The Technological Factor: Redemption, Nature, and the Image of God

This paper begins from the premise that being in the image of God refers humanity neither to nature nor to its technology but to God. Two positions are thereby rejected: (1) that nature should be treated as a source of salvation (Heidegger), and (2) that redemptive significance may be ascribed to technology (Cole-Turner, Hefner). Instead, theological judgments concerning technologyrequire the reconstruction of theological anthropology. To this end, the image of God ( imago dei ) is reconceived in terms of sociality , temporality , and spatiality to show how humanity may be understood as imaging God in a technological society.