FEATURE
EXTRATERRESTRI WOULD THE DISCOVERY OF ALIEN LIFE DISPROVE THE BIBLE?
BY SAMUEL SMITH
What would the discovery of intelligent alien mean for our theology?
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ioLogos Foundation President Deborah Haarsma, the former chair of Calvin College’s physics and astronomy department, gave her thoughts at a recent BioLogos conference on tough hypothetical questions related to what the potential discovery of intelligent life on other planets would have on biblical claims and teachings. The BioLogos Foundation is an advocacy group that exists to help bridge biblical faith with modern scientific theories, which many in today’s secular society believe must be at odds. With a conference theme of “beyond conflict,” Haarsma outlined how the theology of incarnation wouldn’t be disproven if alien life were to be discovered on other planets. While online commentators and atheists argue that the discovery of intelligent alien life would be the “end of organized religion," she shot down the notion that Christianity is “parochial” and something that is local with no cosmic significance.
18 SEVEN NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019
Although the Bible is about events that took place on Earth, Haarsma points out that the Bible is even more narrow than that because it really focuses on Abraham and his descendants. In the New Testament, the Bible focuses on Jesus’ life and ministry. She notes the New Testament primarily takes place in the Middle East. Even in Jesus’ journeys, Christ did not travel too far of a distance from where He was born. Although the Bible is focused primarily on a certain geographical region, its message still applies to the entire Earth. “God’s revelation was very particular for a particular culture and a particular place. But yet, the claims of Scripture are cosmic,” she says. “In Colossians 1 it says that ‘In Him, all things were created: things on Heaven, things on Earth, visible, invisible, thrones, powers, rulers, authorities.’ All those things were created through Him and for Him.” The biblical text from Colossians 1, Haarsma contends, suggests that claims of Christianity reach far beyond Earth and “inhabit the whole cosmos.” “[T]he Christ that was incarnate here on Earth was the same Christ of the whole universe,” she added. “Whether or not there are intelligent aliens, the Bible’s claims are cosmic in scope and [and can’t be] shoveled aside.” Some might ask whether the discovery of alien life reduces the significance of the human race.
