Digital Prophets and Prophets of the Digital
Online, 1-3 June, 2023
Registration
Registration for the conference is now open. You can register at the link below.
The registration page includes the cost of attending the conference.
Conference Theme
Each era begets its own prophet; the digital age has seen its fair share. The technological innovation of today is the realisation of the dreams of dreamers who envisioned a different future. Once created, pioneers have explored new vistas of the digital world pushing its limits, and seeing possibilities where others have remained oblivious, indifferent, or sceptical. As the novelty has worn off and digital innovations normalised into the mundanity of (postdigital) life, a new kind of prophet has emerged. Standing at the margins looking beneath the glitzy surface of technological promise, this prophet exposes the suffering, exploitation within as well as the plight of those left behind by the digital revolution. Theirs are the utterances forged from the residues of the stories of old, bringing hope of a different future.
This conference, hosted by the Global Network for Digital Theology, explores themes of the prophetic in digital cultures, in both global and local contexts.
We welcome papers from a range of methodological approaches in the following areas:
- Discussions of the pioneering work of religious actors and academics within the digital sphere
- The prophetic visions of technological innovators
- The prophetic semantics of artificial intelligence
- Dystopian and utopian perspectives on the digital
- Prophetic communication inside and outside religious communities
- Critical theological assessments of digitality
- The “prophetic” as local and global forms of theological articulation
- Connections between scripture/tradition and (post-)modern interpretation
- Do we find the prophets (mainly?) outside the institutions (e.g. religious “Sinn-fluencers”)?
- Do religious actors have a certain “prophetic office” to critically investigate (problematic) technological innovations (e.g. the Metaverse)?
- How the church should/can participate in public debates concerning socio-political issues deriving from digitalisation
- What makes digital prophetic communication “prophetic” (empirical, linguistic, and hermeneutical aspects)?
- How far is prophetic digital communication connected with political and legal aspects?
- Theological assessments of the impact of Sci Fi on contemporary social imaginaries
- Prophetic communication in texts and images
Call for Papers
The conference call for papers has now closed.
Conference Organisation
The conference is hosted by the Global Network for Digital Theology (GoNeDigiTal).
Conference organising committee:
- Dr Jonas Kurlberg (j.kurlberg@spurgeons.ac.uk)
- Prof Thomas Schlag (thomas.schlag@theol.uzh.ch)
- Dr Daniella Zsupan-Jerome (dzsupanje001@csbsju.edu)
For matters relating to the Global Network for Digital Theology please use the contact form here.
2023 Conference Programme
Thursday, 1st of June
Introduction and Prayer
06.30 AM (CDT – USA) / 12.30 PM (BST – London) / 9.30 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Jonas Kurlberg
Panel: “Pioneering Work in Digital Worlds”
6.45 AM (CDT – USA) / 12.45 PM (BST – London) / 9.45 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Chair: Ilona Nord
- Panelists: Rosy Russo, Erkki Sutinen & Kike Delgado
Paper Session 1
8.15 AM (CDT – USA) / 2.15 PM (BST – London) / 11.15 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Sabrina Müller: “Prophets and bridge builders. Queer pastoral influencers in the postdigital”
- Michael J Toy: “Identity, Paradise, and Flourishing: Digital Prophets in Aotearoa”
Paper Session 2
9.30 AM (CDT – USA) / 3.30 PM (BST – London) / 12.30 AM (AEST – Australia)
- Florian Höhne: “Prophetic critique and Digital Theology. Exploring the potential of digital communication to make the voice of the least heard”
- Melanie Dzugan: “Created Co-Creators’ and Thick Public Theology”
Paper Session 3
10.45 AM (CDT – USA) / 4.45 PM (BST – London) / 01.45 AM (AEST – Australia)
- Andrew Jones: “Pixel Pioneers: Opportunities and Challenges of the Early Metaverse Church”
- Simon Werrett: “The prophetic vision of ‘church is the metaverse'”
Socialising in the conference VR-space (Frame)
11.45 AM (CDT – USA) / 5.45 PM (BST – London) / 02.45 AM (AEST – Australia)
Friday, 2nd of June
Socialising in the conference VR-space (Frame)
06.00 AM (CDT – USA) / 12.00 PM (BST – London) / 9.00 PM (AEST – Australia)
Introduction and Prayer (in the conference VR-space (Frame))
06.30 AM (CDT – USA) / 12.30 PM (BST – London) / 9.30 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Daniella Zsupan-Jerome
Panel: “AI and Future Technology”
6.45 AM (CDT – USA) / 12.45 PM (BST – London) / 9.45 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Chair: Stephen Garner
- Panelists: Johannes Hoff, Heidi Campbell & Beth Singler
Paper Session 4
8.15 AM (CDT – USA) / 2.15 PM (BST – London) / 11.15 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Anna Puzio: “Robots as new prophets? Theological-Ethical Perspectives on Religious Robots”
- Stephen Garner: “Robot Discipling? Some Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Christian Education, Worship, and Spiritual Life”
Paper Session 5
9.30 AM (CDT – USA) / 3.30 PM (BST – London) / 12.30 AM (AEST – Australia)
- Annika Krahn/Axel Siegemund: “To what extent does the AI-chatbot prophetically point to future AI-written theology?”
- Katleho Mokoena: “Testing the Spirits” in the Age of Deepfakes: Discerning Digital Prophetic Communication”
Paper Session 6
10.45 AM (CDT – USA) / 4.45 PM (BST – London) / 01.45 AM (AEST – Australia)
- Joshua Smith: “Rethinking AI in Warfare: The Digital Prophets of DARPA”
- Kerith Woodyard: “A New Parallel Digital Society”: Christian Nationalism and the Social Media Promised Land”
Socialising in the conference VR-space (Frame)
11.45 AM (CDT – USA) / 5.45 PM (BST – London) / 02.45 AM (AEST – Australia)
Saturday, 3rd of June
Socialising in the conference VR-space (Frame)
06.00 AM (CDT – USA) / 12.00 PM (BST – London) / 9.00 PM (AEST – Australia)
Introduction and Prayer (in the conference VR-space (Frame))
06.30 AM (CDT – USA) / 12.30 PM (BST – London) / 9.30 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Thomas Schlag
Panel: Faith-Based Prophetic Practice
6.45 AM (CDT – USA) / 12.45 PM (BST – London) / 9.45 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Chair: Pete Phillips
- Panelists: Anthony Le Duc, Aline Amaro da Silva & Katleho Mokoena
Paper Session 7
8.15 AM (CDT – USA) / 2.15 PM (BST – London) / 11.15 PM (AEST – Australia)
- Frida Mannerfelt: “Preaching prophetically in “the digital limit situation”
- Titti Kallio & Terhi Paananen : “Liturgical Psychophysiology – Digital Measuring of Participants’ Sunday Service Experiences”
Paper Session 8
9.30 AM (CDT – USA) / 3.30 PM (BST – London) / 12.30 AM (AEST – Australia)
- Ian Emery: “May two or three online be considered ‘gathered’?”
- Kyle Oliver: “Remixed Rituals & Self-Styled Canon: Scenes of prophetic leadership in a hybrid faith-adjacent mentoring network”
Paper Session 9
10.45 AM (CDT – USA) / 4.45 PM (BST – London) / 01.45 AM (AEST – Australia)
- Benjamin Durheim: “Displacing Worship: Digital Factionalism and the Rural Liturgical Community”
- David Dockery: “Hideo Kojima: Prophesying Connection in a Digital Age”
Final discussion – next steps of the GoNeDigiTal network
12.00 AM (CDT – USA) / 6.00 PM (BST – London) / 03.00 AM (AEST – Australia)
GoNeDigiTal 