism on the other.
Ponsonby uses the opportunity of his article to promote some of the doctrines of Christian Zionism. The Reformed tradition is often accused of holding to
super-secessionism: a position that is sometimes asserted to be anti-Semitic.
Put simplistically, it is the belief that following the death and resurrection
of Christ, God rejected Israel and chose the Church instead. On the other side,
some supporters of the State of Israel advance a dual-covenant theology: one
for Jews that maintains the continuation of the Old Covenant, and one for
Gentile Christians under the New Covenant. And yet when we read Paul's teaching about the weakness of the Law, that it was a curse to those who fail to keep it
perfectly (Galatians 3:10), is it really loving to call for Jews to live in that
light by denying them the blessing of the gospel?
When we study Scripture, we ought to place Christ at the
centre of our theology. In this regard, it is possible to find a way forward
that builds bridges across the identity crisis – it is a way of faith for Jews
and Gentiles. Reformed theologian David Holwerda explains it well in his book Jesus
and Israel: that through His life, ministry and sacrificial work Christ became
Israel and so offers redemption to both Jews and Gentiles. Within the Reformed
tradition the Messiah is seen as fulfilling Israel’s mandate as one born King
of the Jews. He is the rock of our salvation, and the root in to which we are
all grafted, Jews and Gentiles alike. It is in this sense that Christ brings
Jews and Gentiles together in Him as one-new-man (Ephesians 2:14-15), thus
establishing peace. It isn’t that God rejected Israel, but Israel and the Jews
are included in the divine plan of salvation alongside Gentile believers.
With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 Jews
were given the opportunity to live in their historical homeland, with the hope
of peace. The advance of a Jewish State followed the horrors of the Holocaust.
Unfortunately, the land of Palestine, or the Holy Land as Jews perceive it, was
already occupied by Palestinians, a third of whom were Christian in the early
twentieth century. As a result of this new Jewish homeland, the two sides have
often been at war, and many Palestinians have died, lost their homes or been
exiled. Palestinians refer to the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of
people as al-Nakbah, meaning disaster. And Jews continue to
struggle to find peace in the land. It is our duty as Christians to work for
peace, justice and reconciliation between both sides in the ongoing struggle in
the Middle East.
The practical outworking of anti-Semitism arose through an abuse of power and the careless rhetorical preaching style of a number of Christians, both of which need to be acknowledged, and we can learn the lessons of history. This also raises questions with regard to the proper relationship between Church and State. While we ought to offer regret over anti-Semitism and remember the horrors of the holocaust, let us not develop an unwarranted narrative that becomes anti-Christian. We need to seek understanding through dialogue between Jews and Gentiles over the question of Israel’s identity, and between different Christian positions.
Andrew Sibley
