Seeking Easy Answers, Many Abandon Church for AI

The author recalled asking a professor challenging questions about faith, but was disappointed by the professor's simple advice to go to church.
The author sees a parallel between the decline of church attendance and the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT that promise easy answers.
Both avoiding church and embracing AI reflect a modern desire to move beyond frustrating limits.
Although AI offers convenience, it lacks the relational context that leads to spiritual formation.
Despite its flaws, Christian community provides hope for living a truthful life that cannot be found through technology alone.

time.com

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8/20/2023

Christians shouldn’t fear AI, they should partner with it

### Summary Christians should not fear the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) but instead see it as an opportunity to spread the Good News. AI has been around for a long time, and achieving human-level intelligence in computers remains challenging. Christians can use AI to advance their ministries and present biblical truths in new ways. ### Facts - AI tools have been deployed since the 1950s and are now present in many aspects of daily life. - Large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI's ChatGPT have sparked panic about AI capabilities. - Achieving human-level intelligence in computers has proven more difficult than expected. - Christians can find awe and worship in the complexity of intelligence, seeing it as a reflection of God's design. - The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has adopted a resolution on AI, emphasizing godly wisdom and discernment in its utilization. - AI advancements can benefit various industries and societies, including churches, by improving administrative tasks and freeing up human resources. - Christians have a history of adopting new technologies to spread God's love, from written texts to radio, television, internet, and smartphone apps. - Christians should maintain a default attitude of hope, embracing AI from a place of eschatological hope rather than fear or blind acceptance. - Regardless of the future of AI, Christians find comfort in the supremacy of God.

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Navigating the intersection between AI, automation and religion – 3 essential reads

Artificial intelligence and robotics are increasingly infiltrating religion, with examples such as an AI chatbot representing Jesus on Twitch, robots performing Hindu rituals, and AI chatbots delivering sermons, blurring the boundaries between faith and technology.

9/12/2023

Christians Encouraged to Welcome AI With Wisdom and Discernment

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a complex and transformative technology that raises theological and moral questions, but Christians should view it as a tool provided by God and use it for good and wise purposes, bearing in mind that it cannot replicate the divine image or bring about ultimate salvation.

9/17/2023

Texas Church Experiments with AI-Written Sermon to Spark Debate on Finding Meaning in Technology

A church in Austin, Texas used artificial intelligence to create an entire Sunday service, raising questions about the sacredness of AI-generated content and the necessity of human emotion in worship.

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Posted 9/28/2023, 11:00:00 AM