More churches are beginning to utilize artificial intelligence to help produce and write their weekly messages, the latest coming from a church in Austin, Texas.
Violet Crown City Church last Sunday revealed that they used Chat-GPT to design the plans for the entire Sunday service. The Houston Chronicle reports that ‘the unique hour-long service was generated by prompts asking the chatbot to reflect on the church’s devotion to inclusivity and justice.’
Pastor Jay Cooper explained that he wanted to explore AI tech with ‘curiosity as opposed to fear,’ the Houston Chronicle wrote, in order to learn how ChatGPT can ‘impact faith and religious practices.’
Perhaps, in some way, if we can experience the sacred in something like artificial intelligence, then maybe we can see it in that neighbor who has political beliefs we just cannot stand.
We’re doing this not as some sort of gimmicky event or misguided attempt to be provocative. The purpose of us gathering this morning is for us to wrestle with the nature of truth and also how do we see sacred in our world.
Cooper said introing the sermon
You can watch that AI-curated sermon below:
In a separate interview with Kxan, Cooper gave a glowing review of the AI experience:
ChatGPT kicked out about a 15 minute service, like a shotgun sermon, an outline. It’s very clear that a human element is still needed. I had to fill out the service with additional prompts, and add a couple prompts to the sermon to kind of beef it up.
There’s so many different applications for AI. I just had the idea what would it look like to incorporate this into a worship service?
Cooper repeatedly referenced the word “sacred” and questions what that looks like.
A big question that comes up to me as we let AI lead worship is can a prayer written by artificial intelligence, in some way, communicate truth? Can you experience God through that?
Perhaps something resonates with them and then it opens their mind to, maybe I’m not looking for the sacred enough in the rest of the world.
He did note that it is not perfect. “I think the human touch is critical in life and in ministry,” Cooper said. “I think the messiness of humanity should be present in worship.” Cooper added that this was a one-off event and has plans to do something like this again.
One congregant also challenged how effective AI can be for this line of practice.
I’m not sure that AI can actually express the emotions of love and kindness and empathy. I think that we must practice love and express that. Not only feel it, but we must express it.
The church attendant said
News Nation brought on a Roman Catholic Priest, Father Edward Beck, to give his take on this AI revolution. The priest took a lukewarm approach, saying that there essentially is nothing really wrong with this by embracing “the future,” but cautioned that it “crosses the line” when proper attribution is not given and if one relies upon it too much.
As for Violet Crown Church, the church is all about inclusivity and community-building, taking a blasé stance when comes to doctrine. According to the introduction video on their website, Cooper said,
We find that dogma and doctrine don’t inspire people, and no one is like, ‘man, I get so fired up about that Christian dogma, I want to follow Jesus,’ said no one, ever.
The church also has an outreach ministry that affirms that LGTBQIA+ lifestyle.
The people of Violet Crown City Church celebrate the sacred worth of all people. We are affiliated with the Reconciling Ministries Network, which equips and mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
As children created uniquely and beautifully in the very image and likeness of God, we believe that our sexual orientation and gender identity are given to us as a gift. Therefore, our community commits itself to being a safe and welcoming place in Austin for all and to working for full inclusion in the global United Methodist Church for our LGBTQIA+ siblings.
The website says
Thank you for being you.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.
Jeremiah 10:21
Ah, of course, another effeminate liar that hates the truth and is his own standard of truth, with a congregation full of complicit liars. Go figure.
More “churches” will continue to adopt this, and as a matter of fact, as noted in other reports I have done about this, the modern churches and organizations are totally all for it.
SEE:
- Fox News Says ‘Christians Shouldn’t Fear AI, They Should Partner With It,’ As Southern Baptist Convention Permits Its Use
- Lutheran Church In Germany Uses ChatGPT AI-Generated Pastor To Preach A Sermon
- New AI App Allows People To ‘Text’ Jesus And Other Biblical Characters
- AI “Jesus The Preacher” Is Making The Rounds On Social Media, Giving Inspirational Messages And Prayers
- Exclusive: Say Hello To ChatKJV. Tech Engineer Merges AI ChatGPT With The King James Bible To Answer Reader’s Questions
- Top WEF Advisor Yuval Noah Harari Says The Bible Should Be ‘Rewritten’ With AI And Create A ‘New Bible’
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Giving the devil the pulpit. Can’t imagine what Judgment Day will be like for those “pastors.”
Judgement day for those so-called pastors is going to be sadistic. They’ve led untold millions astray including myself once upon a time when I was brainwashed in the pentecostal cult, another one of the Vatican’s many daughters called “denominations.”
First, it was that effeminate girly boy old man Ken Robinson, people thought he was a homosexual I am NOT joking, that’s how girly he was, he was also a haughty self-righteous hireling and soon the Lord knocked him off his pedestal and he began to pine away, then came the current hireling of that cult building named Oscar Sacriste. One hireling exit stage right, new hireling enter stage left. It’s only become more heretical and unscriptural (and it already was since the day that cult center was built in 1966) but it’s only gotten worse!
This is the occult, not a church, run by Satan!
Jacob, check out Spencer Smith’s Third Adam 4, the rode to Shambala. this is what he is showing people about this type of so-called churches
That so-called “pastor” is too effeminate, it’s nasty.
He is effeminate, that girly boy’s voice sounds like a violin being played out of tune! Who knows, Lord only knows, he might be a sodomite.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” 2 Tim. 4: 3 Here we are; that time has arrived. We are truly living in “the times of the signs”, as Jan Markell says on Olive Tree Ministries. Not much longer for us to watch and wait. Maranatha! It could be today!
I just noticed something…these guys wearing hats in the sanctuary! This is disrespectful and disobedient to Scripture. “1 Corinthians 11: 7 “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.”
I guess they haven’t gotten to that part of the Bible yet… I remember a time when as a little boy, my grandmother knocked my cap off my head when I walked into the kitchen wearing it. I’m almost 65, and I’ll never forget that! We’re not allowed to wear head coverings in a courtroom, so why is it allowed in the sanctuary? Double standards abound!
I was 7 years old when I got a nasty scolding (in that same kitchen) for saying the word, “pregnant”, and we lived on a farm! I was an unwanted pregnancy, and I guess when I said the word, it must’ve triggered the animosity they held in their hearts against me and my mom. Of course, their son had no part to play in that! (Sarcasm).
This is what you call Artificial Inspiration!
Fine way of telling, and nice paragraph to get information concerning my
presentation subject, which i am going to deliver in school.