Episode 3 of the Faith in a Fresh Vibe podcast serial series called, Farewell Evangelicalism. There’s an enormous chasm between evangelical thought and praxis, and the actual teachings of Jesus found in the Gospels. We name how evangelical traditions are swayed, methods they use to shape and form malformed belief, and what that does to their overall culture. The primary tool? The widespread application and belief in conspiracy theories. Jared Stacy joins us to share his insights on the ways conspiracy theories are entangled with evangelicalism. We then pivot to name how the reliance on conspiracy theories shapes eangelical culture with guest Dr. Ed Ng. We discuss how the religious right is shaped to stay rooted in fear as a key contributor to belif systems.

“…when it’s ancient we call it a legend, when it’s modern we call it a conspiracy theory. – Jared Stacy”

Episode 3 – Show Notes

(00:00) – Introduction (05:30) – Jared Stacey on a history of conspiracy theory. (12:00) – Conspiracy theory in the 20th century. (19:00) – Naming some of the mechanism propogating conpsiracy in the 20th century. (25:17) – The use of media in consipracy. (29:00) – Introducing Dr. Ed Ng (30:00) – Dr. Ng on Terror Management Theory (37:30) – Describing contirbuting social conditions in the Religious Right. (44:00) – Rugged individualism and Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. (52:00) – Outro

Featuring your host, Rohadi (from Rohadi.com). Special guests in Episode 3:

Theologian/Author – Jared C Stacy Jared Stacy is a theologian and ethicist and former pastor to evangelical churches. He received a PhD in moral & practical theology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. His research focuses on the intersection of theology and politics. Specifically on ethics, extremism/conspiracy theory and US evangelicalism. Jared’s work & story has been featured on platforms like TIME, NPR, NBC News, the BBC, and Christianity Today.

Psychologist – Dr. Ed Ng Ed Ng is a Registered Psychologist in private practice in Vancouver and is the founder and director of Eastgate Psychological Services. Ed has taught at Trinity Western University and Regent College in the areas of diversity and counselling. He is also the founder of the Eastgate Project and hosts its podcast, which focuses on the intersections of psychology, theology, and the experiences of the Asian diaspora.

Intro Music by Jesse Peters. Bumper music by Daniel Wheat.