Christians worship the Author of Truth, and believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). We have a spiritual enemy that opposes us, whom Jesus calls “the father of lies”, and his lies come in many shapes and forms, including conspiracism and misinformation. Understanding what conspiracism and misinformation is - and isn’t - is vitally important if we are to help those caught in these webs of falsehoods and deceptions. All truth has its origin in the Lord, and all lies in the origin of our spiritual enemy, and as those who have been saved by Jesus Christ, we must pursue the truth as an act of worship to the Lord!
One of the largest and most powerful side effects of conspiracism, misinformation, and disinformation is political polarization. Political polarization can make us more open to misinformations and conspiracy theories, especially when it involves what “the other side” is up to. Both the Right and the Left are prone to accepting misinformation and conspiracy theories that confirm their worst beliefs about their political opponents. Christians must pursue the truth, even if the truth makes our side look bad or our opponents look good, because there can be no unity in the church if disciples of Christ are not committed to the truth.
The Bible makes clear that divisions will occur in the world and in the church. Jesus himself tells us that not everyone who says to him “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, and the apostles tell us to watch out for false teachers who bring divisiveness in the church. But conspiracism and misinformation create divisions that tear the church apart, not divisions that center around Christ and his gospel. We must recognize that conspiracism and misinformation, as lies and falsehoods, do not have their origin in God, but in Satan, who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. As people saved and redeemed by the living God, we cannot let misinformation and conspiracy theories rob us of our integrity and credibility when telling the world the Good News of the resurrected Savior.
Our motivation in attempting to heal our communities from the threat of conspiracism and misinformation must not come from a holier-than-thou mindset, but rather a place of legitimate concern for civic well-being and unity of the body of Christ. We ought to confront misinformation and conspiracy theories not for the satisfaction of proving something or someone wrong, but out of desire to seek truth regardless of the political or cultural consequences. We believe that while the fall has made humanity susceptible to lies and falsehoods, God is actively renewing and restoring the minds of his people through the death and resurrection of Jesus. As ambassadors of Christ, the people of God are divinely empowered to stand for truth and reject falsehood and division in our churches and communities as we proclaim the Gospel!