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Techno-Theology: A Theological Algorithm For Being Human In A Technological Age
274 pages, Paperback
Published February 6, 2024
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February 16, 2026
Full disclosure: this book was written by my husband as his dissertation for his Doctorate in Ministry, specializing in semiotics and future studies for the 2017-2020 cohort at Portland Seminary. Naturally, I am incredibly proud of what he created so this review will reflect that support and adoration. I also wrote this left handed on my phone while nap-trapped; any confusing statements or errors are courtesy of my 2 year old. With that being said, please enjoy my review on Technotheology - A Theological Algorithm for Being Human in a Technological Age.
The paper itself was ahead of its time; the Church has dragged it’s proverbial feet in the mud when addressing the complexities of tech, and the ramifications of its passivity creates disciples who are wholly unprepared to engage in the questions it raises.
Theology books tend to play it safe, but this work takes a massive leap into a world most Christians fear: technology. I recall a road trip the good Doctor and I took several years ago. We were listening to a Christian talk radio station, and the hosts referenced a term we’d never heard before - fallen angel tech. It was clear that Christians in the Bible Belt held a dogmatic skepticism toward technology, and even appropriated their creation to fallen angels.
While this may seem hilarious (and it was), the jokes on the church. What we don’t understand, we villainize. And it’s easy to do, with biblical literacy rates down and our identity politics going up. Conspiracy theories, misinformation, and the general dumbing down of society abounds. So what’s a Jesus follower to do?
Dr. Passini’s (or Dan as I like to call him; Daniel if I’m salty), words were prescient and salient for 2026 - what does it mean to be human in a technological age? What does it look like? How does the church engage with technology? How will it answer questions to a growing demographic of people who demand authenticity in an age of efficiency? When “just read your Bible and pray,” is insufficient for the problems Christians face as they evaluate technology for themselves and their families?
Dan uses algorithms as the base metaphor to create what he calls, “techno-theology”: a vehicle to explore what algorithms rule the church and society at large, as well as what new programming we must code to change the algorithm. He expounds on several theological concepts such as “the God of the gaps,” escapism theology, instrumentalism, determinism, evolution, and science. He continues this analysis through worldviews, which are created by immersion through our cultures, traditions, education, upbringing, and personally held beliefs and positions. These views become roadblocks to and opposition against technological use.
But not all technology is created equal. Intent, matters. Motivations, matter. How we use tech and what we use it for, matter in the Kingdom of God. It’s that intent this paper demands we filter through a Christo-centric lens.
The most important thing the church can do, is be curious and foster congregations and communities that ask questions. Really uncomfortable, awkward, and outrageous questions. Problems with tech use have only proliferated since this paper was published - parents struggle with navigating tech like phones, social media sites, potential identity theft, human trafficking, and schoolwork with their very youngest to the oldest children in households. Studies continue to pour in on the neurological and behavioral disorders tech use has given the next generation. Tech use is not going away. We must engage or be subject to the whims of a crumbling and confused society bent on making technology an idol.
Dan builds on this metaphor with the introduction of subroutines. A subroutine in programming is a sequence of computer instructions designed to perform a specific task within a larger program.
Within this codex of our faith, we must establish the kind of algorithms that align with the mission and person of Jesus. Dan discusses the following subroutines: imago dei and creativity, reason, regency, and relationship.
Throughout each subroutine we find functions that recode and restore our lives to the Zoe life. Creativity and storytelling is our divine superpower - artists, musicians, and writers imbue the human matrix with fresh glimpses of the New Creation breaking into the present reality. AI can threaten this new exodus when it is used to corrupt, dehumanize, or destroy the image of God in others. But it can and should be a powerful medium to share the hope we have within us to a hurting world.
The human mind is an elegant, mysterious, and powerful engine. Only a God of ultimate creativity and imagination could design it. Is it the very house of our consciousness? The substrate of it? Who knows. But what we can confidently assert is that technology in the form of artificial intelligence will never come close to the mental universe God built our minds to be. Technotheology calls Jesus followers to discern, through the renewing of our minds, how we will navigate technologies that promise eradication of diseases, and radical life extension. How will it affect others? Wisdom must be a deeply engrained part of our algorithm so that we are not overrun with malevolent malware that will circumvent the mission of God.
The section on regency reminds us of the trusteeship we’ve been given in God to “conserve and conceive” the earth. The Gospel message is a proclamation not just for humans but for all created things. When we take personal ownership of our impacts on the world and humanity, then will we see the good news take root and flourish.
The subroutine of relationship is a vital aspect of our upgraded software - we simply cannot experience God in the absence of our fellow humans. We need each other desperately, to see and connect and thrive in the love and life God desires for us as His children. Tech can foster relationships, but it can only give the imitation of connection. What does it mean to be a neighbor in a digital world?
As the book contends, Jesus didn’t incarnate in pixels but in flesh and blood. We are biologically wired by a good God to experience aliveness in our physical bodies - not doped up avatars. Virtual reality and whole brain emulation will never attain the awareness that our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies can and do.
My favorite chapter (and one you will not find in the original paper) is on the Jesus Algorithm. It is here that Technotheology, illustrates theologically and scripturally that everything Jesus did was an example to us of how to be more human. From creativity to storytelling, from parables to his relationships with other humans, Jesus is the architect, and the Holy Spirit is a life-altering code that restores and reimagines what being a new creation in a technological age is all about.
The last chapter reminds us that contrary to popular belief, the future does need us. Sure technology is advancing at an astronomical rate. But does that mean humans are obsolete? Absolutely not. Technotheology means Christians are tasked to be harbingers of the good, the true, and the beautiful. To heal, restore, and set free humanity from an either/or dichotomy when it comes to faith and the sciences. The future needs the church to hold tension - to be ground zero for expansive questioning, application, and dissemination of technologies that have the potential to lead humanity into the fullness of Christ and the New Creation. What happens when we see technology as part of the redemptive work of Jesus, embodied through reason, regency, relationship, creativity, and the image of God? These are the questions Technotheology demands, and Christians must account for them.
Included at the back are a few appendices that address topics that might not be as familiar as others discussed throughout the book, namely the concept of transhumanism and what authenticity means in this technological age.
When’s the last time your church spoke to gene editing? Radical life extension? Creation care? Robots? Nanotechnology? Aliens? Perhaps it’s easier to pray for an eschatological return of Jesus than to address these emerging and complex technologies, but the Church must show up for such a time as this. While some of these topics may seem fit for a science fiction movie, they eerily relevant in light of the meteoric advancement of technologies we are experiencing and will see in the coming years.
I recommend this book for anyone curious about unconventional topics the church doesn’t address or have answers for. Some people may not like the academic language or feel it too “verbose,” and in that way, perhaps Technotheology is better suited to pastors, theologians, and teachers instead of the general public. But the danger in writing off works because they encourage people to think deeply is more likely our own resistance to being responsibly informed Christians. Do hard things on purpose - including reading material that might challenge your worldviews. As the book references Michael Polyani: we stand under, to understand.
Technotheology asks us what it means to be human, because that definition is being continually augmented by technological developments. Maybe Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it best: “to be conformed to the one who has become human — that is what being human really means.”
The paper itself was ahead of its time; the Church has dragged it’s proverbial feet in the mud when addressing the complexities of tech, and the ramifications of its passivity creates disciples who are wholly unprepared to engage in the questions it raises.
Theology books tend to play it safe, but this work takes a massive leap into a world most Christians fear: technology. I recall a road trip the good Doctor and I took several years ago. We were listening to a Christian talk radio station, and the hosts referenced a term we’d never heard before - fallen angel tech. It was clear that Christians in the Bible Belt held a dogmatic skepticism toward technology, and even appropriated their creation to fallen angels.
While this may seem hilarious (and it was), the jokes on the church. What we don’t understand, we villainize. And it’s easy to do, with biblical literacy rates down and our identity politics going up. Conspiracy theories, misinformation, and the general dumbing down of society abounds. So what’s a Jesus follower to do?
Dr. Passini’s (or Dan as I like to call him; Daniel if I’m salty), words were prescient and salient for 2026 - what does it mean to be human in a technological age? What does it look like? How does the church engage with technology? How will it answer questions to a growing demographic of people who demand authenticity in an age of efficiency? When “just read your Bible and pray,” is insufficient for the problems Christians face as they evaluate technology for themselves and their families?
Dan uses algorithms as the base metaphor to create what he calls, “techno-theology”: a vehicle to explore what algorithms rule the church and society at large, as well as what new programming we must code to change the algorithm. He expounds on several theological concepts such as “the God of the gaps,” escapism theology, instrumentalism, determinism, evolution, and science. He continues this analysis through worldviews, which are created by immersion through our cultures, traditions, education, upbringing, and personally held beliefs and positions. These views become roadblocks to and opposition against technological use.
But not all technology is created equal. Intent, matters. Motivations, matter. How we use tech and what we use it for, matter in the Kingdom of God. It’s that intent this paper demands we filter through a Christo-centric lens.
The most important thing the church can do, is be curious and foster congregations and communities that ask questions. Really uncomfortable, awkward, and outrageous questions. Problems with tech use have only proliferated since this paper was published - parents struggle with navigating tech like phones, social media sites, potential identity theft, human trafficking, and schoolwork with their very youngest to the oldest children in households. Studies continue to pour in on the neurological and behavioral disorders tech use has given the next generation. Tech use is not going away. We must engage or be subject to the whims of a crumbling and confused society bent on making technology an idol.
Dan builds on this metaphor with the introduction of subroutines. A subroutine in programming is a sequence of computer instructions designed to perform a specific task within a larger program.
Within this codex of our faith, we must establish the kind of algorithms that align with the mission and person of Jesus. Dan discusses the following subroutines: imago dei and creativity, reason, regency, and relationship.
Throughout each subroutine we find functions that recode and restore our lives to the Zoe life. Creativity and storytelling is our divine superpower - artists, musicians, and writers imbue the human matrix with fresh glimpses of the New Creation breaking into the present reality. AI can threaten this new exodus when it is used to corrupt, dehumanize, or destroy the image of God in others. But it can and should be a powerful medium to share the hope we have within us to a hurting world.
The human mind is an elegant, mysterious, and powerful engine. Only a God of ultimate creativity and imagination could design it. Is it the very house of our consciousness? The substrate of it? Who knows. But what we can confidently assert is that technology in the form of artificial intelligence will never come close to the mental universe God built our minds to be. Technotheology calls Jesus followers to discern, through the renewing of our minds, how we will navigate technologies that promise eradication of diseases, and radical life extension. How will it affect others? Wisdom must be a deeply engrained part of our algorithm so that we are not overrun with malevolent malware that will circumvent the mission of God.
The section on regency reminds us of the trusteeship we’ve been given in God to “conserve and conceive” the earth. The Gospel message is a proclamation not just for humans but for all created things. When we take personal ownership of our impacts on the world and humanity, then will we see the good news take root and flourish.
The subroutine of relationship is a vital aspect of our upgraded software - we simply cannot experience God in the absence of our fellow humans. We need each other desperately, to see and connect and thrive in the love and life God desires for us as His children. Tech can foster relationships, but it can only give the imitation of connection. What does it mean to be a neighbor in a digital world?
As the book contends, Jesus didn’t incarnate in pixels but in flesh and blood. We are biologically wired by a good God to experience aliveness in our physical bodies - not doped up avatars. Virtual reality and whole brain emulation will never attain the awareness that our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies can and do.
My favorite chapter (and one you will not find in the original paper) is on the Jesus Algorithm. It is here that Technotheology, illustrates theologically and scripturally that everything Jesus did was an example to us of how to be more human. From creativity to storytelling, from parables to his relationships with other humans, Jesus is the architect, and the Holy Spirit is a life-altering code that restores and reimagines what being a new creation in a technological age is all about.
The last chapter reminds us that contrary to popular belief, the future does need us. Sure technology is advancing at an astronomical rate. But does that mean humans are obsolete? Absolutely not. Technotheology means Christians are tasked to be harbingers of the good, the true, and the beautiful. To heal, restore, and set free humanity from an either/or dichotomy when it comes to faith and the sciences. The future needs the church to hold tension - to be ground zero for expansive questioning, application, and dissemination of technologies that have the potential to lead humanity into the fullness of Christ and the New Creation. What happens when we see technology as part of the redemptive work of Jesus, embodied through reason, regency, relationship, creativity, and the image of God? These are the questions Technotheology demands, and Christians must account for them.
Included at the back are a few appendices that address topics that might not be as familiar as others discussed throughout the book, namely the concept of transhumanism and what authenticity means in this technological age.
When’s the last time your church spoke to gene editing? Radical life extension? Creation care? Robots? Nanotechnology? Aliens? Perhaps it’s easier to pray for an eschatological return of Jesus than to address these emerging and complex technologies, but the Church must show up for such a time as this. While some of these topics may seem fit for a science fiction movie, they eerily relevant in light of the meteoric advancement of technologies we are experiencing and will see in the coming years.
I recommend this book for anyone curious about unconventional topics the church doesn’t address or have answers for. Some people may not like the academic language or feel it too “verbose,” and in that way, perhaps Technotheology is better suited to pastors, theologians, and teachers instead of the general public. But the danger in writing off works because they encourage people to think deeply is more likely our own resistance to being responsibly informed Christians. Do hard things on purpose - including reading material that might challenge your worldviews. As the book references Michael Polyani: we stand under, to understand.
Technotheology asks us what it means to be human, because that definition is being continually augmented by technological developments. Maybe Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it best: “to be conformed to the one who has become human — that is what being human really means.”
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