Mars will therefore need pastors.
People willing to take the ends of the earth part of the great commission a bit more seriously. Because, likely, the last people being prepped for long term space voyages are the theologically rigorous.
The problem is. That likely. Those pastors haven’t even been born yet. Their pastors haven’t even been born yet. Their seminary professors might just be graduating middle school. And all of this is quietly happening while exactly no church, or para church organization, has an iota of the capability necessary to catch up to the massively funded organizations, currently planning on getting people to Mars in the first place.
I don’t blame them. There’s no sheep there yet to shepherd. But we approaching a time where the likely would be. And unlike in previously Christian time, there is no analog to our modern times to follow. When Christianity first spread to other nations the technologies that it used to do so were common. Boats we not solely owned by governments and Twitter’s CEO. And for a long time it was an understandably common part of the logistics to simply pay for the means to any given Christian ends.
Look up how much it would cost to get a Bible to the moon and realize how behind the eight ball we are, financially alone.
Not to mention ideologically. The world in general is in a cosmic tiff about the idea of a Christian nation. Let alone a Christian planet. Christian nationalist would be crucified for trying to get a rocket capable of exiting earths orbit. Because that rocket could also then be used against the enemies of God on Terra Firma. How far do you think a Christian inter-planetarian is going to get.
The how's and why’s of the population logistics of Mars will not have churches planned. Religion will be relegated to personal choice, if that and only that, and screened for by every personality test imaginable. That’s likely why there’s so many of them these days. The last thing you want in a place where resources might be limited. Are people of think babies are a blessing and that everything is owned by their God. They might have too many kids or worse try to baptize them by immersion. We can’t have that much water going through the recycler, now, can we?
So, Mars will need missionaries. The same way Sudan and Pakistan need missionaries. People willing to be a propulsion technician on paper and a protestant in the habitat pods. Intelligent individuals who in a world of A.I. and digitally available Bibles, will commit them to memory along with their tradecraft. Because they definitely won’t be bringing one, and a digital copy on their work computers will flag them for demotions before the mission to Mars even starts. I wonder which Bible Colleges will be able to teach them this unique skill set. Of Tech-savvy interplanetary travel and Luddite Biblicism.
Looking at you Briercrest.
This and a host of other issues will arise if and when we get to that point and right now are nothing more than possibilities and speculation. But the cost of being caught flat footed here is more than being wrong about how many Tesla type S’s might be there when Musk finally lands.
Any population that stays and begins reproducing on Mars, will be making souls. Not just bodies. And while the science and technology that got them there will undoubtedly do a great job of keeping the bodies alive and multiplying. The souls will, just as likely, be kept from the God of their making.
Mars could be a hell factory, if given the chance to do so, by Christians who don’t have a plan, or even an inkling of a plan, when it stops being science fiction.
“Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 KVJ
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