Ai Captain
When I was a child, the barber shop would host a man who would sell pirate DVDs of the latest movies. The quality of the movies was stale and lifeless. At times you could see people walk past the screen for it was secretly recorded in the cinema. The first time I saw this I was shocked because I always associated pirates with captain hook or the stereotypical bearded man with a peg leg. I thought piracy was stealing treasure and burying it in the sand; not stealing movies and selling it in the barber shop. I find that many people use artificial intelligence in a similar fashion. They generate work that they didn’t do, usually lifeless and stale, and sell it to the highest bidder for a cheap rate and a quick buck. I can hear the tech enthusiasts now! “Josh that is harsh and there are so many uses to AI. It is more than a chat GPT generator.” There is truth to that response. And yet it is clear to see the great danger of AI to human connection, creativity, integrity, work ethic, discernment and more. It will be a problem in the future.
As for me, I will never use AI to write a sermon. Never.
The main reason is that the qualifications for a pastor / elder is the ability to teach (1 Timothy 3:2). That means you must be able to read, comprehend and apply Scripture with clarity and engagement for edification of God’s people. It’s the number one job of a pastor. When AI is used, there is a disconnect with the church. The pastor writes and prepares for a congregation that he knows. He knows what their needs are, what they have been through, and while being faithful to the text, he has them in mind. AI does not care for anyone, indeed it can’t! “Artificial emotion,” is an oxymoron, that no sane person would be flattered by. In first Corinthians 2, The Apostle Paul says that he did not come with lofty speech or wisdom. In fear and trembling his speech was not in plausible words of wisdom but a demonstration of Spirit and power, that your faith may rest not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. We must remember that the sermon is not a theological performance of our pastor’s wisdom to tickle the Sunday audience’s ears. It is a Spirit filled, powerful exhortation to all men to put their trust in the power of God and not the wisdom of man. AI cannot do that.
Secondly, I will never use AI to write a sermon because the sermon is a part of worship to God and we are called to worship God in spirit and in truth. AI may generate true statements, but AI has no spirit or feeling. Worship “in spirit” must involve the heart, soul and affections, whereas worship “in truth” comes with knowing what the truth is. My worship is not genuine if AI generates the content and I echo what has been produced. I must worship in spirit and truth. AI cannot do that.
Lastly, I will never use AI to write a sermon because it lacks integrity. Working hard is not a bad thing. Work was done by God and man before the fall, meaning that work is not a product of sin. We have a negative attitude towards work because of sin. Born again believers, therefore, are called to work heartily as for the Lord and not to men (Colossians 3:23). The Christian must have integrity in all they do as it is unto God who sees all and knows all. He knows if we claim an AI document to be our own when it isn’t. Hebrews 4 verse 12 reminds us that the word of God is living and sharp enough to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Whether we like it or not, there is a heart issue to address for the lazy man who does not have God’s glory in mind.
Hebrews 4:15 says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. What a great encouragement it is to serve a God who sympathizes with our weakness. In this fast-paced world where employers demand perfect results instantly. God’s word reminds us, that perfection is found only in Christ and He imputes his righteousness freely to all who repent and trust in him.
