The method behind FaithWise and Core Compass
The Personal Moral Compass™
Know what you hold, decide what stays yours, and tell AI how to work with you, in your own words.
Created by Rev. Dr. Marian Edmonds-Allen · First developed in February 2026
What it is
A guided reflection, one question at a time
The Personal Moral Compass is a guided reflection, one question at a time, that helps you notice what has formed you, say what you hold, and decide what AI should and should not do in your life and work. You can take it with an AI guide or entirely on paper.
You leave with two documents in your own words:
Why it matters
The problems it solves
Drift
AI use is made of small, reasonable choices that add up to handing over thinking, judgment, or voice no one decided to give away. The PMC asks you to decide first.
Being misread
Systems describe and recommend to people, and miss what is most particular about them. The PMC starts from what is particular to you.
Rules without reasons
Policies say what is allowed. The PMC helps you know what you hold and why, so you can act well where no rule reaches.
One size that fits no one
The PMC works with your own tradition and vocabulary, theological, professional, or personal, instead of asking you to set them aside.
How it works
Four movements
Every PMC experience moves through the same four movements, whether it takes twenty minutes or a whole retreat.
- EncounterBegin with lived experience: a real situation, tension, or mismatch that shows why moral clarity matters.
- RecognizeTurn inward with honest curiosity, toward what formed you, what you are committed to, who you answer to, and what is at stake.
- ArticulateGive your moral world language, in your own words.
- Commit / PracticeTurn what you have said into choices, boundaries, practices, and action.
What it covers
What convictions and sources of meaning shape how you see a situation.
What capacities, voice, judgment, and relationships must remain genuinely yours.
What you will do, not do, delegate, keep, practice, resist, or repair.
Who is affected, and to whom you are accountable.
What makes it different
You stay the author
AI never becomes the authority on who you are.
The guide reflects back what it heard and asks you to confirm or correct it. Every word in your documents comes from you. Not using AI is a legitimate choice, and the paper path is equal to the guided one.
The PMC is first a practice of human formation. AI is its first and most developed application, not its definition.
Who it's for
For people, and the communities they belong to
| Individuals | Clarity about what they hold and what stays theirs, plus standing instructions for their own AI. |
|---|---|
| Congregations and faith communities | A shared language for living with AI, rooted in their own tradition. The Congregational Compass drafts a community statement. |
| Schools and universities | Through Core Compass, students and faculty decide what AI does in learning and what stays theirs. |
| Organizations | People who can explain their AI choices, not just follow a policy. |
Where it is used
Applications of the PMC
Each was designated as a PMC application by Marian Edmonds-Allen. Contributors are credited at the application level.
- PMC for faith leadersIn use
- PMC Sikh EditionIn use
- Congregational CompassIn use
- Covenantal Pluralism CompassIn use
- Core Compass, for higher educationIn use
- Creative CompassIn use
- High school editionIn use
- Teacher EditionIn use
- Family editionIn development
- Workplace editionIn development
Have a workshop passcode? Open the Personal Moral Compass.
Where it comes from
Created by Rev. Dr. Marian Edmonds-Allen
The PMC was created by Rev. Dr. Marian Edmonds-Allen and first developed in February 2026. It puts her work in Covenantal Pluralism into practice, and it draws on decades as a pastor, hospice chaplain, and bridge-builder across deep difference. Core Compass grew from it.
The PMC is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Its framework paper is published with a permanent, dated record.
The framework paper
The Personal Moral Compass: A Framework for Human Formation and Agency in the Age of AI
Edmonds-Allen, M. (2026). The Personal Moral Compass: A framework for human formation and agency in the age of AI (Version 1.0). FaithWise LLC. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24135693
Use it officially
Bring the PMC to your community
Take the PMC yourself, or offer it to others in one of four ways. Write to marian@faithwise.ai.
Organizational license
For congregations, schools, and organizations offering the PMC to their people.
Facilitator certification
For people who want to lead the PMC with groups, trained in the method.
Co-developed edition
For a community or tradition that wants its own edition, built together.
Research license
For researchers who want to study the PMC.
© 2026 Marian Edmonds (Rev. Dr. Marian Edmonds-Allen). All rights reserved. The Personal Moral Compass™ (PMC) is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. It may not be reproduced, adapted, or offered as a program or tool without written permission.
Recognize what is particularly yours, and participate intentionally in who you are becoming.
For workshops, licensing, or research, write to Marian.