Gordon L. Heath
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​My blog posts revolve around my interests and vocation as a historian: the intersection of history and contemporary church life, the intersection of history and contemporary politics, serendipitous discoveries in archives or on research trips, publications and research projects, upcoming conferences, and speaking engagements.

I sometimes blog for two other organizations, the Canadian Baptist Historical Society and the Centre for Post-Christendom Studies.

The views expressed in these blogs represent the views of the authors, and not necessarily those of any organizations with which they are associated.

Serendipity: Mission to Mars

9/27/2021

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My favorite genre of movies is science fiction. I have a vivid memory of the War of the Worlds movie as kid and have continued to watch and read various iterations of the same H. G. Wells novel. (I was also a UFO geek in the 1970s, but that is for another blog.)
 
Today I follow developments for a mission to Mars with some interest – and wonder if the human race will get to Mars before my time on this planet expires. And no, I will not be volunteering for a one-way mission to colonize the red planet – although it would be kind of cool to be the first historian of Christianity on the planet…
 
I have also been interested in how Christian theologians have pondered the possibilities of sentient life elsewhere in the universe.[1]
 
But now for my serendipitous discovery. As I was researching Baptist views of the Boer War I was pleasantly surprised by finding an article on reflections on life on Mars – in 1901!
 
There is much of interest in the two-page article: views on the age of the earth, evolution, travel distance, communication with the planet using nineteenth century technology, forms of life, and so on make for a fun read. I will not spoil the contents by summarizing the material – I will let you have the fin of reading it yourself. Enjoy!



[1]https://biologos.org/articles/what-would-life-beyond-earth-mean-for-christians; http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/60/60.1/60.1.1.pdf;
https://www.iscast.org/node/278;
https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/when-the-aliens-come-will-it-destroy
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  • Home
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  • Publications
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  • Serendipity
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