Apparently, aliens are real, or at least their modes of transportation. According to the mainstream media, the US government is ready to admit they have been aware of and studying what they call "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," or UAP, for a while now.
Since the 1960s, our culture has had an enduring interest in deep space and extraterrestrial life, but this has grown to a new level with these recent revelations.
What should followers of Jesus make of this? It can be easy to dismiss, but many atheists think we should be deeply concerned, believing that the discovery of alien life would be the end of religion. Is that true?
Even if aliens turn out to be real (and I’m skeptical), I am not concerned. God could have created other living beings outside of our planet and that wouldn't change what I believe. It's not automatically impossible simply because I don't understand it. I know that God is good and fair, and I trust that if there are other beings out there, God's got a plan for them too. Whether fact or fiction, I believe followers of Jesus should take culture’s rising interest in extraterrestrial life seriously.
King Solomon famously said, "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, chasing after the wind." - Ecclesiastes 1:14
Our culture is experiencing the existential claustrophobia of a purely 'under the sun' worldview. By removing God from the picture, they have cut themselves off from the source of purpose, meaning, morality, and identity. This has left a large void, a void many people are trying to fill by searching for life beyond our world.
Rather than dismissing interest in alien life as foolish, followers of Jesus should see this as an opportunity to have a spiritual conversation with someone outside the church.
Ask questions like:
Do you think aliens are real?
Do you think it would change anything if they were?
If aliens aren't real, why do you think our culture is obsessed with the idea?
From what I can tell, we all have this deep longing for something beyond this world, beyond our bodies, this life. Have you noticed that? Do you feel that way?
Interest in aliens can seem trivial or foolish, but I think it’s neither. It speaks to a deep longing in every human heart, and if viewed that way, it presents a tremendous opportunity for the Gospel.
So believe it, or don’t, but don’t waste the opportunity!
Want to hear the full discussion? Check out Episode 443: Turns Out Aliens ARE Real, What Now?
