Ethics of Technology

Post Author: Michelle Bodle

 AI and ministry. The topic has been discussed in articles and podcasts. Pastors in my area hosted a virtual workshop on designing worship using AI and other technology for Advent 2023. But it wasn’t until more recently that I really thought about the impact of technology on specific aspects of vocational ministry beyond worship, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. 

One of the ways that I volunteer in my community is by working with those in hospice . I like to explain my presence to clients by saying that I am part of the emotional side of hospice – present to talk about anything on their minds and hearts. Often, people will share with me things that they can’t say to a family member, caregiver, or nurse. Stuff about the fear of death, or how they feel ready to die, but their family can’t let go. Or even how they are worried about what will happen to their loved ones when they are gone. 

I was at a client’s house, visiting after a week away from her, and noticed a camera out of the corner of my eye. I wasn’t surprised. The client spent a reasonable amount of time alone in her home, so I dismissed the camera’s presence as a way for her loved ones to check in when no one could be with her and ensure she was safe. But at the exact moment my visit ended,  I received a phone call from a family member asking me to call them. Another family member had been listening to our conversation through the camera and had questions. 

Computer, tablet, and cell phones on desk.

Now, did I share anything I wouldn’t have said in the presence of another person? No. But did the client share things she may not have said in front of her family? Maybe. This opened up an ethical question for me about the sacredness of confidentiality as a clergy person. 

To be clear, I was not visiting this individual as Pastor Michelle. There would not have been the same sanctity around confidentiality as we hold in the ministerial office. When I am a hospice volunteer, we do not expressly say that what is said to us is kept confidential, but we also encourage the clients  to trust that they can share anything with us as a safe person, as one just there with an ear to listen. 

What does the prevalence of technology and its uses mean for pastoral confidentiality? And how might we need to reshape our ministerial ethics considering the prominence of video cameras and microphones that may be in people’s homes, especially older adults? I am more concerned about this ethical question than about any question about AI-generated parts of preaching or teaching – what does the presence of this technology mean for pastoral care and confidentiality?

Sebastian Weydner-Volkmann and Linus Feiten in their paper “Trust in Technology” didn’t explicitly focus on pastor ministry being impacted by technology, but they did lift up how trust is central to our relationships. A technology itself can be “trustworthy,” that is to say it functions as it is designed, but when placed in the context of human relationships, it can be used in an untrustworthy way. Or technology could be wonderful in one way (such as protecting our elderly and making sure that they haven’t fallen in their own homes) but can damage other aspects of relationships (such as confidentiality). The problem arises when we treat technology as impersonal, when really it intersects with such personal parts of our lives. 

Another example: my church has a Little Library that we stock with children’s books for the elementary school across the street. Recently, it was vandalized – books thrown onto the street and cigarette burn marks on the post. I chalk this up to simply being part of life, but the church trustees wanted to prevent future incidents, so they put a sign on the Little Library that it was under video surveillance.

What are the ethical implications of a local church’s use of technology?

Of course ethics are not always cut and dry. Anna Puzio writes about the intersection of theology and AI, arguing that theology is relevant to technology – not because our sacred text speaks directly to where we find ourselves today but because it invites us to think about our ethics and values and ask God into our decision-making process. 

Because the thing about ethics is that it’s messy. I recently told a friend that I do not believe in Kantian ethics, with absolute moral rules that can be worked out rationally and with absolutes being true for every situation. However, I think churches and pastors need to wrestle with the ethical implications around technology and be on the cutting edge of the conversation, not the reactive backend. 

What would it look like for a church to have an ethic of care that considered technology? What might this look like, and what hope might such conversation offer the world now?