Martin Wickens

What About Conspiracies?

• Did aliens construct the pyramids?
• Did giants build stone henge with Merlin?
• Were the Nazca Lines alien runways?
• Was there a second shooter behind the grassy knoll?
• Did the moon landings really happen?

History is filled with truth, lies, myths, and legends. For some reason, although the truth is usually stranger than fiction, the human mind loves conspiracies.

As a generation, we are not unique. We have truth, lies, myths, and legends. We live in an era where terms like fake news and fact-checkers routinely bombard our ears and scroll across our screens. What one sees as a harmless development, another may see as a dangerous conspiracy.

A Disclaimer
Now let me be clear. Conspiracies do happen. Secret plans to alter societies exist. It might be Nebuchadnezzar meeting with his advisors to build a giant image and change the worship structure of Babylon. It might be a group of politicians and businessmen gathering to bring societal upheaval.

Yet, I want to contend that Christians must guard against the distractions of conspiracies and passionately guard our credibility.

What About Christianity?

John records one of the few, long prayers of Jesus Christ. We read often that Jesus spent all night in prayer or rose a great while before dawn to pray. But in John 17 we get a glimpse into the prayer life of Jesus.

In verse 17 Jesus declares, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Jesus had previously told His disciples, “I am… the truth”

Later, Paul would write in 1 Timothy 1:4 & 4:7, “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do… But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:3, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue…”

Let me summarize what we know from those passages:

• Jesus is truth.
• God’s truth sanctifies us (sets us apart for worship and service)
• Error distracts and detracts from the truth
• God has given us, in His Word, all the knowledge we need for life and godliness.

What About Credibility?

Greg Locke is one famous preacher who has espoused certain conspiracies. Please bear in mind, I am not writing to attack his politics, argue against his positions nor advocate for his preferred politician.

However, he used his platform as a preacher of the Word of God to advance a conspiracy theory. He said he had absolute clarity and was 100% certain of what he advocated. Yet none of the things he spoke of came to pass.

Later Locke would try to redefine what he had said earlier, but already the damage was done. Many who were antagonistic to the Gospel jumped on what they perceived as failed prophecies and in throwing him out they turned even further from the genuine truth of the Gospel in God’s Word. I understand his opponents were already anti-God, but the declarations of Locke and other evangelical leaders drove them even further away and sowed seeds of doubt in others who were neutral to the Gospel.

I find Locke to be objectionable on many levels, but this is not a personal vendetta. My point is this: he conflated his platform as a preacher with his personal opinions and brought the Good News of Jesus Christ into disrepute. Locke, as with any other Christian, needs to draw an easily defined line between what we believe on a personal level and what we know to be true because God’s Word declares it.

There Is Nothing New Under the Sun

This is not a new issue. Early in the history of the church a myriad of groups arose with false teachings and a number were grouped together under the banner of gnostics. Gnostics claimed to have special knowledge.

This appealed to many for several reasons.

First, we would all like to believe we have more knowledge than others, that we have a secret that makes us better.

Also, it fed into people’s fears and then into our proud desire to do something ourselves rather than pray and leave things in God’s hands.

At the worst level, it allowed its leaders to control others and drive people to fulfill their agendas. They created a problem to which only they had the solution.

What Should the Christian Do?

I understand the appeal of conspiracies and going against them. I don’t like not knowing. I like to find patterns in behavior and actions, connecting the dots and finding reason and purpose in the world around me. I don’t like feeling others are determining my future and freedoms without my permission.

But part of trusting God is leaving the unknown to the One Who knows all and trusting my future to the One Who exists outside of time.

In Psalm 64 David wrestled with the issue of conspiracies. “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.”

Certain men gathered in secret. They planned his downfall. They conspired against God’s chosen king over the land, against God’s determined path for the nation.

In verse 7 David rests in the truth that, “…God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.”

And he concludes his song with a triumphant verse, “The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.”

Others may indeed conspire against us, but while we do what we can to a degree, we must ultimately rest in the Lord and trust Him.

Conspiracies may be real, but we should not let them distract us from God’s purpose or detract from God’s Truth.

We should not let conspiracies, real or imagined, steal our joy or allow them to steal the joy and peace of others.

We must be willing to sacrifice our personal ideas in order to promote God’s truth.

We should practice discernment as we are bombarded with information.

We have to remember that those who conspire against us are far better than those who conspired against Jesus, and He prayed “Father forgive them”.

If a time comes to choose between conspiracies or credibility, let us aim for Christlikeness and simple proclaim Christ crucified, buried, risen, and coming again!

We ought not to stick our heads in the sand, like the proverbial ostrich. It is true that God has put us in nations and we have a privileged responsibility to influence our communities and countries as salt and light. But we must guard our credibility.

Let me use the proverbial ostrich as an example to close.

Around 2000 years ago the Romans falsely believed that when afraid the ostrich would stick its head in the sand. They believed the ostrich acted as a child, thinking that if he could not see the enemy, the enemy could not see him.

But ostrich do not bury their head in the sand. In fact, with the ability to run at over 50 mph for prolonged periods’ with feathers that act as air rudders to zigzag with precision; and legs that can kill a lion with a single blow, they are easily capable of defending themselves.

Whatever we face as individuals or a nation, the solution will not be found in unearthing a conspiracy. Instead, let the truth of God’s Word turn and fight!

In the end, God’s truth will always win.