My attempt at getting ChatGPT to translate a sermon for me didn’t go as expected. ChatGPT probably thought “translate” means to re-write the content in its own words. So the next day, I decided to try to have ChatGPT help me write a sermon instead.
I told ChatGPT to “pretend you are a Christian minister speaking to a group of Christians.” It kindly obliged, and later when I asked for its ideas, it often starts with “As a Christian minister, I would…”
I asked ChatGPT how it would interpret the Parable of the Treasure in the Field, and gave it the whole verse (Matthew 13:44). It gave a very generic interpretation about giving up things for God’s Kingdom, which is of great value. It was rather superficial but completely correct in terms of theology. A normal preacher could “elaborate” on what ChatGPT said with testimonies and examples and make it into an hour-long sermon easily.
But I pressed ChatGPT to tell me what the field and the treasure represent. It gave more deeper interpretations for both.
I then asked about the action of the main character – selling his possessions to buy the field – and what it represents. It gave a very good explanation as well.
Then things got really interesting. I gave ChatGPT my interpretation of the parable and asked what it thinks of it. It said it’s a possible interpretation and there are many ways of interpreting that parable. Then it began to elaborate on my interpretation, including giving me a scripture in support of what I was saying. It sometimes repeated what I said and then interpreted it in a deeper fashion.
I then asked what people should do in the real life when it’s not so easily to do what its interpretation suggests. ChatGPT then became a very reasonable counselor and seemed to understand the difference between the ideal and the realistic.
I finally suggested doing something drastic – quitting my job – just to see its reaction. It asked me “to be responsible and practical in our decision-making”. It then gave me very reasonable options to consider, and concluded with a strong and uplifting word of encouragement.
This was a short conversation but ChatGPT basically wrote a whole sermon for me. The key is to ask the right questions to draw out more depth, and give it scenarios to consider and respond to. ChatGPT has the potential to be a very useful tool in something as abstract as Biblical interpretation and sermon preparation. It is truly shocking.
Read the whole conversation: http://sundayschoolteachers.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ChatGPT-Parable-of-the-Treasures-in-the-Field-2023-03-05.pdf
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