GC launches space exploration program titled ‘Not of the world – not in it either’

Space: the Adventist frontier...
Space: the Adventist frontier…

SILVER SPRING, Md. — As 2015 dawns, General Conference officials have unveiled some of the boldest plans for the world church to date: space exploration.

“For decades, we as church leaders have struggled with how to equip Adventists to live in the world but not be of it,” said GC Education Director, Ian Dunkin. “We believe that the answer lies in an Adventist colony somewhere in space.”

Dunkin said that church leaders are not yet sure if investing tithes and offerings in space craft development is completely justified as NASA has “already done a pretty good job on the technology side of things.” Dunkin said that for now, church funds would only be set aside to prepare Adventists for the “basic day-to-day realities” of space travel and colonization.

“We still have some work to do on the details but the underlying logic is solid as a rock,” said Dunkin. “If we are spending all these resources churning out pastors, teachers and nurses but haven’t spent a dollar on readying our young people for living beyond the corrupting influences of planet earth, we are missing the mark.”

Dunkin added that part of the inspiration for an Adventist space colony came from the many Adventists educational campuses around the world: “We Adventists excel at building compounds and creating self-sustaining communities away from the corrupting influence of cities, popular culture and decent dining. What’s stopping us from creating the next Adventist bubble in space?”


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6 Comments

  1. Doug

    I, for one, think it would be a wonderful idea. It might also be a wonderful testimony to many here on this earth that we would be: 1). Consistent with our three angels message by proclaiming it (literally) while flying in the midst of heaven. 2) Proving that we were not anti-science creationists 3) Supporting the earth’s eco system by freeing much of the planet’s limited resources. 4) Proving to atheists and skeptics that there really is pie in the sky. I, however, can only envision too many financial obstacles which, unless we did tap into NASA’s expertise, could not be supported by tithes and offerings alone. A world wide networking of bake sales, runathons, and reinstituting Ingathering might help but could take decades before we were monetarily able to finish the work. Working with NASA also has it’s built in set of problems. Since NASA is a government funded entity the problem of violating our principle of separation of church and state would have to be resolved first. Great idea, bad timing perhaps?

  2. Richard Mills

    All seriousness aside–How come nobody ever read John 14:1-4. What about IThess. 4:13-17? What happened to Rev. chapters 21 & 22? Somebody missed the boat here, I mean the spaceship! Hasn’t anyone read Early Writings about travelling up the narrow precipace. Some make it all the way, some fell off, they couldn’t hack it!! I’m gonna be one of those who grab that golden cord and swings over the abyss! It ain’t like that photo!! Get real!! Woe is me!!

  3. David Simon

    Well, the problem as I see it…if the SDA space ship orbits the earth at the same altitude as the International Space Station…after 540 minutes the crew will have to stop all work and observe a 90 minute Sabbath rest period. Changing the orbit height or traveling out into space…say to an SDA Moon or Mars colony also injects some real Sabbath observance issues…some very difficult to resolve. But never fear…Adventism has been very very good at coming up with, what I like to call…”Sabbath Keeping Waivers.”

  4. Tim Mitchell

    @Tim. Nah, they are just early to “meet the Lord in the Air.” God may assign older angels to pluck them out of space to spare them the trauma of going through earth’s atmosphere–the worst part of trip.

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