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Last Update 8/22/2025

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1. Foundations, Philosophy

of Technology & Religion / History

 

  1. Barbour, I. G. (1993). Ethics in an age of technology (Gifford Lectures, Vol. 2). HarperSanFrancisco.

    • A wide-ranging theological‑ethical framework for weighing technology’s promises and perils, blending scientific literacy with moral theology. Barbour’s typology for relating science, technology, and faith remains a touchstone in seminary and policy circles​

  2. Mayor, A. (2018). Gods and robots: Myths, machines, and ancient dreams of technology. Princeton University Press.

    • Mayor uncovers ancient stories of automata and artificial life—from Hephaestus’s robots to the golem—showing how old imaginaries haunt modern tech dreams. A rich, readable prehistory of “AI” that reframes today’s hype through classical lenses.

  3. Noble, D. F. (1997). The religion of technology: The divinity of man and the spirit of invention. Knopf.

    • Noble tracks how Western technological ambition has long been animated by quasi‑religious hopes of transcendence and salvation. A provocative history that helps explain the fervor around innovation and progress.

  4. Stiegler, B. (1998). Technics and time (R. Beardsworth & G. Collins, Trans.). Stanford University Press.

    • Stiegler argues that technics is originary to the human (exteriorized memory), not a mere toolset. Foundational for contemporary continental debates on technology and temporality.

  5. Szerszynski, B. (2005). Nature, technology and the sacred. Wiley‑Blackwell.

    • A sociological‑philosophical argument that modern relations to nature and technology remain structured by transformations of the sacred. Clarifies why “secular” tech cultures still carry ritual, mythic, and sacral overtones.

  6. Teilhard de Chardin, P. (1959). The phenomenon of man (B. Wall, Trans.). Harper & Brothers.

    • Teilhard situates technics within cosmic evolution (the noosphere), where spirit and matter converge toward an Omega Point. Not a technical treatise, but a spiritual‑scientific vision that continues to inspire theological reflection on technology.​

​2. Christian Theology

& Ethics of Technology and AI

 

  1. Anderson, W. H. U. (Ed.). (2021). Technology and theology. Vernon Press.

    • An interdisciplinary collection probing how accelerating innovation reshapes theological anthropology, ethics, and ecclesial life. Useful as a course text to stage multiple theological “postures” toward technology.

  2. Brock, B. (2010). Christian ethics in a technological age. Eerdmans.

    • A comprehensive constructive ethic engaging medicine, media, war, and ecology through a Christocentric lens. Brock’s treatment of discipleship confronts the “necessity” of technique with practices of worship and community.

  3. Burdett, M. S. (2015). Eschatology and the technological future. Routledge.

    • Burdett places enhancement, immortality projects, and posthuman hopes in conversation with Christian eschatology. A lucid model for resisting both techno‑utopianism and knee‑jerk rejection.

  4. Hefner, P. (1993). The human factor: Evolution, culture, and religion. Fortress Press.

    • Hefner’s “created co‑creator” anthropology reframes human making as a vocation under God. Still a keystone for situating creativity and responsibility amid radical capacities.

  5. Herzfeld, N. (2002). In our image: Artificial intelligence and the human spirit. Fortress Press.

    • Herzfeld probes imago Dei, personhood, and analogy between human and machine, testing the limits of AI metaphors. Theologically grounded, technically literate.

  6. Herzfeld, N. (2009). Technology and religion: Remaining human in a co‑created world. Templeton Press.

    • A clear introduction to how faith traditions can engage emerging tech while safeguarding personhood and community. Balances practical concerns with theological depth.

  7. Herzfeld, N. (2023). The artifice of intelligence: Divine and human relationship in a robotic age. Fortress Press.

    • A pastoral‑theological exploration of how AI reframes prayer, presence, and agency, with practical guidance for church leaders. Herzfeld resists both panic and naïveté, emphasizing relational wisdom.

  8. Kärkkäinen, V.‑M. (2015). Creation and humanity (Vol. 3 of A constructive Christian theology for the pluralistic world). Eerdmans.

    • A systematic treatment of anthropology and creation that provides deep doctrinal scaffolding for tech ethics. Valuable for connecting AI/enhancement debates to doctrines of image, sin, and eschatology.

  9. Mohan, R. P. (1960). Technology and Christian culture. The Catholic University of America Press.

    • A mid‑century Catholic appraisal of technology’s cultural power and the Church’s intellectual responsibilities. Historically revealing for its pre–Vatican II posture and perennial concerns.

  10. Pope Francis. (2015). Laudato Si’: On care for our common home. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

    • Calls for integral ecology, critiquing technocratic paradigms that undercut the poor and the planet. Catalyzed a global, interfaith conversation on ethics of power and progress.

  11. Pope Francis. (2023). Laudate Deum. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

    • An urgent update intensifying critique of techno‑solutionism and urging robust global governance for climate justice and digital power. Short, direct, and pastorally edged.

  12. Schuurman, E. (1995). Perspectives on technology and culture. Dordt College Press.

    • A collection of essays that lays out Schuurman’s early program: diagnosing technicism’s cultural grip and sketching a Christian‑philosophical alternative. The pieces combine conceptual analysis with cultural critique, making the case for norm‑directed technology within a creational mandate. It serves as a concise gateway into themes he develops more fully in later works.

  13. Schuurman, E. (2003). Faith and hope in technology. Clements Publishing.

    • Schuurman reframes Christian engagement with technology around faith and hope, unmasking technocratic idolatries while orienting innovation toward the common good. He resists both alarmism and utopianism, calling for responsible, norm‑guided design and use rooted in creation, justice, and love of neighbor. Concise and pastoral, it distills his Reformational philosophy into practical guidance for church and society.

  14. Schuurman, E. (2009). Technology and the future: A philosophical challenge (New ed.; H. D. Morton, Trans.). Paideia Press.

    • Schuurman argues that modern technology is never neutral; it embodies deep cultural‑religious commitments that can either distort or direct human flourishing. From a Reformational perspective, he critiques technological autonomy and proposes norm‑guided stewardship grounded in creation, justice, and responsibility. The book offers a systematic alternative to technicism, engaging policy, ecology, economics, and daily craft as sites for faithful innovation.

  15. Shaw, J. M. (2014). Illusions of freedom: Thomas Merton and Jacques Ellul on technology and the human condition. Lutterworth Press.

    • Puts Merton and Ellul in dialogue, showing how both diagnose technique as a false route to freedom that deepens bondage. A sharp theological reminder that true liberty is found in God, not mastery of tools.

  16. Thweatt‑Bates, J. (2012). Cyborg selves: A theological anthropology of the posthuman. Ashgate.

    • Engages posthumanism and embodiment to propose a theological anthropology adequate to cyborgian life. Clear, creative, and a key conversation partner for bio/tech ethics.

  17. Waters, B. (2006). From human to posthuman: Christian theology and technology in a postmodern world. Routledge.

    • A sustained theological critique of posthuman promises, arguing for creaturely limits and embodied goods. Waters engages actual tech trajectories, not straw men.

  18. White, S. J. (1994). Christian worship and technological change. Abingdon Press.

    • A liturgical theologian charts how media and machines reshape worship spaces, roles, and participation. Practical yet theologically thick, it equips churches to evaluate “upgrades” without losing doxological depth.​

3. Digital Religion,

AI & Robotics (Multifaith / Applied) 

​​

  1. Campbell, H. A. (Ed.). (2020). The distanced church: Reflections on doing church online. Digital Religion Publications.

    • A rapid‑response collection from global practitioners and scholars on moving worship and ministry online during COVID‑19. Best used alongside congregational planning.

  2. Campbell, H. A., & Bellar, W. (2023). Digital religion: The basics. Routledge.

    • A crisp primer to core concepts, frameworks, and case studies in religion‑and‑digital studies. Ideal for newcomers and ministry teams.

  3. Campbell, H. A., & Dyer, J. (Eds.). (2022). Ecclesiology for a digital church: Theological reflections on a new normal. SCM Press.

    • Theologically maps questions of presence, authority, sacrament, and mission raised by hybrid church. Practical implications meet doctrinal depth.

  4. Campbell, H. A., & Tsuria, R. (Eds.). (2021). Digital religion: Understanding religious practice in digital media (2nd ed.). Routledge.

    • The standard field‑defining anthology, fully updated—with chapters on ritual, authority, embodiment, and platforms. Essential for teaching and research.

  5. Campbell, H. A. (2025). God and technology (Elements in the Problems of God). Cambridge University Press.

    • A concise synthesis bringing philosophy of technology into conversation with media/religion studies—especially how metaphors of divinity permeate tech culture. Ideal as an advanced primer.

  6. Day, K., & Edwards, E. M. (Eds.). (2022). The Routledge handbook of religion and cities. Routledge.

    • While not solely about tech, several chapters track how urban infrastructures, platforms, and surveillance entangle with religious life—excellent context for tech–religion studies.

  7. Dyer, J. (2023). People of the screen: How evangelicals created the digital Bible and how it shapes their reading of Scripture. Oxford University Press.

    • A historical‑empirical study of evangelical Bible software, apps, and platforms—and how mediums shape interpretation. Changes how you think about “just reading the Bible.”

  8. Gaudet, M. J., Herzfeld, N., Scherz, P., & Wales, J. J. (Eds.). (2024). Encountering artificial intelligence: Ethical and anthropological investigations. Pickwick Publications.

    • This interdisciplinary volume examines AI through the lenses of theological anthropology and Catholic moral thought, pressing questions about personhood, agency, work, medicine, and ecclesial life. The editors assemble philosophers, theologians, and ethicists to move beyond abstract hype toward concrete pastoral and policy implications. It’s a timely bridge between constructive theology and real‑world AI dilemmas, suitable for classrooms and ministry leaders.

  9. Hongladarom, S. (2020). The ethics of AI and robotics: A Buddhist viewpoint. Lexington Books / Bloomsbury Academic.

    • Brings Buddhist moral theory to AI questions like suffering, intention, and non‑self, offering constructive guidance for policy and design. A rare non‑Western ethical lens.

  10. Lüddeckens, D., & Vásquez, M. A. (Eds.). (2019). Religion online: How digital technology is changing the way we worship and pray (2 vols.). Praeger.

    • A broad global compendium on digital worship, authority, and practice across traditions. Useful for comparative snapshots and bibliographies.

  11. Mercer, C., & Trothen, T. J. (2021). Religion and the technological future: An introduction to biohacking, artificial intelligence, and transhumanism. Palgrave Macmillan.

    • A clear, ecumenical introduction to the religious stakes of biohacking, AI, and transhumanism. Balances explanatory breadth with attention to pastoral and ethical implications.

  12. Rozehnal, R. (Ed.). (2022). Cyber Muslims: Mapping Islamic digital media in the Internet age. Bloomsbury Academic.

    • Ethnographically rich chapters on Muslim piety, authority, and aesthetics online across regions. Strong for course modules on Islam and media.

  13. Singler, B. (2024). Religion and AI: An introduction. Routledge.

    • A lively, research‑grounded tour of how religious ideas inform AI imaginaries—and vice versa—across traditions and pop culture. Comes with discussion prompts and case studies for classes.

  14. Singler, B., & Watts, F. (Eds.). (2024). The Cambridge companion to religion and artificial intelligence. Cambridge University Press.

    • Brings philosophers, theologians, and social scientists together on AI’s religious entanglements—from robotics in ritual to superintelligence narratives. An authoritative collection for libraries and graduate seminars.

  15. Valea, E. M. (2021). Artificial intelligence, reincarnation, and resurrection: An inquiry into the ultimate fulfillment of human nature. Resource Publications (Wipf & Stock).

    • Compares transhumanist “digital immortality” and Eastern reincarnation with Christian resurrection, engaging mind–body debates en route. Clear, careful, and pastorally aware.

  16. Zeiler, X. (Ed.). (2019). Digital Hinduism. Routledge.

    • Documents how Hindu practice, authority, and pedagogy move across screens and platforms. A strong comparative counterpoint to Christian‑centric literature.

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