As we are nearing the halfway mark of 2026, it is worth noting that the past few months have been busy when it comes to those places where faith and science touch, even if only for a moment. And in that fleeting moment, dialogue may be necessary across disciplines, denominations, and geographies.
Some of this year's biggest trends have sparked questions not only among the public at large, but also among theologians and scientists.
Here are our top three areas that we see drawing in those in search of a faithful response to science.
Assessing artificial intelligence's emerging and long-term impact
We all seem poised to benefit from the usefulness of AI, all while sharing the same concerns over its proliferation and what it means for education, medicine, and freedom of thought and speech.
Probably the most consequential technology of our shared lifetimes, AI promises to diagnose diseases more quickly and help us research topics faster. It is also sneaking into our daily digital routines. Questions and concerns remain over the ethics of its use and its impact on our environment as data centers consume undeveloped tracts of land around the world—potentially endangering energy and water resources.
According to an article published recently in The Lancet, AI was able to detect pancreatic cancer on routine CT scans better than radiologists on average, and diagnosed cancer earlier, thereby improving patient outcomes. Similar studies have found breast cancer detection by AI to be earlier, and even dentists now are using AI tools to detect cavities in X-ray imaging before they would have become problematic for patients.
At the same time, the studies suggest that AI use is also drawing more energy. In a 2025 article, MIT Technology Review found that the carbon intensity of electricity used by data centers was 48% higher than the U.S. average. The article also quoted estimates that by 2028 more than half of the electricity going to data centers will be used for AI and that ultimately the technology could consume as much electricity annually as 22% of all U.S. households use.
Ethicists and theologians are taking notice of these trends. The 2027 Lutheran Ethicists Gathering will be focused on AI concerns, and there currently is an ad hoc consulting group in dialogue about AI's impact on both the church and society. The topic, in fact, was recently explored by the Journal of Lutheran Ethics.
Concern for the planet and who will advocate for our Earth
As data centers proliferate and increasingly draw on water resources across the U.S., recent government actions such as a pullback in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, an attempt to nullify clean water regulations that are over 50 years old, and a withdrawal from the Paris Agreement to pare back emissions have sparked concern across religious communities globally.
In a recent article published in Living Lutheran, theologian Barbara Rossing pointed out that we are living in a 'kairos' moment when it comes to caring for the planet. Amid increasingly wild weather scenarios and political strife, there is a need for climate justice.
"In Genesis 2, God gives Adam and Eve the charge to 'keep' creation. Now this biblical charge falls to all of us: we must ensure that fossil fuels remain in the ground, where God safely sequestered them in rock layers millions of years ago," she wrote. "We can and must transition our world's energy economy to clean, renewable sources—solar, wind, geothermal, battery storage—the cheapest energy there is."
The ELCA's work on creation care and climate justice can be found in the ELCA's social statement Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice (1993) and social message Earth's Climate Crisis (2023).
Additionally, a new seven-part film series Caring for the Earth: Stories From Faith Communities, features four ELCA leaders on this topic. They are: Gabrielle Irle, outreach coordinator, Lutherans Restoring Creation; Christine Moffet, program director for environment and energy policy, ELCA Witness in Society; the Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos, ELCA director for theological diversity and ecumenical and interreligious engagement; and Dr. Rebecca Wiese, physician, Quad Cities Interfaith Creation Care, and retired ELCA deacon.
End of life decisions
Another politically driven issue is emerging at the intersection of faith and medicine. Church chaplains in states such as Illinois are coming to terms with legislatures approving laws that provide for physician-assisted suicide in cases of terminally ill patients.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America currently opposes the legalization of physician-assisted death, per a church social message drafted in 1992. Discussing palliative care, the message states that life is a gift from God: "... the deliberate action of a physician to take the life of a patient, even when this is the patient's wish, is a different matter. As a church we affirm that deliberately destroying life created in the image of God is contrary to our Christian conscience."
Currently, 13 states allow for physician-assisted death where the patient is capable of self-administering the medication involved. The ELCA encourages the ongoing moral discernment, pastoral care, and accompaniment for those facing end-of-life decisions.
Susan is an author with a long-time interest in religion and science. She currently edits Covalence, the Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology’s online magazine. She has written articles in The Lutheran and the Zygon Center for Religion and Science newsletter. Susan is a board member for the Center for Advanced Study of Religion and Science, the supporting organization for the Zygon Center and the Zygon Journal. She also co-wrote Our Bodies Are Selves with Dr. Philip Hefner and Dr. Ann Pederson.
