In a recent discussion of what it means to publicly confess the Christian faith in a pluralistic, postmodern society, a professor of mine highlighted three potential areas of technological advancement that will push against the fabric of what it means to be human. Inevitably, Christianity will be forced to wrestle with the implications of these evolutionary and anthropological movements. Because the Bible doesn’t clearly speak (at least directly) to all these issues, the field of theology will be tasked with developing the appropriate epistemological and ethical responses, specifically for Christians. While it might feel like these advances belong solely to the realm of science fiction, the progress in various disciplines has made the prospect of these three innovations more and more likely, perhaps even within the next century. Here are the three;
- Genetic Engineering (Such as modifying the DNA of embryos).
- Emotional Engineering (Brain implants/chips that create emotions or simulate experiences).
- The “Singularity” When technology/artificial intelligence reaches a tipping point and begins to supersede, replace and/or overtake humanity.
As should be self-evident, these three possibilities (which are becoming eventualities with each passing year) clearly present challenging and perhaps troubling questions for the Christian faith.
Genetic and emotional engineering will each bring complexity to what it means to be human. Genetic engineering challenges (to a small extent) God’s role as Creator, allowing humanity the power and ability to “play God.” Are we as Christians okay with that? Some may answer in the positive, others in the negative. Either way, we need to be prepared to give answer to this question. More importantly, we need to realize that there will be consequences to genetic engineering. How will we respond?
Emotional engineering will cut directly into the human experience and what it means to feel things such as joy, sorrow and remorse. If something can artificially create such emotions within a human (or a robot), one has to ask whether or not these “feelings” are objectively “true.” Can we measure or accept emotion or experience based on its origin or location? How do our conceptions of mind, body and spirit play into this conversation.?
Scripture does speak of things like the heart, the mind and the spirit/soul. But the question becomes how do these “things,” interrelate. Are some of them separate immaterial realities (like the spirit/soul) or are they inseparable from our body? The bible gives us hints at ways to interpret these questions but ultimately remains quite ambiguous (See first footnote). Psychology, philosophy and theology have all speculated on this question but the answers remain inconclusive. In any case, my question here is this. Does the ability of something or someone to think/feel or manufacture thinking and feeling endow it the Imago Dei, even if it is constructed by human hands (i.e. artificial intelligence)?
These technological advances are curious to say the least and they will bring these kinds of questions to the forefront of societal discourse.
I would like to suggest two additional discoveries/developments that will also be significant challenges to Christian theology. They are the following;
- Extraterrestrial Life.
- Immortality.
By my estimation, these two categories far outweigh the aforementioned ones. Consider first the discovery of intelligent, extraterrestrial life. Movies and science fiction have made the subject of aliens a category relegated to entertainment, but the possibility remains for humanity to make contact with another species.
There is a vast distance between earth and the nearest star, which would make the discovery or contact with of another species extremely unlikely anytime soon, barring the attainment of light speed or its equivalent. However, astronomers continue to discover more and more planets in our quadrant of the Milky Way, some of which are situated in the so-called “Goldilocks” zone, where the possibility of life is prime. Realistically speaking, some theorists have stated that the development of intelligent life outside of Earth is unlikely, given what’s needed for life itself to develop, let alone intelligent life. However, the probability exists nonetheless and increases as we continue to discover how incredibly massive our universe is. It’s possible that intelligent life somewhere in the universe did exist in the past but has since gone extinct. But think about this as well…Even if intelligent life exists some place in our night sky, the sheer time it would take to traverse the distance to meet or discover such a species could make such a task impossible.
Putting aside these considerations, we still must not rule out the possibility that humanity will one day encounter alien life. Arguments from silence, which state that the bible does not speak of aliens, therefore they can’t exist, will not longer hold water when and if this day comes. If so, the faith of many will be shaken and perhaps for others, strengthened. Questions will arise either way. Did God create other species, or did they evolve on their own? Did Christ die for them too? Was there one incarnation or many? Enter the field of “astrotheology.” While this may seem like an absurd category of study…there may come a day when it doesn’t sound so silly.
Lastly, comes the potential discovery of “immortality,” by human scientists. Is such a feat even possible? Some say yes. Of course only time will tell. But if such a achievement is reached, what will the Christian response be? Would such a discovery be the modern equivalent of the tower of Babylon? Dare we even tread on such (seemingly holy) ground? It seems tantamount to blasphemy to say the least.
I realize this post has raised mostly questions and provided few answers. There may not be correct answers to some (or any) of these questions, but Christians must be ready to engage with them in the coming years. Whatever may come will come, but let us not be caught unawares!
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
– 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
1. In Search of the Soul: Four Views of the Mind-Body Problem. Edited by Joel B. Green and Stuart L. Palmer. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005. The four views presented are as follows; (1) Substance Dualism, (2) Emergent Dualism, (3) Nonreductive Physicalism and (4) Constitution View of Persons.
Game of Tomes 