Scientists Suggest Alien Life Could Exist, but Christians See a Bigger Story
It breathlessly filled a news cycle: an alien ocean world may be “teeming with life.”
The planet in question, K2-18b, orbits a star 120 light-years away. A team of researchers offered what it contends is “the strongest indication yet of extraterrestrial life.” Proof? “A repeated analysis of the exoplanet’s atmosphere suggests an abundance of a molecule that on Earth has only one known source: living organisms such as marine algae.”
“This is a revolutionary moment,” said Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge and an author of the new study, adding, “These are the first hints we are seeing of an alien world that is possibly inhabited.”
Others question whether we have truly found a habitable planet, much less one brimming with life. “Unless we see E.T. waving at us, it’s not going to be a smoking gun,” noted Christopher Glein, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. K2-18b could be a “massive hunk of rock with a magma ocean and a thick, scorching hydrogen atmosphere—hardly conducive to life as we know it.” Or as Sara Seager, a professor at MIT who was once Madhusudhan’s graduate adviser, told The Atlantic, “enthusiasm is outpacing evidence.”
And it’s important to note that the chemical in question – dimethyl sulfide – was not directly detected. It is simply one of several chemicals that could be responsible for what they found.
Perhaps the most pointed assessment was made by Mercedes Lopez-Morales, the associate director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, which operates the Webb Telescope. They did not even feel the “discovery” warranted a press release, even though the work was carried out by their telescope. If the results had been as solid as the Cambridge team suggested, “I guarantee that we would have had the White House announcing this.” When asked what we can say about K2-18b, she added, “We know there is a planet there.”
But what we shouldn’t have to wonder about are the spiritual questions. The Bible offers no explicit or direct teaching about the possible creation (much less existence) of life on other planets. It does, however, offer three theological truths that can guide our thinking:
First, God is bigger than we think. This is good to remember when it comes to things like life on other planets or any other scientific discovery that might present itself. Remembering the size of God reminds us to be humble and to be slow to draw conclusions. All of science is simply finding out what God has designed, and it’s an ongoing process of discovery.
Second, all life is from God. No matter where we find it, or what it’s like, it’s from God. The opening verse of Genesis speaks of God creating the “heavens and the earth,” which literally refers to everything that is. What “everything” means, we do not know. There could be many worlds, many universes, many realities and many dimensions that God may have created. To think that we’re the extent of His creative energies borders on arrogance.
And just as an aside, beware of those who will trumpet the discovery of life on another planet as disproving the need for a God. How did life on Earth come from non-life? It’s simple. They will say, “From another planet.” This is called panspermia—the idea that the first life, along with the beginning complexity, was seeded here from another planet, such as Mars. So, no need for a God.
Not so fast.
If all the scientific challenges surrounding life beginning on its own on Earth can be solved by saying that life began somewhere else and got here on the back of a meteorite, well then, how did that life start there? You cannot escape the challenge of life, at some point, having to come from non-life.
Finally, all of creation matters to God. No matter where there is life, that life matters to God and should be valued by us. Going further, if we find intelligent life on other planets, we can be assured that God loves them just as He loves us and has provided a way for them to know Him and to share eternity with Him.
So, while the scientific community may be bracing for the discovery of life on other planets,
... this Christian will simply enjoy the unfolding discovery of all of God’s creation.
James Emery White
Sources
Carl Zimmer, “Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet,” The New York Times, April 18, 2025, read online.
Kaya Burgess, “Exoplanet K2-18b: Alien Ocean World May Be ‘Teeming With Life,’” The Times UK, April 17, 2025, read online.
Ross Andersen, “About That ‘Possible Sign of Life’ on a Distant Planet,” The Atlantic, April 18, 2025, read online.
Photo Courtesy:© Getty Images/titoOnz
Published Date: May 12, 2025
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
Originally published May 12, 2025.
