Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture, Vol. 18 No. 1: On Technology–Tools for Oppression or the Common Good?

This is the second of two adjoining issues on technology for Cultural Encounters. In this collection, the authors from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise provide various resources that can assist us with countering and transcending certain negative impulses and social patterns accompanying technological advances. Such impulses and patterns can weigh heavily on humanity, especially marginalized populations. Concern for the common good alone will not suffice. The theological, philosophical, and social analyses that arise from various disciplines and interdisciplinary work, including the sciences, are essential in making headway toward ensuring human flourishing in our technological age. Included in this issue: EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION – Paul Louis Metzger ESSAYS Benjamin Doolittle and Mark Heim – Cancer, Immortality, and Christology: The Theological Resonance of Henrietta Lacks Richard L. White – ‘Let Technology Serve the City’: Put the Last First John P. Slattery – Searching for a Theological Voice in a Technological World: New Relevance of M. Shawn Copeland’s Mystical-Political Approach INTERVIEWS Paul Louis Metzger – Race and Technology: An Interview with Nakia S. Gordon Paul Louis Metzger – Science, Religion, and Ethics: An Interview With AAAS/DoSER on Technology’s Import for the Common Good PERSONAL TRIBUTE Chris Clay – An Unstoppable Force for Good: Silicon Valley Pioneer Beats the Odds For Others BOOK REVIEWS John W. Morehead -Geraci at the Crossroads: Technological, Religious, and Pop Cultural Reflection John W. Morehead – Religion, Culture, and the Monstrous: Of Gods and Monsters, edited by Natasha L. Mikles and Joseph P. Laycock Derrick Peterson- Theology and Horror: Explorations of the Dark Religious Imagination, by Brandon R. Grafius and John W. Morehead Tony Richie- Learning Theology: Tracking the Spirit of Christian Faith, by Amy C. Cottrill Daniel Thomas Scalberg – This Is Our Message: Women’s Leadership in the New Christian Right by Emily Suzanne Johnson