72. When Our World Groans Under Sin, Should Christians Support Space Flight?

Just this month, two wealthy business owners, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, took two different private vehicles on flights beyond Earth.[1. GPS III-5 Mission photo (June 17, 2021) courtesy SpaceX on Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons.] Now people are saying: the age of lower-cost space flight is finally here, not only from government agencies but from private entrepreneurs! Others wonder if this is all just a big waste. When people are starving because our world groans under sin, is it wise for people to support space flight? Concession stand We’re not starting with the idols. That’s (frankly) an unhelpful approach. As usual, we want to ask first what a thing is for—its purpose in God’s world. We admit our biases: we both favor space exploration and missions work. Our worldview is Christian (we attempt no secular arguments for feeding the hungry). 1. What is the ultimate purpose of life, the universe, and human technology? Before we condemn greed and exploitation, what’s good here? Cultural mandate, science and technology, stewardship of Earth and space? In a world without sin, would expanding humanity have reached the stars? God actually disciplines people after they stay in one place (Genesis 11). Genesis 11 appears to be all about technology and its proper use/misuse. We should explore the cosmos because it testifies to God’s invisible attributes and declares his glory (Romans 1, Psalm 8). Meme-maker credit: Catherine Darrow. 2. How does sin distort our view of God’s universe and our technology? Some people see no practical or transcendent value in space exploration. Every time there is a high profile rocket launch, people complain about it. “But Lord, those spaceships could have been sold and the money been given to the poor.” One meme shows two buttons: “fly in space for ten minutes,” or “End world hunger.” Only the fly-in-space button actually works. “End world hunger” is a fantasy. Sin leads to human suffering, and also distorts our explanations about that. Sin also distorts technology; we can use this to ignore real needs around us. But people distract themselves from real needs by projecting onto headlines like this. 3. Today, how might unsaved people explore space, and what about eternity? Elon Musk is serious about colonizing Mars. Jeff Bezos is serious about colonizing LEO through O’Neill cylinders. They and other space barons have also mentioned mining asteroids. We must prepare for Martians and Belters (people who mine asteroids). Jesus might not return before people truly begin private exploration of space. What if Mars needs missions? Or becomes a missions base like America has been. Future topic to explore: the “planets as backup for Earth” humanistic concept. Future topic to explore: if Jesus returns to Earth, with people in space, how would that work? Sponsor 1: Joshua David’s novel Seed: Judgment Seed: Judgment, a science fantasy tale of biblical proportions from Joshua David is available now, exclusively on Amazon. Seed falls from the heavens and judges humanity. One foretells of the coming calamity, but the words are heeded too late. Few remain after the war against the cosmic demon. Long confined to one of the few outposts left on Earth, Sal accepts an unauthorized mission to find a survivor lost in the Vegas wastes. He believes his target is special, imbued with a spirit that might finally turn the tide against the darkness. But to save her from the risen still haunting humanity, he’ll have to fight alone and outgunned against enemies that have already conquered the world. “Joshua David’s Seed: Judgment marries The Thing, Resident Evil, and Mad Max to generate a post-apocalyptic tale of frenetic intensity. … There’s a beauty to the brutality, a dance in the destruction.” —Lorehaven (sponsored review) Sponsor 2: Revell Books, Jody Hedlund’s Come Back to Me The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy. That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising. William Durham, a valiant knight, comes to Marian’s rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to? “Brimming with wonder, Come Back to Me will keep you riveted until the last page, captivated by the possibilities.” —Melanie Dobson, award-winning author Com station Kevin L. Robinson writes: You guys just continue to hit ALL the stuff I grew up with and that formed much of who I am today (This Present Darkness, Narnia, LotR, Left Behind, etc)! Like Andrew Peterson, I grew up reading the DragonLance books, but more than that, playing all of the DL modules in Dungeons and Dragons as the Dungeon Master for a group of friends. I spent from age 13 – 15 (1983-1985) completely immersed in the world of Krynn AND another world that my mother tried to move me toward because it was Biblical and included scripture memorization and talking animals like Narnia and where players were various classes of Holy Warriors working for the Overlord of Many Names! Unfortunately, though I put some effort into it, it didn’t take with my largely non-Christian friends (There was no way they were going to memorize scripture). And the game languished and disappeared from my world until it almost seemed a dream… until recently!! I mean, like just within the last couple of weeks, I discovered it was making a comeback! I just found out that this new guy was the guardian of this content and even has a novel set in Talania that is coming out in October that I am excitedly waiting for. And then just YESTERDAY, I found out a Kickstarter is coming for the new version of the game WITH MINIATURES! Next on Fantastical Truth In June the United States Director of Intelligence released a highly anticipated report about unidentified aerial phenomena. In short, the report said they have not seen aliens, but can’t explain all of these incidences. We’ll explore this report and how Christians can understand it, with help from guest Colin Samul, a pastor from Reno, Nevada who hasn’t been abducted but does want to take this issue captive for Christ.