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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With Letter to Trump, Evangelical Leaders Join the AI Debate
Credit - Getty Images/iStockphoto—Andrea Danti Two Evangelical Christian leaders sent an open letter to President Trump on Wednesday, warning of the dangers of out-of-control artificial intelligence and of automating human labor. The letter comes just weeks after the new Pope, Leo XIV, declared he was concerned with the 'defense of human dignity, justice and labor' amid what he described as the 'new industrial revolution' spurred by advances in AI. 'As people of faith, we believe we should rapidly develop powerful AI tools that help cure diseases and solve practical problems, but not autonomous smarter-than-human machines that nobody knows how to control,' reads the open letter, signed by the Reverends Johnnie Moore and Samuel Rodriguez. 'The world is grappling with a new reality because of the pace of the development of this technology, which represents an opportunity of great promise but also of potential peril especially as we approach artificial general intelligence.' Rodriguez, the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, spoke at Trump's first presidential inauguration in 2017. Moore, who is also the founder of the public relations firm Kairos, served on Trump's Evangelical executive board during his first presidential candidacy. The letter is a sign of growing ties between religious and AI safety groups, which share some of the same worries. It was shared with journalists by representatives of the Future of Life Institute—an AI safety organization that campaigns to reduce what it sees as the existential risk posed by advanced AI systems. The world's biggest tech companies now all believe that it is possible to create so-called 'artificial general intelligence'—a form of AI that can do any task better than a human expert. Some researchers have even invoked this technology in religious terms—for example, OpenAI's former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, a mystical figure who famously encouraged colleagues to chant 'feel the AGI' at company gatherings. The emerging possibility of AGI presents, in one sense, a profound challenge to many theologies. If we are in a universe where a God-like machine is possible, what space does that leave for God himself? 'The spiritual implications of creating intelligence that may one day surpass human capabilities raises profound theological and ethical questions that must be thoughtfully considered with wisdom,' the two Reverends wrote in their open letter to President Trump. 'Virtually all religious traditions warn against a world where work is no longer necessary or where human beings can live their lives without any guardrails.' Though couched in adulatory language, the letter presents a vision of AI governance that differs from Trump's current approach. The president has embraced the framing of the U.S. as in a race with China to get to AGI first, and his AI czar, David Sacks, has warned that regulating the technology would threaten the U.S.'s position in that race. The White House AI team is stacked with advisors who take a dismissive view of alignment risks—or the idea that a smarter-than-human AI might be hostile to humans, escape their control, and cause some kind of catastrophe. 'We believe you are the world's leader now by Divine Providence to also guide AI,' the letter says, addressing Trump, before urging him to consider convening an ethical council to consider not only 'what AI can do but also what it should do.' 'To be clear: we are not encouraging the United States, and our friends, to do anything but win the AI race,' the letter says. 'There is no alternative. We must win. However, we are advising that this victory simply must not be a victory at any cost.' The letter echoes some themes that have increasingly been explored inside the Vatican, not just by Pope Leo XIV but also his predecessor, Pope Francis. Last year, in remarks at an event held at the Vatican about AI, Francis argued that AI must be used to improve, not degrade, human dignity. 'Does it serve to satisfy the needs of humanity, to improve the well-being and integral development of people?' he asked. Or does it 'serve to enrich and increase the already high power of the few technological giants despite the dangers to humanity?' To some Catholic theologians, AGI is simply the newest incarnation of a long-standing threat to the Church: false idols. 'The presumption of substituting God for an artifact of human making is idolatry, a practice Scripture explicitly warns against,' reads a lengthy missive on AI published by the Vatican in January. 'AI may prove even more seductive than traditional idols for, unlike idols that 'have mouths but do not speak; eyes, but do not see; ears, but do not hear', AI can 'speak,' or at least gives the illusion of doing so. Yet, it is vital to remember that AI is but a pale reflection of humanity—it is crafted by human minds, trained on human-generated material, responsive to human input, and sustained through human labor.' Write to Billy Perrigo at
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
White House of Worship: Christian Prayer Rings Out Under Trump
A cappella hymns rising in the Roosevelt Room. Prayer 'in Jesus' name' proclaimed from the Cabinet Room. Hands stretching out in the Oval Office, as pastors invoke Bible passages about how kings are established by God. From the moment Donald J. Trump was re-elected to the presidency, his conservative Christian supporters have rejoiced in a second chance for their values to have power. And now, week after week, scenes like these are taking place at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as they seize on this opportunity. Routinely, and often at Mr. Trump's enthusiastic direction, senior administration officials and allied pastors are infusing their brand of Christian worship into the workings of the White House itself, suggesting that his campaign promise to 'bring back Christianity' is taking tangible root. The result at times is an atmosphere inside the White House of a president operating with a divine mission. Amid his administration's combative postures on issues of economic tariffs, drastic cuts to foreign aid and immigrant deportations, there is an enduring sense among many of his Christian supporters that Mr. Trump miraculously survived an assassination attempt last summer to remake America. Mr. Trump is not known to attend church regularly, and at times in the past he has sounded ignorant of Christian language and beliefs. But after the assassination attempt, Mr. Trump said he had been saved from death by 'the grace of almighty God.' To his supporters' particular delight, Mr. Trump's new White House Faith Office has physical office space in the prized real estate of the West Wing. Evangelical leaders say they have increased proximity to Mr. Trump, even compared with his first administration, when they enjoyed a place of prominence. 'This is a different reality,' said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who prayed for Mr. Trump in the Oval Office with a group in March. 'It comes with unprecedented access and an unparalleled commitment to affirming our Judeo-Christian value system.' He and others see ever greater opportunity to influence all sorts of policies. 'I don't see rails,' he said. 'I've never even heard of the rails.' The faith office is led by Mr. Trump's longtime personal pastor, Paula White-Cain, and Jennifer Korn, who worked in the first Trump administration. Inside their office on Wednesday, on the basement level of the West Wing, Ms. White-Cain said Mr. Trump had begun talking about his plans for the faith office more than a year ago. 'He said, 'I want to elevate it as high as possible, and I want it in the West Wing,'' Ms. White-Cain said. Beside her desk was a bowl filled with prepackaged communion cups. She takes communion there every day, she said, and offers it to anyone who might want it. Shelves displayed Bibles, a plaque depicting Mr. Trump's raised fist following the assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., and a book titled 'The Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America: Christian Self Government.' Hours later, Ms. White-Cain sat at Mr. Trump's right hand in the Blue Room for an Easter prayer service that was streamed live on the White House feed, followed by a celebratory dinner with longtime pastor allies. A Christian singer and pastor opened the program, thanking Mr. Trump for 'honoring Easter the way it should be honored.' He then performed a rendition of 'O Sole Mio' adapted with Christian lyrics: 'O how I love Him! How I adore Him!' The existence of a White House office devoted to faith issues dates to the early 2000s under President George W. Bush. The office, which initially worked to direct federal funds to faith-based groups to provide social services, continued in various forms. But the new Trump administration rebranded both its mission and its name, to prioritize faith itself. Ms. White-Cain and Ms. Korn emphasized that the faith office exists to support religious freedom for people of all faiths. The White House has hosted an iftar, where Mr. Trump thanked Muslims for their support in November. The faith office also held a Passover event on Thursday. The executive order establishing the new office says it is devoted to 'combating antisemitic, anti-Christian, and additional forms of anti-religious bias.' The office has promised pastors an ambitious agenda, including ending what it sees as Christian persecution in America and to end the prevailing belief that church and state should be separated. Asked about a memo from the State Department ordering employees to report examples of anti-Christian bias, and whether other departments and agencies had issued similar instructions, Ms. White-Cain replied, 'We sure would hope so.' So far, their work elevating the place of Christianity has the boldest representation. On Monday, the White House unveiled a weeklong Easter celebration unlike any religious observance in the White House in recent memory. On Sunday, Mr. Trump opened the Easter festivities with a statement Ms. White-Cain referred to as a 'proclamation.' 'This Holy Week, Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,' the statement begins, referring to Jesus as 'the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of Heaven for all of humanity.' Mr. Trump envisioned the scale of the Holy Week celebrations as a direct rebuttal to former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Ms. White-Cain said. Last year, Easter Sunday fell on March 31, which is also celebrated annually as Transgender Day of Visibility. Mr. Biden issued statements that day commemorating both occasions, sparking swift reactions from Christians who oppose transgender rights. 'To wake up on the most holy day and declare it as Transgender Visibility Day, that struck a nerve,' Ms. White-Cain said. Mr. Trump, then a candidate, called her soon afterward to sketch out a plan. 'We're going to do something really big for Easter, really big,' she recalled Mr. Trump as saying. 'He wanted this.' Mr. Biden is a lifelong practicing Catholic who has attended Mass regularly, and has spoken extensively about how his faith grounded his life and policies. Many progressive Christians saw in him an example of how to live out their faith in public life. Vice President JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, is going to Rome this weekend, and has a planned meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state. Pope Francis and American cardinals have criticized Mr. Trump's policies on mass deportations. Many other faith groups, leaders and individual believers have spoken out against some of Mr. Trump's policies. This week, a coalition of leading U.S. Jewish groups across denominational lines issued a joint statement saying the president's campus crackdowns were making Jews less safe. The wife of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador last month, pleaded on Tuesday for his return, saying he needed to be home in the United States for Holy Week to lead the family's Easter prayers. Asked about the millions of Americans, including many Christians, who don't see Mr. Trump as representing their values, Ms. White-Cain encouraged them 'to find our common ground.' 'We are not here creating theology,' Ms. Korn said. 'We are here giving a voice to those who want to practice freely and have that religious freedom.' Many of the leaders the faith office has invited to the White House are charismatic Christians. That tradition believes that group prayer and singing has unique spiritual power to transform events in the places where they occur, by summoning the presence of the Holy Spirit. In early April, representatives with Intercessors for America, a Christian group, sang 'Amazing Grace' before a briefing in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The intercessor's job is to listen deeply to God in prayer and then cooperate with God 'to pray into existence God's will,' said David Kubal, the group's leader. 'He just seems more resolute,' Mr. Kubal said of Mr. Trump. 'It seems as if he is striving to accomplish God's mission for him, and not just accomplish an achievement.' Jackson Lahmeyer, a pastor in Oklahoma who has said that the Constitution is built on the Bible, has visited the White House several times in the past few months. He founded Pastors for Trump to mobilize church leaders in the 2024 campaign, and is part of a cohort of newer supporters with growing influence across the country and on social media, joining longtime Trump loyalists like Franklin Graham and Robert Jeffress. 'Something special is happening in our country, and I have seen it firsthand,' Mr. Lahmeyer posted on social media after one recent visit. The flow of pastors into the White House also provides effective messaging for the president's agenda. Many of the pastors return home as evangelists of the administration, and photos and testimonials of their encounters quickly spread on social media. In the Oval Office after Mr. Trump signed the executive order establishing the faith office, the president pointed out gold cherubs above two doorways and told the group that 'angels protect you' before confirming the theological point with Mr. Graham, recalled Travis Johnson, a pastor in Alabama. (Giving an on-air tour to the Fox News host Laura Ingraham recently, the president explained it slightly differently, saying, 'Angels bring good luck.') 'I'm standing that there thinking that family is back in style, faith is back in style,' Mr. Johnson recalled. He, too, posted about the visit online. Mr. Trump is far from the first president to bring religious practice into the White House. Richard Nixon held regular Sunday services with sermons and hymns in the East Room, typically opening the proceedings himself. President Obama prayed in the Roosevelt Room with pastors making up a 'Circle of Protection.' Mr. Trump's team has hosted briefings and listening sessions billed as opportunities for the leaders to share their particular concerns, which have ranged widely: religious liberty, adoption and foster care, the breakdown of the nuclear family, human trafficking, urban poverty and antisemitism, among others. Jeff Schwarzentraub, pastor of BRAVE Church in Denver, attended a listening session with the faith office at the White House in March. When it was his turn to speak, he mentioned his concerns about the lack of men in America acting as godly leaders. 'So go the men, so goes the church,' he said. 'So goes the church, so goes the world.' When Ms. White-Cain and Ms. Korn responded with 'amens,' he felt encouraged. Mr. Trump's second term is a chance for so much to change, he said. 'There's a different level of intensity with the church,' he said. 'We have a window of time to do whatever the Lord wants us to do.'
