Presentation given by Prof. Erkki Sutinen in the Digital Theology -course, January 23, 2015.

1. Big Data – Big Theology
Erkki Sutinen
edTechΔ (www.uef.fi/edtech)
University of Eastern Finland

2. What is Big Data?
• Large scale, unstructured and complex data
that cannot be processed with traditional
database techniques
• Accuracy and precision usually less than 100%
unlike with traditional databases
• Volume, variety, velocity, variability, veracity,
complexity
• BD Analytics: Connection, Cloud, Cyber,
Content/context, Community, Customization

3. In the Context of Digital Theology?
• Digital theology: Digital platforms and tools for the
representation and analysis of theologically
relevant data, bottom up or at/by the base-of-the-
pyramid (BoP)
• Field in digital humanities – an emerging
interdisciplinary field with unexpected links to as
far as bioinformatics (like fylogenetic trees or story
sequencing)

4. Towards Big Theology?
• Representing, storing, retrieving, analyzing, predicting
and visualizing theological phenomena based on the
entire corpus (body, collection) of relevant digital data
• A global collection of explicit or implicit digital
expressions of faith
– Textual, visual, aural or other types of narratives
– Cognitive, emotional, spiritual contents
• Narrative theology digitized
• Supports multiple, diverse entrances or perspectives
to and several layers of faith-related data
• Enhances contemporary theological on-off debates

5. Digital theology and classic theological
disciplines

6. Applications
• A set of possible application of digital theology
using big data possibilities
• Implementation requires trained Data
theologians
• The applications are to show the urgency of
the challenge in the contemporary world

7. Mobile Catechism
• Relating or sense-making faith to the user’s
everyday life with context-aware technology
• Crowdsourcing a comprehensive
understanding of faith in the diverse global
village
• Theologically informed and manageable
dialogue within a massive exchange of
expressions of faith

8. Instrumentation of Peace
• “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace”
digitally implemented
• The prayer from 1912 uses information oriented
(or epistemological) vocabulary (doubt, harmony,
truth, faith, understand) and is close to the
Reconciled reconcilers agenda of the Anglican
church
• Human language technologies can identify and
bridge mutually conflicting expressions or
misunderstandings

9. Technologies for sacred spaces
• Churches, chapels, places of worship
• Augmented pilgrimage – example C2C
(http://cape2cape.fi)
• One’s own body as a temple of Holy Spirit
(1Cor. 6:19)
• Explicating one’s existential experience in a
sacred space and sharing it with others (global
mass)

10. Church leadership and
digital discipleship
• Compiling trend analyses based on people’s faith-
sensitive expressions in social media and
visualizing them
• Identifying weak signals for unexpected changes
• Explicating tacit knowledge of senior Christians
• Visibilizing – standing up as a Christian, becoming
visible within social media
• Diversifying as a global body of Christ with many
members (1Cor. 12:12-) experiencing their
interdependence

11. Challenges – Opportunities and Flaws
• Openness vs authorization
• Experimental digital theology lab
• Glocal theological training – knowledge, skills,
attitudes
• Bodily or physical theology
• Could robots independently craft a religion
and use social media to attract devoted
members? Can an AI-based religion pass a
Turing test?

12. Walking on
• International collaboration
– ACCORD in SA
– ELCT for mobile catechism
– LC in Zambia
– South Korean ICT partners?
– ELCA?
• European collaboration
– CODEC at Durham University (No. 1 theology school in the UK); U.
Oxford; King’s College?
– U. Lausanne within digital humanities; USI, Lugano
• In Finland
– Tekes grant proposal (FBMA, Kotimaa, Logos Ministries of Finland,
Evangelical Missionary Association, Kitee Ev Folk HS)
– Local development site – would the Diocese of Mikkeli profile in
Finland, with Kitee Evangelical Folk HS as a training center?