President Trump recently announced that he would direct relevant agencies to begin identifying and releasing government files related to extraterrestrial life, UAPs, and UFOs. For many Americans, that sparks curiosity. For some Christians, it sparks anxiety.
It shouldn’t.
If there is biological life elsewhere in God’s vast universe, that reality would not undermine the gospel. Christianity does not teach that Earth is the only place God created. He created the entire universe, so if life exists outside Earth (“extraterrestrial”), God still created.
Scripture teaches that humanity is unique in all of creation because humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). That doctrine — the imago Dei — is what grounds human dignity set apart from the rest of creation and all of the other life (plants and animals) here on Earth and anywhere else in the universe.
Even if some form of extraterrestrial biological organism, plant, or animal exists, it would not be human. Scripture is clear that Christ’s redemptive work is tied specifically to humanity. Hebrews 2:16 tells us that Christ took on human nature — “He helps the offspring of Abraham.” The Incarnation is not a vague cosmic gesture; it is a specific act in history for human beings. The redemption plan for humanity is only for humans.
The gospel is not threatened by the possibility of microbes on Mars or even complex life forms elsewhere. God’s creative power is not diminished by a larger canvas.
However, Christians should also approach “alien encounters” with theological discernment.
The Bible is explicit that the spiritual realm is real. Angels and demons are not metaphors. Scripture describes principalities, powers, and spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). Throughout church history, theologians have warned that deceptive spiritual experiences can masquerade as something else.
If there have been genuine unexplained encounters — particularly ones involving deception, fear, occult-like communication, or anti-Christian messaging — Christians should at least consider the possibility of spiritual activity rather than assuming advanced space travelers or something closer to E.T. The fictional conception of “aliens” is likely more akin to our fictional conception of angels and demons. The biblical description is nothing like our cinematic version of chubby babies with wings or red-horned men. But our dramatized drawings don’t undermine the reality that angels and demons do exist.
C.S. Lewis once warned that modern people are prone to two equal and opposite errors regarding demons: either obsessing over them or disbelieving in them entirely. Both are mistakes. The biblical worldview does not reduce every mystery to a demon, but neither does it pretend the spiritual realm is fiction.
Many Christians over-emphasize the spiritual realm, and are often so fascinated by aliens or angels and demons that they neglect that the gospel teaches us to be fascinated by Christ.
It is also worth noting that many reported “alien encounter” narratives bear striking similarities to historical accounts of demonic oppression or deception: paralysis, manipulation of perception, terror, and messages that contradict biblical truth. That parallel should give thoughtful Christians pause.
The spiritual realm requires theological clarity.
If government files reveal natural phenomena, advanced technology, or previously classified military experimentation, so be it. Truth is not the enemy of Christianity. The Christian faith is rooted in historical claims and invites investigation.
If microbial life is discovered somewhere in the cosmos, it simply expands our awe at the Creator.
And if some phenomena defy material explanation, Christians should remember that Scripture already accounts for a layered reality — physical and spiritual.
The central truth remains unchanged: Christ entered human history, died for human sin, and rose bodily from the grave. The hope of redemption is tied to humanity’s fall and restoration. No headline about UFOs can undo that.
Disclosure may satisfy curiosity. It may clarify decades of speculation. It may amount to very little.
But it does not shake the cross.
God created the heavens and the earth. All of it. Seen and unseen. And the gospel still stands.
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