{"id":87545,"date":"2025-01-02T06:00:58","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=87545"},"modified":"2025-12-29T09:53:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T14:53:43","slug":"what-well-have-to-face-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2025\/01\/what-well-have-to-face-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"What We’ll Have to Face in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The beginning of the new year is a good time to look ahead and assess the issues we are going to have to deal with in 2026.<\/p>\n

I came across a succinct statement of our problems in\u00a0a fund raising appeal for Mere Orthodoxy<\/em> <\/a>by Ian Harber:<\/p>\n

Inside the Church<\/strong>, we have the problem of attractionalism that cares more about growth and numbers, entertainment and spectacle, instead of forming Christians in our robust, rich, historic faith. In response, we see many people leave the church entirely. Others switch to a different tradition, but are often more drawn to the aesthetics than the convictions.<\/p>\n

\n

Outside the Church<\/strong>, in the culture, we have the problem of people dividing society up between oppressed and oppressor, friends and enemies, and a complete breakdown of solidarity with our neighbors. Some people choose to withdraw from culture completely, leaving our communities and nation in the hands of vicious leaders who lack virtue and care more about power than justice.<\/p>\n

(In gratitude for these insights, I am linking to the site where you can give to Mere Orthodoxy<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

That \u201cOutside the Church\u201d observation crystalized for me the fact that for all of our polarization, both sides are acting in exactly the same way<\/em>.\u00a0 The \u201cbinary\u201d (as they say) of oppressed and oppressor that the critical theorists keep invoking is also how many of us\u00a0 conservatives have been interpreting just about everything.\u00a0 We differ on who is doing the oppressing, but we all think we are oppressed.<\/p>\n

That little comment in a fund-raising e-mail inspired me to look for other sober assessments of what we are going to have to face in the coming year.<\/p>\n

Everbridge, a management consultant site, gives the Top 10 Global Risks to Watch in 2026<\/a> that businesses will need to prepare for (with specifics given at the link):<\/p>\n

1. Cyberattacks and systemic cyber risk<\/p>\n

2. The dual edge of AI<\/p>\n

3. Natural disasters and climate-driven extremes<\/p>\n

5. Business interruption from supply chain shocks<\/p>\n

6. Misinformation and disinformation<\/p>\n

7. Regulatory fragmentation and trade restrictions<\/p>\n

8. Macroeconomic and financial instability<\/p>\n

9. Talent shortages and skills mismatch<\/p>\n

10. Polycrises\u00a0 [when multiple crises happen at once]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Technologist Bernard Marr offers The Top 5 Technology Trends For 2026<\/a>\u00a0(with specifics given at the link):<\/p>\n

1. AI Disruption: From Reaction To Reinvention<\/p>\n

2. The Agentic Revolution<\/p>\n

3. Useful Quantum Computing<\/p>\n

4. Solving Tech\u2019s Energy Crisis<\/p>\n

5. The Human Factor<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can find similar lists on other topics and from different perspectives.\u00a0 Political lists reflect the liberal or conservative biases of their makers.\u00a0 I\u2019ll list a few matters that are up in the air, but should be coming down to earth in the year ahead:<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Midterm Elections<\/a>:\u00a0 2026 is an election year, in which all the entire House of Representatives will be up for re-election, as well as 35 of the 100 Senators.\u00a0 Plus many local elections.\u00a0 This will take place on November 3.\u00a0 Will Republicans keep their current majorities?\u00a0 Will the nation repudiate the Trump administration?\u00a0 What will these elections mean for the government, the political parties, and the nation?<\/p>\n

The United States Semiquincentennial<\/a>:\u00a0 that is, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.\u00a0 This will celebrate the founding of our nation, which will have existed for a quarter of a millennium.\u00a0 Many events and activities are planned throughout the year.\u00a0 (See the America250 website<\/a>.) But what will be the tone and effect of these observances?\u00a0 Will they bring the nation together or further tear it apart?\u00a0 Will Americans come to appreciate their country more, or be made to feel ashamed of it?\u00a0 Will the observances be an occasion of national renewal, or the end of an era and the beginning of a new and different social order?<\/p>\n

Tariffs<\/a>:\u00a0 Will President Trump\u2019s tariffs help our economy by creating more jobs and industries in this country by restricting foreign trade?\u00a0 Or will it hurt our economy by sending up prices, limiting exports, and disrupting supply lines?\u00a0 The jury is still out, but things may be clearer in the upcoming year.<\/p>\n

Wars<\/a>:\u00a0 Wars and rumors of wars loom over the world. Will the Ukraine War finally end?\u00a0 Will there be a lasting peace in the Middle East?\u00a0 Will China attack Taiwan?\u00a0 How about the countless other conflicts and civil wars that have broken out or may well break out in other countries?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What else?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Illustration via Skillpoint Therapy<\/a>,\u00a0 CC BY-NC 4.0<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote><\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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