The Faith of John Glenn

Saturday afternoon I happened to turn on the TV and found the memorial service for former Senator and astronaut John Glenn.

John Glenn lived an amazing life. He passed away about 10 days ago at the age of 95.

Since I was on my way to our Saturday evening worship service, I didn’t get to view all of the memorial service. I was privileged to hear part of the eulogy of both his son and his daughter.

His children spoke of him kindly and warmly. My favorite part of the eulogy was having his daughter describe how her friends reacted to her because of her father. She described how her friends would say, “What’s it like to live with a hero?” She chuckled and said, “He’s just my dad.”

John Glenn fought and served in WWII and Korea. He was a test pilot. We probably know him best as one of the original seven American astronauts.

On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. He has been called America’s “Last great American hero.”

John Glenn was also a man of great faith. When he became the oldest person in space in 1998 at age 77, he said these words: “To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith.” All during his life, John Glenn gave testimony of his faith in Christ.

He was not alone among the astronauts. Frank Borman read Genesis 1 from space and Buzz Aldrin celebrated communion after landing on the moon. Apart from routine running of the spacecraft, Buzz Aldrin’s commemoration of Christ’s death on the cross became one of the first events ever on the moon.

After walking on the moon, James Irwin became an evangelical minister, and Charles Duke became a Christian missionary after having traveled to the moon.

Did NASA simply recruit men of such Christian fervor and character? What was it about these men that drew NASA to them?

Or, did their having risk their lives and having seen a small part of the magnificence of God’s creation change them forever?

The Psalmist said, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3).

When we see God’s great creation – – and especially when we see His revelation in Christ – – we are drawn to worship and praise and to the glory of God.

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4 Responses

  1. Thanks for your daily affirmations. I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Charles Duke before my apologetics presention in conjunction with Talbot School of Theology last month here in NE Ohio. I interviewed him before my 2 day conference where I presented evidence of ID and God’s evidence of creation on earth and in the cosmos. When General Duke viewed Earth from 150,000 miles hanging in the void of space he was immediately reminded of Job 26:7b (He hangs the earth on nothing) NKJV. His faith became much deeper when he saw God’s handiwork. I highly recommend a book titled, The Privileged Planet. I conducted a 2 day conference on this subject and several individuals are coming to Christ through this scientific topic and presentation. God’s general revelation is indeed through Jesus but revelation is also provided in His cosmological creation.

    1. Scott, I thank you for presenting your unique perspective to my blogs. It’s wonderful for all of us readers to hear from someone who has met and associated with Charles Duke.

  2. Thank you Brother Waylon for using this context’s perspective, God is the maker of Heaven and Earth. What a wonderful and glorious Creator is He.

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