Dick Yarbrough
Syndicated columnist
I don’t know about you, but my God is about to get even bigger and my theological beliefs even more challenging thanks to, of all people, Elon Musk. His company, SpaceX, has just launched a rocket with a telescope the size of a bus for NASA that is headed to outer space more than 1 million miles away from earth.
The $4.3 billion Roman Space Telescope is named after the late Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, and will have an unobstructed view of the universe at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched into space in 1990.
“It’s going to find thousands of supernovae, tens of thousands of planets, billions of galaxies and tens of billions of stars,” said NASA science mission director Nicky Fox about Roman. “It’s going to be able to do things that we’ve never been able to do before with its massive field of view.”
Combined with the Webb Telescope launched in 2021 and Hubble, these three telescopes along with the European Space Agency’s Euclid spacecraft and the National Science Foundation’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile are set to probe even deeper into the universe.
Enter God.
Back in July, I observed that our planet Earth resides in a solar system that includes the Sun, eight planets, five dwarf planets, hundreds of moons, and thousands of asteroids and comets. Our Solar System is located in a galaxy known as the Milky Way. The Milky Way is estimated to contain another 100 billion to 400 billion stars and at least that number of planets. Scientists think there are at least two trillion galaxies from what they have been able to observe. Now, Roman, Webb, Hubble, et al. are about to tell us we have just scratched the cosmic surface. We are probably looking at trillions of more galaxies and billions of more planets within those galaxies. Back to my original question: Do we really think God is a one-planet God? (By the way, it may make for awkward writing, but from henceforth, I will not refer to God as “he.”
God is God. I Am Who I Am. Theologians please take note.)
That particular column drew a lot of response.
Surprisingly, I got no negative feedback that the universe began with Adam and Eve. One of the most insightful comments came from a retired Baptist minister in Spartanburg, S.C., Dr. P.
Randall Wright. I plan to post his comments on my webpage: www.dickyarbrough. com. Dr. Wright says that people of faith fall into two groups: Guardians of the Orthodoxy who draw “theological lines in the sand beyond which the guardians and the adherents will not step.” He says they station themselves along a perimeter and define what is “right.”
Anybody who disagrees is “unchurched” or a “heretic.” But who defines orthodoxy, he asks? A fundamentalist Baptist in south Alabama? A liberal Episcopalian from Boston? You? Me?
Rather than being a guardian of orthodoxy, Dr. Wright says, “I’m trying to be a ‘Steward of the Mystery,’ as the Apostle Paul admonished the Corinthian Christians.”
He says, “You won’t find a Steward of the Mystery standing guard along a fence line of doctrine. A Guardian of Orthodoxy tries to protect ‘right’ belief, while a Steward of the Mystery pays attention. A guardian of right belief stands guard in fear of encroachment into or escape out of the perimeter, while a Steward of the Mystery ponders the obvious.”
That’s me, Dr. Wright.
God has created a universe far beyond our understanding. God is not a one-planet God. That is obvious.
Has it shaken my faith?
No, but it has made me rethink it. Unlike many guardians of orthodoxy, I am willing to step beyond the perimeter and ask hard questions and ponder the answers. I doubt this will make God feel threatened. But it will likely threaten those afraid to do the same.
Dr. Wright says, “The scientists are often more honest than some people of faith. They admit their limitations but keep on searching. Many people of faith claim to have it all figured out and dare others to disagree.”
Remember, we are among trillions upon trillions of planets and stars, and the latest space probes indicate we will discover trillions upon trillions more. We have formed a small study group at our church to have an open-minded discussion on the subject of God and a universe beyond human comprehension. You might want to do the same. God can take it.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@dickyarbrough. com or at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139.