Black Mirror, Netflix's dystopian anthology, probes what it means to be human in a technological world. While the show raises interesting, if not disturbing, questions, it refrains from giving answers, putting the onus on viewers to continue the conversation. Accordingly, Theology and Black Mirror engages questions and prominent themes in Black Mirror with resources from the Christian tradition, including the academic disciplines of biblical studies, theology, philosophy, and ethics.
Amber Bowen is assistant professor of philosophy at Redeemer University (Hamilton, ON). John Anthony Dunne is assistant professor of New Testament and the director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Bethel Seminary (St. Paul, MN).
More Than Meets the Eye: An Introduction to Theology and Black Mirror Amber Bowen and John Anthony Dunne Part 1. Agency and Conditioning 1.Ethics through a Dark Lens: Ellul's Technological Morality in Black Mirror Peter Anderson 2.Barbarism, Boredom, and the Question Concerning Pornography in Fifteen Million Merits Amber Bowen 3.Free Will and (In)determinism in Hang the DJ Taylor W. Cyr 4.Too Many Twos: Ashley and the Artificial Authentic Elizabeth Howard 5.Smithereens as Technological Theodicy: Addiction, Emergence, and Resistance John Anthony Dunne Part 2. Idols and Anti-Christs 6.Arkangel and the Death of God: A Nietzschean Critique of Technology's Soteriological Scheme Amber Bowen and Megan Fritts 7.Seeing and Being Seen in a Black Mirror, Dimly: Phenomenology and the Dim View of White Christmas King-Ho Leung and Patrick McGlinchey 8.Evil Gods and the USS Callister Celina Durgin and Dru Johnson Part 3. Truth and Justice 9.Crowdsourcing Judgment: The Dark Side of Justice in Hated in the Nation and the Johannine Trial Narrative Andrew J. Byers 10.Re-Dos and Re-Visions: Replay and the Search for Meaning in the Shepherd of Hermas and The Entire History of You Jeremiah Bailey 11.King David and the White Bear Justice Park Rachelle Gilmour 12.Alternate Eyes: Perspective Shifting in the Samson Narrative and Black Mirror Brandon M. Hurlbert 13."Not Some Crazy Spiritual Thing": Rewards, Punishment, and Afterlife in Black Mirror James F. McGrath Part 4. Hope and Transcendence 14.Be Right Back and the Ethics of Mourning: (In)Authenticity and Resurrection in the Digital Age Rebekah Lamb and Joanna Leidenhag 15.Reflecting the Infinite or the Finite? The Mirror Motif in Black Mirror and Gregory of Nyssa Elizabeth Culhane 16.Memoria and The Entire History of You Nathaniel A. Warne 17.Look Door, Get Key: Presence in Black Mirror's Bandersnatch Douglas Estes 18.Where are You? San Junipero and the Technology of Shared Space Kris Song 19.Uploaded to the Cloud: Transhumanism and Digital Hope in Black Mirror John Anthony Dunne
