My annual exercise in a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread:
- Pope Francis will resign this year. (A repeat from last year.)
- Inflation will worsen.
- Major Vatican scandals throughout the year.
- Russia will withdraw from Ukraine but will keep Crimea. Putin will retire and go into exile.
- China will face major domestic upheavals.
- Manchin of West Virginia will switch to the Republican party and declare that he is a Trump Republican. Sinema will caucus with the Republican party to switch control of the Senate.
- An assassination of a Supreme Court Justice.
- Elon Musk will name Blake Masters as CEO of Twitter.
- A major Church figure will proclaim that we are in the End Times.
- Don will be so wrong in some of his predictions.
I hope you’re right about 4 and 6 and wrong about 7.
More like a wish list instead of predictions except for #7 and #10.
As for #3, there are so many scandals out of the Vatican and it’s hard to code any of them as ‘major’. In re #4, sounds like an agreeable idea; not seeing odds better than even. In re #7, we’ve arrived at a point where partisan Democrats would be fine with that, but not yet wagering odds better than even.
#2, #3, #6, and #7. #9 doesn’t count as a prediction. Not touching #10 with a 10-foot pole.
In some alternate universe each of these predictions will come true. (Or combinations thereof.)
If only #1 would come to pass.. we would all be happy..
..Unless his successor from his dragons’ teeth seed episcopal nominations is even worse.
My prediction: the public collapse of the Evangelical movement in the US. The movement has exerted the last of its effort on the abortion issue, and while it will still have some impact on state laws, it will never again rally itself in a cause. The press will miss the story for a few years, of course, but the first signs of weakness will be on LGBT issues, with some major churches allowing gay marriages or maybe some pastors coming out. There might be a regional split on this, with some northern evangelicals discovering the fun of bashing southern redneck Christians just like everyone else. Megachurches will still be mega, but the energy among conservative Protestants will be focused on community-building and home-schooling associations. There’s even a chance that an otherwise rotted-out mainstream denomination could capture some of the energy and see an upswing. Odds are good that the GOP won’t be ready for the evangelical collapse, finding itself ok on money but low on manpower. Declining mission support from the north could lead to Latin America having a Catholic revival.
My prediction: the public collapse of the Evangelical movement in the US.
Thanks for the wishcast. We’re all enlightened.
GOP in danger…Northeast increasingly unchurched…pro-life movement at a near stand-still…yeah, those are all my wishes.
“Pope Francis will resign this year“
I don’t understand why anyone believes this. Pope Francis is not the type to relinquish power. I think that much should be clear.
“Major Vatican scandals throughout the year.“
What else is new?
“Manchin of West Virginia will switch to the Republican party and declare that he is a Trump Republican. Sinema will caucus with the Republican party to switch control of the Senate.“
A head fake.
“A major Church figure will proclaim that we are in the End Times.“
If Taylor Marshall qualifies as a major Church figure, your chances of being right go up exponentially.
“My prediction: the public collapse of the Evangelical movement in the US. The movement has exerted the last of its effort on the abortion issue, and while it will still have some impact on state laws, it will never again rally itself in a cause. The press will miss the story for a few years, of course, but the first signs of weakness will be on LGBT issues, with some major churches allowing gay marriages or maybe some pastors coming out. There might be a regional split on this, with some northern evangelicals discovering the fun of bashing southern redneck Christians just like everyone else. Megachurches will still be mega, but the energy among conservative Protestants will be focused on community-building and home-schooling associations. There’s even a chance that an otherwise rotted-out mainstream denomination could capture some of the energy and see an upswing. Odds are good that the GOP won’t be ready for the evangelical collapse, finding itself ok on money but low on manpower.”
All of this has already occurred in the last 10 years. I have large numbers of Evangelical ministers & deacons among my family & friends.
In my opinion, the Catholic Church under Pope Francis has publicly collapsed. Every Evangelical I talk to about PF believes he is evil.