It was bound to happen, the discovery of a planet with life-form potential. I think we'll either discover the universe is empty or inhabited. Given the enthusiastic and systematic search of the heavens, we're bound to find a planets with similar characteristics to our own. This doesn't necessarily mean we'll find life but definitely the context for it as the recent news has demonstrated. My title is provocative, we may indeed find we're alone in the universe but have we completed the mandate of Acts 13:47?
"For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’"
The discovery of aliens shouldn't be overly disruptive to our theology, we'd need to find their place in the order of creation, figure out how the fall has effected them and then how the good news about Jesus is a hope for them. Given the seriousness of the fall and the incarnation I'd say any theological accommodation should be anthropocentric.‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’"
[Diagram © 2010 National Science Foundation]