Direct Answer
The Incarnation teaches Christians that technology cannot substitute for embodied, self-giving presence in the world. Christ's incarnation is not merely about physical presence but about the self-sacrificial posture that prompted it — a posture technology often allows us to bypass.
Discussion
Perhaps one of the most unexplored ways of understanding the Incarnation is to think about dis-incarnation. While technology may give us new, more immersive ways to enter into simulated worlds, such dis-incarnation has always been possible. In The Matrix (1999), Cypher, a member of the rebel group seeking to defeat the machines, decides that the simulation is worth more than his friends' lives. He makes a deal with the machines, promising to betray the rebels in exchange for having his memory of the non-simulated world erased and being re-inserted into the matrix. Believing “ignorance is bliss,” Cypher decides to dis-incarnate. Clearly, his body's location contributes to his dis-incarnation, but it involves more than physical absence. It involves his self-interest — his grasping for personal comfort regardless of what that comfort costs others. The relocation of his body is necessary but not sufficient to account for what it truly means to dis-incarnate.
The modern development of artificial intelligence, the metaverse, and virtual reality raise important questions about the nature of incarnation. “Being there,” even if only in virtual form, seems necessary for one to be incarnate. Does our physical presence matter anymore? Absolutely it does. Still, there is a way of being physically “present” without being “incarnate.” As Christians contemplate the Incarnation of Christ in which God took on human flesh, we do not simply consider the physical manifestation of God in the flesh. Christ's physical presence is indispensable, but it is not the whole story. We must also consider the perspective that prompted the Incarnation. It is not just that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14), but that Christ did not view equality with God as something to be used to His own advantage (Phil 2:6). The Incarnation reflects a way of life characterized by self-giving and self-sacrifice that we are to emulate (Phil 2:5).
This is why political philosophies like liberalism or ideologies like transhumanism miss the mark. They seek to empower a particular sort of embodied presence in the world determined by human individuals. Liberalism makes the liberty of individuals the basis for society. Transhumanism believes individuals should have the “morphological freedom” to use available technologies to enhance and/or overcome the limitations of their biology. Without a model aligned with the reality of God, our efforts to change the way we embody the world are unguided. Christ's Incarnation provides the orienting model necessary to be more than physically present. It reminds us that being incarnate in the world involves a fusion of our physical presence with our ongoing commitment to emulate Christ.
Key Takeaways: The Incarnation and Technology
Core Concept — Dis-Incarnation
Physical presence can coexist with dis-incarnation when self-interest overrides self-giving; technology accelerates this risk.
Core Concept — Cruciform Embodiment
True incarnation fuses physical presence with the self-sacrificial posture of Philippians 2:5–9.
Scripture / Scholars
John 1:14; Philippians 2:5–9; the film The Matrix (1999) as a cultural illustration; the Transhumanist Declaration as a foil.
The “So What”
Audit your digital habits not by asking whether you are “present,” but whether your presence costs you anything; if it doesn't, you may be dis-incarnating in plain sight.