Category: Current Events

• Reality In Ruins, Coming March 2026

  My new book has a title, cover, and release date.  Reality in Ruins: How Conspiracy Theory Became an American Evangelical Crisis will hit book shelves on March 17, 2026. Distilled from…

  

• Ah, Biscuits.

  There’s a recent opinion article over on Glenn Beck’s platform “The Blaze” that takes issue with Bandit Heeler, the dad from the wildly popular children’s show, Bluey.  When I say “popular” I mean…

  

• “Just Asking Questions”

  This piece reflects on suspicion, propaganda, and disinformation. The catalyst is the current (and dangerous) propaganda laid by JD Vance on the Haitian community in Ohio, who now find themselves at…

  

• The Contagion of Violence and Conspiracy

  Yesterday’s failed assassination attempt might have shocked, but it did not surprise.  I am glad former President Trump is relatively unharmed. And it’s fitting we pray for him, and the…

  

• Why The Big Lie Won’t Die

  The Failure of Facts and the Power of Story Across the early primaries, I’ve watched two particular sets of data: self-identified white evangelicals and the stolen election narrative. After South…

  

• Who are the Real Evangelicals?

  Evangelicals in America can’t stop voting Trump. So it seems. Trump is walking away from the Iowa caucus with a dominating win. He is the leading contender for the GOP…

  

• Close Encounters of the Theological Kind

  I should’ve known this article was inevitable. As a researcher of conspiracy theory, I keep tabs on communities where conspiracy theories are concentrated. One of those is the UFO/UAP (unidentified…

  

• We Built This City On Conspiracy Theory

  There’s a ‘new’ conspiracy theory emerging on digital spaces like TikTok and Instagram. (Just search the hashtag.) Today, I want to offer a few quick thoughts on what it is,…

  

• What We’re Missing With Musk

  Elon Musk is now the self-proclaimed “chief twit”. His acquisition of Twitter has sparked strong reactions on the right and left. One question concerns both sides: will Donald Trump tweet…

  

• Are Evangelicals A Threat To Democracy Today?

  This week, The Atlantic published a piece on how politics have poisoned American evangelicalism. It’s a good read, and I don’t see an end to this sort of analysis anytime…