When Technology Evangelists Borrow the Language of Faith

In the shadow of Prince George’s County’s recent moratorium on hyperscale data centers, a curious missive landed on residents’ phones last week. The anonymous text, touting economic benefits of data center development, directed recipients to a website called interfaithaction.net — a name that suggests spiritual coalition but, upon investigation, reveals a more terrestrial agenda.

The Rev. Derrick Green, the faith leader behind the message, defended the outreach as an attempt to inform the public. “We’re really trying to get information out to people in real ways, in credible ways, so that people can make their own decisions,” he said. Yet for many recipients, the lack of transparency felt less like pastoral care and more like corporate lobbying dressed in sacred robes.

Elizabeth McNamara, a county resident, warned neighbors on Facebook that the text “without any identifiable names or organization, seems more likely to be a cover for data center lobbyists.” Her caution speaks to a deeper spiritual question: When does advocacy become manipulation, and what responsibility do faith leaders bear when they lend their moral authority to commercial interests?

Dan Smith of Cheverly United Methodist Church expressed “outrage” at what he saw as a well-funded effort to misrepresent community views. His response reminds us that authentic spiritual engagement requires transparency — a principle as old as the prophets who called out false shepherds leading flocks toward earthly treasure rather than heavenly wisdom.