Cybertheology Thinking Christianity in the Era of the Internet

This book, written by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., the Editor of La Civiltà Cattolica, has been translated by Maria Way, who specializes in topics relating to media and religion. The author suggests that since 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. To develop this theme, he uses the term 'Cybertheology'.

Through the theoretical works of a variety of authors, e.g., Marshall McLuhan, Peter Lévy and Teilhard de Chardin, he associates the concepts of theology with theories that have been expounded on the internet. His sources come from media studies and anthropology, as well as theology. Spadaro also considers the hacker ethic in relation to Cybertheology. How has the internet changed our notion of theology? Has the internet had similar effects on the thinking of Christianity that were experienced after the development of other media technologies?

The book aims to clarify just how thinking has changed or remained the same in an era which is often seen as one in which the media's changes have speeded up. It considers both the positives and negatives that may be associated with the internet in relation to Christianity and its theology.

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.