The Bible For Normal People

[Faith] Episode 71: Jared Stacy - The Evangelical to Conspiracy Theory Pipeline

14 snips
Feb 23, 2026
Jared Stacy, theologian, ethicist, and former pastor who studies conspiracy thinking, digs into how conspiratorial storytelling captures fears of cultural decline. He traces psychological hooks like belonging and control. The conversation explores evangelical identity, apocalyptic frames, and how theology can enable or repair these patterns.
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INSIGHT

Conspiracy Theory As Storytelling Battle

  • Conspiracy theory is best seen as a storytelling act that claims to reveal hidden truths and implies a larger battle.
  • Jared Stacy highlights that these narratives demand a response and transform facts (e.g., JFK) into ongoing fights against evil forces.
INSIGHT

Individualism Plus Apocalypticism Fuels Conspiracism

  • Two key ingredients of conspiratorial thinking are modern individualism and apocalyptic framing.
  • Stacy explains individualism makes people search for single-agent causes while apocalyptic narratives from evangelical culture supply end-times urgency and meaning.
INSIGHT

Evangelical Identity Is Theologically And Politically Mixed

  • Evangelical identity mixes theology, institutions, and partisan culture, making the label contested and fluid.
  • Stacy says sociological data ties evangelicalism more to partisan identity (e.g., Trump support) than to fixed doctrinal markers.
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