On December 4, 2016, Edgar Maddison Welch walked into the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington D.C. with a semi-automatic rifle and fired three rounds before getting arrested.
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Welch had been listening to growing rumors that an underground network of sex-traffickers made up of Democratic politicians worked out of the basement of Comet Ping Pong. He planned to “self-investigate” whether these rumors were true.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt during the assault. But Welch’s attack would come to represent the culmination of the “Pizzagate” conspiracy in which theorists claimed Comet Ping Pong’s logo had similarities with symbols related to Satanism and pedophilia. There wasn’t then and never had been any basement underneath the pizzeria. In fact, the picture used to support the claim was taken in another facility.
Anything is convincing if we listen to it long enough. The most dangerous lies never feel preposterous to people when they are first expressed. Lies only need to start out as mere suggestions or possibilities; they don’t need to be grandiose and dramatic.
In fact, if they are grandiose people probably wouldn’t believe them. But as these small, little suggestions take root in those who listen to them, the more outrageous conclusions begin to not feel so outrageous.
The Most Powerful Lies Come Sprinkled with Truth
As Christians, we know this characteristic about lies. We know the devil is the father of lies and prowls around the cosmos devouring people with them (Jn. 8:44, 1Pet. 5:8). These lies are subtle. Think about the serpent’s lie, “You will not die. God knows you’ll become like Him.” Some of it even turned out to be true (Gen. 3:4-5, 22-24). Or consider the thought that just because people didn’t choose you to do a job you have a skillset for means they don’t like you. It may feel that way, but they may not have even known you had that skillset, or interest in the job.
Powerful lies look and feel largely true. That’s why we believe them. But just because we believe them doesn’t make them any more real.
How did the Pizzagate conspiracy get to the point where someone was able to enter a restaurant and open fire? Because there were enough parts to the story that were in fact, or at least felt, true.
For instance, we know sex trafficking happens. We know a significant amount of sex trafficking takes place on U.S. soil, right under the nose of one of the most Christianized countries in the world. It’s perfectly plausible, then, that there is an elite ring of sex traffickers most of the nation knows nothing about.
We also know that many politicians are corrupt. Many have had their own sex scandal. It’s not surprising to find out that politicians might be involved in an elite ring of sex traffickers.
Mystery Makes Speculation Feel Legitimate
Furthermore, longtime donor to the Democratic party, Jeffrey Epstein, was convicted of trafficking underage girls in July 2019. It soon became apparent that other politicians had been involved in his escapades, but he mysteriously “committed suicide” before he could reveal specifically who. All of this has made the rumor concerning an underground network of sex traffickers working out of the basement of Comet Ping Pong no longer seem unrealistic.
What we do not know, however, is whether there actually is an underground network of elite sex traffickers made up of specifically Democrat politicians. Furthermore, at the time, we didn’t even know if Comet Ping Pong had a basement.
When we are willing to entertain unproven claims as if they are true, we begin treading on dangerous territory. Much like Adam and Eve entertaining the thought that eating the fruit would allow them to be like God and live forever ended up leading them to eat the fruit and being separated from God, when we entertain the thought of something that isn’t entirely true we begin walking down a path that hurts ourselves and others.
Pizzagate theorists began to speculate about certain potential code words and symbols connected with pedophilia. Theorists found out that Urban Dictionary calls “cheese pizza” a code word for child pornography.
This led to a labyrinth of supposed code words and symbols that communicated about sex trafficking. These symbols were said to be found on name-brand clothing and company logos. Ultimately, theorists believed Comet Ping Pong’s logo was a symbol indicating it as a hub for sex traffickers.
Having listened to these theories long enough, Welch decided to do what he could to rescue the children supposedly trapped under Comet Ping Pong.
We Live-out What We Believe, and We Believe What We Listen to Long Enough
If we listen to ideas long enough without poking at them to see how provable they actually are, we begin to live our lives as if the ideas are true. We begin to spread the unproven ideas to others. The more people who hear these ideas and share them, the more the ideas begin to feel true. But when we live our lives based on a false narrative we eventually hurt ourselves and others.
Our lives should be lived based on what we can know for sure to be in fact true. Paul gives this exhortation in Philippians 4:8. Everything we aren’t yet sure is true, as plausible as they may appear, should be held in gentle speculation.
Something has happened with Christians—specifically in America—over the last number of years where we have become increasingly susceptible to lies.
A tremendous amount of Bible-embracing, Jesus-following Christians listen to or share ideas that have either been (1) unproven or (2) proven false. Not only that, they believe these unproven or false ideas more than ideas that have been proven to be true.
Lies Christians Have Listened to Recently
Consider how many conservative Christians have entertained the idea that the 2020 U.S. Presidential election was rigged by some grand conspiracy. As recently as last month, Mike Lindell claimed that God would expose the voter fraud and reinstate Donald Trump as President in August or September.
Does voter fraud happen? Yes. But the Supreme Court has dismissed Trump’s lawsuits because his attorneys have yet to produce evidence of widespread voter fraud in court. Lindell, himself, held a symposium in which he said he would reveal all the evidence of a cyber-attack during the elections, but then he never produced the evidence. He claimed the symposium had been attacked.
When we listen to these postulations that fail over and over to prove themselves true, we begin to live as if we can’t know anything for sure. This leads to a fatalistic view of reality that will inevitably affect our view of God. These claims of a rigged election simply have no bearing yet, so we must hold them in speculation, and rest on what we know to be true at this point: Joe Biden received 81,268,924 popular votes and 306 electoral votes, and Donald Trump received 74,216,154 popular votes and 232 electoral votes.
Another example is how certain Christians have bought into the idea that vaccine development fuels abortions. Do abortions happen? Yes. And cells from aborted fetuses have been used in the development and testing of vaccines. But no new abortions took place for the purpose of developing COVID-19 vaccines, or any other vaccines marketed in the U.S. In fact, the mRNA vaccines were developed without the use of fetal cell tissues. They provide hope for moving away from any use of fetal cell tissues in vaccine development.
But then, many believe the mRNA vaccines alter a person’s DNA. As far as I can tell, this belief developed out of people who misunderstand medical terminology spreading the idea around on social media. mRNA vaccines do not alter a person’s DNA and they do not contain microchips.
The Danger of Christians Listening to Lies
The energy behind these ideas about vaccines has turned brothers and sisters in Christ against each other. It has led those who are prolife when it comes to babies in the womb to diminish the value of life for those nearing their end.
Certain people who claim the name of Jesus have maligned and degraded other Christian medical professionals. Why? Because they believe the professionals are wrong based on a false suggestion they’ve entertained. They don’t even hear the medical professionals out—even Christian medical professions—because they believe the whole medical field is being deceived.
When Christians buy into ideas that aren’t true, we end up slandering people, isolating other fellow Christians, perpetuating false narratives, and ultimately dishonoring God.
We cannot base our lives on things we don’t know for sure or we will tear each other apart.
We are tearing each other apart.
Reliable People Accurately Represent Others
As Christians, when we fail to accurately represent the ideas or people we disagree with, we undermine our credibility for sharing the Gospel. Unfortunately, many of us have filled our minds with voices who don’t always accurately represent ideas or those they disagree with.
When Ben Shapiro repeatedly says that Dr. Fauci lied about masks, but never plays the clip where Dr. Fauci explains how he discovered masks work, Shapiro is misrepresenting Dr. Fauci. He wants you to think about Dr. Fauci in a way that isn’t necessarily accurate of him.
When Candace Owens claims Ahmaud Arbery threw a weapon into the road and attack the person who ended up shooting him, but never corrects herself when video evidence reveals Arbery didn’t throw anything and appears to be defending himself instead of “attacking,” understand Owens has just misrepresented Arbery. She wants you to have a specific perspective of this man who was just murdered that isn’t necessarily accurate.
An Unchecked Bias Undermines Credibility
I am concerned that many conservative Christians have embraced voices that aren’t actually very reliable. I’m even more concerned that many of us may have embraced such voices because they tell the stories we deeply want to be true.
If this is the way we live our lives, it will not end well for us. When our children discover the ideas we have embraced are not necessarily true, they will become disillusioned with what we have taught them. And if we have been insinuating that people who oppose our unproven or false ideas are liars, our children will reject not only the ideas, but us.
If we want to pass on our faith to others, our children or neighbors, we cannot hold as fact mere possibilities or suggestions that have not been proven true. Instead, we need to hold fast to what we know for sure is true and live our lives based on it.
Learning to Spot What’s True
So what might it look like to stop listening to lies and instead hold fast to what is true?
First, it will mean we immerse ourselves in God’s Word.
The current debate over Critical Race Theory is difficult to sort through because most of us have no or little biblical understanding of justice. It’s tough to sort out what justice should look like when we have spent more hours listening to politicians talk about justice than reading what Jesus said about it.
Scripture gives a clear and compelling vision of justice and Jesus fully embodies it. It’s messier than the binaries of Democratic and Republican views, but if we are immersed in the message of God’s Word, we’ll find it easier to tell what actually reflects truth.
Secondly, if we want to know what is true concerning things going on in our world today, we are going to have to pause our own commentary of current events to listen to what is actually being said.
In truly listening, we will interact with what we are hearing by seeking out why people are saying what they are saying. This requires entering other people’s worlds. It requires listening to perspectives that directly challenge our own.
We all communicate with a bias, and one of the biggest reasons we think there’s so much lying going on at a national level is because most of us have isolated ourselves into smaller and smaller eco systems of narratives. We live surrounded by voices who tell the same stories. And when these stories aren’t actually true, it leads to telling ourselves lies.
On one hand there is a lot of lying going on. On the other hand, not everything that people say is a lie actually is a lie. Sometimes the real lies are the very things we find easiest to believe. So it takes exploration and a willingness to see things from other points of view.
Finally, acknowledge and stand firm on the things we can know for sure, and hold what has yet to be confirmed in speculation.
We live in a time where people are taking action on things they don’t know are true for sure. This leads to people feeling isolated within the church. Instead of taking action on the things you can’t prove, take action on what you can.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Phil 4:8-9
Feel free to share your responses to this article in the comments below. Please be respectful to each other as you do. Grace and peace.
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