Churches in Ghana urged to play responsible roles in technological advancement era
Churches have been urged to take advantage of technological advancement by assisting members to make judicious use of digital tools and spaces to address critical issues in society.
They can partner with universities, civil society organisations and industries to use artificial intelligence and digital tools to address very practical needs in communities such as food security, health outreaches, environmental care and education.
Professor Jerry John Kponyo, Director of the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (RAIL) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who made the call at 40th Anniversary Symposium of the Christ Resurrection Church in Kumasi.
In a speech, Prof Kponyo imagined a church that held robotic classes for young people, digital literacy classes for parents or workshops on online safety for teenagers.
He indicated that the future belonged to people who were able to navigate digital space.
Prof Kponyo said: “The church has a major role to play because it has a lot of young people coming to you, I urge you not to limit yourselves to just preaching sermons of the gospel, but let it translate to building people’s capacities as far as integrating into the society is concerned”.
The symposium was held on the theme “The Church and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Impact, Opportunities and Challenges”.
Prof Kponyo, touting the prowess of digital tools, said it allowed people to reach beyond the walls of the church building through live streams, social media, online bible studies and digital evangelism.
Again, he said AI could help translate sermons into local languages, generate study guides and make the bible accessible to people with disabilities.
According to him, the church was full of professionals (teachers, engineers, lawyers), who were connecting daily with these technologies, and if trained and supported, could be the “salt and the light” in the technology companies, universities, government agencies among others, influencing how systems were designed and deployed.
Apostle Joseph Emmanuel Mensah, the General Overseer, Christ Resurrection Church, reminded church members that, they must be relevant without compromising the truth, innovative without sacrificing spiritual foundation and technologically aware while they remained spiritually guided.
They must grasp the significance of the revolution, recognize the opportunities it offered for ministry, evangelism and discipleship and bravely face the ethical, moral and spiritual challenges that accompanied it.
Apostle Mensah was hopeful that the Christ Resurrection Church would continue to be a light to generations, steadfast in doctrine, compassionate in mission and progressive in approach.
The Reverend Edmund Fianko, the Director General, National Communications Authority (NCA), said the church had an important role in helping society ensure that technological advancement was guided by wisdom and righteousness.
Nana Dr Agyenim Boateng I, the Amoamanhene, emphasised on deepening discipline, leading with integrity, transparency and humility as well as matching excellence with accountability to achieve advanced technological drive.
Source: GNA