Bo Wagner is pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, NC, a widely traveled evangelist, and the author of several books. His books are available on Amazon and at www.wordofhismouth.com

Solomon, in his book of Proverbs, had much to say about different characters he had come to know along the way, many of them, to put it kindly, “not so bright.”

Fool is a term he used often in Proverbs. Simple is another. The simple one, for the purposes of this writing, is the most interesting of the two; the word means gullible and naive. Here is a quick sampling of what Solomon said about the simple person. Proverbs 7:7, And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. Proverbs 14:15, The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. Proverbs 22:3, A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Void of understanding. Believes every word. Does not look ahead and see the problem barreling down the track, just blunders right along and gets steamrolled. All of this ought to guide the Christian when it comes to conspiracy theories; people with no understanding who believe everything they hear and keep barreling on ahead no matter what do damage to themselves and others and hurt their own testimony.

Believe me, I get it. I am well aware that our government lies. They are, in my view, the big box warehouse of lies; the more the better, and do keep coming back for more, peasants. But they also, startlingly enough, often tell the truth as well. They are *gasp* people, just like everyone else, some of them very honest, some of them very dishonest, some of them bouncing back and forth between the two like a golf ball driven into a tile bathroom.

Enter the purveyors of conspiracies. In such an environment of swirling truth and lies, the online grifters have an absolute playground at their profitable disposal. Clicks and views bring big bucks when those clicks and views start climbing into the millions. But those conspiracy peddlers are just as much flesh and blood as every single person in government, and just as prone to dishonesty. In fact, in spite of a few honest and accurate ones I have known quite well, when the huge potential profit is factored in, and comes complete with fame and influence, I contend that conspiracy purveyors are usually several steps below government in their honesty level.

In the aftermath of the November 2019 election, “Q” assured everyone that white hats and the military were in control, conspirators who had stolen the election were already under arrest, and Donald Trump would remain president. Quite the conspiracy theory, that. His (Her? Their?) followers ate it up like cotton candy – and yet none of it was true. The end of Q, right?

That would be a “no.” The lies keep flowing, the links keep garnering clicks, and the cash keeps mounding up, I would surmise. Candace Owens, the queen of the conspiracy peddlers, has amassed an devoted army of Simple automatons who stare ahead unblinking as she tells them that, whatever it is, the Jews/Erika Kirk/TPUSA/The Mossad/Bibi Netanyahu/France/Egypt/ Trump/Kash Patel did it, but mostly the Jews, and please do not question any of this, because Charlie told her something in a dream.

For the Christian, this ought to be no-go territory. We, more than any others, ought to be level-headed, reasonable, wise people. Solomon, once again, said the following: Proverbs 3:35, The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Conspiracy theories have certain marks about them that a Christian should recognize and learn to avoid. Mark number one: there will be a favorite target or two that the peddler always manages to come back to. Generally, the Jews are target number one, and the conspiracy peddler will always find a way to make everything their fault, as if they were every other person on earth and nearly omnipotent rather than one of the tiniest, most at risk populations on the planet.

Mark number two, there will be a constantly moving goal line that is never, ever reached. Just like the old sweepstakes assurances that used to come in the mail, everyone is tantalized by the promise that any day, the payoff will arrive, and they are one of two likely winners. But each new day that goal line moves a bit farther back, still just barely out of reach (“We’re almost there, guys, we are so close!”) because the day it is reached, the cash cow is cooked.

Mark number three, no one who doubts or speaks against the conspiracy theorist is an honest person speaking their mind; all of them are paid, or in on the conspiracy, or both. Just this week, I learned that I am a highly paid federal asset due to my questioning of Mrs. Owens; if someone could make me a nice athletic cut t-shirt in large that recognizes that, I will wear it with honor, though it is not true in the least.

Mark number four, the conspiracy peddler talks, but never walks. Flat-earthers do not lead expeditions to the supposed ice ring. The “We never landed on the moon crowd” obviously does not go to the moon to show that there is no flag or footprints. The “His disciples stole the body” crowd did not gather the troops and go find the body. Holocaust deniers do not go interview and study survivors, or the soldiers who rescued them, or the families who lost loved ones to it. The conspiracy theorist talks, period, for to do more than that would expose them to scrutiny when they fail.

Don’t fall for any of it, Christian; trying to tell others of the wisdom of Scripture while espousing the foolishness of conspiracy peddlers does not work well at all.

Pastor Wagner can be contacted by email at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org, and his books are available by clicking the Store link above.

Feature photo by Grok