The HTML of Cruciform Love: Toward a Theology of the Internet

The topic of the Internet is vastly underrepresented in the current literature on the intersection of technology and theology. Studies on Internet theology are certainly viewed as a topic of “special interest,” relevant—it might be thought—only to eccentric academics and tech geeks. Yet, this book contends that there is no topic more pertinent to our daily walk as contemporary followers of Jesus Christ than the theological implications of the Internet. The twelve essays of this volume, though standalone pieces, also work in conjunction to investigate the themes of community and character formation in the digital realm. A host of interrelated sub-themes are represented in the book, including the application of patristic theology to contemporary Internet praxis, a demonology of the Internet, virtue ethics in cyberspace, and studies that consider the implications of Internet technology on aesthetics, personhood, and the self. Together, the chapters work toward a collaborative, constructive, cruciform theology of the Internet. The Internet is more than a supplementary component to our personal lives; rather, it is a medium of vital connection for the digital communion of the saints through the HTML of cruciform love.

John Frederick is a lecturer in New Testament at Trinity College Queensland. He is the author of Worship in the Way of the Cross (2017).

Eric Lewellen is an account manager at Vercross LLC.