The article examines the concept of human nature as articulated by the American philosopher Francis Fukuyama and analyzes his critical stance towards transhumanism as a worldview and technological movement that challenges traditional conceptions of humanity. The author explores Fukuyama’s key philosophical notions, such as “human nature” and “Factor X”, which he regards as an essential normative core necessary to preserve ethical responsibility, universality of rights, and social stability of democratic institutions in an era of radical technological change. According to Fukuyama, technological interventions in human nature threaten to erode the foundations of public morality and generate new forms of social inequality. The article also analyzes Fukuyama’s concept from the perspective of Orthodox anthropology, revealing a fundamental difference in approaches to understanding human nature. While Fukuyama draws on biological and secular approaches, advocating the need to preserve the unchanging core of human essence, Orthodox theology views humans as integral spiritual and physical beings, endowed with the image of God and destined for deification. The article emphasizes that the Orthodox tradition not only preserves the natural status quo, but offers a path to spiritual perfection through collaboration with God. The article concludes by arguing that Fukuyama’s secular anthropology is insufficient to address the profound existential and ethical questions posed by both theology and transhumanism, emphasizing the need to integrate an Orthodox anthropological perspective into contemporary scientific and philosophical discourse.

The word 'dignity' has been applied in the context of everything from hospital gowns to the image of God. Despite calls to jettison the concept from moral philosophy, the term persists, and definitional schema abound. This essay argues that 'dignity' is a placeholder for fundamental values, a 'buck-passing' move that signals the strength of feeling behind the argument. Like a 'burning' or 'stabbing' pain without fire or blades, claims of dignity violation help to diagnose the kind of moral harm that elicits the feeling of indignation. In this sense, 'dignity' is a move in a language game that challenges the epistemic constraints around who matters. To demonstrate how 'dignity' operates as a move in a language-game rooted in embodiment, I conclude with a consideration of how deceased bodies are treated in medical education and the Honor Walk. If understood as a call to evaluate who counts as 'people-like-us' and how they should be treated, dignity remains a valuable concept in bioethics despite its ambiguity.

The article is devoted to a comprehensive and thorough theoretical analysis of the moral foundations of human rights within the framework of the Orthodox tradition. It examines in detail the decisive and profound interrelation between law, morality, and Orthodox teaching, considered in the context of substantiating and developing the modern concept of human rights. It emphasizes that in democratic societies, law rests on strong moral principles that have been shaped over a long historical period under the significant influence of religious traditions, particularly Orthodoxy. The contribution of prominent figures in classical legal thought is analyzed, including Immanuel Kant, John Locke, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Their works reveal the idea of law as a moral phenomenon intrinsically linked to the value orientations of society. The article separately considers the nature of Orthodox morality, which is based on the doctrine of the image of God in man and combines the principles of conciliarity, the idea of deification (theosis), and a profound ethic of love for one’s neighbor. It is argued that Orthodox principles of human dignity, free will, and social justice constitute an important source of the moral foundations of human rights. The article also demonstrates that the Christian Orthodox concept of personality serves as a kind of alternative to extreme individualistic and collectivist approaches, as it offers an organic combination of individual human rights with civic and moral responsibility. It analyzes how the Orthodox ethical system has influenced the formation of specific rights, including the right to life, the right to dignity, the right to freedom of conscience, and other important components of a person’s legal status. The distinctive features of the Orthodox approach are identified in comparison with other religious and secular traditions, which makes it possible to more clearly understand its uniqueness and differences. The article highlights the significant potential of the Christian moral tradition in enriching the modern legal discourse on human rights. Such a tradition contributes to a deeper and more balanced understanding of the relationship between personal freedom and the common good, which is of exceptional importance both in theoretical terms and in the practice of law enforcement in democratic states.

This article examines the historical texts of ancient philosophy and the Church Fathers to demonstrate the continuity of their thought and to establish a framework for dialogue as an ongoing process of human self-discovery. It focuses on the conception of the human person expressed through the body-soul-spirit triad and its transformation within Christian anthropology. The study traces the evolution of these categories from Platonic tripartition and Aristotelian hylomorphism to their synthesis and reinterpretation by thinkers such as Irenaeus of Lyons, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine. The author argues that while patristic thought borrowed philosophical categories from Hellenism, it subordinated them to biblical revelation, striving to preserve the integrity and unity of the human person created in the image of God. The article proposes a methodology that is both historical and constructive: historical in its genealogical tracing of ideas and constructive in its commitment to rearticulating these insights in the context of contemporary anthropological challenges. The central thesis is that patristic anthropology, with its emphasis on the unity of the person, the dynamics of moral freedom, and the orientation toward deification (theosis), offers a rich resource for productive dialogue with modern psychology. This dialogue can enrich both disciplines: psychology can find in the theological tradition a profound ontological understanding of the human being, while theology can integrate empirical insights into human nature. In conclusion, the author calls for an open, interdisciplinary conversation based on the principles of humility, curiosity, and mutual respect, which would contribute to a more holistic and integrated understanding of the human person.

This article discusses Sergei Bulgakov’s theological view on gender and examines the extent to which his Trinitarian approach can be considered a response to the feminist charge of essentialism, or the view that there are properties women qua women or men qua men share which unify them, respectively. In the process, it also evaluates various charges against Bulgakov. The interpretation offered in this paper suggests that Bulgakov’s theological view is essentialist in one sense, but without evidently falling prey to the commonly voiced charge of essentialism. In order to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Bulgakov’s view, the article outlines his Trinitarian approach along the following systematised propositions: (1) Human beings are created in the image of God. (2) All human beings share the same human nature. (3) Human nature participates in the divine nature. (4) Some human beings are male, some are female. (5) Male and female are two hypostases of human nature. (6) As male and female, human beings are created in the image of the triune God. (7) In the triune God, there are three hypostases of one divine nature: the Father (first hypostasis) revealing himself in the Son (second hypostasis) and in the Holy Spirit (third hypostasis). (8) Male human beings are created in the image of the second hypostasis of God (the Son); female human beings are created in the image of the third hypostasis of God (the Holy Spirit). (9) The fullness of the image of the triune God is present only in the duality and union of male and female human beings. (10) The relation between the two hypostases of human nature—male and female—reflects the relation between the two revealing hypostases of the divine nature, the Son and Holy Spirit, but not vice versa; the former are the images, the latter the proto-images. (11) As created in the image of the triune God, male and female human beings are the bearers of, and constituted by, male and female principles. (12) These male and female principles have both a spiritual and bodily form (that correspond to each other). (13) In the spiritual form, each human being consists—unconfusedly but inseparably—of both male and female principles. (14) As a bodily (form of the male and female) principle, biological sex is secondary to, and an authentic embodiment of, the spiritual (form of the male and female) principles. The article concludes that if one takes Bulgakov’s view one step further, one might reach the conclusion that gender has a two-fold nature: one theological and the other social—and both are related to sex, albeit in different ways.

Abstract In John Behr’s edition of Gregory of Nyssa’s On the Human Image of God , he identifies Chapter 16 of the treatise as a pivotal connecting chapter connecting the first and second parts of the book – taking up again, as it were, the exposition of human creatures as made ‘in accordance with’ the divine image and likeness. In his response, Martin Laird argues that Chapter 16.9 consummates the organic development of the human as the ‘apex of creation and … the very image of God’. Moreover, Laird sees a connection between Chapter 15.3 and Chapter 16.9. Set off by several of Gregory’s apophatic markers, Chapter 15.3 presents the apophatic nature of the intellect which constitutes the key to understanding the key phrase in Chapter 16.9 that declares that ‘there is to be beheld in the human compound a share … of the divine’.

The understanding of the doctrine of humanity and sin in Christian theology reveals the essence of human nature and the need for divine redemption. This study aims to examine theological perspectives on human nature and sin, focusing on the relationship between the Imago Dei and the fall of humanity. Using a qualitative descriptive approach through literature review, the research analyzes biblical texts and theological interpretations from various Christian scholars. The results show that humans, created in the image and likeness of God, were originally good and endowed with moral and spiritual capacity. However, through sin, humans experienced separation from God and moral corruption. Nevertheless, God’s grace through Jesus Christ enables the restoration of humanity’s divine image and reconciles the broken relationship with the Creator. The study highlights that understanding these doctrines helps believers realize their dependence on God’s grace, leading to repentance, transformation, and ethical living. The implication encourages Christians to maintain a responsible, spiritual, and moral life as a reflection of the renewed image of God within them.

Abstract In this response essay to John Behr’s Gregory of Nyssa: On the Human Image of God , Rowan Williams highlights Gregory’s exposition of the complex account of nous and its meaning in relation to sensory embodiment. Nous , in Gregory’s treatise, is the presence of unified divine activity in the diversity of creation. Created nous , in turn, refers to how the creature harmonizes a diversity of experiences and is thus intrinsic to the life of the senses. Its immateriality and ‘non‐locatability’ suggest that it cannot be described as a faculty of the intellect or soul but rather exists as the body’s responsive and coherent life. Several implications follow: some concerning physical growth and the unfinished character of human life, other questions about the differentiation of the sexes, and still others concerning the intricacies of unity and identity in the divine nature. Through these intersections, Gregory’s writing opens up key lines of inquiry for modern theological anthropology, not least the possibility of seeing anew contemporary questions about human consciousness and the relation of the human creature’s divine imaging to intelligible communication and speech.

This article addresses the presence of the Theotokos within the mystery of unity, analyzed in light of the theological image of God. It examines the hypothesis that the image of Mary is shaped by the theological image of God. Through an analysis of three Marian titles—Mater unitatis, Mater unionis, and Mater communionis—the study reveals how each reflects a distinct understanding of unity: as absolute oneness, reconciled diversity, and Trinitarian communion. The research confirms a dynamic and dialogical character of this dependence: the image of God conditions the development of Mariology, yet it is also Mariology—through its sensitivity to relationship, communion, and participation—that may inspire a deeper theological vision of God, especially in its Trinitarian dimension. Reflection on Mary in the context of unity not only enriches the doctrine of the Theotokos but also contributes to a renewed vision of both God and humanity.

The Book of Job is a profound piece of wisdom literature in the Old Testament, exploring themes of suffering, divine justice, and human righteousness. It is named after its central character, Job, a man described as "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1). Reading the book of Job, the reader will encounter many tensions. The author has presented some actors: God, Satan, Job’s three friends, Job’s family and of course the main character, Job. Every character plays their own role that has the connection with Job. In his faithful journey toward a deep awareness of wisdom, Job come to find the real image of God and his Wisdom for human life. With a restored sense of self and a new way of looking at things, Job become a co-creator and player in the new world of life. Job remains being faithful to God in prologue and epilogue.

This article analyzes the concept of “traditional values” and their practical embodiment in contemporary social and political life. In Russia’s current political governance framework, active efforts are being made to develop various institutions aimed at implementing Presidential Decree No. 809 and at specifying the meanings of the notions of “traditional values” articulated in it. The author interprets the concept of traditional values through the ideas of Orthodox Christianity, arguing that other attempts to define values represent a departure from the context of Russia’s historical development and from Orthodox ethics as its foundation. The article identifies the idea of human dignity as the key concept of Orthodox ideological thought that should be reflected in the system of public administration. Through an analysis of Russian legislation, the study highlights tensions between liberal conceptions of life and the human person and the Orthodox understanding of human existence, expressed in the opposition between the notions of rights and dignity. Recognizing Orthodoxy as the value basis of Russia’s tradition and of its “society of the future” is thus interpreted as a genuine departure from the ideological framework of Western liberalism. The author concludes that the development of Russian society within the framework of traditional values is possible only through a shift away from the liberal concept of “rights” toward the Christian concept of “dignity”, which, as the foundation of human existence, should serve as the prism through which the entire system of public administration is viewed. The article further emphasizes that building a Russian society unified by a coherent system of traditional values, grounded in Orthodox thought, is the mission of the younger generation. However, the author argues that this mission can be realized only if the traditional Orthodox understanding of the human being as created in the image and likeness of God, embodied in the notion of human dignity, is accepted by this generation as the natural and sole foundation of social and state life. The current Russian educational system excludes the very concept of Truth, presenting all aspects of life as relative. Therefore, the reintroduction of Truth must be placed at the center of contemporary Russian education, serving as the principal guiding aim of current domestic policy decisions.

This study aims to explore in depth the role of God in the creation of humanity as depicted in the Book of Genesis and its relevance to contemporary Christian life. Using a qualitative method with a literature study approach, this research analyzes the texts of Genesis 1:26–28 and 2:7–8, supported by systematic theological perspectives from scholars such as Louis Berkhof and J. J. Davis. The findings reveal that God’s role is multidimensional: God as the Sovereign Designer, who initiates and perfectly orchestrates the creation process; the Personal Creator, who forms humans from the dust of the ground with purpose and intimacy; the Giver of Life, who breathes the breath of life into humanity; and the Mandate Giver, who delegates authority and responsibility to humans to govern His creation. This understanding has profound theological and ethical implications, particularly for the formation of Christian identity rooted in the image and likeness of God (imago Dei), the strengthening of ecological responsibility toward environmental stewardship, and the cultivation of a transformative spirituality centered on living out God’s will in daily life. Therefore, this study concludes that the doctrine of creation is not merely a historical truth but an existential foundation that guides the faith, morality, and practical life of believers in responding to contemporary spiritual and social challenges.

Abstract This article introduces a series of response essays to John Behr’s Gregory of Nyssa: On the Human Image of God, which includes contributions from Rowan Williams, Morwenna Ludlow, Paul Blowers, Gabrielle Thomas and Martin Laird – with a final response from John Behr. Gregory’s text centers upon the critical question: What does it mean to be human? For Gregory, the answer cannot arrive except through the contemplation of Christ – the image in whom humanity is always ever ‘in accordance with’ (Gen. 1:27). In particular, Gregory’s treatise draws attention to the ‘beautiful picture’ of human nature, presented in all its glory and nobility, contrasted with the reality of life in the midst of turmoil and suffering. How does our experience of life align with that noble image? Responses touch on a wide range of aspects raised in Behr’s extensive introduction and translation. This introductory essay organizes the responses in terms of method, translation and the theological question of image.

ABSTRACT Considering the damaging effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on survivors’ mental health, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of shame-proneness and sexual shame in the long-term psychological effects of CSA. Shame has been implicated as a post-trauma response and key factor in long-term outcomes. As CSA is sexual in nature, this study examined the pathways from CSA to depression via both shame-proneness and sexual shame, as well as the moderating role of view of God. Cross-sectional data was collected through online surveys from adults who reported believing in God (N = 1055). Analyses consisted of a parallel mediation model and a series of moderated mediation models. Findings supported significant indirect effects of CSA on depression through separate pathways of sexual shame and shame-proneness, which explained 62.8% of the variance in depression. Surprisingly, for believers, perceiving God as loving strengthened the effect of CSA on sexual shame, which subsequently corresponded to increases in depression. These findings have critical implications for working with CSA survivors, denoting the relevance of both shame-proneness and sexual shame as key pathways to psychopathology, which may be exacerbated by certain views of God.

Abstract This essay directs readers’ attention to two features of John Behr’s edition of Gregory of Nyssa: On the Human Image of God, namely, Behr’s critical insight into how Gregory of Nyssa follows the train of thought of Plato’s Timaeus. as he structures his own account of the creation of the human being, along with Behr’s commitment to reading the text as a whole literary unit. After summarising Behr’s argument, I will show how these two features can be used to interpret On the Lights, an oration in the corpus of Gregory of Nyssa’s fellow Cappadocian, Gregory of Nazianzus. By responding thus, I hope to show the significance of Behr’s insight and approach for patristic studies more broadly.

Sustaining a lively ethos within a Catholic school demands considerable resources of faith and ingenuity. Significant to the success of any such venture is a clear grasp of the underlying ‘why’. This paper argues that despite Catholic schools’ appropriate emphasis on Christ, much is to be gained by a balancing focus on the triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, whose love he came to reveal. Within the triune nature of God who is Love there is an eternal bestowing, an eternal receptivity, and an eternal reciprocity. Relationality thus undergirds reality itself. Understanding this (i) underlines that the drive to build school community arises not merely from ethical impetus but from our nature as beings created in God's image; (ii) up-ends notions of hierarchy that favour the ‘giver’ over the ‘receiver’; and (iii) challenges deep-seated ideas of God as being not the God who gives, but the God who merely gives back.

This paper examines the issue of euthanasia from both a Biblical and Indonesian legal perspective. Euthanasia remains a controversial ethical and legal issue, raising fundamental questions about the sanctity of life, moral autonomy, and human dignity. In Indonesia, euthanasia is considered a criminal act under current legislation. From a Biblical perspective, human life is sacred because it is created in the image of God, and therefore, intentional acts to end life are seen as morally impermissible. This study critically analyzes the legal stance in Indonesia, explores contemporary arguments supporting euthanasia such as personhood and quality-of-life ethics and contrasts them with theological arguments grounded in Scripture. The conclusion firmly rejects euthanasia as incompatible with both Indonesian law and Christian ethical principles, emphasizing the need for medical, pastoral, and spiritual care for those facing end-of-life decisions.

Objective: Conduct disorder is characterized by aggressive behavior, cheating or theft, destruction of property, and serious violation of laws before the age of 18. Relationship with God is probably one of the factors that can play a role in preventing delinquent behaviors in individuals with conduct disorder through internal self-control. In this research, we intended to explore the relationship with God among adolescents with conduct disorder. Method: In this study, we used a directed qualitative content analysis research method. We interviewed 9 boys aged 12-17 years who had conduct disorder with or without substance use disorder at a correctional facility in Tehran. We collected the data using a purposive sampling method and continued until data saturation. All interviews were recorded and then transcribed verbatim. The interviews were analyzed using a content analysis method. Results: The boys' relationship with God was analyzed. Three themes were extracted from the interviews: 1) Perception of God, 2) Image of God, and 3) Worship. Conclusion: This study highlighted three main themes: Perception of God, Image of God, and Worship, which shape how adolescents with conduct disorder relate to spirituality. These findings can contribute to the development of culturally appropriate, faith-based therapeutic interventions.

Abstract: One of the main issues studied with respect to Christian spirituality and AI is the capacity for AI to replicate human life to the point of becoming conscious as human beings are conscious. Such a state would open AI to be regarded as a self-reflective spiritual being. The biblical understanding of human beings created in the image and likeness of God is often used as the reason why AI cannot achieve such consciousness. This essay builds on that affirmation by appealing to resources in psychology, phenomenology, hermeneutics, ontology, and epistemology to understand the unbridgeable gap between human beings and AI.

Aged members of religious orders talked about their lives. The aim of this study is to describe how identity work is manifested in old age among members of religious orders. Narrative interviews were conducted. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis and communicatively validated in group discussions by the interviewees. Interviews with 21people aged 80-98 years were analyzed. It was found that the majority of the aged members of religious orders were concerned with questions of their own identity. An important area of their identity work is faith. They reflect on who God is for them and develop new images of God and themselves. The results of the study suggest that even people with ahigh degree of life course continuity question their identity in old age and engage intensively in exploratory processes.