Advent: Theological Reflections on IVF

Abstract

This article is a theological reflection upon the experience of undergoing a treatment cycle to conceive a child through IVF. It sets the techniques and medical procedures associated with the new reproductive technologies in the context of wider social, cultural and theological conversations rather than isolating them as specialist medical concerns or abstract ethical dilemmas.     

Theological Reflections of an Adopted Daughter

Abstract

For as long as I can remember I had a sense of not belonging, of being a misfit. When, therefore, at the age of six, it was casually mentioned over the dinner table that I was adopted it was no surprise. I felt I had always known. As I grew up I dreamed of who my real mother might be, the circumstances of my birth and where I had come from. It was many years before I found some answers to my questions and, in the process, discovered more about myself and the nature of relationships.     

Bodies and Persons: Theological Reflections on Transhumanism

While cautioned by Ted Peters’ critique of the more radical brand of transhumanism, in this article the author affirms a greater openness on the part of Christian theology toward the transhumanist/posthumanist program. A key concern will be the place of the human body. Christians affirm an eschatological resurrection of the body. This stands in contrast to radical transhumanists who seek cybernetic immortality—that is, disembodied intelligence. Yet, such intelligence could manifest in a virtual or robotic body. Therefore, it turns out that a posthuman entity, whether an upload or superintelligence, can have a body, albeit qualitatively different from the familiar flesh and blood body. If a pothuman entity can also have personhood, then why could not the promise of God apply?     

The Destiny of Creation: Theological Ethical Reflections on Laudato Si'

In this essay, I ask what the precise relation is between Laudato si's theology and its claims about our individual and corporate responsibility for the environment and the plight of the poor. To do so, I first clarify the relationship between the theological claims and its account of moral norms, situating the text within the history of western ethical theory. I then turn to reconstruct the submerged theology of the encyclical, focusing on Pope Francis's accounts of the techno‐economic paradigm and the possibility of an “integral ecology” paradigm. I end by assessing the text in terms of the coherence and plausibility of its argument as an ethical and theological statement.     

Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Human Nature: Theological and Philosophical Reflections

I develop a multilevel, holistic view of persons, emphasizing embodiment, emotions, consciousness, and the social self. In successive sections I draw from six sources: 1. Theology . The biblical understanding of the unitary, embodied, social self gave way in classical Christianity to a body-soul dualism, but it has been recovered by many recent theologians. 2. Neuroscience . Research has shown the localization of mental functions in regions of the brain, the interaction of cognition and emotion, and the importance of social interaction in evolutionary history and child development. 3. Artificial intelligence . Some forms of robotics use embodied systems that learn by interacting with their environment, but the possibilities for emotion, socialization, and consciousness in robots remain problematic. 4. Relations between levels . Concepts that can help us relate studies of neurons and persons include the hierarchy of levels, the communication of information, thebehavior of dynamic systems, and epistemological and ontological emergence. 5. Philosophy of mind . Two-aspect theories of the mind-brain relation offer an alternative between the extremes of eliminative materialism and the thesis that consciousness is irreducible. 6. Process philosophy . I suggest that process thought provides a coherent philosophical framework in which these themes can be brought together. It combines dipolar monism with organizational pluralism, and it emphasizes embodiment, emotions, a hierarchy oflevels, and the social character of selfhood.     

The Owl of Minerva: Reflections on the Theological Significance of Mary Midgley

This paper offers a theologically-orientated examination of some core themes of the works of the philosopher Mary Midgley (1919–2018), identifying areas of possible theological exploration and development. Particular attention is paid to her critique of the reductionist strategies of writers such as Richard Dawkins, her development of the ‘mapping’ metaphor for engaging complex issues, and her emphasis on the critical role of philosophy. Although the paper offers some brief examples of theological issues which are illuminated by Midgley’s philosophical approach (such as soteriological mapping), the primary purpose of the paper is to highlight the theological hospitality that it offers.     

Beyond the Boundaries of Current Human Nature: Some Theological and Ethical Reflections on Transhumanism

Following a brief overview of the emerging transhumanist vision, Childs turns to a theological and ethical assessment. He recommends that there take place a community‐wide conversation over the prospects of a post‐human future that includes both nerds and theologians along with all stakeholders in a healthy human future. Christians should be guided by the eschatological values that inform love's commitment to the common good. How does the common commitment to justice take concrete shape in public policies governing the mounting advances in science and technology? How does the commitment to life and healing speak to the ethical distinction between the uses of biomedical technology for therapy versus for enhancement?     

Hope Deferred: Theological Reflections on Reproductive Loss (Infertility, Stillbirth, Miscarriage)

This essay examines the human experience of reproductive loss and grief surrounding infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth, in particular why such painful silences persist where one might least expect it; namely, in feminist communities and in churches. By bringing into conversation feminist theory and systematic theology on this topic, the author effectively crosses (and cross-fertilizes) the boundaries of two important sets of discourse with the hope of better understanding why painful silences persist concerning reproductive loss and what theological – in particular Trinitarian – resources are available to help the church think about the issue (both those who suffer this loss and the broader community who seeks to understand it).     

Theological and Ethical Reflections on Men and Violence: Toward a New Understanding of Masculinity

Abstract

This paper explores the reasons why men express violence against women, children and other men, suggesting that men's violence represents one of the darkest features of masculinity. The way men are socialized and conditioned requires and produces violent behaviors that are destructive to men themselves as well as to women, children, and the earth. The author proposes the need to re-envision masculinity to enable men and women to create communities in which people are encouraged to participate in ‘adventurous partnering for peace’.     

神学研究

神学一词，广泛指所有对神这个主题展开的研究或学说。当天主教在罗马获得自由以后，神学一词多被用来指所有天主教信仰观的理论。     

Theological Hermeneutics

Book reviewed:
Recovering Theological Hermeneutics: An Incarnational-Trinitarian Theory of Interpretation , Jen Zimmerman, Baker 2004 (0-8010-2727-6), pp. 345, Hb £17.99     

The Word was Not Made Flesh: Theological Reflections on the Banning of Seksualiti Merdeka 2011

Abstract : In November 2011, the Malaysian sexuality rights festival Seksualiti Merdeka was banned after being labelled immoral and subversive. The organizers insisted that the festival was a forum for the voices of sexual minorities and that the ban was politically motivated. By examining the rhetoric surrounding this festival in the Malaysian media, this article aims to uncover how the tensions between Malaysian politics and religion affect the lives of queer Malaysians in terms of human rights before providing a Christian theological response.