Over the course of the past year, Peter Thiel—the Trump backing, Vance boosting gay tech billionaire—has been delivering a series of lectures on the Antichrist, using an examination of the Biblical antagonist of the End Times to make an argument about the supposed perils of this political moment. We got our hands on transcripts of these talks as delivered last year in San Francisco, and explain what Thiel said and why it matters. Topics include: Thiel's conservative evangelical upbringing, the influence of Rene Girard on his thinking, and how Thiel's Antichrist lectures relate to his broader thinking and worldview; the place of the Antichrist in the eschatology of different Christian traditions, and the curious similarities between Thiel's understanding of the Antichrist and that found in the work of Timothy LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind novels; Christianity's recent trendiness in Silicon Valley; the way Thiel's account of how the Antichrist will come to power connects to his economic interests; and more!
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/decline-and-fall-tickets-1986899999384" rel="noopener noreferrer">** BUY TICKETS FOR KYE x MIKE DUNCAN LIVE IN NYC **</a>
Listen again: 
"<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ren%C3%A9-girard-and-the-right-w-john-ganz/id1462703434?i=1000646973799" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rene Girard and the Right</a>" (w/ John Ganz), KYE, Feb 26, 2024
"<a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/remedy-for-envy-99640142" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Remedy for Envy? Rene Girard Redux</a>," KYE, March 4, 2024 (for subscribers)
Sources:
Peter Thiel, "<a href="https://gwern.net/doc/politics/2007-thiel.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Straussian Moment</a>," 2007
Ross Douthat interviews Peter Thiel (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/opinion/peter-thiel-antichrist-ross-douthat.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">transcript</a>), New York Times, June 26, 2025
Max Chafkin, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609711/the-contrarian-by-max-chafkin/" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and the Rise of the Silicon Valley Oligarchs</a> (2021)
Timothy LaHaye, <a href="https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/9780310230052_revelation-unveiled?srsltid=AfmBOopTBM5PjzY652bVM6yAaXWnbAYBQRMGs8YFkuqXJFc8-yaShwu0" rel="noopener noreferrer">Revelation Unveiled</a> (1999)
Elisabetta Povoledo, "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/world/europe/peter-thiel-rome-antichrist-catholics.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peter Thiel Fears the Antichrist Is Coming. In Rome, Some Call His View Heresy</a>," New York Times, March 17, 2026
Johana Bhuiyan, Dara Kerr, Nick Robins-Early, "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/10/peter-thiel-lectures-antichrist" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inside tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s off-the-record lectures about the antichrist</a>," The Guardian, Oct 10, 2025
Peter Thiel & Sam Wolfe, "<a href="https://firstthings.com/voyages-to-the-end-of-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Voyages to the End of the World</a>," First Things, Oct 1, 2025
Emma Goldberg, "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/business/silicon-valley-christianity.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seeking God, or Peter Thiel, in Silicon Valley</a>," New York Times, Feb 11, 2025
Kate Lucky interview w/ Michelle Stephens, "‘<a href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/08/michelle-stephens-interview-peter-thiel-silicon-valley-revival-evangelism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wouldn’t It Be Funny if We Tricked a Bunch of People into Going to Church?’</a>" Christianity Today, Aug 11, 2025
Laura Bullard, "<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-real-stakes-real-story-peter-thiels-antichrist-obsession/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Real Stakes, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession</a>," Wired, Sep 30, 2025
John Ganz, "<a href="https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/what-happened-here-c9f" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">What Happened Here</a>," Unpopular Front, Feb 4, 2025
...and don't forget to subscribe to <a href="https://www.patreon.com/knowyourenemy" rel="noopener noreferrer">Know Your Enemy on Patreon</a> for access to all of our bonus episodes!

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