Alien-ology 101: Mind Abductions and the Loss of Christian Thought
We are citizens, not of this world, but of His Kingdom. We are aliens, as it were, ie. just passing through, for a time, and for a purpose, but finding our identity in the Kingdom of God, though living amidst people largely alienated from Him. This is alien-ology 101.
No, this is not an essay on science-fiction, Area 51, or other extra-terrestrial ideas. Rather, this is about thinking, Christian thinking. More clearly, this is about how we arrive at a legitimate worldview and actually live within that worldview on a moment by moment basis in a culture where the least common denominator (or the least amount of common sense) generally rules the day.
The idea for this treatment of “Alien Theology” has come about for several reasons for me. First off, one cannot turn the television on for more than thirty seconds without being bombarded with images and messages which are in stark contrast to the biblical definition of living. I often just get weary of being inundated with so much secular thought.
Also, I believe, wholeheartedly, that too many of us allow ourselves to become desensitized to God’s truth by virtue of the fact that we allow our minds to go into flatline mode and refuse to do the work of thinking amidst the constant bombarding of false values. Its like the frog in the kettle. You know how it works right? If you place a frog in a pot, in cool water, and you gradually turn the temperature up over a period of time, the frog will not notice the temperature is changing until its too late and he has actually boiled to death. If we are not careful, as believers, we can get all caught up in the mood of the day and lose sight of what life in God is to actually look like. Our lazy minds are tempted to diminish the severity of the cultural deception, and we allow our minds to stew in the favored brew far too long.
Another reason for approaching this subject and addressing it in this way, is that our current cultural mood is so wide open to anything and everything. If it sizzles, sells, attracts, entertains, or sexes us up…we’re in, all too often. The society we live in, the world we live in, is alienated, by choice, from the design of God. Lately, there seems to be a heightened resurgence to the whole alien thing and the paranormal. Maybe its the time of year, but it seems, even beyond the season, that the allure to these things has grown in intensity. I have spoken with too many people, christian and not so christian, who just embrace or are open to anything they hear on the subject, or any for that matter. Again, this is not a treatment of the alien issue or the paranormal deal, but let’s chase that train for just a moment because its a great set up for the topic at hand. It illustrates our lack of devotion to intentional biblical thought and action.
Scripturally, there is no hint of and certainly no teaching regarding the existence of extra-terrestrial beings as presented by those in Hollywood or the media. Without playing God and speaking about things which I am no expert in, I am on safe ground following the logic presented here. If you read the scriptures you cannot help but notice the resounding theme that God created this world from nothing, and for a purpose. He created us, called us into being, and set us apart, singularly, the human species, as that creation, formed by Him, in His image. The story of scripture is so precise on this point that we must take it as it is. God, in His plan, according to the revelation He provided for us in scripture, created the world we know, and placed us humans at the center of the story! Wow.
As you read the unfolding drama of scripture, you must also notice that God is intimately involved in this story and it is, actually, His story of redemption. The whole thing unfolds in a way that makes one say, “This entire thing has a point. God is intentional, redemptive, concerned, present, and at work.” The point I am making here is simply that in a world so full of design and beautiful intentionality, the attempt to place some large headed, big-eyed, green, slimy, fancy spaceship driving, evolved entity into the story just seems like, well, science fiction. It stems from a naturalistic, anti-God, evolutionary basis which removes an active, loving, and purposeful God from the equation.
In reading the bible, it is clear that the point is, “This is who God is and what He is about…live in that reality”. Is it possible that God could create other worlds where He reveals Himself to other creations He spoke into existence. Sure. But His character would not change. He would reveal Himself as He truly is, and one of the central teachings of the bible is that God is unchanging, the same yesterday, today, and forever. So, logic would suggest, any such other creation stories, should they theoretically exist, would in great measure correspond to the story we are experiencing. In fact, more than one high level scientist, even those employed by NASA, has suggested, from a strictly rational, and statistical standpoint, based upon the physical realities of the universe we have explored (so intricately precise that if any of it were off by the smallest fraction, it would change everything as we know it), the chances of intelligent life on another planet, anywhere, is one in multiple trillions. Our minds cannot even begin to image how infinitely unlikely the possibility is. So why be so enamored with such things? God has more for our minds, and this is the point of this little essay on alien theology.
The point here is not to dismay all the science fiction lovers or to place undue focus on a minor issue, but rather, to highlight the reality of how our Christian minds can be so easily abducted. We are too easily taken captive by the surrounding mood with respect to how we think about so many issues. We make icons out of people who look good in front of a camera and pay them millions to look good for us. We idolize a guy who can catch or throw a ball, pay him millions, get drunk watching him do it, cheer for him as if he were a god, and fantasize about how wonderful his life must be (until he shows up in the headlines bursting our bubble). We embrace Hollywood’s flavor of the day, pay $100 for a night at the movies, and turn off our minds as we watch, too often, life realities displayed on the silver screen which could not be more contrary to the life God has called us to. We get in our vehicles or go into our rooms, or put our earphones on, turn our minds off, and passions on, and listen to things which God views as poison for our souls. We read books, attempting to find the “secrets” to life, attempt to “help ourselves”, and all the while ignore the one book which God Himself gave to us for life and purpose. We call that which is in God’s eyes evil, “fun”, and we mock the purity and perfection to which God calls us. We hear about someone who wrote a book about living a past life, and so we think, “Hey, cool idea, maybe I did…” We see that “everyone” we know is going to this bar, that movie, this event…and so, we go too. We hear everyone say, “There is no such thing as absolute truth.”, and so we begin to think, “Maybe that’s true.” (Which by the way is an absolute thought in itself). We embrace the cultural group think. If the masses “know so much”, we might as well not feel stupid and out of place, and so we jump into the stream. In so doing, we have allowed our “christian” minds to be abducted. Problem is, we lose our peculiar flavor. And the scriptures remind us, “You are the salt of the earth…if the salt loses its saltiness, how shall it be made salty again?”
Now, let me make very clear. I love movies. I actually enjoy studying the art of making movies and the process for telling stories which capture us. Its not about the medium itself, but rather, what we are doing with our minds, our souls, our affections. Likewise, I love sport, played all of them, still love to compete. But again, its about properly placed emphasis and how we view what makes a person valuable, how passionate we are about trivial things, and how we use our time. I love music, many different genres. Again, however, music has power. This is undeniable. It moves us. It literally has the power to move us, our bodies, our minds, our spirits. Plato suggested as much, Hitler knew as much, and psychologists today are keenly aware of this. More importantly, what we do with our minds is a direct correlation to the affections of our heart and the desire of our souls. We think on, spend time surrounding ourselves with, that which we identify with or enjoy. And the call of scriptures is to be mindful, as believers, that we are “aliens in this world”. The scriptures call us to think on those things which are “holy, pure, noble, praiseworthy, and good”. That is to say, we should not be too comfortable, as believers, with the world’s status quo. We are to love people and enjoy their company, as Jesus did. Yet, we are called to do so in such a way that our saltiness is effective, our citizenship in heaven evident, and our passions for the things of God clearly identifiable. We are not to be so cozy with this present world, and its brokenness, that we find ourselves comfortable with the pursuits, venues, tastes, and pleasures of the day. God’s call for us transcends time, culture, and setting. If there is no discernible difference in our lives we must ask if our saltiness is intact. The battle begins in the mind. As the book of Proverbs (23:7) suggests, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. What are we thinking about? Are we thinking as God calls us to think? Is our thinking based upon His revelation of truth?
As believers we are given the gift of a renewed mind, as the scriptures calls it. At the same time, as we have been given this newness of being, we are simultaneously called (throughout Paul’s letters in the New Testament) to “put on the mind of Christ”. We are called to recognize who we are, and we are called to live in the reality of who we are. This is not a pick em and choose em, episodic calling, but rather one which envelopes every moment of our being. And the thrilling reality is that we have been given the incredible privilege of being able to experience God in great intimacy every step we take. The reason our minds tend to be abducted so easily is that we are so enticed by the glitter of the world and fall for the lie that the current pleasures are of more value than the gifts of God. We buy the lie that money brings happiness. We buy the lie that sex at will, or as any two consenting people define it, fills our cravings and soothes our spirit. We buy the lie that marriages are disposable. We buy the lie that addiction will never get the best of us. We buy the lie that social setting and friends cannot play a role in molding our character. We buy the lie that its all about me. We buy the lie that fame is to be more desired than character. We buy the lie that status means more than integrity. We buy the lie that Sunday is for us and not for worship. We buy the lie that what people think of us is more important than what God thinks of us. And on and on it goes. As we buy into the lies of cultural mood, we allow our minds to be abducted. When our minds are abducted, we lose our saltiness. When our saltiness is gone, we must ask, “What good am I in this state?” The very people called out by God to be peculiar, set apart for Him, aliens in this world, become the very ones whose minds are alienated from the reality of His truth.
The true aliens, friends, are those called by God, placed in this world for His purposes, called to know Him, love Him, and enjoy Him forever. As we lose our comfort with the easy approach of common cultural reality, and dive deeper into the universe of God’s truth, a world richer, more meaningful, and more glorious than anything we could ever imagine opens up to us. Not a life full of ease and riches and health and conquering (at least not all the time), but a life that makes sense in light of God’s calling for us. A life that brings a tangible sense of heightened awareness of His presence every day. A life which offers us the gift of experiencing Him in ever increasing intimacy. A life which brings continual growth and renewing of our minds, enlarging of our hearts, and purifying of our souls. A life in which relationships are worth more, people are worth more, experiences are bigger, and all of life is more genuinely alive and beautiful. This is alien theology in action. This is what it means to be truly caught up in Him. This is the life He calls us to, the life He offers to us.
Let’s put our thinking caps on peeps! Its worth every ounce of effort.
Bruce Smith
optimuslife.org
soulstormsite.com