"Too many Christians are possessed with the idea that secret societies control the world. There have been countless theories that propagate this idea that the world economy and its political and social systems are controlled by a few evil and sinister men belonging to secret organizations that seek to rule the earth… "Conspiracy believers… have taken a fact from history here, a fact from history there and have constructed distorted theories that secret people control everything that is happening in the world. Many believe and are caught up in the notion, creating an illusion that is very hard to get away from them.
"The Illuminati, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Masons, the Trilateral Commission, and the international bankers are some of those who, in the minds of many, seek the abolition of private property, family structure, organized religion, national governments, inheritance rights, and capitalism. Scary thoughts! Worse than the boogeyman I was afraid of as a kid.
"The facts demonstrate that Christian people who believe and embrace these kinds of theories are in the same boat as atheists, agnostics, and evolutionists. They have thrown God out of the picture as one who has lost control of his world… There are conspiracies; make no mistake about that. Unfortunately there is a dark side to the world. Throughout history there have been despots who have tried to seize control of governments and their citizens. I am positive this is the plan of Satan. However, never has there been one successful ploy over any great length of time because the heart and the mind of a person cannot be controlled forever. The heart and mind of a person belong to God."
—from Sherman Smith's Foreword to Gregory Camp's Selling Fear: Conspiracy Theories and End-Times Paranoia (Baker: 1997), pp.9-10.