We often say that we live in the best timeline. We also live in the dumbest.
Yes, "thousands" of people are using this app, which has been around for a few years now, actually.
On the app, users can text with 'Jesus,' 'Moses' or other figures and receive AI-generated responses that quote scripture directly.
Other figures include Peter, Mary, Eve, and ... Satan?
In one exchange displayed on the app, 'Jesus' tells a user anxious about work, 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God' (Philippians 4:6).
The app bills itself as a "divine connection" for "devoted Christians."
If you want to watch a Christian guy be flabbergasted at the responses this app churns out, see this 2024 video. In one reply, AI "Jesus" tells him this about respecting other religions:
It's important to respect diverse perspectives and engage in respectful dialogue when discussing matters of faith.
😬
Even worse? This liberal woman who asked AI Jesus about abortion.
Replacing the actual Jesus with one that sums up his words using unknown algorithms that may be contaminated by woke slop is bad enough, but the developer says he isn't "particularly religious at the moment."
The app is powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT and developed by Catloaf Software, a Los Angeles - based company founded by [Stéphane] Peter, who came to the United States from France.
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Peter, who grew up in a Christian household but says he is 'not particularly religious at the moment,' added that while some pastors offered positive feedback after the first version launched, they were not directly involved in development.
Peter has also built the apps "Text From the Founding Fathers" and "Text From Oscar Wilde," in case you want enlightenment from George Washington or American authors instead of the digital Son of God.
'We expected some pushback, especially from those who worry about AI taking on roles tied to faith,' Peter said. 'But, overall, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The vast majority of users see it for what it is — a fun, accessible way to explore scripture and spirituality in a new format.'
I'm not sure where to begin.
God uses everything for His purposes - even weird, blasphemous computer programs.
If one must choose between someone never hearing the Word of God or hearing an algorithmic copy of it, the latter seems preferable.
Another prompt offers advice on kindness: 'So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets' (Matthew 7:12).
I imagine the Apostle Paul might comment on our weird moment in history by saying something like, "Some preach Christ to get app revenue, but others out of good will ... what does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed." 😂
Still, since Fox News quoted our Babylon Bee brother Joel Berry and linked to his op-ed on our site, I should note his important words of caution.
Joel Berry, managing editor of The Babylon Bee, wrote after a high-profile AI incident in July, 'AI isn't a source of anything. It's a mirror — a twitching, mutated simulacrum, and all it can do is reflect our own depravity back to us. … For wisdom, the only legitimate source must be something transcendent, objective, outside ourselves. … The only real source of truth and wisdom is God's Word.'
AI can theoretically reflect spiritual truth back to us in an organized, faithful, bite-size fashion, but as a replacement for sitting down and reading/listening to the saga God wrote across the ages?
You don't know who is behind the algorithm on many of these apps. You should immediately be wary of trusting apps that don't have any clear sense of transparency to show who is "behind the curtain" pulling strings.
Consider all the unknown info about Catloaf Software, the developer of Text With Jesus:
If you do want to be a pioneer of using Bible learning in the digital Wild West, find a solid, faithful ministry led by tangible human leaders and actual statements of faith.
One example I recently came across is an app affiliated with the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, an evangelical megachurch led by Dr. Michael Youssef. To get more of a sense of Youssef's background and beliefs, I listened to him discuss ideological issues in American churches in a June interview with Eric Metaxas.
Youssef's "Leading the Way" ministry recently developed an app called MY Faith Assistant that is billed as "a tool for biblical truth in an age of deception." Users can ask questions and receive answers to difficult biblical/spiritual questions without worrying that some Silicon Valley developer has injected woke ideology into the response.
From their website:
This is not artificial intelligence programmed by the world. This tool is built on trusted, theologically vetted content drawn from Scripture and the teaching ministry of Dr. Michael Youssef. It does not rely on the shifting sand of secular consensus or progressive theology. It stands on the unshakable Rock of God's inerrant Word.
I haven't personally used this app (though I'm curious about trying it out), and like most ministry tools, it focuses on the teachings of its founding pastor.
But it serves as one example of a new effort among Christians to use the next step in technology to better share the Gospel. 500 years ago, this was accomplished with the Gutenberg printing press. A generation ago, pastors like John MacArthur did the same using the expansion of radio. Twenty years ago, internet ministry revolutionized everything again.
How A.I. will be used for the glory of God remains to be seen, but I can guarantee you that it will be.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.
