Considering conspiracy theories in Christian higher education
Conspiracism isn't ubiquitous at Christian colleges and universities, but it isn't exactly rare, either
The allure of conspiracy theories can be tantalizing. The idea that there is a coordinated and nefarious plot just behind the scenes of what we can see pulls on some of our deepest psychological desires. Research has shown that people of all kinds are susceptible to these sorts of falsehoods, regardless of their education level, political beliefs, and religious convictions. And Christians are no exception.
No, this does not mean that most churches are regularly preaching conspiracy theories about politics and the pandemic. Nevertheless, Christians should be concerned by conspiracy thinking and misinformation as much as we are about the creep of other cultural threats into our sacred spaces. These have the potential to sow discord and distrust in the body. We therefore must commit to the pursuit of truth at the expense of falsehoods, however comforting these falsehoods may seem.
As a professor at a distinctly Christian university, I am committed to teaching students to think critically and seek truth. This means learning to discern good information from bad, prioritizing reliable sources over faulty ones, and reaching reasoned conclusions instead of the fantastical sort. And I am not above this process. I have to frequently check my assumptions and reevaluate my beliefs in light of better information.
In the days following last year’s presidential election, one of my classes at John Brown University fell into an argument about the legitimacy of the contest. One student was convinced there was no way Donald Trump could have lost. After all, he said, consider the size of Trump’s rallies compared to Joe Biden’s, and the supposedly suspicious vote counting from several critical states. With this evidence, who in their right mind would believe that Biden fairly won?
I tried to respond to this student’s concerns. I referenced consistent polling data in the weeks leading up to the election, showing Biden with a small but steady lead in the most crucial states. I mentioned the politicization of social distancing as an explanation for the disparities in crowd size. I highlighted the unprecedented number of mail-in voting as a reason for late vote counts in Democratic-leaning urban areas.
None of this mattered. This student was convinced that, when the dust settled, Donald Trump would be rightfully sworn in for a second term as president in January 2021.
This interaction got me wondering: Just how prevalent is agreement with conspiracy theories in communities like mine? The social scientist in me had to try to find out. So, in September 2021, I surveyed students at four colleges affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, a network of evangelical Christian institutions of higher learning. After a few weeks with the survey in the field, I had responses from 139 students from across the country.
I asked questions about demographics, political preferences, religious commitment, and more. 59 percent of respondents were female, numbers not out of the ordinary for Christian higher education. Nearly 60 percent reported an annual family income above $60,000. 53 percent described themselves as Republican, compared to just 29 percent Democratic. They were almost exclusively Christian, with “nondenominational” being the most popular identifier. And 73 percent said they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a number far higher than the student body at my university.
At the heart of this survey, though, were questions about students’ agreement with different statements, many of which were rooted in conspiracy theories – that is, beliefs without any observable evidence. I was specifically interested in their responses to the following statements:
“How much do you agree with or support … QAnon?”
“As president, Donald Trump was working to expose a network of elites involved in kidnapping, trafficking, and abusing children.”
“Joe Biden may appear to be president, but somebody else is actually in charge.”
“The coronavirus pandemic was exaggerated by elected officials and the media to harm the Trump presidency.”
“Russian hackers altered vote totals in certain areas to help Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election.”
First, consider QAnon, the bizarre conspiracy theory involving satanic rituals, pedophilia, and a cabal of political and cultural elites, the majority of those surveyed did not know enough about it to make a judgement. Indeed, just four percent said they agreed with it, and over 40 percent said they disagreed with it.
But when asked about a key element of QAnon mythology—that President Trump was working to expose this cabal and its crimes against humanity—over 20 percent agreed. While most people disavow or have no idea about QAnon, some of the theories’ central beliefs have greater resonance than might first appear. Moreover, those agreeing were overwhelmingly Republican and conservative, and far less likely than the whole sample to be vaccinated.
What of the conspiracy theory that Joe Biden is not really the president? This idea is not unique to Biden; past presidents have also had their legitimacy attacked with the belief that another person or group is “pulling the strings” of a puppet leader, often with nefarious purposes. Of the students surveyed, about 35 percent agreed with this idea, with large margins identifying as Republican and conservative.
Or consider the belief that the coronavirus pandemic was overblown to damage the Trump presidency. Despite the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people over the course of 18 months, 36 percent of those surveyed said the pandemic has been exaggerated. These tended to be Republicans and conservatives, and less than 40 percent reported having been vaccinated.
Lastly, there is the persistent conspiracy that Trump was elected in 2016 because of Russian actors changing vote totals in key states. Just nine percent of those surveyed agreed with this, and of these, a quarter identified as Democrats and a third identified as Republicans. Interestingly, more than 80 percent of those agreeing said they had been vaccinated.
What do these results mean? First, conspiracy theories and misinformation are not relegated to the fringes of society or the bantering of the ignorant. Instead, we can find them in selective and intentional Christian institutions. And second, while Republicans and conservatives may be especially drawn to certain conspiracy theories these days, they are not the only ones afflicted by misinformation and false beliefs.
Why focus on conspiracy theories at all? Aren’t these ideas, strange though they are, mostly harmless? Some surely are, such as believing in the existence or Bigfoot or extraterrestrials. But others can lead to serious consequences. Following unfounded speculation that a Washington, DC pizza parlor was the site of child sex trafficking, a man drove several hours from his home and fired several shots inside the restaurant. Nobody was hurt, but the gunman—a husband and father of two—served nearly three years in prison.
And this is to say nothing of the events of January 6, 2021, where a mob of protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the counting of electoral votes, leading to numerous injuries and a handful of deaths. It is no accident that many of these protestors were adorned with apparel and messages connected to the apocalyptic and incendiary rhetoric of QAnon.
Christians must reject conspiracy theories and false information. Doing so ought not be motivated by politics, but rather our concern for the truth. After all, if Christians are captivated by false teachings and “silly myths” (1 Tim. 4:7), how credible will the world find us when we tell them of the good news of Jesus?
1 Peter 3:15 exhorts us to be ready to give a answer for the hope that is in us. We should reject falsehoods and seek truth wherever it might lead, having confidence and being bold in the hope we have in Jesus. Pursuing truth may not always lead to our preferred cultural or political outcomes, but these things will seem faintly dim in the light of Christ’s glory and grace.