Extinction

Mayan Pyramid of Kukulcán at Chichén Itzá, Mexico, Author Daniel Schwen, (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

We are aware that countless civilizations before our own – the Minoans, the Mycenaeans, the Hittites, the Nabataeans, the Khmer, the Olmecs, the Mayans, the Anasazi, and many more – disappeared into oblivion [1][2][3].  We have witnessed with increasing frequency the extinction of animal species in our own day [4]. 

Despite this, we tend to believe that we are immune, that our advanced technology will somehow save us. 

Catastrophic Risks

An informal survey by Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute at the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference in 2008 concluded otherwise [5][6][7]. 

Participants addressed such risks as nanotechnology weapons; Artificial Intelligence (specifically, offensive lethal autonomous machines with programming errors); war; and nuclear terrorism, along with plagues, and cosmic threats from supernovae, comets, and asteroids.  

They concluded that there is a 1 in 5 chance that human beings will be extinct globally before the year 2100.  The experts were in agreement that the first three of the risks above pose the greatest existential threat to mankind.

Potential Responses

How should we respond to this information?  Should we panic?  Should we seek frantically for yet more technological solutions?  Should we raise our fists in anger?  Should we bow our heads in resignation, and go meekly the way of the dinosaurs?  Should we despair? 

The Christian Perspective

The Christian response is entirely different. None of this, in fact, comes as any great surprise to Christians.

We know human beings are prone to sin. This fallen world is clear evidence of that. Armed conflicts have persisted continuously across the world throughout all documented periods of history [8].

We know that pride – the self-exaltation that challenges God’s authority, and elevates human will above divine law – is the original sin, and the root of all other sins [9][10].

And we know the world will one day end.  The Bible tells us so. That is not, however, the end of the story for mankind.

Because of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross and Resurrection, we are offered eternal life with the loving God who made us. Whether we choose to accept that offer will determine our fate.

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[1]  History Collection, “10 Forgotten Civilizations that Mysteriously Disappeared”, 5/22/25, https://historycollection.com/10-forgotten-civilizations-that-mysteriously-disappeared/.

[2]  World Atlas, “11 Civilizations that Disappeared Under Mysterious Circumstances” by Connor Brighton, 10/31/23, https://www.worldatlas.com/history/11-civilizations-that-disappeared-under-mysterious-circumstances.html.

[3]  History, “Here’s Why These 6 Ancient Civilizations Mysteriously Collapsed” by Jesse Greenspan, 2/3/17 (updated 5/8/25), https://www.history.com/articles/6-civilizations-that-mysteriously-collapsed.

[4]  IFAW, “21 animals that recently went extinct”, 3/9/26, https://www.ifaw.org/journal/18-animals-recently-extinct.

[5]  Wikipedia, “Future of Humanity Institute”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_of_Humanity_Institute.

[6]  Oxford University/Future of Humanity Institute, “Global Catastrophic Risks”, updated 5/13/25, https://global-catastrophic-risks.com/.

[7]  Global Catastrophic Risks Survey, https://global-catastrophic-risks.com/docs/2008-1.pdf#:~:text=At%20the%20Global%20Catastrophic%20Risk%20Conference%20in%20Oxford,will%20be%20disasters%20of%20different%20types%20before%202100.

[8]  Grokipedia, “List of years without war”, https://grokipedia.com/page/List_of_years_without_war.

[9]  Christian Pure, “Pride:  The Original Sin?”, https://christianpure.com/learn/pride-the-original-sin/.

[10]  BibleHub, “The Sin of Pride”, https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_sin_of_pride.htm.

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