Journal: Eikon
Volume: EIKON 07:2 (Fall 2025)
Article: Humanity, Hope, And The Future: A Comparative Anthropology Of Christianity And Transhumanism
Author: Andrew T. Walker

Eikon 7.2 (Fall 2025) p. 108

Humanity, Hope, And The Future: A Comparative Anthropology Of Christianity And Transhumanism

Andrew T. Walker

Andrew T. Walker Andrew is the managing editor of WORLD Opinions and serves as associate professor of Christian ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also a fellow with The Ethics and Public Policy Center. He resides with his family in Louisville, KY.

In an age marked by rapid technological advancement and profound ethical questions, the search for human meaning remains central. Both Christianity and transhumanism offer comprehensive visions of what it means to be human, what our destiny is, and how we might achieve it. These two worldviews – one rooted in ancient sacred texts and divine revelation, the other in cutting-edge science and futurist imagination – offer contrasting anthropologies that nonetheless share some intriguing parallels. This essay examines the intersection of anthropology and Christianity, as well as their relationship with transhumanism, comparing their perspectives on human origins, nature, purpose, suffering, and destiny, while highlighting both their convergences and irreconcilable tensions.

Human Origins: Divine Creation Vs. Evolutionary Emergence

At the heart of any anthropology is the question of where we come from. Christianity affirms that God creates human beings in His own image. Genesis 1:26–27 declares, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” This concept, known as the imago Dei, suggests that humans possess inherent dignity, moral agency, rationality, and a spiritual nature that reflects God’s character. Humanity, though created

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good, has fallen through sin, introducing moral and existential brokenness into the human condition.

Transhumanism, by contrast, embraces a secular evolutionary framework. Humanity, in this view, is the current stage of a long biological process shaped by natural selection. There is no divine design; instead, humans are products of random mutations and environmental pressures. However, transhumanists argue that we now stand at the threshold of directing our own evolution through technological innovation — particularly artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and cybernetic augmentation.

While Christianity sees human origins as sacred and purposeful, transhumanism sees them as contingent, malleable, and provisional. This difference profoundly shapes each worldview’s understanding of human value and destiny.

The Nature Of The Human Person: Body And Soul Or Biological Mechanism?

Christian anthropology affirms a dualistic view of the human person...