”Acts 17” (formally the ACTS 17 Collective) is a Christian nonprofit organization based in
Silicon Valley whose name is an acronym for ”Acknowledging Christ in Technology and
Society.”1
It aims to engage and minister to the ”intelligentsia” and elites within the tech industry,
including venture capitalists, founders, and academics, by providing events and content that
integrate Christian faith with modern technology and culture.2 The name is also a reference to
Acts 17 in the Bible, where the Apostle Paul shares the Gospel with the philosophers in
Athens (the Areopagus), serving as a model for reaching out to the intellectual and influential
in society.3
Peter Thiel and the ”Antichrist” Lectures
The organization recently gained significant media attention for hosting a closed, four-part
lecture series by tech billionaire and co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, Peter Thiel, on the
topic of the Antichrist and Christian eschatology.4
● Content: Leaked transcripts and reports indicate that Thiel used the lectures to link fears
about global governance, financial surveillance, climate regulation, and centralized
control over Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the rise of a one-world order, which he
associates with the biblical Antichrist.5
● Controversy: Thiel’s remarks were controversial, particularly his speculation that the
Antichrist would be a charismatic figure constantly warning about global catastrophe.6
He cited climate activist Greta Thunberg as an example of the kind of figure who fits this
pattern, arguing that ”fixation on ’existential risk’ can be a gateway to consolidating
authority.”7
● Context: The lectures attracted attention because they reveal how a highly influential
tech figure interprets geopolitical and technological shifts through a deeply religious,
anti-regulatory, and libertarian lens, framing efforts to centralize power as a potential
existential or spiritual threat.8
● Scarcity Tactic: Steven Hassan’s tweet references a common psychological tactic of
scarcity, which was achieved by making the lectures ”secret, unrecorded, expensive,”
and available only to select Silicon Valley elites, which naturally increases the perceived
value and intrigue of the content.9
The tweet from Steven Hassan, a mental health professional and cult expert, frames the
exclusive nature and ideological recruitment connected to the lectures as a potential cult
tactic, due to the combination of powerful figures, hidden content, and apocalyptic themes.
The ACTS 17 Collective is introducing tech leaders to Jesus: The ACTS 17 Collective is
introducing tech leaders to Jesus. This video explains the ACTS 17 Collective’s mission to
engage the tech elite with Christian faith.
The BITE Model (Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control)