Debating the Theological Implications of New Technologies

In a recent report on focus group discussions of GMOs in Britain, Celia Deane Drummond et al. observed that public anxieties about emerging biotechnologies often reflect concerns that are ultimately theological in nature. Such concerns (whether in relation to biotechnology or other areas of technological development) may be easily dismissed as peripheral or irrelevant to the core secular issues of health, safety, environmental impacts, the politics of commercialization and research integrity. However, I shall argue that theological questions are actually integral to the ongoing development of technology and that there is a need for a public discourse that enables such questions to be articulated and debated.     

The Motive of the Incarnation in Christian Theology: Consequences for Modern Cosmology,Extraterrestrial Intelligence and a Hypothesis of Multiple Incarnations

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses the question of the possibility of multiple species-specific incarnations of God in the societies of extraterrestrial beings (if they exist) on exoplanets, proposed for the debate in a recent volume on Astrlotheology. It gives a scientific, philosophical and theological assessment of some of its claims and concludes by formulating the position of the author on multiple incarnations in the context of modern cosmology and Orthodox theology.     

Stuart,Elizabeth, Gay and Lesbian Theologies: Repetitions with Critical Difference

Abstract

In response to the constructive criticism of four male scholars of religious studies, this piece clarifies some of the arguments of my earlier essay, ‘Who's Afraid of Gay Theology?’. It argues for a cautious approach to identify one's gendered and sexed identity as an author within men's studies since such self-revelation may narrow the range of possible textual readings. The unintended consequence may be lesser rather than the wished-for greater transparency of both text and author. This essay makes a few suggestions of how to navigate the difficult terrain of language, gender, social privilege, and male intimacy.     

“Something There is That Doesn't Love a Wall”: Queer Theologies and Reparative Readings

A set of recent conversations among scholars working in queer cultural and literary theory has focused on the trope of reparative reading. Reparative readings, usually contrasted with the “paranoid” criticism of those working in the Butlerian tradition, are often informed by the writings of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. This article explores the “reparative turn” in the context of Christian queer theologies, and suggests that it may include practices of “sociability with the dead”: both listening to and honouring the abjected past of queer ancestors, and continuing to be in conversation with the damaging and hurtful parts of the Christian tradition as a means of holding them accountable.     

Reproductive loss: toward a theology of bodies

ABSTRACT

Reproductive loss—the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks—is estimated to occur in 20-50% of all pregnancies. It is a common human experience. However, it is an experience that is shrouded in silence and mystery. Not only is reproductive loss culturally taboo but given the marked absence of theological reflection on the experience, it would seem to be theologically taboo as well. The experience of reproductive loss raises profound theological questions about what it means to be (a gendered) human, issues of suffering, the providence of God, and eschatology. This research considers some of the reasons for this theological silence and begins to examine the experience of reproductive loss with the aim of taking the embodied experience of the miscarrying woman seriously as a site for theological reflection.     

A Paradoxical Theology of Biology

Abstract

This article examines a sermon in which Desmond Tutu advocates for gay rights in light of his activism against apartheid in South Africa. In doing so it uncovers a paradoxical theology of biology that enables him to advocate universal notions of justice simultaneously with love for particular persons and bodies. This advocacy, however, is susceptible to the critiques of queer theorists and theologians who worry that liberationist frameworks unwittingly reinscribe injustices against a variety of queer persons. The article concludes by raising new questions to be asked about Desmond Tutu’s theology, and liberation theologies in general, about the potential of liberationist and prophetic frameworks for achieving social justice. It also raises questions for queer theology about the possibility and political efficacy of queering the act of preaching.     

Fewell,Dana Nolan,and Gunn,David M., Gender,Power, and Promise: The Subject of the Bible's First Story

Abstract

This brief review article traces the intertwined themes of seduction and theology in philosopher Karmen MacKendrick’s work.     

Afterword: some reflections on implicit religion and ordinary theology

This brief piece relates Edward Bailey's concept of implicit religion, together with some themes from the papers published in this special issue, to Astley's concept of ordinary theology. In particular, it attends to their different, but overlapping, focal concerns and their shared emphasis on a spiritual core of personal meaningfulness.     

A Psychological Biography for Jesus: Responding to Donald Capps'

Don Capps employed a Freudian Model and current biblical criticism models of Crossan, Borg, and others to evaluate the biblical data regarding the person and self-concept of Jesus of Nazareth. This article points to some vulnerabilities for serious criticism inherent in Capps's model and suggests the necessity of a wider range of psychological models for screening the data available on Jesus' development as a person in order to draw conclusions about his nature and motivations. Capps concludes that Jesus was a melancholic personality who was at odds with his society because he and his family were defamed regarding his problematic birth story, resulting in the violent symbolic action of cleansing the temple, thus expressing his arrival at self-confidence and self-affirmation.     

Response to Stuart Kurtz and Ann Pederson

I respond herein to reviews of my recent book by Ann Pederson and Stuart Kurtz. With respect to Pederson's concerns, a constructive theology formulated from the ideas of communication theory need not necessarily neglect pressing historical issues of the poor and powerless. The potential for such relevance remains strong. This is true as well for the application of the system to particular myths and rituals. Also, while I speak positively of computers as instruments of disclosure and the theories upon with they are based as resources for theological construction, this should not be construed as an endorsement of just any application of information technology in a world that tends to distort all good things. With respect to Kurtz's concerns, while thermodynamics plays a role in discussions of the primordial chaos, notions from communication theory are far more central. Also, the use of the language of the theory for theology does not necessarily require theological relevance for all of Claude Shannon's technical conclusions. My uses of infinity are taken from traditional theology and analytic geometry rather than from pure mathematics, although fruitful development along those lines is entirely possible. Pederson and Kurtz are generous with both their praise and concerns. The praise will encourage me to further this project along lines provided by the concerns.