Allegations by a so-called whistleblower that the United States government operates a secret UFO retrieval program has elicited all kinds of wild headlines and speculation, and understandably so.
The gentleman making the blockbuster claim is David Charles Grusch, a former member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Reconnaissance Office.
“They are retrieving non-human-origin technical vehicles, call it a spacecraft if you will, non-human exotic-origin vehicles that have either landed or crashed,” Mr. Grusch told one news outlet.
Although Grusch has never actually seen any of it himself, he claims to have spoken with people who have.
While some major news outlets are ignoring the story, several high-profile pundits and publications are happily pouring fuel on the fire. It’s hard to know if some of them are being sincere or simply sarcastic.
The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh tweeted earlier this week, “I’m so disappointed in all of you for not caring more about UFOs. I’m not mad. Just disappointed.”
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson debuted his first Twitter broadcast last evening and ended the ten-minute monologue with a real humdinger:
“UFOs are actually real, and apparently so is extraterrestrial life,” Carlson declared, lamenting that neither the Washington Post nor New York Times covered the story.
Americans have long been fascinated with unidentified flying objects, and that intrigue has manifested itself in various pop culture outlets, from music to television and now social media. Testifying before Congress, officials report that while the number of reported incidents is up, there’s been no evidence or proof that aliens have invaded earth.
Only they have – but not the stereotypical green-type men with antennas who pilot silver flying saucers with blinking lights.
If you’re looking for confirmation of earth’s true aliens, look no further than Christians.
“All these people were still living by faith when they died,” we read in Hebrews. “They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth” (11:13).
As believers in Jesus Christ, we can and should expect to feel out of place. A colleague recently relayed a story to me. His 14-year-old son came home from school one day and said, “Dad, do you realize we’re really not like anyone else?” He was alluding to a whole host of factors – from their family’s prioritization of church and mission activities to movies, music, and family nights.
Given the many ways the culture often seems upside down, why would you even want to copy the ways of the world? It’s a fool’s errand.
“Do not be conformed to this world,” wrote the apostle Paul, “but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
Americans’ obsession with the prospect of extraterrestrial life is unlikely to abate anytime soon. So be it. In the meantime, as Christians, we’d be wise to grow increasingly comfortable with being “strangers in a strange land” – no flying saucer or antennas required.
