Paul Thigpen, theologian who explored ‘wondrous’ question of extraterrestrial life, dies at 71

Paul Thigpen, the noted theologian and convert to the Catholic faith known for his prolific writing career that included an in-depth survey of extraterrestrial life and the Catholic Church, died on Feb. 24. He was 71.

Thigpen’s death was announced by several media outlets, including TAN Books, the publisher of many of his works.

Conor Gallagher, the CEO of the publishing company, said in a Facebook post that Thigpen was “one of the most respected Catholic authors in our industry” and “a man who never left a conversation without making you a better person.”

Born May 18, 1954, in Savannah, Georgia, Thigpen was raised Presbyterian and briefly identified with atheism before returning to Christianity. He would go on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Yale University and a master’s degree and doctorate in historical theology from Emory University.

He would eventually become a Protestant pastor before ultimately converting to Catholicism in 1993. He told the Catholic News Herald in 2016 that while an atheist he encountered “powerful, malicious nonhuman intelligences” that caused him to turn to Scripture and eventually back to faith in God.

“In a sense, you could say that I came to believe in the devil before I came to believe in God,” he said, adding that the realization “sent [him] running back into the arms of Our Lord.”

That conversion experience eventually inspired him to write the “Manual for Spiritual Warfare,” one that explains “who the enemy is, what weapons and armor the Christian possesses, and how to remain steadfast in the fight of faith, rooted in the teaching of Scripture and the Church’s tradition.”

Thigpen said in writing the work he “wanted to help readers identify their spiritual enemy and his strategies, then tell them about the spiritual comrades, weapons, and armor that God has given us to be victorious in this battle.”

The “Manual” was one of the many Catholic faith-centric books Thigpen composed over the course of his career. Others included “A Year With the Saints,” “Saints Who Saw Hell,” “The Biblical Names of Jesus,” and several books for children.

Thigpen was also the author of “Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith: Are We Alone in the Universe with God and the Angels?”

He wrote in 2024 that the debate over intelligent alien life “stretches back at least 26 centuries” and has included input from “fathers and doctors of the Church, Catholic philosophers and theologians, popes and bishops, friars and priests, scientists and saints.”

Pointing to St. Albert the Great’s reflection on the “wondrous and noble question” of other worlds in the universe, Thigpen said the Catholic Church has “left the door wide open” for scientists, theologians, and philosophers to explore whether or not intelligent life can or does exist elsewhere.”

‘Everyone’s godfather’

A prolific editor and the writer of dozens of books, Thigpen was working until just before his passing; he was scheduled to be interviewed by EWTN News on the topic of extraterrestrial life the day before he died.

His death is being mourned in Catholic media. Gallagher said Thigpen will be remembered “for his intellectual clarity, faithful witness, and generous dedication to sharing the truth of the Catholic faith.” He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Gallagher said.

The Coming Home Network also mourned his death, with network founder Marcus Grodi — the longtime host of “The Journey Home” on EWTN on which Thigpen appeared multiple times — saying that Thigpen had “long been a model of kindness and joy.”

“When I think of him, I see his broad smile and contagious laugh,” Grodi wrote. “May God rest his soul.”

Matt Swaim, the network’s outreach manager, told EWTN News that “everybody” knew Thigpen, who was also a frequent guest on the “Son Rise Morning Show.” Describing the author as “magnanimous, brilliant, and kind,” Swaim wrote: “Knowing how much he loved to reflect on the mystery of God, it makes me smile to think of what kinds of things he must know now.”

Katie Warner, a Catholic author from Georgia, told EWTN News that Thigpen was “unequaled in kindness, humility, and wisdom.”

“He seemed to be everyone’s godfather, sponsor, mentor, and friend,” she said. “He’ll undoubtedly be remembered for his prolific writings and teachings, but for those of us who were blessed to know him personally, we will also treasure the memories of his contagious joy, his warm smile, and his cheerful feast day texts (replete with all the relevant emojis).”

Thigpen will further be remembered “through his beautiful wife and family — including the little army of faithful grandchildren he shepherded — and, mostly, for the holy witness of a life truly well lived,” Warner said, describing him as “the consummate ‘good and faithful servant.’”

Theologian and professor Luke Togni told EWTN News that Thigpen’s life was “a testament to the strength of gentleness.”

“As of late, it shone brightly in his engagement with the question of nonhuman intelligences or extraterrestrial life,” he said.

“His openness to the grandeur of God and quiet trust in Jesus Christ allowed him to navigate rooms full of people whose views so often differed from his own and earn not only their respect but their sincere confidence.”

“His voice and guidance will be terribly missed,” Togni said.

Speaking to Shalom Tidings in 2018, Thigpen acknowledged that “those who read and think deeply about spiritual warfare are often tempted to anxiety and fear,” but he argued that we “must place all our trust in God.”

He cited 1 John 3:2-3 as among his favorite Scripture passages: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

“Despite my failures, which are many, I cling to that promise,” he said.