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A United Methodist Insight Column
Turns out I'm not as much of an alarmist as one might think from my recent column on artificial intelligence. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that there's a group of young computer scientists who are investigating how to keep racial, gender and other bias in their algorithms from discriminating against people.
The article by Drew Lindsay, "33 Leaders Standing Up to Big Tech in the Age of A.I.," starts out:
"Experts in artificial intelligence debate what they call P(doom) — the probability that A.I. will grow to such heights of power that it wipes out humanity. For some, a digital apocalypse is a matter of when, not if.
"A small band of nonprofit advocates, meanwhile, is rallying against the immediate dangers of machine learning, algorithms, and other A.I. technologies. 'The issue is not that they’re omnipotent,' Amba Kak, executive director of the A.I. Now Institute, told the Atlantic recently. 'It is that they’re janky now. They’re being gamed. They’re being misused. They’re inaccurate. They’re spreading disinformation.'”
It's reassuring that experts are recognizing the dangers in AI. When it comes to what AI threatens to do to human spirituality, I've found no better reflection than that of Mark Galli, editor emeritus of Christianity Today. Mark has written the kind of deeply spiritual critique of AI that I wish I had written, "AI Will Not Save the World." Check it out on his Substack newsletter (and a hat-tip to Insight supporter Dan Gangler for the link).
A lot of churches and parachurch organizations are probably receiving AI vendor invitation emails just like United Methodist Insight did this week. This is a really good time to practice the age-old practice of "caveat emptor," Latin for "let the buyer beware."
'Season of Creation' worship resource offered
As a United Methodist who is deeply concerned about the climate crisis, my respect and admiration for the UM Creation Justice Movement continues to grow. The movement's coordinating teams are building on past environmental work with fresh ideas to educate and inspire more UMCs and their members to engage daily in creation care.
The latest offering was announced this week in UMCJM's August newsletter:
The Rev. Laura Baumgartner, pastor of Haller Lake United Methodist Church in Seattle, Wash., writes on behalf of the UMCJM Worship Team:
"Worship is always appropriate for celebrating the goodness of all God’s creation—and for grappling with God’s call to deal with the climate crisis, environmental hazards, and the resulting injustices and oppression. To help you create those times are new resources for the upcoming Season of Creation, “Let Justice and Peace Flow,” designed by our UM Creation Justice Movement worship team, and testimonies from those who worshiped using the recent Eastertide resources (also designed by the worship team), plus many other ideas for rich and beautiful worship that calls the people of God to action on behalf of the planet and all who share this common home."
Laura and some worship team members will lead this month's UMCJ Movement Café August 16 (which meets the third Wednesday of each month). Register here
In addition, the Rev. Nancy Victorin-Vangerud gives us the benefit of her experience road-testing the worship resource this summer while filling in for a colleague on sabbatical at Eden Prairie UMC in Eden Prairie, Minn. Be sure to read her inspiring account, When Life Breaks Out in Love.
Solar power, green teams and more
UM Creation Justice Movement has started two new groups "to support congregational solar projects and the formation the local church green teams (see resources here.) If you are interested in either of these efforts contact us at umcreationjustice@gmail.com to get details about those meetings," says the newsletter.
Meanwhile, check out these other faith-based events:
- United Women in Faith Just Energy 4 All Webinar: Energy Storage Challenges, Solutions, and Accountability—August 16
- (Webinar) Inflation Reduction Act Resources to Help You Electrify Your Home Sponsored by Interfaith Power and Light—September 7
- Faith in Place Green Team Summit 2023—October 8–11
Environmentalists seek farm bill support
Both UM Creation Justice Movement and the Evangelical Environmental Network are asking people of faith to support the Farm Bill pending in Congress.
EEN is supporting the following five recommendations for the Farm Bill reauthorization:
- Prevent cuts to farmers’ ability to access conservation programs and other incentives
- Advance on-farm data collection and monitoring of soil and water health
- Help the conservation programs and incentives actually reach farmers by investing in technical assistance, staffing, public-private partnerships, and peer-to-peer information exchanges
- Reduce barriers for conservation on rented lands and increase support for next generation, beginner, young, and underrepresented farmers to acquire land
- Make a bold investment in transformational resilient agriculture research
EEN's alert says: "A strong Farm Bill is critical to protecting God’s creation, defending our kids’ health, and safeguarding our families, farmers, and food systems from climate-fueled disasters. The Farm Bill isn’t just for farmers; its impacts affect everyone. That’s why we’re asking you to speak out for a conservation-forward Farm Bill by sending a message to your lawmakers today. Click the link ... to send a prewritten, editable message that supports our farmer-backed recommendations!" Send Your Message
July a tipping point? Maybe not
In a previous column I quoted United Nations Secretary General António Guterres that July's excessive heat and rain showed Earth's climate has moved into "global boiling." Washington Post Climate Coach Michael J. Coren quotes a scientist who thinks that July was a marker but not a threshold. From Coren's Aug. 3 column:
"But for scientists like Claudia Tebaldi of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, July was not historic. It was just another data point climate modelers have been predicting with ever-increasing accuracy since at least the 1960s.
“'It’s not like what we see outside our window wasn’t part of the possibilities,' says Tebaldi, who uses statistical analysis to help refine climate change projections. 'It was just the part that was deemed the much more pessimistic.'
"Scientists will be studying this summer for years to understand just what it means for the complex interaction between the oceans, atmosphere and land as humans alter their environment. But the sheer size of these anomalies, while surprising, are only part of a trend that keeps going up.
"A more useful way to see this summer, she suggests, is not as exceeding some critical threshold, but as a sign that we’re shoving the planet closer to more dangerous — and predictable — instability."
Either way, the high temperature here in Dallas has held steady at 106 degrees daily since July 31. Whether a tipping point or a road sign, it's too darn hot for human habitation. And that's something to notice.
Ending the climate crisis
From the Rev. Richenda Fairhurst's Just Creation newsletter, an encouraging opportunity:
"Conversation Bookstart! A conversation around an uplifting book read, Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation by Paul Hawken. Barak Gale will lead the conversation. Read some or part of the book if you can. More info here. Thursday, August 10th 11:00 am Pacific / 2:00 pm Eastern Time. Register."
Media Mentions as of Aug. 3, 2023
Oklahoma Supreme Court grants emergency stay in First Church OKC case – The Oklahoman
Riverhead's new Methodist pastor brings message of encouragement and high hopes to ... _ RiverheadLOCAL
Franklin church raises funds for UPMC Northwest patients | Community News - The Derrick
Texas pastor says migrants still determined to head to overrun NYC despite ongoing crisis _ NY Post
UMCOR aids flood-ravaged Nigeria – UM News
Blessing rural kids, butterflies – UM News
The Nyadire Connection is nearly finished rebuilding 6 clinics in Zimbabwe - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
An award-winning religion journalist who has reported on The United Methodist Church at all levels for 35 years, Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, an online journal she founded in 2011. "Crisis Watch" forms part of Insight's participation in Covering Climate Now, an international collaboration of some 500 news outlets around the world committed to enhance climate coverage. To reproduce this content elsewhere, please email Insight for permission.