Evangelical leaders have labelled conspiracy theory movement, QAnon, a "political cult" and a "Satanic movement".
QAnon was created in 2017 anonymously, and has gone on to claim that U.S. President Donald Trump is in a war with a "Deep State" government, fighting to tackle satanism and pedophile rings.
The QAnon movement has promoted a conspiracy that there is a Satan-worshipping "deep state" faction, which includes A-list celebrities, and that it is working to defeat Donald Trump. It also alleges the faction is involved in child abuse.
Over recent years, the group has promoted various other conspiracy theories, with some gaining support in various conservative Christian groups.
QAnon has not gone unnoticed, with Vice President Mike Pence recently addressing the movement in an interview on "CBS This Morning". Pence explained that he did not know "anything" about the group, and that he dismisses it "out of hand". He expressed dissatisfaction that he had to come "on a major network to talk about some conspiracy online theory."
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr. also recently addressed QAnon on his podcast, comparing it to the early church heresy of Gnosticism. He said, "Gnosticism is the belief that only a few, an elite, a privileged few are able to see, have inside information. The ancient Gnostics believed in one way or another that this particular secret knowledge was the key to salvation or illumination, or whatever would be the promise of this particular information."
He added, "Christianity has nothing to do with the secret truth. It has everything to do with a public Gospel. Christians don't have secret beliefs we hide from the world. We're not saved because we have come to some secret knowledge."
In a column in The Gospel Coalition earlier this year, Pastor Joe Carter, who is the executive pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Virginia, criticised QAnon. He called them a "political cult" and even a "Satanic movement" that "poses a threat to the global church."
He said, "The QAnon movement frequently engages in slander, which James calls demonic behavior (James 3:15–16). The QAnon movement often traffics in lies, which Jesus says are associated with Satan. The QAnon movement repeatedly sides with demonically inspired falsehoods that divide professed Christians from faithful believers."
He added, "And the QAnon movement has a tendency to call evil that which is good, and good that which is evil, and to put darkness for light, and light for darkness (Isa. 5:20). As movement of Satan, QAnon is incompatible with Christianity."
"It is neither too early nor too late for Christians to launch a counterattack on the demonic influence of QAnon," he wrote.
President Trump meanwhile recently said that he does not know much about the QAnon conspiracy theory. However, he understands that the movement's followers like him and love America.
