The congregation and income are in free fall the organist and choir are harried and driven to resignation. A vote of no confidence in the incumbent is passed overwhelmingly, but then ignored. The organisation of funerals and weddings is chaotic. The sick lie unvisited the bereaved are unconsoled. After two years of looking, the panel feel compelled to accept the diocesan candidate.įast forward ten months, and the parish is a shambles, bullying is rampant, slanders about church members are widespread, all the voluntary officers, churchwardens, treasurer, secretary, etc., have either been fired or resigned. The panel ask for time to consider the matter, but are told that a decision must be given that afternoon. As this candidate has been a curate in the diocese for three years, it is reasonably assumed that the references could show nothing amiss. He arrives with a list of questions to form the bulk of the meeting he further says that, though he has references for the candidate, he will not show them, declaring them not relevant. An interview is arranged by the diocese, who say that their archdeacon must run it. An application is received from a priest looking for their first parish. Sir, - Let us picture a large, happy and successful rural parish, during an interregnum. I can provide more details on request to the email address below.Ĭoventry CV3 outcome of mishandled appointment Various publications arising from this research are forthcoming. It may, however, have value as a supplementary resource, used alongside consulting a human. Overall, AI is currently far from being an adequate substitute for a human spiritual counsellor. It may eventually be possible to develop a somewhat similar personalised spiritual companion, which would become familiar with a particular person’s spirituality. It would also be possible to develop computerised expert systems to deliver training in particular skills relevant to the spiritual life.Īlso, before GPT-3, there was useful work on developing personalised spiritual companions for the elderly. There is research from the 1960s, using older methods, showing that a computer can mimic non-directive counselling. They can also facilitate self-exploration. Nevertheless, computers have their spiritual uses. The computer was also unable to probe the user’s responses, and consistently lacked depth. The computer’s responses, taken individually, were often convincing and impressive, but, over a period of time, they were stereotyped and formulaic. The responses from the computer were often impressively knowledgeable, as would be expected but many of our users found it limited. I have been involved recently, with Yorick Wilks and others, in research on this, funded by a grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to the International Society for Science and Religion. Sir, - Paul Vallely ( Comment, 26 May) raises the question how competent Open AI (GPT) is to discuss spiritual matters. Potential spiritual uses of artificial intelligence Without it, the current crisis produced by the House of Bishops’ proposals risks furthering widespread division and fracture within the Church of England. This offers the best hope for securing the greatest possible unity in the face of incompatible theological convictions. I am surprised that your critique did not engage with the more substantive issue of differentiation. we do, in fact, reject the straightforward commands of Scripture, and appeal instead to another authority when we declare that same-sex unions can be holy and good.” As Luke Timothy Johnson has commented, “The exegetical situation is straightforward. The “plain meaning of Scripture” is not about avoiding complexity, but noting the clear and consistent teaching of scripture, which even scholars arguing for a change of church teaching recognise. Our argument is not based on “individual conscience”, but on precisely this very broad consensus, which also remains by far the majority view of the Anglican Communion. Indeed, this remains the doctrine of the Church of England, as confirmed at February’s General Synod meeting so we are speaking here not so much as “conservative Evangelicals”, simply as faithful Anglicans. It does not make “casual” use of the term “orthodox”, but uses it in recognition that the creation-covenant understanding of marriage as between one man and one woman has been the consensus doctrine of the Church Catholic at every time, until the past 30 years. Sir, - I am sorry that you found the Church of England Evangelical Council’s (CEEC’s) internal discussion document The Road Ahead “irritating, puzzling, and frustrating” ( Leader comment, 2 June).
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