The year that challenged science — and what’s next

As we turn the page to 2026, experts are notably concerned that the challenges that science faced in 2025 will spill over into the coming year, with ripple effects that are likely to be felt for decades to come.

The year kicked off with a pullback in funding for science and for government-funded scientific research at specific colleges. It snowballed from there, and now we are seeing a pullback in vaccination requirements and a questioning of the safety of widely available COVID vaccines. If that were not enough, a weary world is anticipating generational damage from a rollback of environmental regulations that were put in place decades ago to ensure clean air and water.

It is difficult to say exactly what is coming next, but there are three main areas worth watching closely that are of keen interest to those active in faith-and-science research and dialogue.

Artificial intelligence

Generative AI has had a pervasive impact on everyday life in the last three years. Far more than a really smart chatbot on a website, AI is now being used for everything from analyzing legal and financial documents to internet searches to writing prayers and sermons. Some of this text is probably being scanned by an AI bot right now as content and copyright challenges to AI giants are ongoing.

This year Covalence covered a number of stories related to the impact of AI-driven technology. One of the most popular was "AI Jesus," Installed in cooperation with a local university, a Swiss church allowed parishioners to meet Jesus in a confessional booth through artificial intelligence. Deus in Machina was a hologram of Jesus that responds to questions from the faithful in real time at St. Peter's Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland. It draws upon ChatGPT-4 technology and New Testament scripture. Most reported to the church that they had a very positive experience, after more than 1,000 conversations took place with "AI Jesus."

Most recently, a conference, "Faithful Futures: Guiding AI with Wisdom and Witness," gathered leaders from across several Protestant denominations Sept. 2-5 with the aim of helping churches think toward shaping the future of AI with "theological depth, ethical clarity and practical innovation." Members from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., The Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Moravian Church in America addressed the implications of artificial intelligence and the church's response to the rapidly expanding technology. More meetings and discussions are undoubtedly to come.

Environmental degradation

Speaking of AI, there is also concern that the rapid deployment of this technology, which requires greater computing power, is using up planetary resources such as water and energy. While greater investment has gone into renewable energy in recent years, recent pullbacks in long-held environmental regulations may have an amplified impact on the environment in the years ahead.

The church has taken notice and continues to take notice of growing concern over climate change. Notable this year was the selection of the so-called Green Patriarch, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, as the winner of the 2025 Templeton Prize.

Top of mind is the continued care for creation and a theology of interconnectedness that recognizes the planet and the welfare of its people as a combined reality. Bartholomew I also described the intersection of science and spirituality not as an intellectual exercise but as an "existential necessity."

Bartholomew I may be rare in his focus on eco-theology. In mid-2025, a survey of religious leaders found that the majority of Evangelical Protestant clergy reject the science of climate change and that humans are the cause. The National Survey of Religious Leaders included 890 clergy serving in U.S. congregations across the religious spectrum. It found that the vast majority of evangelical clergy (87%) believe that the climate is changing, but they are much more likely than other clergy to deny that human actions are a major cause.

Neuroscience and societal mental health

Last but not least, many have drawn attention to so-called eco-anxiety, a term used in recent years to describe worry over climate change, particularly among young people. It is part of a wider mental health crisis in society that faith leaders increasingly hope to address. Especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health among youth has been an ongoing concern faced by clergy and lay leaders.

For example, the Ecumenical Roundtable for Faith, Science, Technology and the Church  it's an area of concern that was discussed at our annual Ecumenical Roundtable meetings this past spring in Chicago.  An ordained pastor and neuroscientist, Michael Spezio, presented a lecture via Zoom titled "Mental Health and Thriving: A New Framework for Theology Engaging Cognitive (Neuro)science." He presented academic research within psychology and blended it with insights from a wide variety of academic sources to outline the role the church may play in promoting well-being.

Spezio currently co-leads a program at the Center of Theological Inquiry at Princeton University focused on human thriving. CTI is now organizing five cohorts of fellows to examine hope from theological, philosophical, and psychological perspectives.

Spezio, speaking about the topic of "purposeful belonging," said in a follow-up interview, "I know I won't be able to do that alone. I'll need the trustworthy understanding of a community of purposeful belonging. To me, that is church, and that is what the ecclesial community is always being formed and re-formed to be."

Another example in these pages is the  interview published in Covalence of Lutheran theologian Carmelo Santos on his work on neuroscience, spirituality and liberation theology.

What's next?

More ecumenical work is planned, and Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Christian leaders from other denominations will gather again this spring. Of particular interest are broader discussions of how to better support scientists and how to present science in congregations.

This work has gone on for decades, showing that religion and science do not need to conflict and can support one another in challenging times. It is carried out by members from various denominational organizations who collaborate to highlight how science and faith can rely on one another for the public good.

Speaking of dialogue, be on the lookout for the release of a new podcast, Your Matter Matters, hosted by Lutheran Alliance steering committee members Will Rose and Thomas Johnson. The podcast is designed for use in churches as a launching point for engagement with timely topics in faith and science, featuring insights from both scientists and theologians.