New Koinonia Epistemology in the Digital-Based Christian Theology (original) (raw)

Doing Theological Anthropology in the Digital World: Faith, Man, and Cyberspace

Evangelical Theological Society, 2023

This paper argues that it is only necessary to offer theological anthropological understanding in this digital technological world. A weak theological anthropology is the root cause of why deadly digital sins are flourishing nowadays. In the first part, the paper investigates the expansive digital cultural reality and terms like digital self, digital religion, and digital theology through explorations from digital theologians and media, technology, and culture experts. It includes a brief historical survey on how Christians utilized and developed technological advancement for the kingdom of God. Moreover, part of the cultural reality section explores the current understanding and perspectives of digital theological anthropology or, at least, the understanding of human personhood in the light of digitality. The second part deals with viewing the development of digital technology, its utilization, and the self in the digital world through the lens of biblical metanarrative. This view offers: 1) in Creation, humanity as the image of God as co-creator utilizes technology as part of ‘creating’; 2) in Fall, humanity as a corrupted image creates and spreads malice even through technological development (e.g., Tower of Babel); 3) in Redemption, God in Christ restores his people including their function to channel divine wisdom and creativity for human flourishment; in Eschatology, Christians are the eschatological companions of God. Finally, the church’s role in recovering and engaging human personhood, embodiment, and dignity advances the hope for an objective view of theological anthropology in the digital realm. The paper proposes that it is not more technological understanding that is needed but more theological understanding. By understanding humanity’s 1) divine image, 2) holistic dualism, 3) deadly fallenness, 4) unconditional dignity, and 5) redemptive destiny, all applied in today’s digital cultural age, there is hope for redeeming the digital theological anthropology. Additionally, throughout the paper, issues about pornography, cyberbullying, online human trafficking, cancel culture, ecclesial challenges on online worship, virtual reality churches, and Gnostic accusations on digital church engagement are part of the discussion.

2024_Cyber-Theo: Reflections on the Theological Roots of Contemporary Digital Technologies

Proceedings of the Paris Institute for Advanced Study (Vol. 21), 2024

Digital technologies that permeate our everyday lives are primarily introduced to us as "new." The advancements in Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality open fresh avenues of human experience. However, the promises of digital technologies, the desires we aim to satisfy through them, the powerful imagery they cultivate, and the narratives surrounding them are far from new. In fact, they are deeply rooted in foundations shaped by religions over millennia, experienced concretely by human communities, and articulated into concepts and dogmas through theological reflection. This article aims to outline a research program to illuminate this intricate and often controversial background, and to understand how concepts and ideas from theological traditions transform throughout contemporary technological evolution, ultimately shaping the discourses and metaphors we use to describe our experiences with new technologies today. Firstly, a methodological introduction will address conceptual pairs such as continuity/discontinuity, disenchantment/re-enchantment, new/archaic. Secondly, key issues such as haptic icons, representation and presence, bilocation, resurrection, divine vision, free will, creation out of nothing, will be examined in the mirror of exemplary case studies selected from the contemporary technoscape.

ECCLESIOLOGY: BEING CHURCH IN THE ERA OF HOMO DIGITALIS

Verbum et Ecclesia 40(1), , 2019

This article discusses practical ecclesiology, which reflects on the church of the 21st century from historical, empirical, hermeneutical and strategic perspectives. We live in the era of digital revolutions and ‘homo digitalis’. Virtual reality has radically altered the way we work, play, shop, study, keep in touch with friends and family, meet new people and express ourselves. For many, it is the only reality. This new reality raises many questions: Will it accelerate the ecclesial crisis of our time? Does it create opportunities to speak of God? How does it impact on our understanding of the church? A relevant, contemporary ecclesiology needs to address these questions. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Since the 15th century, a number of scientific discoveries and technological inventions have challenged all preconceived ideas of God and the universe. The impact of technology and the relation between faith (church) and reason (science) have often been discussed. It is no different at the beginning of the 21st century. The digital evolution is challenging churches all around the world to reflect on the human condition, faith as well as the nature and calling of the church within a radically new context. This contribution reflects on the interface between technology and theology in the era of ‘homo digitalis’. Keywords: homo digitalis; history of technology; network theory; ecclesiology; cyberworld.

Cyberreligion: The Spiritual Paradox of Digital Technology

2023

The existence of cyberspace has not only changed human views on spirituality, religion, rituals, houses of worship, scriptures, spiritual teachers, beliefs, divinity, and even the view of god itself. Cyberspace opens up the possibility to carry out various religious activities in a new way that is artificial or virtual. Literature review, as part of the scientific approach, focuses on the literature of journal articles, books, monographs that discuss themes based on keywords related to the research conducted. A new cyber vision of God is developing, which is now seen as a projection or incarnation of humanity (mind, intelligence, power) in the form of computer simulations that are considered to have power close to god's power. This is the vision of man as his own god developed by cyberists, a man who is no longer willing to submit to the authority of power beyond his own power-god man.

Cybertheology: thinking the effects of digital culture in Christianity and society

Religiöse Bildung in Europa: Exemplarische Einblicke in eine komparative Religionspädagogik, 2019

This article was published in the book "Religiöse Bildung in Europa: Exemplarische Einblicke in eine komparative Religionspädagogik" edited by Patrik Dzambo, Jadranka Garmaz and Bernhard Grümme, published in Berlin by Lit Verlag in 2019, ISBN 978-3-643-14245-0. Cybertheology is a new field of theological knowledge that wants to dialogue with the culture and the human being of his time, to think faith taking into account the dynamics of the current life. It seeks to present the main aspects that make up this new area of theological knowledge. Using the exploratory and bib-liographic method, the research shows the network as a privileged global space for experiencing the faith and reflecting theologically on reality, including on the new challenges for religious education. As a theoretical reference has Manuel Castells contextualizing the network society. To understand the net generation, one brings up the considerations of Michel Serres. Cybertheological reflection is based on the works of Antonio Spadaro. Zusammenfassung: Cybertheologie markiert ein neues Feld theologischen Wissens, welches in einen Dialog mit der Kultur sowie dem menschlichen Sein in der Zeit treten möchte, um vor diesem Hintergrund Glauben zu denken. Neben den Hauptmerkmalen dieses neuen theologischen Feldes soll anhand explorativer sowie bibliographi-scher Methoden, das Netzwerk als ein privilegierter globaler Raum zur Erpro-bung des Glaubens sowie als theologische Reflexionsgröße vorgestellt werden, woraus nicht zuletzt auch neue Herausforderungen für religiöse Bildungsprozes-se erwachsen. Konzeptualisierte hierbei bereits Manuel Castells die Netzwerk-Gesellschaft als theoretische Bezugsgröße, scheint die neue Net-Generation ins-besondere unter Berücksichtigung von Michel Serres verstehbar. Cybertheologi-sche Reflexionen basieren hierbei im Wesentlichen auf Antonio Spadaro. Sažetak: Cybertheologija je novo polje teološkog znanja koje želi dijalog s kulturom i ljudskim bićem svoga vremena, da razmišlja vjeru uzimajući u obzir dinamiku sadašnjeg života. Ona nastoji prikazati glavne aspekte koji čine ovo novo područje teološkog znanja. Upotrebom istraživačke i bibliografske metode, istraživanje pokazuje mrežu kao povlašteni globalni prostor za doživljavanje vjere i teološki ogleda na stvarnost, uključujući i nove izazove za vjersko obrazovanje. Kao teorijska referenca Manuel Castells kontekstualizira mrežno društvo. Da bismo razumjeli neto generaciju, došlo se do razmatranja Michel Serresa. Cybertheological refleksija temelji se na djelima Antonio Spadaro.

"Digital age challenges and consecrated life", in Studia Moralia 53/2 (2015) 269-291.

Summary: In the Year of Consecrated Life (2015), this article analyzes the challenges which the new digital age presents to human beings and, more specifically, to the consecrated life. The new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are already unavoidably embedded in our daily life. “Our perception of self, others and the world are influenced by them”. It is therefore necessary for consecrated brothers and sisters to inhabit the new digital environment with the style that best fits to their religious life and mission. Sommario: Tenendo presente l'Anno della Vita Consacrata (2015), questo articolo propone uno studio sulle sfide che l’era digitale presenta allo sviluppo dell’essere umano e più concretamente ai consacrati. Le nuove tecnologie della comunicazione sono ormai una componente ineludibile della nostra vita e “dall’influsso che esercitano dipende la percezione di noi stessi, degli altri e del mondo”. Bisogna quindi che i consacrati imparino ad abitare questo nuovo ambiente con lo stile loro proprio per rendere ragione della loro Speranza. Sumario: Teniendo presente el Año de la Vida Consagrada (2015), este artículo propone un estudio de los desafíos que la nueva cultura digital presenta al desarrollo del ser humano y, más específicamente, a los consagrados. Las nuevas tecnologías de la comunicación forman ya parte ineludible de nuestra vida, y de ellas depende "la percepción de nosotros mismos, de los otros y del mundo". Por tanto, los consagrados tienen que aprender a habitar este nuevo ambiente cultural con el estilo que les caracteriza, para dar razón de su esperanza. INDEX 1. SPACE TO INHABIT 1.1. Access to the Internet in religious communities 1.2. The priest and the parish in the digital age 2. THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT CHALLENGES 2.1. Uprooted and caught in the Net 2.2. More connected but more alone 2.3. Simulacrum and narcissism 2.4. Hyper-connected and hyper-accelerated 2.5. Depersonalizing superficiality 3. SKILLED TO BE FREE IN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT 3.1. Overcoming the dependency on approval 3.2. From a self-centered information to narration 3.3. The specificity of formation in the consecrated life 4. DEVELOPING A MATURE, ACTIVE AND SENSIBLE INTERIORITY 4.1. Silence and the "murmuring solitude" 4.2. Retreat and enclosure 5. EVANGELIZATION AND HUMAN RELATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE 5.1. A peculiar style of inhabiting the digital space 5.2. Firsthand witnesses 5.3. The attractive charm of the beautiful CONCLUSION