I’m a big fan of science fiction, because it can spotlight the possibilities and liabilities of technology. There is a comfort in Sci-Fi, of course: it’s fiction. Not so in the case of transhumanism: Humanity+ and other transhumanist organizations seek real transformation of the human condition through technology. The transhumanists of Silicon Valley tend towards…

Isaiah Berlin famously distinguished between positive and negative freedom: freedom to be what we are meant to be versus freedom from constraint. The technological society in which we live, bolstered by centuries of the development of expressive individualism, has clearly come down on the side of negative freedom. Freedom equals choice, and technology expands the…

Can reflection on transhumanism help refine our understanding of the imago Dei? The teaching that humanity is made in the image of God is regarded as core to Christian doctrine and the bedrock of Christian anthropology—arguably, it is the reason we can speak of theological anthropology at all. But there is a surprising diversity of…

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion . . . ” Thus, every reader of the Christian Scriptures is presented with this design and purpose framework to understand humanity. The Genesis account includes both the uniqueness—from other created things—and the commonality—in form and function—of all humans. Christian…

Having worked through a number of theological challenges posed by evolutionary theory in the first four chapters of Reformed Theology and Evolutionary Theory, van den Brink moves to the difficult question of common descent and its impact on theological anthropology. He identifies two primary concerns. First is whether the scientific evidence for common descent is…

A modern maxim has long since taken up residence in most theology departments across the world today: we no longer live in a time where the old, substantival metaphysics remain convincing. If historical-theological accounts of the nineteenth century have taught us anything, it was that each passing theologian sought to outdo the one who had…

No one said improvisation is easy. It requires the toys to place strong faith in their owner. And at times what Andy’s toys see doesn’t convince them that their faith was well-placed. Toys—like people—are visual creatures; they need evidence. In the case of identity this is an especially high calling. It’s easier for Andy’s toys…

All three Toy Story movies rely heavily on the name-on-your-boot motif—both visually and in dialogue. This motif is set in the context of all toys’ basic desire: to be played with. The beginning of Toy Story threatens Andy’s toys’ assurance that they will be played with; the day is Andy’s birthday. That means gifts, which…

Through the generous support of the Kern Family Foundation’s “Faith, Work, and Economics” program, I have been working on a project called “The Jubilee Summit.” The name originates from the same categories that provide the framework and topical treatments of my present Sapientia series, namely, “God, Image-Flourishing, and Jubilee.” This past weekend, January 23–24, a group gathered at…

Wolfgang Musculus on Genesis 1:26 Let us understand that by this locution . . . the mystery of the Holy Trinity is faithfully and truly expressed a bit more brightly than before, and that in this way God the Father expressed his consultation with the Word and the Spirit. We should also understand, next, that…

Up to this point in my series, I have suggested that submission to God and his evaluative perspective is inextricably bound to the flourishing of his image in us. Demonstrations of this, authenticating true submission, can vary, but they often need some kind of affirmation. This is to say, scripture itself does not always provide…

When is a human being most Like a human being? To ask this question against the backdrop of the contemporary scene is to entertain some mixed opinions. Human beings are capable of extraordinary acts of self-sacrifice, such as in the cases of doctors, nurses, and other volunteers, who choose to treat those sick with the…