It’s Angels vs. Demons. Light vs. Dark, The New World Order vs. Real Patriots. The ancient gdds have returned to take over the globe. Who will stop them? 

Spiritual warfare is common in evangelical circles. But how does belief in a cosmic battle lead to conspiracy theories on earth? Why do some in evangelical circles - and beyond - believe that there is a global conspiracy involving ancient gods, transnational banks, big government, and the Illuminati? In this installment, we unpack how cross-faith coalitions can be formed through the flexible symbol of a spiritual war against demons. We talk with Jonathon O’Donnell from Queen’s University, Belfast, focusing on the context of Covid-19. How has the idea of a ‘Great Reset’ spread in evangelical online spaces? What are the real world consequences for our public square?

For more information about research-based media by Axis Mundi Media visit: www.axismundi.us

For more information about public scholarship by the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement follow us @irmceorg or go to www.irmce.org

Funding for this series has been generously provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. 

Creator: Dr. Susannah Crockford

Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi (@bradleyonishi) 

Audio Engineer: Scott Okamoto (@rsokamoto)

Production Assistance: Kari Onishi 

Dr. Susannah Crockford (@suscrockford): Ripples of the Universe: Spirituality in Sedona, Arizona

Further Reading:

O’Donnell, S. Jonathon. Passing Orders: Demonology and Sovereignty in American Spiritual Warfare. New York, NY: Fordham University Press, 2020.

Christensen, Michael, and Ashli Au. “The Great Reset and the Cultural Boundaries of Conspiracy Theory,” International Journal of Communication 17 (2023): 2348-66.

Schwab, Klaus, and Thierry Malleret. Covid-19: The Great Reset. Geneva: Forum Publishing/World Economic Forum, 2020.

Sturm, Tristan, and Tom Albrecht. “Constituent Covid-19 Apocalypses: Contagious Conspiracism, 5G, and Viral Vaccinations,” Anthropology & Medicine 28, no. 1 (2021): 122-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/13648470.2020.1833684 

Wolf, Naomi. “Have the Ancient Gods returned?” Substack, Feb 23, 2023, https://naomiwolf.substack.com/p/have-the-ancient-gods-returned 

Goodman, Jack, and Fiona Carmichael. “The coronavirus pandemic ‘Great Reset’ theory and a false vaccine claim debunked,” BBC News, Nov 22, 2020, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/55017002 

Hagen, Lisa. “The ReAwaken America Tour unites conservative Christians and conspiracy theorists,” NPR, Nov 3, 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1133477897/reawaken-america-brings-together-some-of-the-u-s-most-prolific-conspiracy-theori