“We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you. “‘In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness.’” Episode sponsors The Star-Blessed by Angie Dickinson Realm Makers 2026 Conference & Expo Land of Giants by Laurie Christine Wisdom and Wonder Conference & Expo Mission update New at Lorehaven: new reviews, upcoming super search Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Plus the Lorehaven Authorship to help terraform Christian fantasy Stephen heads to Houston to hype space missions April 25 at Houston Christian University’s Wisdom & Wonder Conference The crew of Apollo 8 in 1968 (NASA) 1. Past astronauts paid tribute to Christianity Dec. 24, 1968: Apollo 8’s crew was the very first to orbit the Moon. These astronauts were Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman. And they read from Gen. 1:1-10 (in the King James Version). But the Judeo-Christian roots of NASA go even deeper. General ideas: this is a generation still shaped by World War II. Some call this “positive world,” when churches/faith were in vogue. So was the actual gospel, co-mingled with “cultural Christianity.” Rocket engineer Wernher von Braun was one confessing Christian. These men did not just affirm Jesus as Savior but God as Creator. “And God said, ‘Let the waters under the Heavens be gathered together into one place. And let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. And God called the dry land Earth. And the gathering together of the waters called he seas. And God saw that it was good.” And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you—all of you on the good Earth. Apollo 8 Commander Frank Borman, Dec. 24, 1968 Many early astronauts publicly acknowledged Christ or religion. Among these were Captain Jim Lovell and Col. Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin, a Presbyterian, took a secret Communion on the Moon. During a pre-splashdown broadcast, he also read Psalm 8:3-4: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained; What is man that thou art mindful of him? And the Son of Man, that thou visitest him?” According to a 2019 Catholic Sun article: It turns out Aldrin’s religious faith is not an anomaly. In fact, the 29 astronauts who visited the moon during the Apollo program were a generally religious cohort. According to NASA, 23 were Protestant and six Catholic, with a high proportion of them serving as church leaders in their congregations. The astronauts didn’t talk publicly about their faith very much, but that’s largely because NASA started clamping down on public expressions of faith after the famous Christmas Eve Bible reading of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon. So we can’t ignore these 1960s-era acts of culture war. People didn’t just get bored or naturally tired of public faith. They got intimidated and silenced by angry atheistic activism. Not the same as “classic humanism” mixed into scienctific pursuits. That often has Christian-based virtue, just without God or Christ. Ultimately this deconstruction kills the “science” it claims to love. Which leads to present-day selection bias among astronaut heroes. Captain Victor Glover, pilot of Artemis II in 2026 (NASA) 2. Present astronauts praise God, even Jesus “Good Earth.” Reading the Apollo 8 transcript, Stephen teared up. We’ve also heard that phrase recently repeated around Artemis II. Key point: you can’t get far off Earth without loving this good Earth. You need to love God’s creation, natural law, math, and science. And you must value knowledge, wisdom, adventure over comfort. Regardless of personal faith, you must acknowledge higher Good. This is what we saw most recently among Artemis II Among these, Captain Victor Glover is the most recently famous. You’ve likely seen his quotes circulating around social memes. In the Orion capsule named Integrity, Glover said this for Easter: I don’t have anything prepared. I think these observances are important. And as we are so far from Earth and looking back at the beauty of creation, I think for me, one of the really important personal perspectives that I have up here is I can really see Earth as one thing. When I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us, who were created [to be]—you have this amazing place, this spaceship. You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth. But you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special. But we’re the same distance from you. And I’m trying to tell you—just trust me—you are special. In all of this emptiness—this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe—you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together. I think, as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we’ve gotta get through this together. After returning, Glover shared similar thoughts to his neighborhood: Some of us have never met before and you know whose fault that is? Ours. So, let’s choose to do this. Let’s be this more. Let’s be neighbors. I don’t know if you heard me say it, but God told us to love Him with all that we are and love our neighbors as ourselves. I love you. This too went viral. And many people said, “He’s sharing gospel!” Back to our previous question: is this the gospel? Yes and no. It’s part of the gospel. But not the whole thing. And that’s okay. It’s okay to “preach” part of gospel if it’s part of the whole thing. And assuredly, Victor Glover knows and confesses the gospel. Source: this Focus on the Family Daily Citizen article (April 26, 2023): Glover is bold and candid about the importance of his Christian faith in his life – and how we all need to see ourselves as sinners in search of hope and help. “No matter how long we’ve been in this, whether you’re a preacher, an elder, or a deacon, brand new in your faith walk, we all need to be growing he told a Texas church audience last year. “We have a sin nature, and we need Jesus. Jesus is that bridge that spans sin.” Captain Barry “Butch” Wilmore retired from NASA in 2025. (NASA) Several other astronauts publicly confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. These include Col. Jeffrey Williams and General Charlie Duke. In 2025, Captain Barry “Butch” Wilmore was stuck aboard the ISS. He’s since retired and now enters the Christian conference circuit! Captain Wilmore retired from NASA on August 6, 2025, after an illustrious career spanning 25 years. He feels called to use his experiences as an astronaut and his passion for astronomy to share the good news of God’s Word. He joined fellow astronauts Colonel Jeffrey Williams and General Charlie Duke in speaking at the Astronaut Encounter, where the three shared their personal testimonies and incredible stories. Captain Barry Wilmore, Answers in Genesis bio, undated We can’t imagine the responsibility of practicing faith in this space. And yet we know just soaring about Earth declares God’s glory. Commander Reid Wiseman shared a similar story on April 16: When I got back on the on the ship—I’m not really a religious person—but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship to just come visit us for a minute, and when that man walked in, I’d never met him before in my life. But I saw the cross on his collar, and I just broke down in tears. It’s very hard to fully grasp what we just went through. Not all astronauts are Christians. Not even if they speak of God. But they’re doing amazing work in God’s world for His good Earth. Jesus might say, “You are not far from the Kingdom” (Mark 12:34). 3. Future astronauts need space for Jesus Already we see “moon joy” that atheism cannot logically justify. Moreover, Space Race 2.0 isn’t just trying to beat the enemy. This version truly seems to be built on more sustainable energy. At the very least it’s built on Christianity-derived humanism. And it’s based on hard work leading to merit and real achievement. If it’s infected by false humanism and Sexualityism, it will collapse. Navelgazeitis will blind us, unable to gaze upon God’s heavens. Astronauts can’t live on that stuff. They’d never get off ground. For their jobs, they can certainly subsist on Christian principles. Those will get them to the heavens, to moonbases, and to Mars. But to gain New Heaven and New Earth, we need Jesus personally! Com station Top question for listeners Have you met faithful Christians working with a space program? Next on Fantastical Truth You’ve likely met some Christians who emphasize safety for children rather than preparing them for spiritual conflict. That’s why some more genteel-churchy responses to pop culture have said “it’s useless” or else “stay away” from stories like Harry Potter, Doom, or Dungeons and Dragons. So is it any wonder that a top-selling subgenre among young male readers is LitRPG, often with totally epic and jacked soldier good guys (maybe with mech suits) who slay evil aliens and demons?
