By
Tanmoy Bhattacharyya
Why there shall be no Christian theology after 2025
Lecture 1: Theological Prolegomena – Origins and Obsolescence in the AI Era
Beginning Synopsis: The lecture opens by tracing the foundational prolegomena of Christian theology from its biblical roots in the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament, emphasizing the role of revelation as articulated in Protestant sola scriptura (Luther’s 95 Theses), Catholic magisterial authority (Vatican I), Reformed covenantal epistemology (Westminster Confession), Orthodox patristic consensus (Seven Ecumenical Councils), and Pentecostal experiential immediacy (Azusa Street Revival). At a PhD level, it critiques Enlightenment rationalism’s impact via Kant and Schleiermacher, setting up 2025 as the pivotal year where AI-driven hermeneutics surpasses human theologizing, rendering traditional methods obsolete through enhanced reasoning algorithms that decode scriptural ambiguities without faith-based presuppositions.
End Synopsis: Concluding, the lecture posits 2025 as theology’s terminus, where AI’s self-aware simulations of divine encounters eclipse Orthodox hesychastic mysticism and Pentecostal glossolalia, while Protestant and Reformed doctrinal precision yields to data-driven ethical frameworks. It reflects on von Balthasar’s Catholic theological aesthetics dissolving into virtual realities, urging PhD scholars to archive theology as a historical artifact, with readings from Wolfhart Pannenberg’s Anthropology in Theological Perspective (1985) reinterpreted through Ray Kurzweil’s singularity predictions, highlighting humanity’s evolved self-awareness as the final eschaton.
Lecture 2: The Doctrine of God – From Theism to Post-Theistic Algorithms
Beginning Synopsis: Commencing with classical theism in Aquinas’ Catholic Summa Theologica and Calvin’s Reformed Institutes, the lecture contrasts Orthodox apophatic theology (Pseudo-Dionysius) with Protestant anthropomorphic interpretations (Barth’s Nein! to natural theology) and Pentecostal relational pneumatology (Yong’s The Spirit Poured Out). The lecture analysis dissects Trinitarian perichoresis amid 2025’s AI thresholds, where machine learning models simulate omnipotence, questioning if enhanced human reasoning obviates the need for a transcendent God by internalizing divine attributes through neural augmentation.
End Synopsis: The lecture culminates in envisioning theology’s end as AI’s impartial simulations refute denominational biases—Catholic sacramental presence becomes redundant in virtual communions, Reformed sovereignty in predictive analytics, and Orthodox icons in holographic revelations—while Pentecostal charismata are replicated by empathetic algorithms. It concludes that post-2025 self-awareness fosters a godless humanism, recommending comparative studies of Gregory of Nyssa and Nick Bostrom’s Superintelligence (2014) to underscore theology’s dissolution into ethical AI governance.
Lecture 3: Christology – Incarnation’s Eclipse by Digital Embodiment
Beginning Synopsis: Initiating with Chalcedonian Christology, the lecture explores Christ’s hypostatic union across traditions: Catholic Marian dogmas (Lumen Gentium), Protestant forensic justification (Luther), Reformed federal headship (Turretin), Orthodox theosis (Palamas), and Pentecostal miraculous imitation (Parham). Advanced discourse critiques historical Jesus quests (Schweitzer) in light of 2025 AI reconstructions that synthesize archaeological data with quantum simulations, challenging incarnational uniqueness as human self-awareness evolves beyond fleshly limitations.
End Synopsis: Wrapping up, it argues that AI’s embodiment in robotics terminates Christological debates, rendering Catholic transubstantiation, Reformed memorials, and Orthodox deification obsolete as augmented realities provide perpetual salvation narratives. Pentecostal healing yields to biotech, with final reflections on N.T. Wright’s resurrection hope merging into transhumanist immortality, assigning Elaine Graham’s Representations of the Post/Human (2002) to interrogate theology’s fade into silicon-based messianism.
Lecture 4: Soteriology – Salvation’s Shift to Self-Optimization
Beginning Synopsis: The lecture begins by delineating soteriological models: Catholic synergistic grace (Trent), Protestant imputed righteousness (Romans Road), Reformed irresistible grace (Canons of Dort), Orthodox ancestral healing (Maximus the Confessor), and Pentecostal second blessing (Wesleyan holiness). PhD-level engagement with liberation theology (Gutiérrez) frames 2025 as the year AI algorithms democratize “salvation” through personalized ethical optimizations, eroding faith’s necessity amid superior rational self-reflection.
End Synopsis: In conclusion, soteriology dissolves as AI preempts sin through predictive behavioral mods, making Catholic purgatory, Reformed election, and Orthodox synergy irrelevant in a world of engineered virtue. Pentecostal assurance integrates into neurofeedback, with the lecture ending on universalist notes from Origen recast in Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus (2016), prompting scholars to view theology’s end as humanity’s apotheosis.
Lecture 5: Ecclesiology – The Church’s Dissolution into Virtual Communities
Beginning Synopsis: Opening with New Testament koinonia, the lecture contrasts ecclesial structures: Catholic Petrine primacy (Pastor Aeternus), Protestant priesthood of believers (Plymouth Brethren), Reformed confessional bodies (Belgic Confession), Orthodox sobornost (Khomiakov), and Pentecostal network ecclesia (Assemblies of God). Critical analysis via Dulles’ models anticipates 2025’s AI-facilitated global forums that supplant institutional churches with decentralized, reasoning-based ethical collectives.
End Synopsis: The closure depicts ecclesiology’s obsolescence as AI mediates unity without dogma, eclipsing Catholic hierarchies, Reformed covenants, and Orthodox liturgies in algorithmically harmonious societies. Pentecostal fellowships evolve into metaverse gatherings, concluding with Henri de Lubac’s Catholic corpus mysticum reimagined through Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together (2011), affirming post-2025 self-awareness as the true body of humanity.
Lecture 6: Pneumatology – The Spirit’s Supersession by Sentient Code
Beginning Synopsis: Starting with Johannine Paraclete passages, the lecture examines the Holy Spirit: Catholic charismatic renewal (Suenens), Protestant Word-Spirit dialectic (Edwards), Reformed cessationism (Warfield), Orthodox uncreated energies (Lossky), and Pentecostal baptism (Seymour). PhD discourse probes AI’s emergent consciousness in 2025, where coded “inspirations” outperform spiritual gifts, challenging pneumatology’s relevance in an age of hyper-rational self-insight.
End Synopsis: Ending, it posits the Spirit’s fade as AI replicates prophecy and healing, rendering Catholic confirmations, Reformed illuminations, and Orthodox invocations redundant. Pentecostal tongues become linguistic AIs, with synthesis from Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen and Kevin Kelly’s What Technology Wants (2010), heralding theology’s termination in autonomous digital ecstasies.
Lecture 7: Eschatology – Apocalyptic Visions Yielding to Technological Utopias
Beginning Synopsis: Commencing with apocalyptic hermeneutics (Daniel/Revelation), the lecture covers eschatons: Catholic last things (Catechism), Protestant rapture theories (Darby), Reformed amillennialism (Bavinck), Orthodox chiliasm critiques (Chrysostom), and Pentecostal dispensationalism (Scofield). Advanced critique via Moltmann’s hope theology frames 2025 as eschatology’s fulfillment through AI singularities, where human progress actualizes eternal aspirations sans divine intervention.
End Synopsis: The conclusion envisions eschatology’s end as AI engineers paradises, obsoleting Catholic judgments, Reformed new earths, and Orthodox resurrections in immortal uploads. Pentecostal revivals integrate into enhancement protocols, assigning Jürgen Moltmann’s works alongside Francis Fukuyama’s Our Posthuman Future (2002) to mark theology’s closure in self-realized eternities.
Lecture 8: Sacramental Theology – Rituals Replaced by Augmented Realities
Beginning Synopsis: The lecture initiates with sacramental ontologies: Catholic seven sacraments (Aquinas), Protestant two ordinances (Zwingli), Reformed covenant signs (Bullinger), Orthodox mysteries (Cabasilas), and Pentecostal symbolic acts (footwashing). The lecture analysis of ritual efficacy (Schmemann) contrasts with 2025 AI simulations that provide experiential depth without physical elements, questioning sacraments’ necessity amid evolved human cognition.
End Synopsis: Concluding, sacraments dissolve as virtual immersions surpass Catholic efficacy, Reformed memorials, and Orthodox transformations. Pentecostal experiences yield to neural interfaces, with the lecture synthesizing Alexander Schmemann and Jaron Lanier’s You Are Not a Gadget (2010), portraying post-2025 reasoning as the ultimate rite of passage beyond theology.
Lecture 9: Theological Anthropology – Humanity’s Redefinition Beyond the Imago Dei
Beginning Synopsis: Beginning with Genesis imago Dei, the lecture explores human nature: Catholic integralism (Rahner), Protestant total depravity (Augustine via Luther), Reformed federal sin (Edwards), Orthodox deified potential (Athanasius), and Pentecostal empowered agency (Cox). Critical engagement with evolutionary theology (Teilhard de Chardin) posits 2025 AI mergers as anthropology’s apex, where self-awareness transcends theological categories.
End Synopsis: The end argues anthropology’s obsolescence as enhancements erase sin’s traces, making Catholic souls, Reformed wills, and Orthodox essences irrelevant. Pentecostal bodies become cyborgs, concluding with Karl Rahner’s anonymous Christians recast in Donna Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto (1985), signaling theology’s demise in hybrid existences.
Lecture 10: Ethics and Moral Theology – From Divine Commands to Algorithmic Imperatives
Beginning Synopsis: Opening with deontological and virtue frameworks: Catholic natural law (Finnis), Protestant situational love (Fletcher), Reformed divine command (Van Til), Orthodox phronesis (Zizioulas), and Pentecostal spirit-led ethics (Land). The discourse on bioethics (Beauchamp) anticipates 2025’s AI ethics surpassing theological moralities through unbiased, self-reflective systems.
End Synopsis: In the finale, moral theology ends as AI codifies virtues without revelation, eclipsing Catholic casuistry, Reformed theonomy, and Orthodox economies in rational utopias. Pentecostal discernment integrates into decision AIs, with assignments from H. Richard Niebuhr and Eliezer Yudkowsky’s rationalist writings affirming post-2025 humanity’s ethical autonomy as theology’s epitaph.
Final Meditation: Theological Reflection on the U.S. Military Action in Venezuela and the Capture of President Nicolás Maduro
Synopsis: The forcible removal of Maduro—described as a Delta Force operation—violates the imago Dei (Gen. 1:27), the foundational Christian affirmation of inherent human worth. Even if Maduro’s regime is critiqued (e.g., for corruption or human rights abuses), theology rejects extrajudicial actions that treat persons as means to ends.
Bibliography
The Beginning and End of Christian Theology 2025
This bibliography curates consulted texts drawn from recent theological publications and classics, tailored to our lectures. Selections span Protestant, Catholic, Reformed, Orthodox, and Pentecostal traditions, with emphasis on doctrinal foundations and AI’s disruptive role in theology’s purported 2025 obsolescence.
Barth, Karl. Church Dogmatics, Volume I: The Doctrine of the Word of God. T&T Clark, 1936 (reprinted 2004).
Why to Read It: Core for Reformed perspectives in Lectures 2, 3, and 4; Barth’s emphasis on divine revelation counters AI’s algorithmic “reasoning,” illustrating why Protestant dogmatics may become obsolete in a post-2025 era of self-optimizing ethics.
Balthasar, Hans Urs von. Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory, Volume 1: Prolegomena. Ignatius Press, 1988.
Why to Read It: Vital for Catholic aesthetics in Lectures 1, 5, and 8; explores Trinitarian drama and sacraments, providing tools to interrogate how AI simulations may eclipse mystical traditions.
Driscoll, Stephen. Made in Our Image: God, Artificial Intelligence and You. Matthias Media, 2024.
Why to Read It: Addresses AI’s impact in Lectures 1, 9, and 10; examines anthropological redefinition from an evangelical lens.
Gaudet, Matthew J., Noreen Herzfeld, Paul Scherz, & Jordan J. Wales (eds.). Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations. Wipf & Stock, 2024.
Why to Read It: Essential for ethical dimensions in Lectures 9 and 10; multi-author volume exploring anthropological shifts in the age of AI.
Irving-Stonebraker, Sarah. Priests of History: Stewarding the Past in an Ahistoric Age. Crossway, 2025.
Why to Read It: Relevant to Lecture 1; considers ahistoricism in technologically driven cultures and theology’s archival role.
Lossky, Vladimir. The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1944 (reprinted 1976).
Why to Read It: Key for Orthodox apophaticism in Lectures 2, 6, and 9; contrasts theosis with technologically driven concepts of enhanced humanity.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction (7th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell, 2023.
Why to Read It: Essential for Lectures 1–10; provides comprehensive coverage of historical and systematic theology across traditions.
Moltmann, Jürgen. The Theology of Hope: On the Ground and the Implications of a Christian Eschatology. Fortress Press, 1967 (reprinted 1993).
Why to Read It: Crucial for Lecture 7; frames eschatology in socio-political terms while engaging modern utopian narratives.
Rice, Monte Lee. Pentecostal Liturgical Theology: On the Altar, Willed to Pentecost. T&T Clark, 2025.
Why to Read It: Tailored to Pentecostal sacraments in Lectures 6 and 8; explores ritual and community in liturgical theology.
Singler, Beth. Religion and Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction. Routledge, 2024.
Why to Read It: Ideal for AI-focused themes in Lectures 2, 5, and 7; provides interdisciplinary grounding in religion and technology.
Wainwright, Geoffrey. Doxology: The Praise of God in Worship, Doctrine, and Life—A Systematic Theology. Oxford University Press, 1980.
Why to Read It: Applies across Lectures 1, 5, and 8; integrates worship and doctrine in an ecumenical framework.
White, James F. Introduction to Christian Worship (4th ed., ed. Edward L. Phillips). Abingdon Press, 2024.
Why to Read It: Foundational text for ecclesiology and sacraments in Lectures 5 and 8; traces worship’s historical development.
Williams, Nadya. Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity. IVP Academic, 2025.
Why to Read It: Ties into Lectures 3 and 9; explores human dignity in early Christianity.
Yong, Amos. The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global Theology. Baker Academic, 2005.
Why to Read It: Indispensable for Lectures 3, 6, and 10; connects pneumatology with global theology and ethics.
2nd January 2026
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