The hope of transformation is core to Christianity, uniting the content of belief with the identity of the believer. It rests on participating in the actions of God in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, who is at work transforming creation.

In the last few decades, ardent advocates of using technology for human enhancement (HET) effectively promoted their visions of transformation (often in terms sounding more than a little religious).

If both HET and Christian theology promote transformation, what should be their relationship? Are there ways to understand transformation that take into account the advances of technology and Christian claims regarding God, creation, humanity and the future of nature? Can one be Christian and use these technologies as an act consistent with faith?

I will explore this by interviewing leading thinkers, dissecting key literature (on topics such as biomedical advances, birth/new creation, sanctification, eternal life, social transformation and the human body) and incorporating feedback from round table discussions and responses to blog posts and newspaper columns.

I will disseminate via a highly interactive blog featuring podcasts of leading thinkers, my writings and relevant articles. To magnify the blog’s reach, I will utilize inbound marketing. I will host movie screenings and community discussions. I will continue writing for The Indy Star and Shelbyville News. I will resource Christian formation classes. I will connect with a role-play game designer about creating an open-ended story.

This project will further understandings of how faith and science inform, interact and collide. It will give pastoral guidance for thinking ethically and theologically about HET and their applications. It will prod pastors to prepare for the current and future care of their congregations and communities. It will provoke conversation.

I hope to show that the Christian vision of transformation can at the same time be a contemporary vision.