Reconfiguring Faith in Digital Culture: An Integrative Framework of Digital Theology, Religious Practice, and Artificial Intelligence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15575/kt.v7i3.54297Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Digital Religion, Digital Theology, Religious Practice, Religious Transformation, Technology and FaithAbstract
Purpose: This study develops an integrative conceptual framework of digital theology by examining how digital technologies reshape theological reflection, religious practice, community formation, religious identity, and ethical engagement. It responds to the fragmentation of existing scholarship in which digital worship, religious authority, artificial intelligence, and digital ethics are frequently examined as separate domains. Methodology: The study employed a qualitative, systematic literature review of 43 peer-reviewed publications, retrieved from Scopus and published between 2015 and 2026. Studies were selected using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and analysed through thematic synthesis combining deductive and inductive coding. The synthesis examined recurring theoretical perspectives, patterns of digitally mediated religious practice, transformations of community and authority, and emerging ethical issues associated with artificial intelligence. Findings: Four interconnected dimensions of digital theology emerged from the literature: (1) theological reflection and digital mediation, (2) transformation of digital religious practices, (3) community formation and religious identity, and (4) ethical and artificial intelligence implications. The findings show that digital technologies function not merely as instruments for religious communication but as mediating environments in which understandings of sacred presence, participation, embodiment, authority, and religious identity are renegotiated. Artificial intelligence further intensifies these transformations by raising questions concerning authenticity, human agency, doctrinal reliability, privacy, algorithmic influence, and the legitimacy of digitally mediated religious knowledge. Implications: The findings indicate that religious communities and theological institutions require digital transformation approaches that combine technological adaptation with theological discernment and ethical accountability. Particular attention should be given to the governance of artificial intelligence, the preservation of human agency, the evaluation of digital religious authority, and the protection of theological integrity in technologically mediated environments. Originality: This study contributes to digital theology by integrating previously fragmented discussions of theological mediation, digital religious practice, community and identity formation, and artificial intelligence within a single conceptual framework. Rather than treating technology as an external tool applied to religion, the framework conceptualises digital theology as a dynamic process in which technological mediation, theological interpretation, religious practice, and ethical negotiation mutually shape contemporary religious life.
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