Eschatological companions

Christian hope in virtual worlds

Bibliographic Data

ID21691189
AuthorsStephen Garner (0000-0002-8885-8508, Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume26
Issue2-3
Pages140-157
Publication date2020-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTheology and Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1355-8358 • E-ISSN: 1745-5170
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13558358.2020.1803721
OpenAlexW3053826963
LanguageEN
References cited27

The Christian faith is oriented around the hope that is found in the birth, life, death, resurrection and return of Jesus Christ, and this hope shapes Christian understandings of being human and human flourishing. What then might this Christian hope have to say about our technological developments and, in particular, how those shape our reflection on being human? Moreover, how do the various virtual worlds that we inhabit in continuity with our physical environment shape our thinking on bodies, gender, sexuality, identity and relationships? This article adds constructive theological reflection on technologically shape virtual worlds through the lens of Christian hope, moving beyond only eschatological dimensions to focus also on technological narratives of purpose and novelty and theological thinking around humanity, Christology and salvation. It is our contention that Christian hope provides a unifying theme for fruitful theological reflection on virtual worlds and our lives within them

Aesthetics · Epistemology · Faith · Flourishing · Humanity · Metaverse · Sociology · Theology · Virtual reality · Computer Science · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Philosophy · Psychology · Religious Tourism and Spaces · Social Psychology

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