This document discusses the potential for "Big Theology" using big data approaches to analyze and understand theological data on a large scale. It begins by defining big data and explaining how digital theology analyzes theologically relevant data through digital platforms and tools. The document then proposes that big theology could represent, store, retrieve, analyze, predict, and visualize theological phenomena based on a global collection of digital religious expressions and narratives. Finally, it provides examples of potential applications of big theology, such as a mobile catechism, using data to promote peace, technologies for sacred spaces, and assisting church leadership. It concludes by discussing challenges and opportunities for international collaboration on big theology projects.

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?