How To ChatGPT

As AI becomes more popular, more and more people are using AI tools like ChatGPT to assist them in navigating every day problems or work requirements.

From school children, event planners, professionals writing a proposal, health professionals writing notes (I’ve been using CGPT for this most recently), even professional writers and journalist, almost everyone is accessing AI’s abilities. It’s really becoming common place.

There are some who are reluctant to use it for some ethical or personal reasons. Some of these people are ministers.

Let’s be honest, though, ministry has ALWAYS been painfully slow when it comes to adopting new ideas.

Old guards love their methodical ways, especially when it comes to their study of the Scriptures. Just recently a highly regarded preacher and pastor, John Piper, chimed in denouncing AI use for ministry. Pastor Piper strongly warns against pastors using generative AI to write sermons, calling it “dishonest and spiritually dangerous” because AI lacks genuine heart, feeling, and the ability to truly worship God, which are essential for authentic preaching.

I understand his pause and warning. When used incorrectly, CGPT can make conclusions and analysis that should be the work of rhe Holy Spirit. Quesrions like “what do you think?” or “what does the Bible say about X?” when searching a topic can be very dangerous (as CGPT will give you what it thinks youre looking for rather than first intention understanding of passages.)

I believe, if given the right parameters aka “prompts,” ChatGPT and tools like it can help ministers, preachers, pastors, et al, shed light to Biblical topics for their congregations. And at the pace that information is provided by the AI, then ministers can spend the rest of their time praying and considering the information rather than hours trying to find information—that they may even miss because of personal limitations.

In the comment is a prompt that I’ve used (in form) to have CGPT provide for me what I’m looking for without becoming part of the inspiration for my preaching.

(BTW, the above was not written by CGPT. I wrote that myself. Haha)

Here’s my advice, and my prompts:

Provide scriptural citations, along with word study, Bible commentators like Matthew Henry, and historical background for X (fill in the topic)

I use CGPT for research much like I did when I studied the Bible with 5 different books and dictionaries next to me.

To keep CGPT from making conclusions for you, you can add to the prompt:

Keep this information only without your comments or conclusions (or connections) on the subject matter or scriptures cited.

This will help you use the tool plainly and allows you to pray through the info and arrive, hopefully with the guiding of the Spirit, to the first intention conclusions provided in the info you’ve just received from CGPT.

God bless you!