May 29, 2013
To boldly go…
by Clint Brown
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19)
I found myself in a conversation recently about pop culture, fiction books and movies. Our discussion ranged from sparkly vampires to plucky hobbits.
This took me back to my youth where, I suppose like many in our society, fanciful tales like these provided a safe retreat from the challenges and discomforts of being a teenager. I remembered particularly enjoying the science fiction exploits of space-faring explorers. I would not exactly categorize myself as a “trekkie,” though I did end up watching a good portion of the Star Trek movies and television series, so some may argue otherwise.
This is not to endorse Star Trek. True to the series’ creator, Gene Roddenberry, much of the worldview expressed from the characters and situations has a decidedly secular humanist slant. Also, if you were to devote yourself to seeing every Star Trek TV episode and their related feature films, you could expect to distract yourself for more than 550 hours. To put that in perspective, without repeating an episode you would dedicate more time than many bright students spend in lecture and study over two years to earn an associate’s degree.
However, one thing was prevalent in the intrepid crews of the various spaceships; a wholesome, attractive quality that we would do well to incorporate into our own lives. They were committed to what they believed in to the extent that they were willing to leave the comforts and safety of home, and even risk their lives to be part of exploring the unknowns of space.
Imagine if we put our faith into action and went where we believe God would have us go to fulfill the mission to which we are called.
These fictional explorers remind me of some true-life Christian pioneers. Two early missionaries, St. Columbanus and St. Columba (500-650 AD), come to mind as they left their homes and loved ones to preach the Gospel. Their perilous missions brought the light of Jesus to barbarian “civilizations” in western Europe as the Dark Ages descended, following the fall of Rome.
This peregrinatio—a self-imposed exile typically with no expectation of returning—was also evident in early waves of missionaries to the African coast. With disease and certain death awaiting them, some packed their belongings in coffins because statistics told them that their life expectancy on the continent was less than two years.
For me, I now see that part of the lure of Star Trek may be an element of what I am really called to do all along. As Starfleet has its counterfeit mandate to “boldly go, seeking new life and civilizations where no man has gone before,” God has called me to be strong and courageous and go unto the ethnos, people groups, where the Good News about the Kingdom has not been preached. (See Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:19, and Luke 4:43.)
You see, I believe Christ is making a new creature of me, like He does with each follower. I believe that He is equipping and strengthening me to fulfill His purposes and be part of His quest to redeem men to a right relationship through and to Him.
The enemy is clever and hopes I will direct my attention and God-given talents toward make-believe imitations of what I am called to do. Instead, how wonderful can it be to participate in the real and greatest trek of them all—the adventure of letting the Creator of the universe set your course, and boldly follow where He leads?
