Great content - hard to read | The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

Magnificent | The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God | Dallas Willard

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	• The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God Dallas Willard HarperOne, 1998 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 134 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

It's Worth It!

I bought this book to read and review with a group of Christians. It was a little difficult for me to get through the first couple of chapters, but the effort was well worth it. This is one of the best books on Christianity I have read.

Great content - hard to read

Great content. You can read the begging and the end and skip the middle and still get his main points. It is very, very, very wordy.

Magnificent

I am not sure how to write a review for a book that I will reference for the rest of my life. I had great expectations for this book before beginning it and they were all met. This book is about the Sermon on the Mount and so much more - discipleship to Christ.

Willard opens with the idea that Jesus (and therefore God) was/is brilliant. Not in the abstract "of course he is, duh, he's God" but in a wow, Jesus really knows humanity, the world, good and evil, etc. He speaks of the kingdom of God as central to Christ's life and message and says it's sorely absent today, which has changed in the 10 years since the book was written as I hear about the kingdom with great frequency. Nevertheless, his exposition of what it and ruling means is terrific.

There is an overemphasis on atonement in current Christian thought, at the popular level. It has become a "gospel of sin management" and Jesus is the ticket to heaven. Challenging both this conservative view and the liberal social gospel view, Willard explains what the good news is all about.

He then launches into the topics of us having spirits and God being everywhere in the world. The heavens (plural) are closer to us than we think as we walk about in them (like the air we breath) so we literally live and move and have our being in God. Willard coins his own version of the kingdom of God as the Kingdom Among Us.

Then begins the examination of the Discourse on the Hill (Sermon on the Mount) by looking at the Beatitudes - not as prescriptive but as descriptive of reality in God's kingdom. They are the way things are, not necessarily the way we should try to live. They really are good news for those in such conditions.

Jesus has respect for the Mosaic law and sees it as good. With the kingdom of the heavens breaking into time and space, disciples are called to live beyond the mere behavioral stipulations of the Old Testament. Yes, actions are important. Having a heart conformed to God's is even more important and Jesus' aim in the speech. The primacy of anger and contempt is identified as stemming from a wounded ego and central to all human conflict.

Reputation and wealth are strong temptations for almost all of us. However, they are deceptions that are not fulfilling in the end. Only God will satisfy the heart.

He does say that prayer is primarily about the request - something I wonder about as I have been thinking lately of prayer as less requesting and more receiving. Willard walks through the "Our Father" or "Lord's Prayer" a phrase at a time, examining what Jesus was getting at anew. His own translations and wordings really rejuvenate the scriptures.

The notion of Jesus as teacher has slipped away from us. His goal, in being his disciples, is for us to become and to be like him. It's about our identity and the living of our lives. How would Jesus live the life we have? rather than How do we live like Jesus?

In the eighth and ninth chapters, the book slows a bit, returning to the rather uninspiring "read your Bible, pray, meditate on God." Believing is about being in touch with reality - a perspective that makes disbelief sound abnormal and belief normal or expected, contrary to many people's thinking. He challenges our thinking about change in that change on demand is not necessarily the change God is wanting to make in our lives and very may not know about the change until a far later time. I liked the idea of needing to be content to be alone and doing nothing. This is a strong challenge to my day to day living.

Willard closes the book with "the restoration of all things" and our existence in heaven, co-ruling with Christ. To try to bring heaven to earth of our own will is foolishness. Think about what you would put yourself in charge of - a city, two cities, ten cities? - and start thinking about how you live in light of this. Our unending life is primarily for God's pleasure as it is the only way we can know him more fully, beyond the limitations of our present state of being. There will be bodies for all, though not necessarily physical, and there will be social relationships - strongest of all with God.

I will have to read this again, no doubt.

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Evaluation of The Divine Conspiracy, in Relation to Spirituality and Identity

Introduction

The following is not a complete synopsis of the book, The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard. To summarize the entire text a much longer document would be necessary, and would merely exist as an abridged version of the work. Instead, the following pages address several compelling points--and general topics--from each of the ten chapters, and serve to connect issues in The Divine Conspiracy to both spiritual development and Christian identity.

Chapter One

The Divine Conspiracy begins by stating that America is in a current state of moral calamity. Top quality American institutions of education, which were once founded to promote Christian morality, have regressed to the extreme of moral relativism where a philosophy major can--and often will--succeed in his or her education without the slightest amount of moral application. An example is given of two Harvard University students, one female and one male. The female in the vignette was of high moral character. She was enrolled as a philosophy major and from what she learned was able to integrate righteous principles into her everyday life. A "C" marked student she was also of lower economic status and would subsidize her tuition by cleaning the living spaces of other students. Character two in the vignette, the man, was a classmate of the first who earned strait "A" marks. This person was of extreme moral depravity and would often proposition the female for sex when she would come to clean his apartment. The woman was distraught with the idea of this man earning straight "A" marks in courses of philosophy while obviously not integrating any of the ideals into his personal life.

This story is not the exception of occurrences but of the standard in modern education. While spirituality and moral identity are absolutely irrelevant for one's academic success--even in disciplines such as philosophy and theology--genius is defined as "the ability to scrutinize the obvious." The ability to critique and question, not the ability to apply, is the necessity for success.

Another example is given in the text about a pilot in flight who decides to make a severe accent into the sky, but instead plummets his plane into the ground. While thinking that he was ascending he was really descending and knew not of his disorientation until it was too late. The current state of morality is in many ways analogous; i.e. what is trivial is perceived to be profound, while what is profound is perceived to be stupid, trivial, or boring. The text lists several instances. The first reads, "All I ever needed to know I leaned in kindergarten." This slogan, while unhelpful to the human condition and useless in the development of identity or spiritual growth is perceived by the morally dead to be of profundity. Its antithesis--actually of worth--is stated in text, "I don't know what I need to know and must now devote my full attention and strength to finding out." This second slogan is of extreme profundity. So much so that it could be used as a person's statement of purpose for spiritual growth and personal improvement. However, it is this second phrase, not the first, which is subjected to diatribes of ridicule.

Chapter Two

The second chapter is titled, Gospels of Sin Management, and begins with the idea that the main point of the Gospel, which deals with our personal discipleship to Christ Jesus, is often replaced by two benevolent but erroneous purposes. They are one, the assurance of an eternal life in heaven, and two, the humanitarian cause of making the world a better place.

In of themselves neither of these statement are unrighteous, for both of these false tenets should be incorporated into a Christ centered life. Yes, God does assure an eternal life with Him, and the world is improved a posteriori when people come to know Christ, but these causes are not a proper center of purpose.

Willard claims the first reason for this mistake of purpose is the method in which the gospel is being taught within the church. He states that poor behavior among the saved is not in spite of what is being taught, but is a direct consequence of what is being taught! He then describes the ideals of an extreme theological right and left. The theological right has--much like the Pharisees--transformed faith into an intellectual system of beliefs comparable to a barcode. The theological left is of the humanitarian paradigm and transforms faith into a mission of fighting oppression, reforming social structures, and promoting human equality. While mislead in cause, neither makes any strictly false claims. The problem exists in that both miss the true purpose of discipleship, the transformation of the human heart, the development of Christian identity, and the facilitation of spiritual growth. When Christian spiritual growth and obedience to Jesus is the center, both the right and left ideals are fulfilled for one becomes a firm observer of the rules/sin management, and one will follow Christ's guidance that promotes humanitarian works.

Chapters Three and Four

The third chapter explains in depth the truth of God's present kingdom. During the Sermon on the Mount Christ speaks about who is blessed and who will receive the kingdom of God. First, it is to be understood that with the beatitudes Christ was referring to the spiritually weak (and those suffering for their belief in Jesus), the poor, the outcast, those living in sin, those grief stricken, those not from a lineage of godliness, the deformed, etc. He was referring to "second-class citizens" who thought they were "too far gone" to be saved (nearly everyone but the spiritually apathetic). Second, Christ was saying such people will have healing, be comforted, will inherit the Kingdom of God. Christ could see that it was the spiritually turmoiled prostitute, not the hardened heart Pharisee, who had a better chance for a Christian identity and spiritual growth. When Christ said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," he was not saying that they occupied blessing because of their condition but regardless of their condition they are invited into the kingdom of God, to be blessed.

Regarding the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. Christ understood and proclaimed that the kingdom was at hand. He realized that God exists and acts in the very space around us and that we are capable of intimate interactions with Him. Christ was proclaiming the reality of the spiritual world and its never faltering ability to nourish the human spirit. Being that the spirit is superior to the flesh, Christ was also saying the wisest thing we can do is become his disciple. Being a disciple to Christ means a lifelong process of spiritual reform. It is a change of identity in mind, spirit, and body.

One way of perceiving if one truly believes in God's kingdom is his or her attitude toward death. Through Christ we are promised an eternal life. The text reads, "we are never-ceasing spiritual beings with an eternal destiny in the full world of God." The text then documents a statement by Mickey Mantle--who after a lifetime of alcohol abuse was experiencing several chronic illnesses--where he said that he would have taken care of himself if he knew he was going to live as long as he had. If Mr. Mantle's sentiment of taking care of himself physically is wisdom, then how much more wise is to take care of ourselves spiritually by being an obedient follower of Christ, who promises us not a long, but and eternal life with him?

Chapter four, in part, concerns Jesus' teachings and how they were revolutionary--even contradictory--for the times. Amazingly, despite their intrinsic benefit to mankind, most of his teachings are still revolutionary in modern years. For example, when a rich man approaches Jesus, who is an observer of God's law and wishes to acquire a blessing from Christ, Christ instead challenges the man to Give all he has to the poor, and follow Him. That would be his blessing. This was both incredibly radical two centuries ago and today for being wealthy is perceived as a blessing. Nevertheless, Christ teaches that it is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Christ warns that wealth is a stumbling block in the spiritual development of many (Mark 10:17-31).

Another example of Christ's radical teaching is when Christ's own mother and brothers (possibly brothers and sisters) came to see him. Christ was within a house and his relatives were unable to reach him but asked a person attending to tell Jesus of their presence. From the world's perspective (2000 years ago and now) Christ's immediate family should have precedence over those not of blood relation, but Christ speaks differently and teaches that through the eyes of God everyone residing with Him is his mother and brothers (Matt 12:46-50).

It was radical for Christ to teach these things. It was radical for Jesus to bless the beatitudes, as it was radical for Christ to keep company with tax collectors, the demon possessed, prostitutes, and the diseased. Christ was concerned with the identity and spiritual development of these people. He provided healings and earthly blessings, but did so not as an ends but a means to show the kingdom was at hand to provide Good things if people were to turn to God.

Chapter Five

Subtitled, The Righteousness of the Kingdom Heart: Beyond the Goodness of the Scribes and Pharisees, this chapter discusses what is necessary, according to Christ, to enter the kingdom of God. Willard states the instructions Jesus gave for entering the kingdom are often ignored, and describes their importance is as necessary as instruction for how to enter a house, or a car, or an office. Christ's instructions are not suggestions such as you can enter the kingdom by doing this (with the logical possibility that Christ's instruction is that of sufficiency but not one of necessity). Instead, Christ is very clear about the necessity of his instructions and phrases his terms as, "You will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless..." these unless terms include being born from above (becoming a new creation of God), becoming like children (becoming dependant on God), and have righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees (realizing that holiness is a being, not an action). Willard describes these necessary criteria to be all inward--as opposed to outward--transformations. However, due to this inner reformation--the text points out--a five-step evolution of outward holiness will occur, each step preparing the individual to take the next.
Step one--(completely inward) deals with a state of well-being and blessedness from God.
Step two--a relinquishing of ones anger--or worse--contempt, and a genuine valuing of one's common man
Step three--is when we begin to love and help those who hurt us, as Christ commands.
Step four--We operate with a sincere heart and no longer attempt to control, manipulate, or judge others
Step five--We obtain the ability to rely on others and ask others to fill our needs.

Seeing how these steps must be taken in order is not difficult. One cannot lay aside ones contempt until he or she has a feeling of inner wellness. Likewise, one cannot love those who hate him or her, unless one has set aside her or his contempt for that person. One cannot refrain from manipulating a person unless that person is valued and loved by the would-be manipulator, and the steps continue.

Willard spends a great deal of time on the issue of anger and states in text that anger is now an encouraged practice! Specifically, "...influential people tell us today that we must be angry, that it is necessary to be angry to oppose social evil." On a more micro level, a Christian couple in counseling was once instructed by their counselor that they should not discipline their child while in a state of anger. The couple was taken aback by this request and stated, "You mean we should just punish him in cold blood?" Truly in modern day society righteousness becomes wrongly entwined with anger.

Beyond anger lies contempt. Contempt is what anger leads up to. It is the next stage of evil. The text explains:
In anger I want to hurt you. In contempt, I don't care whether you are hurt or not. Or at least so I say. You are not worth consideration one way or the other. We can be angry at someone without denying their worth. But contempt makes it easier for us to hurt them or see them further degraded.
Concerning the issue of Christian spirituality, it is not sin to become angry. Anger is a feeling that seizes one beyond one's control. At such a point a person occupies the choice whether to nurture the anger, or not. If nurtured anger evolves into contempt (described above), and with contempt often comes the practice of degrading another through name-calling or ridicule. Contempt is not the last step in the hierarchy of anger but a slippery slope to malice. With malice one desires to harm another, or obtain vengeance.

Chapter Six

Titled, Investing in the Heavens: Escaping the Deceptions of Reputation and Wealth, chapter six begins by describing religious respectability as a trap. Willard quotes Matthew 23:5-11, which describes Jesus' disapproval at the ways people of importance enjoy their special attention. Even concerning the religious today the passage well describes our current "self-esteem" culture. A legitimate point is brought up--in the text--that Matthew 23 says not to call one, or seek to be called, doctor, or teacher, or father, or leader, or professor. This scripture is not spoken on Sunday morning, nor is it taken seriously into our hearts or minds.
According to Jesus, our Christian identity should be one that does not desire honorable seats at tables, or honorable titles that distinguish us from common men. Christ was King of Kings, and our God and he came not to be served or honored, but to serve and die. For us then too seek honor when the only person who deserved honor did not seek it is contradictory to all which is Christ.

Who do you desire to hear when you pray, God or man? If a person wishes for man to hear him or her more than God, then that person desires an identity that is not of the Kingdom of God. He or she is concerned with an earthly reputation over a dialog with the almighty. Jesus saw this as a temptation in man's heart. It is feasible that a person could begin prayer with wishing to commune with God but then be tempted to reap a worldly benefit for the prayer, and divert motive to having people notice his/her prayerfulness. It is for this reason that Christ proclaims that when you pray, pray in secret so that man cannot hear you but only your father in heaven can hear you. Matthew 6:5 describes Christ calling the religious leaders of his time "the hypocrites" for they seem by onlookers to be devout to God while they only wish to make an impression on people. It is very possible that the ill motive of prayer was not always so, but was a regression brought upon by the temptation of pride and honor amongst one's fellow man.

Chapter seven

Called, The Community of Prayerful Love, chapter seven warns the reader not to blame, condemn, or judge. Truly at times it seems both beneficial and benevolent to blame and judge as a means of reforming our fellow man into something more Godlike. However, according to Willard, Jesus clearly states that doing so is not the way of the kingdom. Agape love, the love that God the father has for us, is given three tenets in text:
1) Not condemning or blaming those around us.
2) Not forcing "wonderful things" upon them.
3) Just asking for what we want from them--and from God.
Judging is such a normal part of human interaction, doing without the process seems almost like we would be forsaking the practice of giving fellow men and woman good guidance (states Willard). Though Willard believes when we condemn someone we are communicating that he or she is, in some irredeemable way, bad and rejected. That person is therefore sentenced to exclusion.

In respect to Christian spirituality and identity, this idea is one of the few (of Willard's) that must be rejected. The biblical instruction of judging is not, "do not judge" as Willard claims but, "Judge not les ye be judged," meaning that one may judge, but may not be hypocritical about judging. Specifically, if one is going to be in a position to judge, then that person should be also in a position to be judged. Also, Christ said to first remove the timber from your own eye (sin form you life), and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye (judge the sin in your brother's life) (Lk). This passage also deals with judging in the same way. One who is going to judge should also judge oneself and be found, for the most part, lacking sin.

Christian counselors in particular are put in a position where they must judge others. If there were sin in the life of a client that the client was not aware of (or in denial of), or if a practice was damaging a client spiritually, the counselor occupies a duty to judge and confront that aspect of the individual's life. If done appropriately under the terms of Christian love, the person will not feel that he or she is being rejected by Christ, or by Christ's body, but that only his or her sin is being rejected. To not judge would be to allow all sin in the body, and to display a lack of love.

Chapter Eight

Titled, On Being a Disciple, or Student, of Jesus, Chapter eight describes what it is to be a disciple of Jesus, and then continues to describe the duties of Christian ministers and apprentices of Jesus. Willard calls this "church work" and lists the gospel's directions to emulate what Jesus did. The first of these directions is "proclaiming."

Proclaiming is announcing God's historical truth in the sense of the coming and purpose of Jesus. It is teaching others about the Kingdom of Heaven with the emphasis that it is right here and right now. This proclaiming is also an open invitation to be adopted into the Family of God, to be a child of God, and to have close communion with God the Father. Proclaiming also includes speaking of what must be done to be saved, to be a disciple of Christ, and to receive eternal life.

The second phase of Christ's work is "manifesting." With manifesting special acts of love are done to emphasize the truth of God's presence and reign. First executed only by Christ Jesus, and later by the saints, manifestations of God's power were often seen in supernatural and miraculous ways, from raising the dead to miraculous healings.

The third direction is "teaching." Though some informing occurs in the first phase, "proclaiming," the teaching of Christ described here is more involved with Christ's parables, or when Christ was trying to discuss the nature of God. It is to be noted that teaching is not only the last but the most advanced of the three phases, so much that when the disciples were first sent forth, they were sent forth to proclaim and to show the manifestation of God, but were not yet ready to teach.

These points were selected from this chapter because of their great importance in the development of a Christian identity. In developing the identity Christ most desires us to have, it is wise to understand the plan Christ set aside for the first twelve. Also, to have an identity in Christ is to do work in Christ, and it would be incongruent to have the correct identity in Christ, but to work with inappropriate methods.

Chapter Nine

Titled, A Curriculum for Christlikeness, this chapter addresses the need for the process of "sanctification," in which we begin to become like Jesus in nature and behavior, and begins by giving a practical curriculum for this process. The text reads that there are three ways in which we constantly see God before us, these are:
1) We see Him in the magnificence of his creation
2) We see Him in his faithful interaction with human history
3) We see Him through our personal experiences with Him
Having a life based in Christ centeredness is called in text, having a life "on the rock," and is described as a life that is rich and unshakable, a life free from loneliness, fear, and anxiety; A life filled with peace and joy where one has no need for praise from men, no feelings of anger, envy, lust, or covetousness, and a life where you will naturally bless those who hate you.

This is the second time in his writing that Willard misses the point. Being of Christ like identity and spirituality is not to live in a condition where one is immune to lust, or anger, or envy. It is false to say that if one follows Christ properly he/she will not only be without sin (which one wont) but one shall become unaffected by his/her fallen sinful nature.

Growing in Christ like identity is to understand that one needs Christ's grace to fill the spaces where one falls short of His holiness, for though all should strive to be Christ like none will ever emulate his likeness and achieve salvation by their own merits. The apostle Paul knew this well and spoke of how sin in his life sin, living in him, kept him from doing what he wanted to do, but made him do what he did not want to do (Rom). He noted that when he did what he did not want to do it was not of his will, but of the will of sin living in him that controlled his actions. Hence, God's grace is still needed, and our sinful nature is still present even when we follow a curriculum of Christlikeness.

Chapter Ten

The final chapter of The Divine Conspiracy titled, The Restoration of All Things, describes the nature of our eternal life. According to Willard, knowledge of heaven is of great importance. He states:
To live strongly and creatively in the kingdom of the heavens, we need to have firmly fixed in our minds what our future is to be like...In this way our future can be incorporated into our life now and our life now incorporated into our future.

Though many hold the position that we cannot know what our eternal life is going to be like, it is described as a "limitlessly enhanced life" in which we are "more intensely alive," and where we are "in perfect fulfillment and yet [we are] also [in] endless activity and newness." Upon death we will lose nothing but our physical and spiritual limitations. We do not lose our personal sense of who we are. Our experiences in life will not be fundamentally different than they are now for, "The life we live now have as the persons we not are will continue, and continue in the universe in which we now exist (Sic)."

How can the knowledge of our eternal life be of benefit in the formation of spirituality and identity? For one, with knowledge that we are immortal should come a feeling of permanence, and a loss of any anxiety regarding death. Also, the paradigm through which the world is viewed should be more contrasting of who has eternal life, and who is headed toward eternal death--a paradigm that is congruent with that of Christ's. Also, since the next (eternal) life is one of complete spiritual significance, the knowledge may promote an individual to pay special attention to spiritual work, for it is the spirit, not the flesh (debatable perhaps), which will live eternally. If one believes moths destroy and thieves steal everything but our Christian spirit (Matt), with what would one be more concerned, items or identity?

Conclusion

Stated in the introduction, this document--in its length--is only capable of pulling selected examples and general principles from each chapter of The Divine Conspiracy. Still, this document was not designed to be an insufficient summary of the book, but a guide to begin to view The Divine Conspiracy text in relation to Christian spirituality and identity (a major objective of Dallas Willard's endeavor). Though much of this document agrees with Willard's perspectives and ideas, some does not, and the parts of this document that protest Willard's ideas also are related to the issue of Christian spirituality and identity.

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Incredible...

Wonderful! Incredible look at our part in the process in spiritual formation. Helpful and faithful look at not only the scriptures but our part in them.

A renowned teacher and writer of the acclaimed The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard, one of today's most brilliant Christian thinkers now offers a timely and challenging call back to the true meaning of Christian discipleship. In The Divine Conspiracy, Willard gracefully weaves biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice into a tour de force that shows the necessity of profound changes in how we view our lives and faith. In an era when many Christians consider Jesus a beloved but remote savior, Willard argues compellingly for the relevance of God to every aspect of our existence. Masterfully capturing the central insights of Christ's teachings in a fresh way for today's seekers, he helps us to explore a revolutionary way to experience God--by knowing Him as an essential part of the here and now, rather than only as a part of the hereafter.

"The most telling thing about the contemporary Christian," Willard writes, "is that he or she has no compelling sense that understanding of and conformity with the clear teachings of Christ is of any vital importance to [their] life, and certainly not that it is in any way essential . . . Such obedience is regarded as just out of the question or impossible." Christians, he says, for the most part consider the primary function of Christianity to be admittance to heaven. But, as Willard clearly shows, a faith that guarantees a satisfactory afterlife, yet has absolutely no impact on life in the here and now, is nothing more than "consumer Christianity" and "bumper-sticker faith."

Willard refutes this "fire escape" mentality by exploring the true nature of the teachings of Jesus, who intended that His followers become His disciples, and taught that we have access now to the life we are only too eager to relegate to the hereafter. The author calls us into a more authentic faith and offers a practical plan by which we can become Christ-like. He challenges us to step aside from the politics and pieties of contemporary Christian practice and inspires us to reject the all too common lukewarm faith of our times by embracing the true meaning of Christian discipleship.

A Powerful, Thought-Provoking
Guide to Living the Life
Jesus Intends for Us

"My hope is to gain a fresh hearing for Jesus, especially among those who believe they already understand him. Very few people today find Jesus interesting as a person or of vital relevance to the course of their actual lives. He is not generally regarded as a real life personality who deals with real-life issues, but is thought to be concerned with some feathery realm other than the one we must deal with, and must deal with now."

"[A]ctual discipleship or apprenticeship to Jesus is, in our day, no longer thought of as in any way essential to faith in him. It is regarded as a costly option, a spiritual luxury, or possibly even as an evasion. Why bother with discipleship, it is widely thought, or, for that matter, with a conversational relationship with God? Let us get on with what we have to do."

"This book, then, presents discipleship to Jesus as the very heart of the gospel. The eternal life that begins with confidence in Jesus is a life in His present kingdom, now on earth and available to all. So the message of and about him is specifically a gospel for our life now, not just for dying. It is about living now as his apprentice in kingdom living, not just as a consumer of his merits. Our future, however far we look, is a natural extension of the faith by which we live now and the life in which we now participate."

-- from The Divine Conspiracy

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