Cybertheology - by Antonio Spadaro

About the Book

This book investigates the concept of cybertheology and its effect on the ways in which we think Christianity. It relates Cybertheology to the works of theoreticians in media studies, anthropology and theology and considers the relationships between cybertheology and Christian theology and whether these changes are similar to or different from changes experienced in thinking on Christian theology after the development of other media technologies.

Book Synopsis

Because the Internet has changed and is changing the ways in which we think and act, it must also be changing the ways in which we think Christianity and its theology. Cybertheology is the first book to explore this process from a Catholic point of view. Drawing on the theoretical work of authors such as Marshall McLuhan, Peter Levy, and Teilhard de Chardin, it questions how technologies redefine not only the ways in which we do things but also our being and therefore the way we perceive reality, the world, others, and God. "Does the digital revolution affect faith in any sense?" Spadaro asks. His answer is an emphatic Yes. But how, then, are we to live well in the age of the Internet?

Spadaro delves deeply into various dimensions of the impact of the Net on the Church and its organization, on our understanding of revelation, grace, liturgy, the sacraments, and other classical theological themes. He rightly points out that the digital environment is not merely an external instrument that facilitates human communication or a purely virtual world, but part of the daily experience of many people, a new "anthropological space" that is reshaping the way we think, know, and express ourselves. Naturally, this calls for a new understanding of faith so that it makes sense to people who live and work in the digital media environment. In developing the notion of cybertheology, Spadaro seeks to propose an intelligence of faith (intellectus fidei) in the era of the Internet.

The book's chapters include reflections on man the decoder and the search engines of God, networked existence and the mystical body, hacker ethics and Christian vision, sacraments and "virtual presence," and the theological challenges of collective intelligence.

Review Quotes

Cybertheology by Antonio Spadaro is an excellent attempt to understand Christian faith and theology in the era of the Internet and digital communication. It is a pioneering work that contributes to a new understanding of the familiar concept of theology as faith seeking understanding.-----Jose Palakeel, Theologicon, Kochi, India

He [Spadaro] stirs our religious imagination to think differently about how we communicate faith in a digital culture.-- "--St. Anthony Messenger"

The book provides a substantial introduction to the anthropological and theological questions raised by our life "on line" smartphones, Google, virtual spaces, avatars. Spadaro raises questions having to do with the need of the Church to engage the new 'intellectus fidei' in the age of the internet.-----Massimo Faggioli, University of St. Thomas

There are key questions in this book--whether or not one's congregational life is steeped in digital technologies. It is important that we consider the extent to which people's sense of the presence of others is being redefined by augmented reality.-- "--The Expository Times"

About the Author

Antonio Spadaro, S.J., is editor of the review La Civiltà Cattolica and teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Maria Way was formerly Senior Lecturer in Media Theory at the University of Westminster's School of Media, Art & Design. She has published a number of academic articles, mostly on media and religion, and now works as a freelance lecturer, editor and translates from Italian and French to English. Her research interests are focused on the relationship between religion(s) and the media, particularly Vatican media.