#1 I asked AI (Artificial Intelligence) to write me a blog post about discipleship...

Here's what they said.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing before my eyes. An original article from the hive mind of the internet was being birthed in less time than it would take me to warm up my laptop. Words were auto-generating like the ghost of a preacher typing on my iPhone.

Have you tried the ChatGPT software yet?

Elon Musk’s team has created an AI chatbot that is sending waves around the digital world. Simply ask it any question you want, and then watch it respond in real time with human-like writing and completely natural dialogue. This thing is like Google on steroids! And it is starting to become more widespread.

The rise of artificial intelligence is rattling writers, journalists, and bloggers, so much so, that it feels like a strange time to be putting my human words out into the world. 

My motivation is fairly straightforward really. I love the enduring mandate from Jesus to ‘make disciples’ and I am passionate about putting it into practice in my own imperfect way. The goal of PARALLEL is to help the average Christian feel more empowered to walk alongside others on their journey to Christ. 

That feels more important than ever in a world that is leaning towards the artificial in more ways than one.

Yet before I jump into this subject headfirst, I wanted to face my robotic rival head on. So, I decided to do an experiment with ChatGPT.

I asked the latest AI chatbot to write me an article on ‘how to disciple others.’ Here is word-for-word what he/she/they wrote in about 15 seconds flat. 

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Discipling someone involves guiding and teaching them in order to help them grow and mature in their faith and character. Here are a few ways you can go about discipling someone:

1. Spend time with them: This can be one-on-one or in a small group setting. Make an effort to get to know them and build a relationship with them.

2. Share your own experiences and insights: Share your own journey with faith and how you've learned and grown through it. This can help the person you are discipling feel more connected and supported.

3. Encourage them to read the Bible and pray: The Bible is the ultimate source of truth and guidance for believers, and praying helps us communicate with God and seek his will for our lives. Encourage the person you are discipling to make these activities a regular part of their routine.

4. Provide accountability: Offer to be a sounding board for the person you are discipling and hold them accountable to living out their faith.

5. Serve together: Serving others is a great way to grow in faith and character. Find opportunities to serve together and discuss how it is impacting your faith.

6. Pray for them: Pray for the person you are discipling and their growth in faith.

It's important to approach discipling with humility, grace, and a desire to help the other person grow, rather than trying to control or manipulate them.

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My human words continue below…

Photo by Everyday basics on Unsplash

There you have it. Pastors beware. Here cometh the bots. 

So, big thanks to Mr Robot (and Mr Musk). Our work here is done. Blog level accomplished. There is clearly no need for me to wade into the already saturated market of ‘Christian hot takes’. Even the tech-billionaires are doing it now.

But wait. Just before all the Christian writers retire and we let the world move one step closer to that moment when sky-net becomes self aware. There’s a few nagging questions left in my ‘sentient human brain’ that can’t quite be answered by an algorithm. 

Annoying questions like these…

If it is so simple to disciple others in the ways outlined by my chatbot, then why does it feel like the church is making it less of a priority than ever? If Jesus told us that our number one goal was to “make disciples…” then why do so many Christians feel ill-equipped to do so? What even is discipleship anyway? We've heard the word used a thousand times on a Sunday, yet we still seem to struggle to know what it means on a Monday morning.

Before we start to unpack these questions and more in real time, we need to tackle the conundrum of whether or not we just let AI take over and do all the writing for us. 

Here is what lies at the heart of that particular dilemma: 

Why should I bother taking personal responsibility if someone else will do it for me? 

I think this is the crux of the issue we need to address as the church. 

If we constantly defer to the programmes, pastors or professionals, it means we always assume someone else will do the work of the so called ‘Great Commission’ for us.

But there are not enough big shots, buildings, or budgets in all of Christendom to replicate the unique roles that God has given us when it comes to discipling others. God wants to use just who you are, right where you are. And no one else can fill the footprint of your faith.

Over the next few months, I will be sharing about how we can break the discipleship deadlock in our own lives. I can't speak for where artificial intelligence will end up, but I hope we can all become a bit more self-aware.

So, join me on the journey if you are up for it?

Drop your email in the subscriber box below and let’s see where it goes.

After all, if it is no good, you can always just autogenerate something from ChatGTP.