From Your Synod Executive

I often wonder how often the church’s proclamations really make it into the public consciousness.  Our denomination’s 227th General Assembly begins in late June; as commissioners debate various proclamations, I hope they will consider whether the statements will mostly annoy other Presbyterians who disagree, or if the declarations will actually help the world look more the way God wants.

Perhaps we should look to Pope Leo for a model.  According to Google, his recent statement on Artificial Intelligence (AI) was featured in the New York Times, NBC News, the Washington Post, USA TODAY, CNBC, Axios, Business Insider, and many more.  (That, of course, is only here in the United States!).  His encyclical is called Magnifica Humanitas [Magnificent Humanity], on Safeguarding the Human Person in the time of Artificial Intelligence,” and it’s 42,300 words (the length of approximately twenty-five 17-minute sermons). You can read it here. 

I’ve been reading it with interest because the Synod is moving closer to tangible ministry on the perils and possibilities of AI, funded by our $94,000 grant from the OpenAI Foundation.  In the paper, Pope Leo articulates much more fully and skillfully faithfully the nascent theological claims of our grant proposal.

He begins by stating that “every human effort to cooperate with [Christ] for the good will be blessed by our heavenly Father, in whom we place our hope.  For this reason, we can diligently contribute to every initiative that builds a more just world, and we can call others to collaborate in promoting the integral development of every human being.”

Pope Leo states that “technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity…Over the centuries, technological development has significantly improved the living conditions of humanity.  At the same time, each phase of progress has also revealed the ambiguity of tools that can cause harm when not oriented toward the good.”  In his paper, he explores AI as the most recent example of technology which must be directed toward the common good, but one could make the same argument about primitive technologies such as the wheel or lever, gunpowder, the printing press, and the automobile.

The encyclical contrasts the building of the Tower of Babel as a fully human endeavor (the story of its construction in Genesis 11:1-14 does not mention God’s involvement in any way) with the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s city walls as a devotional activity (Nehemiah 2 describes how fasting, prayer, and intercession put God at the center of the construction project).   Pope Leo writes, “The primary choice is not between a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God.”

The Synod is working on the shape of the ministry resulting from our grant, but it will certainly have devotion to God at its center.  How does our faith call us to respond to the terrible environmental effects of data centers?  Is it possible to use AI to help write sermons without offloading the spiritual work of the preparation to preach?  Does AI in the classroom prevent students from full stewardship of their own development as fully-formed adults experiencing the abundant life that God wants for us?  These are just some of the pressing questions that our ministry might help you explore.

A strong Steering Committee for this ministry has stepped forward to work with our partner Drew Rick-Miller, the executive director of Science for the Church.  The members (with their presbyteries) are Julie Delezenne (Mackinac), Ed Goode (Cincinnati), Chris Hanson (Scioto Valley), Kara Hildebrandt (Detroit), Jose Lamont Jones (Miami Valley), Jeff Schooley (Maumee Valley), and Lisa Schrott (Lake Michigan).  We hope to begin offering ministry this fall, guided by your responses to the recent survey collecting your input.  (You can see the survey results here.)

Grateful to be your partner in ministry,

Rev. Charles B Hardwick, PhD  

Executive    

chip@synodofthecovenant.org   

309-530-4578