Well, the secret is out! I use ChatGPT to help with my writing.
If you read yesterday’s blog post, you may have noticed that it ended with these rather unusual words:
“I’ve kept the conversational tone, Minnesota humor, and personal reading experience while strengthening the connection to 1 Thessalonians 5:18….”
Oops! Apparently, I copied a little more than I intended when I transferred my post from ChatGPT to my blog. So much for keeping my secret!
Now, some of you might be saying, “That’s cheating! We don’t want to hear from AI!” Others may be thinking, “It’s about time he got some help!”
Well, I have news for both of you. I’ve been getting help with my writing since my very first Compaq computer. I probably wouldn’t have done much writing at all if it weren’t for spell-check. Seriously, that little red squiggly line has saved me from embarrassment more times than I care to admit.
Then, as the years went by, I discovered this wonderful little thing called Grammarly. It helped with my grammar, especially my punctuation and capitalization. Apparently, commas and I have never quite understood each other.
And now there’s ChatGPT.
These days, when I finish writing a blog post, I simply copy what I’ve written, paste it into ChatGPT, and ask, “Clean this up for publication on my blog.”
And it does its little thing.
Mostly, it fixes my spelling and grammar, cleans up my punctuation, and occasionally rearranges a thought so that it actually makes sense to someone other than me.
As a reader, you should appreciate that!
I remember Melissa, who edited several of my books, telling me that editing my writing wasn’t particularly difficult for her. She was used to hearing me speak, and she knew that I wrote pretty much the same way I talked. She understood what I was trying to say and could put it into a form that was easier to read than to listen to.
In many ways, that’s what I’m asking ChatGPT to do. The thoughts, the stories, the humor, and the message are mine. I’m simply getting a little help making them readable.
But let me be clear about something: I am also very wary of AI and what it is capable of doing.
I don’t like the fact that it can create fake news, manufacture convincing images, and make things appear real that never happened.
Just yesterday morning, I saw a post on Facebook claiming that the Minnesota Vikings were bringing back Kirk Cousins to be their quarterback. Really? Maybe? Who knows anymore?
That’s the problem. We have reached a point where we can’t automatically believe everything we see or read. We need to slow down, ask questions, and check our sources.
And when it comes to the Church and the proclamation of the Gospel, I believe we need to be especially careful.
AI can be a useful tool. It can help organize thoughts, correct grammar, and improve communication. But it cannot replace the Word of God, and it certainly cannot replace the work of the Holy Spirit.
I pray that as the Church continues to navigate this rapidly changing world, we will recognize the proper boundaries between technology and theology.
There is a significant difference between asking a computer to help me communicate more clearly and asking a computer to determine what God’s Word means or what His people need to hear.
The first can be helpful. The second requires great caution.
After all, the Gospel is not a message we invent, improve upon, or manufacture. It is the Good News of Jesus Christ, revealed to us in God’s Word and proclaimed through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Luther’s Small Catechism reminds us in the explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed:
“I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts…”
That is something no computer, no algorithm, and no artificial intelligence can ever do.
AI may help me find the right words, but only the Holy Spirit works through God’s Word to create and sustain faith.
And that is a distinction worth remembering.
So, yes, the secret is out. I use ChatGPT.
But the message I want you to hear isn’t coming from a computer. It is the same message I have been privileged to share for years:
Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. He died for you. He rose for you. And through His Word, the Holy Spirit continues to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify His people.
That’s not artificial intelligence.
That’s the very real grace of God.
And no amount of technology will ever improve on that!