Ministers of the gospel, especially those of the Methodist Church, Ghana, have been cautioned to desist from the wholesale adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) sermons to preach to their congregations.

Bishop of the Northern Accra Diocese (NAD) of the Methodist Church Ghana, Rt Rev. Prof.  Joseph M.Y. Edusa-Eyison, who gave the caution, said it was ‘unethical and unchristian for Ministers of the gospel to adopt AI sermons to preach’.

He, therefore, cautioned reverend ministers who were culpable to desist from such practice.

Sermon

He said a sermon must be ‘truth preached through a personality with originality and independence of thought’, affirming the fact that the best theologian was the one who combined the mind and heart with rationality and emotions in preaching and in general life.

According to the Bishop, God created man in his own image, breathed life into man to make him a human being and commanded him to have dominion over all that was in the universe and that there was no  room for machines to take over the control of the world over man.

Bishop Edusa-Eyison, an accomplished and renowned Church Historian and Liturgist, made the remarks at the first lecture to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Northern Accra Diocese (NAD) of the Methodist Church Ghana which was carved out of the Accra Diocese in December 2018.

Lecture

The lecture, which was on the theme; “Artificial Intelligence in Global Understanding of Christianity” was delivered by the Superintendent Minister of the Accra North Circuit of the Methodist Church Ghana, Very Rev. Emmanuel Aryee.

It was held at the Kwesi-Dickson Memorial (KDM) Methodist Church, Adjiringanor, in the Airport East Circuit, Accra.

Very Rev. Aryee said in spite of  the huge advantages of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for mankind, it also had its downside which could be of negative consequences if not properly handled as it was estimated that by the year 2050, AI would have advanced to the stage where it could out do man in service delivery and several aspects of life.

He said with the advent of aeroplanes without pilots, cars without drivers, drones and robotic ingenuity all over the place, including technological advances in health care, man must begin to be aware and prepared for all eventualities.

Very Rev. Aryee was of the view however that, in all those developments, man would be in control as machines or AI for now had no emotions and human feelings which were critical in the life and nature of humans.

The Chairman for the lecture, Very Rev. Dr Abedu Quarshie, Lecturer at the Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra, advised reverend ministers and other public speakers to be always conscious of the reality that technology had developed in such a way that whatever “you say gets to the entire world immediately”.

He expressed appreciation to the Northern Accra Diocesan authorities, the Anniversary Planning Committee and Very Rev. Emmanuel Aryee for the programme which he described as very educative and insightful.