Many Christians are fascinated with aliens. And especially for Christians, right thinking about E.T. begins with getting our worldview right on the existence of the natural and supernatural.
In fact, the rise of vague spiritualities not firmly rooted in Christian doctrine has fostered many modern beliefs about aliens. Decades ago, C.S. Lewis rightly stated why we often prefer vague spirituality over encountering the real God:
An ‘impersonal God’ — well and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own heads — better still. A formless life-force surging through us, a vast power which we can tap — best of all. But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband — that is quite another matter.
Recently, CBN News produced a documentary that explored aliens in terms of the supernatural. In an interview, well-known astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross claimed that the strongest evidence for demons is asserted encounters with UFOs, and that, statistically, there is a high correlation between those who claim encounters with UFOs and those who have dabbled in the occult or who have had close relatives tied to the occult. It is not surprising, then, that scholars such as Diana Pasulka have identified what some call “UFOology” as a kind of religion, filling a void that Christians know can only be filled by God alone.
Rising interest in aliens, UFOs
It’s also not a coincidence that the rising interest in aliens and UFOs is happening at the same time as an increasing concern over AI. After all, some claim that trans-dimensional, non-human intelligences can use technology to communicate with humans. Between AI and alien life, conversations about demonic activity are more mainstream than they were just 100 years ago.
In a couple of his books, the late historian Rodney Stark observed that early Christians condemned a fear of supernatural beings. Rather, they believed that Satan’s defeat by Christ was definitive, and that Christ’s resurrection had enthroned Him above any and all other powers throughout the entire universe. That is, of course, what Scripture proclaims, which makes it an important starting point for Christians thinking about things like UFO’s, aliens and AI demons.
In short, Christians are to be people of hope.
Another factor in making sense of the contemporary fascination with aliens is that a naturalistic worldview, even secular humanism in which man is considered the measure of all things, has brought the world to the ironic place of devaluing humanity.
There must be other beings in the universe, or else we are the best there is? This drives, at least to some degree, the incessant search for other life forms.
While there is much we do not know about aliens, UFOs and unknown life “out there,” much of the unexplained activity could be explicable by other, simple means: drones, weather balloons and government operations. And we must not rule out the very demonic activity described clearly in Holy Scripture, such as in Ephesians. Scripture is plain, that there is a God, that humans are made in His image, and that demons (who do exist) are jealous of that.
Spiritual forces of evil
Ephesians also teaches that we do not just wrestle against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil and their use of cosmic powers. Scripture also makes plain that through His work on the Cross, Christ disarmed all such authorities, put them to shame, and triumphed over them.
In his book “Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: a Breviary of Sin,” philosopher Neal Plantinga explained that Christians must talk about evil as if it is a real foe, because it is. We also, he said, should talk about evil as if it is a defeated foe, because Christ is risen.
Thus, we should see even the unexplainable with this certainty; that the Christ who has risen is the Lord, who is eternally triumphant over all that is seen and unseen.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by John Stonestreet and Andrew Carico and originally published by the Colson Center’s Breakpoint.
