Now, very clearly, Scripture affirms the fact of conspiracies; Psalm 2 is a classic statement of their reality. This same psalm, however, strongly underscores their futility; God laughs at the conspiracies of the ungodly nations and summons His people to share in His laughter. Conspiracies prosper only when moral order declines…
But those who bear false witness, who ascribe to Satan’s powers that only belong to God, are not content to recognize that conspiracies exist. They go much further. First, they ascribe to conspiracies a moral order and a discipline which is an impossibility. Satan cannot construct or create; he is merely a destroyer, a murderer, and he has power only to the extent that we forsake the true power of God…
Second, the power of evil is weak and limited; it is under God’s control and is His scourge of the nations…
Third, the key to overcoming evil conspiracies is not a concentration on evil but godly reconstruction…The non-Christian conservative movements are radically given over to studying or exploring the deep things of Satan, as though this were the key to the future.
Fourth, implicit in all this is the belief, as noted, in satanic determination, which makes all of these conservatives staunch Satanists…They will insist that every national and international act is a carefully planned and manipulated conspiracy, all governed by a master plan or plot, and a secret master council.
That plotters and plans exist can be granted, but the Christian must hold to their futility…to blame the world’s evils, and to ascribe the world’s government, to hidden satanic conspiracies is to be guilty of false witness against God. It is comparable to resorting to magic, witchcraft, or human sacrifice. It denies that God only is the source of prediction and ascribes power and prediction to Satan instead (The Institutes of Biblical Law, 572-573).
Rushdoony, while granting the reality of certain conspiracies and attempted manipulation, characteristically pulls no punches in condemning the excessive speculation of Christians and conservatives who follow every rabbit trail, get drawn into each new theory, and seem to desire to attribute virtually all major events to some or other conspiracy. He correctly notes that to do this is to ascribe to Satan a level of power and sovereignty that belongs to God alone and that this is a violation of the ninth commandment against false witness.
All of this can be maintained while still acknowledging that Satan does have the ability, under God, to perform false signs and wonders and to lead astray many who refuse to love the truth but rather pursue lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:9-12). The issue at hand is not whether or not Satan has power, whether or not conspiracies exist, or to what degree they have been successful to this point; the issue is how much Christians ought to think about them, whether or not it is a productive use of time to evangelize others in them, and ultimately agreeing upon God’s revealed means by which Christians are to confront and conquer the work of Satan; however it may manifest itself.
Refocusing on Biblical Priorities
Rushdoony’s third point above is particularly pertinent to our present situation. It is concerning this misunderstanding of how the church must overcome wicked conspiracies and what knowledge is truly vital for our doing so, which is sowing seeds of discord within reformed Christianity. It is held by many of those enamored with conspiracy theories that understanding and dismantling what they call the “Post-War Consensus” (PWC) is essential for Christians to do in order to win the culture to Christ and conquer the numerous enemies that have arisen in our day.
The PWC is typically understood as extreme liberalism, which emphasizes radical individual freedom and tolerance of diverse viewpoints for fear of the return of authoritarianism, represented as incarnate evil in the person of Hitler. Along with this generally accurate understanding (excellently treated in RR Reno’s Return of the Strong Gods), however—especially among those who find themselves particularly interested in conspiracy theories—there tends to be packed into the phrase PWC pretty significant World War II revisionism (casting the Nazis as perhaps misunderstood or unfairly treated by history) skepticism regarding the holocaust (considering it as a “foundational myth” of the post-war order) and a general conviction that Jewish interests control international affairs, all of which, they assert, must be understood, acknowledged, and dismantled by Christians if we are to be effective agents of the kingdom in our generation.
The Misplaced Focus of Conspiracy Enthusiasts
Again, my aim is not to debate these claims or to suggest that there is no possibility that any truth may be found in them at all. The issue at hand is more fundamental than that. The question that Christians should be considering is whether or not we should be concerned with deciphering and dismantling the “PWC” at all. We are told that such considerations are necessary in order for the church to minister effectively to this generation, but is this the case? And even more than this, are these topics really something over which Christians ought to fight and divide?
The implicit position of those who suggest that opposing the PWC is necessary for Christians in our day is that, as Rushdoony put it, this is the key to the future. They claim that if Christians do not open their eyes to and fight against the ungodly conspiracies they have uncovered, then we cannot effectively advance the kingdom, and thus, they use their podcasts and platforms to promote the spread of this information. Rather than equipping the saints for the actual point of battle, Satan has effectively distracted many Christian teachers who have chosen to focus on stirring up the minds of their followers with theories about the PWC.
The Biblical Way to Overcome Evil
As a by-product of this, they miss the positive point that Rushdoony makes, namely that victory for God’s people and His kingdom does not come from excessive focus on evil or speculation on some evil that may be going on, but rather on godly reconstruction, on righteous living, on reverence for God and His law, love for the saints as well as for our enemies, and militant proclamation of the full gospel. Wisdom does not come through following the Reddit rabbit hole but through the fear of the Lord, and that means studying, teaching, and applying His word diligently in every area of life.
None of this diminishes the importance of honest history, nor is it to posit that no study besides that of Scripture is worthwhile. Some of these theories are admittedly interesting, and there can be a place for Christians to investigate these things with moderation and balance, notably without allowing them to consume their ministries or begin to shape their worldview. Our worldview should not be so malleable that a new reading of 20th-century history has such a massive impact on us; this we must not allow to happen.
The Sufficiency of the Gospel
When teachers of the gospel begin down the road of actively promoting conspiracy theories, this distracts from and diminishes the sufficiency of the gospel, and it can become tantamount to a sort of false witness. When the ordinary Christian congregant is caught in the gravitational pull of this way of thinking, they also lose their potency for effective kingdom work. They are taken up in an outsized and unhealthy view of the enemy, which must be corrected, not further encouraged.
The New Testament does indeed give us information about Satan: he is a liar and murderer (John 8:44), a deceiver (2 Cor. 11:14), a tempter (1 Thess. 3:5), and a devourer (1 Pet. 5:8), and we must not be led astray by his cunning or ignorant of his designs (2 Cor. 2:11, 11:3). Yet we are given very little in the way of specifics as to how Satan operates in this world, or the way in which he is permitted to influence people and events. Rather, the thing which we are fortified with is wisdom from God, exhortation to obedience, and the Holy Spirit to enlighten and empower us in these things:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Pet. 5:6-11).
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication (Eph. 6:13-18).
The heavy weight of New Testament doctrine and instruction is for Christians to fight the good fight of faith through Spirit-filled obedience, humility, prayer, and love. Therefore, this must be the emphasis of teachers today, not the latest conspiracy theory or online development. God has shown us the way to conquer Satan’s designs, and it is not by constantly speculating on his activities in world politics.
The True Mission of the Church
It may be retorted that individuals (especially young men) who have come to realize that radical lies have proliferated our entire culture need the church to address this reality, and thus, we must have a place for conspiratorial thinking in our ministry. Yet this is misguided. We can be pastoral toward those jaded by the lies of our governing authorities without encouraging them—actively or passively—to pursue these conspiracies and so become distracted, divisive, and ultimately ineffective for the kingdom.
What these people need is not more shadow, more uncertainty, and dishonesty, but something solid, something absolutely and unimpeachably true: the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus Christ and the new life in Him. This must be what ministers of the gospel are constantly redirecting to: the truth of Christ’s person and work and all the consequences that flow from that, from His conquering rule over all the nations to the smallest duties of obedience we owe to our family and neighbors. This is the winning strategy God has given His church for victory over every enemy, and in their counter-attack, these enemies are constantly attempting to distract us from this strategy. Every professing Christian must be careful to avoid becoming the false teacher of which Paul warns Timothy:
…remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions (1 Tim. 1:3-7, emphasis added).
