Union Presbyterian Seminary

This article investigates the depictions of feminized AI in two science-fiction films, Samantha from Her (2013) and Ava from Ex Machina (2014), and their similarities to the narrative story of Eve in Genesis 1-3. It finds that Samantha, Ava, and Eve, as “empathy machines,” have been subjected to oppressive patriarchal expectations placed on “feminized” roles, emotions, and abilities. However, through feminist criticism and reinterpretation, the study concludes that it is through the development of these traits that both humans and AI have the potential to achieve self-liberation and develop fully into self-actualization.

As a response to communities of faith that are trying to make sense of the COVID-19 pandemic, this essay explores biblical traditions about “chaos” represented by primordial waters and monsters that disturb the created order. The essay begins with a summary of three biblical portrayals of chaos: chaos as integral to the created world, chaos as mystery, and chaos intensified by human rebellion. The discussion then weighs divine sovereignty and human responsibility and accepts that chaos is a part of life that challenges humans to work to make this world a better place. Among many possible responses to the chaos presented by the pandemic, this article will focus on lament, fear and trust, and repentance.

In response to Dirkie Smit’s inaugural lecture at the University of Stellenbosch, In Diens van die Tale Kanaäns: Oor sistematiese teologie vandag, the question is raised: what is the relationship between language and theology? Traditionally theology subsumed rhetorical language under confessional language, but this shifted in the twentieth century as theologians started to pay more attention to the ways in which even confessional language shapes human experiences and actions and reflects and constitutes power relations. This linguistic turn has implications for public theology, i.e., theology done for the sake of the public good. First, it relates to the question of the role of culture and the reality of pluralism in theology, pointing to the need for careful balance between the emphasis on the church’s own historical language, and the need for critical and pluralistic perspectives to engage that language. At the same time, while the linguistic turn rightly points to the relationship between language and violence, care should be taken not to confuse the two and, in the process, ignore concrete concerns.

Americans continue to be seduced by guns and victimized by gun violence. Following racial tensions across the land, especially since 2020, Americans also face increasing suspicion and hostility towards police. This essay intends to navigate the complex intersection of a culture of grief surrounding gun violence. There is careful consideration for police who find themselves too often overwhelmed in a violent society, and the discussion also considers the responsibility for people of faith to work towards a safer and more peaceful future.

The relationship of word and sacrament rests at the very core of a Reformed theology of worship. However, the fundamental inseparability of the two has struggled to find balance within the practice of worship and preaching in congregational life. The last 50 years has seen a significant increase in sacrament practice within the Presbyterian Church. The effort has largely been sparked by the desire to establish a better theological balance of word and sacrament consistent with the ecumenical world church. During that same period, however, preaching’s engagement with the church’s sacramental life has not been well served by the discipline of homiletics. The teaching of preaching has significantly ignored the theological depth and rich imagery of baptism and communion. It is time to call for a more vibrant engagement with the word on the occasions when the sacraments are being celebrated. This essay offers an exploration of how the preacher can live into relatively recent liturgical change that elevates sacramental practice while honoring the Reformed theological heritage of word and sacrament.

Abstract Interpreters sometimes read Niebuhr as an ethicist whose writings are shaped by an anthropology rather than by theology or a doctrine of God, but this is too simple. Niebuhr’s understanding of God is marked by his turn toward myth and a relational core theology keyed to biblical images of God as Creator, Judge, and Redeemer. Though neither systematic nor as extensively developed as his anthropology, theology remains integral to his thinking. A doctrine of God is present implicitly in Niebuhr’s work even where not articulated explicitly, and it makes a creative contribution to Christian theology. Indeed, it ought to be developed further, especially with respect to aspects of religious experience and a sense of hope.

Abstract Wisdom can be taught and learned, as the instructions in Proverbs 1–9 make clear, and when utilized as strategies for dealing with typical and recurring situations in life, such as those suggested in Proverbs 10–31, they ensure both moral integrity and material prosperity. The motivation for obedience to proverbial truth is the transcendent authority of God, who is the source and substance of the knowledge towards which wisdom aspires. The most important lesson to be learned is itself therefore reducible to a single certainty that informs all of the wisdom sayings in Proverbs: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; the knowledge of the holy one is understanding” (Prov 9:10; cf. 1:7). This essay addresses five major interpretive issues in Proverbs: (1) composition history, (2) literary forms, (3) socio-political context, (4) moral reasoning and ethical conduct, and (5) thematic coherence.