If you're like me, every time I watch a space alien movie (which
isn't all that often, now that I think about it) or some sort of space
exploration program, I'm always wondering why aliens are almost always
portrayed as hostile. Think of the last such program you saw. With few
exceptions, aliens in them are always out to destroy humans and are more than
likely monsters who, for some reason, have little in the way of logical
thinking abilities, but nevertheless manage to be way more advanced than humans
are (think Aliens!). Perhaps those who write and produce such shows are simply
mirroring what they know to be true about humanity in general: we are depraved
people who would likely do the same thing if we ever encounter a less advanced
civilization than our own. And come to think of it, that's exactly what has
happened throughout human history!
For as long as I can
remember, I've been hearing people in Christendom talk about how it's been
"nearly 2,000 years since Jesus was crucified." And of course, that
is true. But I mention it because in the minds of some, the fact that Jesus has
tarried for nearly two millennia is proof positive that Jesus' return is not
going to happen and that Christianity is a fraud. From them you hear echoes of
Peter's critics who declared even in the first century that the Second Coming
was a hoax because it had not taken place in the 30 years of so before Peter
penned his second epistle (2 Peter 3:5ff). People's impatience can sometimes know no bounds!
One of the issues that often come up when discussing the doctrines
of grace with someone who does not believe them, is the misunderstanding that
those on the free will camp have of its tenets. Although those of us who
believe in what is commonly called "Calvinism" point out that nothing
takes place by coincidence or because of man's autonomous, libertarian free
will, we are continuously accused of being fatalists. And why? Because in the
mind of the free will advocate, if whatever comes to pass has already been
preordained by God, then whatever will be will be and we can just sit back and
do nothing. Our actions, the thought goes, will make no difference in the final
analysis, so why even try.
