Why is QAnon significant, and why has the conspiracy theory taken root in certain evangelical circles?
In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Sarah Louise MacMillen of Duquesne University, who investigates these questions in her Canopy Forum article “A Native of Conklin, NY Discusses QAnon.”
Drawing on the work of Jacques Ellul and Theodor Adorno, Macmillen puts forward that one reason QAnon so strongly took hold in the evangelical sphere has to do with the evangelical emphasis on the free rational choice of the individual.
“When the search for knowledge and authority is left to the individual (and their mobile phone search) there is no gatekeeper for theological knowledge," writes Macmillen, "and it is more difficult to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate interpretations of scripture. This lack of gatekeepers, combined with a perceived grievance about secularization and diversity, creates a 'perfect' storm for the anti-intellectual forces of QAnon.”
Read the original article on Canopy Forum.
Browse our book brochure.
Why is QAnon significant, and why has the conspiracy theory taken root in certain evangelical circles?
In today's episode of Interactions, we hear from Sarah Louise MacMillen of Duquesne University, who investigates these questions in her Canopy Forum article “A Native of Conklin, NY Discusses QAnon.”
Drawing on the work of Jacques Ellul and Theodor Adorno, Macmillen puts forward that one reason QAnon so strongly took hold in the evangelical sphere has to do with the evangelical emphasis on the free rational choice of the individual.
“When the search for knowledge and authority is left to the individual (and their mobile phone search) there is no gatekeeper for theological knowledge," writes Macmillen, "and it is more difficult to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate interpretations of scripture. This lack of gatekeepers, combined with a perceived grievance about secularization and diversity, creates a 'perfect' storm for the anti-intellectual forces of QAnon.”
Read the original article on Canopy Forum.
Browse our book brochure.
