Shadows of Things to Come: the Theological Implications of Intelligent Life on Other Worlds

The answer to the question about the existence of inhabitants of other worlds has profound implications for the Christian concepts of sin and redemption. Did the Incarnation of Christ (that is, Jesus taking on human flesh) happen on one planet -- Earth -- and one species -- humans -- or did an event like the Incarnation occur in every world where intelligent inhabitants have evolved? Or is it the case that only humans fell from grace and are inflicted with original sin because our first parents sought God-like wisdom? The concept of intelligent life evolving on other planets is a scientific view held by the majority of the world's scientists, but what about the world's theologians and ordinary Christians? What indeed do Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, and E. T. have to do with Christian theology? In a sense, science and religion dance together in a way that allows each to inform the other and balance the other in the minds of people who think about such things. In this book, we examine God and Christianity beyond the confines of this small planet.