CNN reports:

When Pastor James Kendall stepped on to the stage of his small church in Madera, California he knew that day’s sermon was going to take him in a direction unlike most. He had seen some troubling Facebook posts from members of his congregation. God, he says, was telling him speak out and warn his flock.

“I don’t like to get off track and off the Bible,” Kendall said during a sermon on March 7. “But as a pastor I do have to guard the flock.”

A false prophet was gaining a foothold in his church and churches across the country: A false prophet spouting lies and conspiracy theories.

That false prophet was known simply as Q. And Kendall was about to warn his church about it.

QAnon is a virtual cult that began in late 2017. According to the conspiracy theory, former President Donald Trump is secretly working to stop a group of child sex traffickers. And an anonymous government insider called “Q” is believed to have shared secret information about that fight via cryptic online posts. Q allegedly last posted online on December 8.

Q’s messaging tactics draw from many themes in Christianity. As Daniel Burke, CNN’s former religion editor, wrote, “According to the religious view of QAnon, Q is a postmodern prophet, “Q drops” (aka his messages) are sacred texts and Trump is a messianic figure who will conjure “The Storm,” an apocalyptic revelation exposing evildoers.”

Pastor Kendall said the two belief systems “run on parallel tracks.” [Continue reading…]