When I was an undergrad at a state school in Minnesota we would get visited by street corner preachers. I believe that the guy who came most often (at least he was the most memorable) was named, “Brother Jed.”
Brother Jed has a Wikipedia entry, and you can read about him there. His style was confrontational and rather ugly. He pointed at various women in the crowd and called them whores. He would accuse anybody within earshot of being drug users. He most certainly preached the gospel, but not in a very winsome, helpful, or hopeful way.
I was part of a campus ministry doing outreach. I always loved it when Brother Jed came to town. No, I didn’t approve of his methods. He was utterly offensive. What I liked, though, was that when Brother Jed was in town, everybody wanted to talk about Jesus.
You could sit down at a cafeteria table with people you’ve never met before and ask the question: “So, did you hear Brother Jed?” Within a few minutes, the subject would turn to their spiritual views, and you had a completely open door to talk about Jesus.
This is what I call a “missionary moment.” A missionary moment occurs when current events create fertile soil for spiritual conversations. We are in one right now. This one is not about whores on campus, but aliens on spaceships, visiting earth.
No, there are no visiting aliens
The podcast industry has been on fire with discussions about alien visitations. With the release of the infamous UFO (now called UAP—Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) files by the Trump administration, everybody is talking about little green men. Let me clue you in on a little scientific fact (not theory or opinion).
There is no possible way that aliens are visiting planet Earth.
If something defies all known rules of physics, then the phenomenon is supernatural.
The time and distances necessary for travel to happen on an interstellar basis defy all known rules of physics. If something defies all known rules of physics, then the phenomenon is supernatural. If you choose to believe that aliens have some technology that bypasses the known rules of physics, then you believe in either miracles or magic.
Aliens visiting the earth requires one to suspend belief in known physics. Again, this is called the supernatural. I’m not saying that there is no possibility of life on other planets. What I am saying is that there is no way that they could visit us. Unless there are miracles or magic involved.
The distances are simply too great, the challenges of travel too big, and the time required is too long for there to be visitors traveling here. If you think I am wrong, do your own research.
I don’t know what the strange sightings are, but it’s not aliens visiting from distant planets.
I don’t know what the strange sightings are, but it’s not aliens visiting from distant planets. If you think they are aliens, then you believe in suspending the known laws of physics. In other words, you are confessing a belief in miracles or magic.
Personally, I do believe in miracles. So, if you believe in magic, that’s fine with me and an acceptable way to view alien visitation. It is not logical, though, to believe that aliens are visiting us without also accepting the reality of the supernatural.
The supernatural is the suspension of the known laws of physics.
You might argue with me and say, “Well, Ted, you just don’t understand what their technology is. That is why you say the 'known' laws of physics.” Again, what is the definition of the supernatural? The supernatural is the suspension of the known laws of physics. Some sort of special and secretive explanations (those considered to be gnostic) are not sufficient.
Technopaganism
Unexplained phenomenon such as we are seeing today have been with us since the dawn of civilization. It used to be that these were primarily chalked up to being spiritual in nature.
Even today, some commentators are making this case, saying that they are demons, not aliens. But what the secular mind really wants, what it needs to survive, is to deny the supernatural.
We are witnessing the rise of acceptance for the miraculous or magical, disguised as science.
We used to see strange phenomenon as spiritual. With the advent of the secular age, it was necessary to find a different explanation that is not tied to miracles or magic. I have written about Technopaganism before, but what we are witnessing is the rise of acceptance for the miraculous or magical, disguised as science.
A missionary moment
Steven Spielberg’s new movie Disclosure Day is trying to make the case that the existence of aliens will rock religious worldviews. I think he has that backwards.
In light of the unexplained, the secular person must come up with a non-supernatural explanation. I find it amusing that Spielberg is not asking if this will rock secularism, but rather he is asking if it will rock religion. The opposite is true.
Steven Spielberg is a Brother Jed. He has come to our campus with a message that is making people think. You can help set the table by asking people if they believe that aliens are visiting the earth. From there, take the conversation into the spiritual. Ask them about their suspension of scientific fact. Let them ponder the supernatural. Talk about Jesus.
This is a missionary moment.
This is a missionary moment. Throughout the year, there will be additional missionary moments. Engaging in conversations about current events in light of spirituality will open up a wide swath of potential gospel-related topics that you can have with people. It’s a fun way to share your love for Jesus.
By the way, what are these strange phenomena? I have no idea... Just like everybody else.
Originally published on Ted's Substack, TedQuarters. Republished with permission.
Ted Esler is the President of Missio Nexus, an association of agencies and churches representing hundreds of mission agencies and churches. Ted worked in the computer industry and then served in the Balkans during the 1990s. He then held various leadership roles with Pioneers. He was appointed the President of Missio Nexus in 2015. He is the author of The Innovation Crisis. Ted has a PhD in Intercultural Studies (Fuller Theological Seminary, 2012).
