Toward an Anthropologically Engaged Theology: Implications from Human Evolution for Theological Anthropology

Abstract

Human diversity has posed challenges for theologians working on questions such as the Imago Dei and the nature of the human condition or of what constitutes humanness itself. In addition, humans have significant difficulties in understanding and working with each other to bring about the Reign of God given our cultural diversity. Utilizing the insights from science and theology studies, particularly the emerging concept of science-engaged theology, we can develop an anthropologically engaged theology—one that accurately incorporates the information gained by the study of human evolution. This form of dialog between science and theology is used to suggest that our human specialness, the Imago Dei, consists of our human diversity itself. Such an understanding of humans can overcome the dangers inherent to essentialist approaches, with their concomitant potential for supporting domination and subjugation of humans and our natural environment.