An Artificial Intelligence Pastor?

 

                                        

                                            Justin Lester preaching at a Sunday service in June.

 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 

We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming;  but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

                                            Ephesians 4: 11-16 NRSVue 

During my very busy years of ministry serving a congregation in Sudbury, Ontario, the chairperson of our Ministry and Personnel Committee advised me, wisely, that I could clone myself and still have enough work for the second person, so I needed to pace myself.  This was true, although he didn't suggest how I was supposed to develop a work/personal life balance when the pastoral needs of a large congregations were often overwhelming. 

Enter Justin Lester, a 30-something pastor in California who has been instrumental in resurrecting am older, staid congregation using technology as his BFF. According to the New York Times: 

 Now the church was using artificial intelligence to answer emails and plan Bible studies. It had doors equipped with facial recognition, podcasts with A.I.-generated biblical figures, and a robot dog named Theo who talked to children and recited sermons.

The latest frontier for this Pastor Tech is the creation of an Artificial Intelligence twin who can "chat" with parishioners and anyone else at any time of the day or night, no appointment necessary:  

Lester cloned his voice and trained his digital twin using almost two million words of his sermons, podcasts, books, text messages and emails. For the last several months, it had been publicly available on his website and Facebook page for online chats or phone calls. It had learned to mimic his bent toward optimism, his obsession with the Green Bay Packers and his casual slang, but it did more than just regurgitate what he had already said. It mapped his thinking onto new conversations to provide advice around the clock for people he’d never met who had questions he’d never been asked.

At the risk of sounding like a Luddite, this creeps me out. What is this guy's trained and accredited skill set to be doing this? Where is the follow-up and the professional accountability? 

 I see the value of AI in many settings, including the church. Son Isaac uses it for practical applications including writing minutes for meetings in this day when no one wants to be a committee secretary. He just makes sure that the chairs agree on content. He employs it for images on Sundays as well.

 I imagine that there are unscrupulous clergy who are using Chat GPT to write sermons, since there is a sorry history of pastor plagarism. 

I have the feeling that Lester may be suffering from an advanced case of Messiah Syndrome, a condition that can be fatal to ministries. There are concerns that AI therapy can either lean toward the wishes of the client or, worse, go rogue and counsel them toward self-harm. Who's to say that this can't happen with priests and pastors? How do we "build up the body of Christ", develop the authentic connective tissue of a healthy congregation through A!? What about those shifting winds of trickery and craftiness and scheming? 

I listened to a CBC Radio The Current interview with deepfake expert Hany Farid who says that if you think you can still spot AI-generated images and video, you're kidding yourself. He went so far as to say that the negatives of social media now outweigh the positives. He's convinced that it's eroding our common bonds and democracy, although he believes we can still fight back. Shouldn't the Christian community be at the forefront of that resistance, or at least of sober second thought, rather that leaping in without serious and prayerful conversation? 

The Reflecting Pool and the Peace of Wild Things

 

                   Forrest Gump and Jenny were later incarcerated for vandalizing the reflecting pool 

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

            The Peace of Wild Things -- Wendell Berry

The embarrassment around the Washington DC Reflectiing Pool debacle just won't go away. President Trump wanted the iconic pool fixed so that it was patriotic blue rather than algae green and assured the public that it could be done for a song. Many millions of dollars later it is still green and no one seems to know how to fix it. Chemicals added to kill the algae deep-sixed some resident ducks. 

Several people were arrested for vandalism that hadn't occurred and when charges were sensibly dropped this past week for lack of evidence Trump claimed that this was a travesty. The United States is drowning in stupidity. 

Someone has noted that before the pool was created a century ago this area was marshland. So, maybe it should be re-visioned as a pond with cattails and dragonflies and other aquatic critters. This is a marvelous suggestion which of course will never come to pass. I can see a smile on Abraham Lincoln's face at this prospect rather than holding his head in his hands with disbelief.  Sure, there would be mosquitoes but it would be better than the brood of vipers currently in DC. 

I've included the poem by Wendell Berry for the umpteenth time because I think we need The Peace of Wild Things in the midst of chaos. 

Waiting for the Way of the Wind

Film-maker Terrence Malik is known for creating thoughtful, challenging dramas such as The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life. Malik's A Hidden Life tells the story of Franz Jagerstatter, an Austrian farmer and devout Catholic who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. 

Now we are waiting for The Way of the Wind which explores the life of Jesus through several parables rather than miracles or other supernatural occurrences. There will be a subplot of Jesus cautioning impetuous disciple from getting caught up in the political fight against the Roman occupation. 

I see that Mark Rylance, one of my favourite actors, plays Satan who gets plenty of screen time. In some scenes he has more dialogue than Jesus. In an interview Rylance speaks about his experience as the Prince of Darkness: 

There I stood, as Satan, with 28 pages of monologue running through my mind, while Jesus barely uttered a word. Most of the time, I accompanied Jesus as Satan; it’s not the situation for extensive discussions. During filming, there’s no time for rehearsals, so it’s not the moment for lengthy conversations. It’s akin to a boxer focusing solely on stepping into the ring. 

The scope of the film fascinates me because Jesus flicks tend to be disappointing. And I'm not holding my breath regarding its release. Filming concluded in 2019 but Malik, now 82,  is devilishly slow with post-production. Next year, perhaps? 

                                                        Mark Rylance looking non-Satanic 

Murders in the Monasteries

 

A recent visit to the Tamworth Bookshop, a used book treasure trove, introduced me to the DS George Cross murder mysteries by Tim Sullivan. I hadn't heard of the maddening but methodically brilliant neuro-divergent detective but I'm now hooked. 

The library has now provided me with a second from the series, The Monk. This is from the publisher's blurb: 

THE QUESTION

The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic’s past, which makes investigating difficult. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don’t know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

This story is also cleverly developed and the setting is perfect. I realized as I read that religious communities are excellent settings for murder mysteries. They are essentially ecclesiastical versions of the game Clue -- the abbot in the sacristy with a chalice. When someone dies in or around the claustrophobic confines of a holy house, look out. 

This brought to mind Death in Holy Orders, an excellent novel by the late, great PD James which spawned two good television series. The setting isn't a monastery but it is an isolated religious community on the edge of the sea and cassocks are worn. 

Then there is one of Louise Penny's best Inspector Gamache novels, The Beautiful Mystery. The monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les Loups is in the wilds of Quebec where the two dozen monks have become famous for their recordings of ancient chants. Their cloistered lives are rocked by the murder of the choir director. 

The fun aspect of Penny's novel is that the monastery is modelled on the Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, on Lake Memphremagog, a community of about 50 Benedictine brothers in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. It is a fascinating place to visit with an excellent and very busy gift shop. We've been there a couple of times, including last summer while on a cycling vacation with friends. 

I love the peace and tranquility of monasteries and convents and have spent retreat time in a number of them in different provinces and states and even Britain. Come to think of it, it wouldn't have been all that difficult to murder me in my sleep at several of them. 

                                                        Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, Quebec

Georgia O'Keeffe and Ghost Ranch

 

There is exhibit of a couple of dozen Georgia O'Keeffe paintings coming to the at the Courtauld in London, the United Kingdom. It's called Georgia O'Keeffe: Ghost Ranch, referring to the vast ranch in the high plateau of New Mexico, north of Santa Fe. When she first visited the ranch in the 1930s she immediately felt an affinity that lasted for the rest of her life. She somehow convinced the owners to sell her a house in the midst of their property with spectacular views of the rugged landscape inspiring many works. Not only did she live a good part of each year at Ghost Ranch, her ashes are scattered there as well. 

Ghost Ranch has been used for many films including the remake of 3:10 to Yuma, Oppenheimer, and City Slickers -- how's that for varied? I stayed at Ghost Ranch three times in years past because the working ranch was given to the Presbyterian church to be used as a conference and retreat centre. I loved it there. 

One of those times I was at the isolated retreat house called Casa del Sol, essentially on my own. This building was once the home of the ranch manager and much the same as O'Keeffe's house a couple of kilometres away. So she would join the family for meals at times, sitting at the table which is still in Casa del Sol. The view to Padernal, depicted above, was similar from both houses but she would climb onto the manager's flat roof to capture the light. 

                                                                                 Casa del Sol 

 I went for some of the same reasons O'Keefe did, the solitude and stark beauty. She wasn't a religious person but she understood the spiritual power of the landscape. I've written before that there is a Roman Catholic monastery and a Sufi retreat not far away. This is an auspicious place.and while I'm no painter I can appreciate why this setting captured her. 

Just hearing about the exhibit makes me want to return. 

Here is the link to a PBS documentary about O'Keeffe from 40 years ago where she does most of the talking.

https://ca.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrFGq96vWdqTAIAAYHrFAx.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj?type=E210CA1286G0&mkr=1&p=georgia+o%27keeffe+pbs&fr=mcafee&turl=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOVP.WDz5kKPh1o_11nAKADhLPQHgFo%3Fpid%3DApi%26w%3D296%26h%3D156%26c%3D7%26p%3D0&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUGpWPfVHjxE&tit=Georgia+O%27Keeffe+%7C+Full+Documentary+%7C+American+Masters+%7C+PBS&pos=01&vid=668e6e55222e6d7a6022388f6c7b8da8&sigr=CIUO28hUosvd&sigt=LdY_4DHWMlIr&sigi=jq5a1p2gCEsE

The Perseids, the Creator, and Wonder

 

1 Teach me, God, to wonder, teach me, God, to see;

let your world of beauty capture me.

Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,

life be celebrated, joy you give.

                                           Voices United 299

Lift up your eyes on high and see:

    Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
    calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
    mighty in power,
    not one is missing.

                                        Isaiah 40:26 NRSVue

Will you be watching tonight for the Perseid meteor shower? This multi-night event peaks between the 9th and 14th of August and this year it will be tonight into early Thursday with a rate of 60 an hour, or more. 

This is really a Northern Hemisphere celestial event so we are privileged to witness the shower, if skies are clear enough, the light pollution isn't too bad, and we can stay awake long enough. As I age the latter factor is a biggie. 

When our three kids were, well, kids, we drove to the lakeside home of a co-worker at St. Andrew's United Church in Sudbury with the sole purpose of stretching out on the dock to watch the Perseids. We have seen them in other years as well although our most spectacular meteor viewing was the Draconids on my birthday in October while spending time by the ocean in Nova Scotia a few years ago. We didn't know that it was the peak Draconid night but were by the shore to witness the Milky Way when the show got underway. 

The names we use for constellations and cosmic events tend to come from Greek mythology and astronomy. I wish I had an understanding of the Indigenous names as a complement to those ancient traditions. 

I figure looking the the night sky opens us to wonder in a unique way. And if we choose,  this can be an act of praise and prayer to the Creator... that is, if we can stay awake. This year's Perseids peak under a new moon, meaning that the skies will be absent of moonlight. Here's hoping and praying!

[Verse 1]
Lord of the starfields
Ancient of days
Universe maker
Here's a song in your praise

[Chorus]
O love that fires the sun
Keep me burning
O love that fires the sun
Keep me burning
O love that fires the sun
Keep me burning

                             Bruce Cockburn