Abstract

This chapter draws upon two meanings associated with the metaphor of shadow—as imperfect representation and constant companion—to assess the transhumanist movement and the Christian church’s response. First, the essay demonstrates that the liberal, humanistic accounts of transhumanism have their shadow side because they reflect an imperfect representation of the self and political community, and it offers a corrective drawn from the work of H. Richard Niebuhr and from Christian conceptions of covenant community. Second, the essay highlights the contributions of theologians and ethicists who have shadowed the transhumanist movement to identify both compatibility and incompatibility with the Christian worldview, and it calls upon the broader church to engage more fully rather than dismiss transhumanist insights and challenges.