Television and computers gave Antichrist writers new control-capacity themes

Evidence

In addition to these organizational developments, Antichrist writers were encouraged by technological ones. The Antichrist folklore consistently emphasized his capacity for deception and control; indeed, it became an unquestioned tenet of dispensationalism that the world would initially welcome the Antichrist as a charismatic peacemaker whose diabolical designs would remain hidden until he had achieved total power. Modern technology appeared to equip the Antichrist with hitherto unavailable capacities for misrepresentation and domination. Electronic communications, especially television, could create instant global celebrity, while computers and microelectronics offered the means to monitor and control behavior and commerce. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 258

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Technology threads turned the Antichrist into a system-of-control concept — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 261; Modern technology links mind-control fear to the Antichrist’s Mark of the Beast; Superconspiracy theories can fuse political plots with theology to enlarge the plot’s scale — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 299 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Modern technology links mind-control fear to the Antichrist’s Mark of the Beast #corroborates (0.75)
• Antichrist theorizing has converged with mind-control conspiracy via the Mark of the Beast. #corroborates (0.75) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 395
• Superconspiracy theories can fuse political plots with theology to enlarge the plot’s scale #expands (0.72) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 299