KPGM

In an era defined by rapid scientific breakthroughs, digital innovation, and technological advancement, the humanities are often sidelined or seen as less practical compared to fields like engineering, medicine, computer science, or data science. Yet this view overlooks their essential, irreplaceable function. The humanities — literature, history, philosophy, ethics, arts, language, and cultural studies — are not outdated extras; they are the necessary companion to science and technology, giving direction, meaning, and humanity to what we create and discover. Below is a clear breakdown of their vital roles.

급속한 과학적 돌파, 디지털 혁신, 기술 발전으로 규정되는 시대에 인문학은 종종 공학, 의학, 컴퓨터 과학, 데이터 과학과 같은 분야에 비해 주변화되거나 덜 실용적인 것으로 여겨집니다. 그러나 이러한 관점은 인문학이 지닌 본질적이고 대체 불가능한 기능을 간과하는 것입니다. 문학, 역사, 철학, 윤리학, 예술, 언어, 문화 연구를 포함하는 인문학은 낡은 부가물이 아닙니다. 인문학은 과학과 기술의 필수적인 동반자로서, 우리가 창조하고 발견하는 것에 방향과 의미와 인간다움을 부여합니다. 아래는 인문학의 중요한 역할들을 분명하게 정리한 내용입니다.

1. To Give Purpose and Direction: Why and For Whom
목적과 방향을 제시하기: 왜, 그리고 누구를 위하여

Science and technology excel at answering how things work, what is possible, and how to build or improve systems. They expand our ability to do things — to cure diseases, connect people, process information, travel faster, or reshape the environment. But they cannot answer why we should do these things, or for whose benefit, or what counts as a good life or a just society.

과학과 기술은 사물이 어떻게 작동하는지, 무엇이 가능한지, 그리고 시스템을 어떻게 만들거나 개선할 수 있는지를 답하는 데 탁월합니다. 과학과 기술은 질병을 치료하고, 사람들을 연결하며, 정보를 처리하고, 더 빠르게 이동하며, 환경을 재구성하는 등 인간의 능력을 확장합니다. 그러나 과학과 기술은 우리가 왜 이러한 일을 해야 하는지, 누구의 유익을 위해 해야 하는지, 무엇이 좋은 삶이며 정의로운 사회인지를 스스로 답할 수는 없습니다.

This is where the humanities step in.
바로 이 지점에서 인문학이 중요한 역할을 합니다.

* Philosophy and ethics help us ask: Is this technology good? Is it fair? Does it respect human dignity? What are the risks and responsibilities?
철학과 윤리학은 우리로 하여금 다음과 같은 질문을 던지게 합니다. 이 기술은 선한가? 공정한가? 인간의 존엄성을 존중하는가? 그 위험과 책임은 무엇인가?

* History teaches us to learn from past innovations — how new tools were used or misused, how they changed societies, and what unintended consequences followed. It warns us that just because we can do something, does not mean we should.
역사는 과거의 혁신으로부터 배우도록 가르칩니다. 새로운 도구들이 어떻게 사용되거나 오용되었는지, 그것들이 사회를 어떻게 변화시켰는지, 그리고 어떤 의도하지 않은 결과들이 뒤따랐는지를 보여 줍니다. 역사는 우리가 어떤 일을 할 수 있다고 해서 반드시 그것을 해야 하는 것은 아니라는 사실을 경고합니다.

* Literature and the arts explore human desires, fears, values, and limits. They remind us that progress is not just about efficiency or power, but about whether our innovations help people flourish, relate well to one another, and live meaningful lives.
문학과 예술은 인간의 욕망, 두려움, 가치, 한계를 탐구합니다. 이들은 진보가 단지 효율성이나 힘의 문제가 아니라, 우리의 혁신이 사람들이 더 풍성하게 살아가고, 서로 바르게 관계 맺으며, 의미 있는 삶을 살도록 돕는가의 문제임을 일깨워 줍니다.

In short: Science gives us power; the humanities give us wisdom to use it well. Without this guidance, technology becomes a tool without a compass — capable of great harm as well as good.
간단히 말하면, 과학은 우리에게 힘을 주고, 인문학은 그 힘을 바르게 사용할 지혜를 줍니다. 이러한 인문학적 안내가 없다면 기술은 나침반 없는 도구가 되어, 선을 이룰 수도 있지만 큰 해악을 끼칠 수도 있습니다.

2. To Protect Human Dignity and Values

인간의 존엄성과 가치를 보호하기

Science and technology often approach the world in measurable, quantifiable, or functional terms. They reduce complex realities to data, systems, algorithms, or resources. While this is useful, it can lead to seeing people as numbers, consumers, workers, or data points — rather than as unique, valuable beings with dignity, feelings, rights, and spiritual needs.
과학과 기술은 종종 세상을 측정 가능하고, 수량화 가능하며, 기능적인 방식으로 접근합니다. 그것들은 복잡한 현실을 데이터, 시스템, 알고리즘, 자원으로 환원합니다. 이러한 접근은 유용하지만, 사람을 존엄성, 감정, 권리, 영적 필요를 지닌 고유하고 가치 있는 존재로 보기보다 숫자, 소비자, 노동자, 데이터 포인트로 보게 만들 위험이 있습니다.

The humanities exist to uphold and deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.
인문학은 인간으로 존재한다는 것이 무엇을 의미하는지를 지키고, 그 이해를 더욱 깊게 하기 위해 존재합니다.

* They remind us that every person has inherent worth, regardless of utility, productivity, or data profile
인문학은 모든 사람이 효용성, 생산성, 데이터 프로필과 상관없이 본래적 가치를 지닌 존재임을 일깨워 줍니다.

* They help us examine how new technologies (artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, surveillance, automation) affect human freedom, privacy, equality, and community.
인문학은 인공지능, 유전공학, 감시 기술, 자동화와 같은 새로운 기술들이 인간의 자유, 사생활, 평등, 공동체에 어떤 영향을 미치는지를 성찰하도록 도와줍니다.

* They challenge us to ensure that progress does not come at the cost of justice, compassion, or human connection.

인문학은 진보가 정의, 긍휼, 인간적 연결을 희생하는 대가로 이루어지지 않도록 우리에게 도전합니다.

For example: Automation may make work more efficient, but history, sociology, and literature help us understand what work means to human identity, how unemployment affects people, and how to design systems that serve people rather than replace or dehumanize them.
예를 들어, 자동화는 일을 더 효율적으로 만들 수 있습니다. 그러나 역사학, 사회학, 문학은 일이 인간의 정체성에 어떤 의미를 가지는지, 실업이 사람들에게 어떤 영향을 미치는지, 그리고 사람을 대체하거나 비인간화하는 것이 아니라 사람을 섬기는 시스템을 어떻게 설계해야 하는지를 이해하도록 도와줍니다.

3. To Cultivate Critical Thinking and Discernment
비판적 사고와 분별력을 기르기

In a digital age, we are flooded with information, claims, opinions, and new ideas. Science teaches us to test facts and evidence, but the humanities teach us to think deeply, critically, and carefully about meaning, context, bias, truth, and value.
디지털 시대에 우리는 정보, 주장, 의견, 새로운 생각의 홍수 속에 살아갑니다. 과학은 사실과 증거를 검증하는 법을 가르치지만, 인문학은 의미, 맥락, 편견, 진리, 가치에 대해 깊고 비판적이며 신중하게 사고하는 법을 가르칩니다.

* Philosophy trains us to question assumptions, spot logical errors, and distinguish between what is true, what is opinion, and what is misleading.
철학은 우리가 전제를 질문하고, 논리적 오류를 발견하며, 참된 것과 의견, 그리고 오해를 불러일으키는 것을 구별하도록 훈련시킵니다.

* History shows us that every idea, invention, or discovery happens within a specific culture, time, and set of beliefs — nothing is “neutral” or free from influence.
역사는 모든 사상, 발명, 발견이 특정한 문화, 시대, 신념 체계 안에서 일어난다는 사실을 보여 줍니다. 어떤 것도 완전히 “중립적”이거나 영향으로부터 자유롭지 않습니다.

* Literature and language teach us to interpret texts, understand different perspectives, communicate clearly, and recognize how words and stories shape how we see the world.
문학과 언어는 텍스트를 해석하고, 다양한 관점을 이해하며, 분명하게 소통하고, 말과 이야기가 우리가 세상을 보는 방식을 어떻게 형성하는지를 인식하도록 가르칩니다.

These skills are essential for navigating an age of algorithms, artificial intelligence, and mass media. They help us avoid being manipulated, blindly following trends, or believing that technology alone can solve all human problems.
이러한 능력들은 알고리즘, 인공지능, 대중매체의 시대를 살아가는 데 필수적입니다. 인문학은 우리가 조종당하거나, 유행을 맹목적으로 따르거나, 기술만으로 모든 인간 문제가 해결될 수 있다고 믿는 것을 피하도록 도와줍니다.

4. To Preserve Identity, Culture, and Meaning
정체성, 문화, 의미를 보존하기

Science and technology are universal and often global — they can make the world more connected, but they can also make it more uniform, flattening differences, traditions, and unique ways of life. They do not carry or preserve cultural memory, values, or stories.
과학과 기술은 보편적이고 종종 전 지구적입니다. 그것들은 세계를 더 연결되게 만들 수 있지만, 동시에 차이, 전통, 고유한 삶의 방식을 평평하게 만들며 세계를 더 획일화할 수도 있습니다. 과학과 기술 자체는 문화적 기억, 가치, 이야기를 담아 보존하지 않습니다.

The humanities are the keepers of human culture, memory, and meaning.

인문학은 인간의 문화, 기억, 의미를 지키는 보존자입니다.

* History, literature, and language preserve our shared and diverse stories, wisdom, and heritage across generations.

역사, 문학, 언어는 세대를 넘어 우리의 공통된 이야기와 다양한 이야기, 지혜와 유산을 보존합니다.

* The arts and creative expression give voice to what science cannot measure: beauty, love, grief, hope, faith, and longing.
예술과 창조적 표현은 과학이 측정할 수 없는 것들, 곧 아름다움, 사랑, 슬픔, 희망, 믿음, 갈망에 목소리를 부여합니다.

* They help us understand who we are, where we come from, and what we value — so that as we move forward into new technological futures, we do not lose the things that make life rich, distinct, and worth living.
인문학은 우리가 누구인지, 어디에서 왔는지, 무엇을 소중히 여기는지를 이해하도록 도와줍니다. 그래서 우리가 새로운 기술적 미래를 향해 나아갈 때, 삶을 풍성하고 고유하며 살 만한 것으로 만드는 것들을 잃지 않게 해 줍니다.

Without the humanities, we might build a highly advanced world — but one that is empty of meaning, beauty, and shared purpose.
인문학이 없다면 우리는 고도로 발전된 세계를 건설할 수는 있을지 모릅니다. 그러나 그 세계는 의미와 아름다움과 공동의 목적이 비어 있는 세계가 될 수 있습니다.

5. To Bridge Divides and Build Community
분열을 잇고 공동체를 세우기

Science and technology often focus on specialization, breaking problems into small, technical parts. This can create silos, where experts in one field do not understand or relate to others, or where people feel disconnected from the systems that shape their lives.
과학과 기술은 종종 전문화에 집중하며, 문제를 작고 기술적인 부분들로 나누어 다룹니다. 이는 한 분야의 전문가들이 다른 분야를 이해하지 못하거나 서로 연결되지 못하는 칸막이를 만들 수 있으며, 사람들로 하여금 자신의 삶을 형성하는 시스템으로부터 단절되었다고 느끼게 할 수도 있습니다.

The humanities are integrative and unifying. They bring together different fields, perspectives, and experiences. They help us:

인문학은 통합적이고 연합적인 역할을 합니다. 인문학은 서로 다른 분야, 관점, 경험을 함께 연결합니다. 인문학은 우리로 하여금 다음과 같은 일을 하도록 돕습니다.

* Understand how science, technology, society, ethics, and faith connect and affect one another.
과학, 기술, 사회, 윤리, 신앙이 어떻게 서로 연결되고 영향을 주고받는지를 이해하게 합니다.

* Communicate complex ideas to people outside the field, so that progress is inclusive and understood by all.
복잡한 생각을 해당 분야 밖의 사람들에게 전달하여, 진보가 모두에게 이해되고 모두를 포함하는 방식으로 이루어지도록 돕습니다.

* Discuss difficult questions — about life, death, justice, freedom, and the future — in ways that people of all backgrounds can engage with.
생명, 죽음, 정의, 자유, 미래와 같은 어려운 질문들을 다양한 배경을 가진 사람들이 함께 참여할 수 있는 방식으로 논의하게 합니다.

They remind us that progress is not just a technical project, but a human one, requiring cooperation, empathy, and shared understanding.

인문학은 진보가 단지 기술적 프로젝트가 아니라, 협력과 공감과 공동의 이해를 필요로 하는 인간적 과업임을 일깨워 줍니다.

From a Christian Worldview
기독교 세계관에서 볼 때

For believers, this role is even clearer. Since all truth is God’s truth, science and technology reveal the order, wisdom, and power of God in creation. But the humanities help us interpret that knowledge in the light of God’s revelation.
신자들에게 이 역할은 더욱 분명합니다. 모든 진리는 하나님의 진리이므로, 과학과 기술은 창조 세계 안에 나타난 하나님의 질서, 지혜, 능력을 드러냅니다. 그러나 인문학은 그 지식을 하나님의 계시의 빛 안에서 해석하도록 도와줍니다.

* They remind us that we are created in God’s image, so every innovation must honor God and love our neighbor.
인문학은 우리가 하나님의 형상대로 창조되었음을 일깨워 줍니다. 그러므로 모든 혁신은 하나님을 영화롭게 하고 이웃을 사랑하는 방향으로 이루어져야 합니다.

* They show us that technology is a gift and a tool, not a savior — it cannot fix sin, give meaning, or bring ultimate good.

인문학은 기술이 선물이자 도구이지 구원자가 아님을 보여 줍니다. 기술은 죄를 해결하거나, 궁극적 의미를 부여하거나, 최종적인 선을 가져올 수 없습니다.

* They help us see all things, including science and technology, within God’s created order and redemptive plan — so that we use knowledge to serve God and others, and to care for the world He made.
인문학은 과학과 기술을 포함한 모든 것을 하나님의 창조 질서와 구속 계획 안에서 바라보도록 도와줍니다. 그리하여 우리는 지식을 하나님과 이웃을 섬기고, 하나님께서 지으신 세계를 돌보는 데 사용하게 됩니다.

Conclusion

In a science‑and‑technology‑driven age, the humanities are not less important — they are more important. They do not compete with science; they complete it. They give direction to our power, meaning to our progress, dignity to our systems, wisdom to our choices, and richness to our lives.
과학과 기술이 주도하는 시대에 인문학은 덜 중요한 것이 아니라 오히려 더욱 중요합니다. 인문학은 과학과 경쟁하는 것이 아니라 과학을 보완하고 완성합니다. 인문학은 우리의 힘에 방향을, 우리의 진보에 의미를, 우리의 시스템에 존엄성을, 우리의 선택에 지혜를, 우리의 삶에 풍성함을 부여합니다.

Their role is to ensure that as we build a more advanced world, we also build a more human, just, good, and meaningful one. As we learn to master nature and systems through science, the humanities teach us to master ourselves, our purposes, and our relationships — which is the most vital lesson of all.
인문학의 역할은 우리가 더 발전된 세계를 세워 갈 때, 동시에 더 인간답고, 정의롭고, 선하며, 의미 있는 세계를 세우도록 보장하는 것입니다. 우리가 과학을 통해 자연과 시스템을 다루는 법을 배워 간다면, 인문학은 우리 자신과 우리의 목적, 우리의 관계를 다스리는 법을 가르쳐 줍니다. 이것이야말로 가장 중요한 배움입니다.
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What Role Should the Humanities Play in a Science-and-Technology-Driven Epoch?

In the present epoch, often described through the lens of the Anthropocene, humanity is living in a world profoundly shaped by science and technology. Rapid developments in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, digital media, data science, medicine, engineering, and environmental technology are transforming human life, society, culture, civilization, and the created world. Science and technology have given humanity extraordinary power to understand, control, develop, and reshape the world.

However, this power also reveals a serious crisis. In the Anthropocene epoch, human knowledge and technological capacity have not only improved life, but have also contributed to climate crisis, ecological destruction, social inequality, cultural confusion, technological distortion, war, dehumanization, and the weakening of moral and spiritual discernment. Therefore, the question is not simply how far science and technology can advance, but what kind of humanity, society, civilization, and world they are forming.

For this reason, the humanities are not outdated or secondary fields of study. They are essential disciplines for understanding human beings, culture, civilization, values, meaning, history, language, religion, ethics, and the human condition. Together with the social sciences, the humanities help us examine the direction, purpose, and consequences of scientific and technological development. They do not compete with science and technology. Rather, they help guide science and technology toward wisdom, justice, human dignity, care for creation, and the common good.

From the perspective of KPGM Anthropocene Missiology, the humanities are especially important because Christian mission in the Anthropocene cannot be limited to saving individual souls alone. Christian mission must also discern the brokenness of humanity, society, culture, civilization, technology, and the created world in the light of the Word of God. It must proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God and participate in the restoration of all nations and all creation toward God’s intended purpose.

1. To Give Purpose and Direction to Science and Technology

Science and technology are powerful in answering questions of method, function, possibility, and efficiency. They help us understand how things work, how systems can be improved, how diseases may be treated, how information can be processed, how communication can be expanded, and how the material world can be transformed.

However, science and technology by themselves cannot fully answer the deeper questions of purpose and direction. They cannot finally determine why a technology should be developed, for whom it should be used, what moral limits should guide it, or what kind of society it should help form.

The humanities help us ask these essential questions.

Philosophy and ethics ask whether a technological development is good, just, responsible, and respectful of human dignity. History teaches us how past innovations have shaped societies, how they have been used for both blessing and destruction, and how unintended consequences often follow human ambition. Literature, the arts, language, and cultural studies help us understand human hopes, fears, desires, suffering, imagination, and longing for meaning.

In this sense, science and technology give humanity power, but the humanities help provide wisdom for the right use of that power. Without this wisdom, technology can become a tool without a moral compass. It may increase efficiency while weakening justice, expand human ability while diminishing human dignity, and transform the world while forgetting the purpose for which human beings and creation exist before God.

To Protect Human Dignity in a Technological Civilization

Modern science and technology often approach reality through measurement, data, systems, algorithms, functions, and efficiency. This approach is useful and necessary, but it can also reduce human beings to numbers, users, consumers, workers, biological organisms, or data profiles. In such a technological civilization, people may be valued according to productivity, economic usefulness, digital behavior, or social function.

The humanities resist this reduction of the human person.

They remind us that human beings are not merely biological machines, economic units, or data-generating individuals. From a Christian worldview, every human being is created in the image of God and therefore possesses inherent dignity that cannot be measured by usefulness, productivity, intelligence, wealth, health, or technological value.

The humanities help us examine how artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, surveillance technology, automation, media systems, and digital platforms affect human freedom, privacy, equality, justice, community, family, identity, and spiritual life. They also help us ask whether technology is serving human beings or whether human beings are increasingly being reorganized to serve technological systems.

For example, automation may increase productivity, but the humanities and social sciences help us understand what work means for human identity, family life, community stability, economic justice, and human responsibility. They challenge us to design systems that serve people, protect the vulnerable, and strengthen community rather than replace, exclude, or dehumanize human beings.

To Cultivate Discernment in an Age of Information and Distortion

The digital age has produced an overwhelming flood of information, images, opinions, ideologies, advertisements, and algorithm-driven content. Humanity has access to more information than ever before, but this does not automatically lead to wisdom, truth, or righteousness. In many cases, digital systems can intensify confusion, manipulation, falsehood, deception, and division.

Science teaches us to examine evidence and test claims. The humanities teach us to interpret meaning, context, language, assumptions, values, and worldviews. Both are necessary, but they perform different roles.

Philosophy trains us to recognize false reasoning, hidden assumptions, ideological manipulation, and moral confusion. History teaches us that ideas, institutions, technologies, and civilizations always arise within particular cultural, political, economic, and religious contexts. Literature and language train us to read carefully, interpret responsibly, understand different perspectives, and recognize how stories, symbols, and words shape human imagination and social life.

These skills are essential in the Anthropocene epoch, because the crisis of this epoch is not only environmental or technological. It is also moral, spiritual, cultural, and civilizational. Humanity does not only need more information. Humanity needs discernment. The humanities help form this discernment by teaching us to ask what is true, what is good, what is just, what is beautiful, and what is faithful before God.

To Preserve Culture, Memory, and Meaning

Science and technology often function through universal methods and global systems. They can connect peoples and nations, but they can also produce cultural uniformity, weaken local traditions, erase memory, and flatten the diversity of human experience. Digital civilization can store enormous amounts of information, but it cannot by itself preserve wisdom, identity, meaning, or spiritual depth.

The humanities are the guardians of human culture, memory, and meaning.

History preserves the memory of peoples, civilizations, suffering, achievements, failures, and moral lessons across generations. Literature and language preserve the depth of human expression, imagination, and wisdom. The arts give visible and audible form to beauty, sorrow, hope, faith, grief, love, and longing. Religious studies and theology help us understand humanity’s search for ultimate meaning, worship, truth, and salvation.

In KPGM Anthropocene Missiology, this role is very important. Christian mission must understand the cultures, histories, languages, wounds, hopes, and worldviews of the peoples to whom the gospel is proclaimed. Mission that does not understand culture can easily become shallow, abstract, or insensitive. The humanities help Christian mission proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God in ways that are faithful to Scripture and deeply attentive to human reality.

Without the humanities, humanity may build a highly advanced world that is technically powerful but spiritually empty, culturally shallow, morally weak, and disconnected from memory, beauty, and purpose.

To Connect Knowledge, Society, Faith, and Mission

Science and technology often require specialization. Specialists focus on particular methods, systems, and problems. This specialization is necessary, but it can also create separation between fields of knowledge and between experts and ordinary communities. As a result, technological progress may move forward without sufficient moral, cultural, social, or spiritual reflection.

The humanities have an integrative role. They connect knowledge with meaning, technology with ethics, society with culture, and human action with ultimate purpose. Together with the social sciences, they help us understand how scientific and technological developments affect families, communities, economies, politics, education, media, religion, and global systems.

This integrative role is central to KPGM Anthropocene Missiology. KPGM Anthropocene Missiology is a convergence discipline that seeks to respond to the challenges of the Anthropocene through biblical, theological, missiological, humanistic, social-scientific, and practical reflection. It recognizes that the crisis of the Anthropocene cannot be understood through a single field alone. It requires interdisciplinary Christian missiology rooted in the Word of God and directed toward the Kingdom of God.

Therefore, the humanities help Christian mission avoid a narrow or fragmented understanding of the world. They help the church understand humanity, society, culture, civilization, technology, and creation in an integrated way, so that Christian mission may respond faithfully to the complex realities of this epoch.

The Humanities from a Christian Worldview

From a Christian worldview, the role of the humanities becomes even clearer. Since all truth belongs to God, science and technology can reveal the order, wisdom, creativity, and power of God in creation. However, human knowledge must be interpreted under the authority of God’s revelation. Without the Word of God, human reason, culture, and technology can easily be distorted by sin, pride, greed, domination, and idolatry.

The humanities help us understand the human condition more deeply. They reveal humanity’s longing for meaning, justice, beauty, love, community, forgiveness, and hope. They also expose the brokenness of human history, culture, civilization, power, and desire. In this way, the humanities can serve Christian mission by helping us understand both the dignity and the fallenness of humanity.

Technology is a gift and a means, but it is not a savior. It cannot solve sin, restore the human heart, reconcile humanity to God, or bring the Kingdom of God by itself. Therefore, science and technology must be guided by biblical wisdom, love of neighbor, justice, stewardship of creation, repentance, and hope in God’s redemptive purpose.

For KPGM Anthropocene Missiology, the humanities help ensure that science and technology are not used for human pride, exploitation, domination, or destruction, but for the glory of God, the love of neighbor, the healing of humanity, and the restoration of all creation. They help Christian mission participate in God’s work of renewal as it looks toward God’s Ideal Kingdom and the new heaven and new earth where God’s righteousness dwells.

Conclusion

In a science-and-technology-driven epoch, the humanities are not less important. They are more important. They do not oppose science and technology; they guide, complete, and humanize them. They give wisdom to power, direction to progress, dignity to systems, discernment to knowledge, memory to civilization, and meaning to human life.

The role of the humanities is to ensure that as humanity builds a more advanced world, it does not lose its soul, its moral responsibility, its cultural memory, its compassion, or its accountability before God. Science and technology teach us how to transform the world, but the humanities teach us why, for whom, and toward what purpose that transformation should take place.

From the perspective of KPGM Anthropocene Missiology, the humanities, together with the social sciences, are essential for Christian mission in the Anthropocene. They help us understand the crisis of humanity and creation, discern the distortions of civilization, and proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God for the restoration of all nations and all creation.

Therefore, the humanities must play a prophetic, interpretive, ethical, cultural, and missional role in this epoch. They help guide science and technology so that human knowledge may not become an instrument of destruction, but a means of serving God’s purpose, loving our neighbor, caring for creation, and participating in the majestic, holy, and historical great march toward the new heaven and new earth where God’s righteousness dwells.