Sermons written by ChatGPT “lack soul”

Monday, February 20th, 2023

As artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT continue to advance, many suggest they lack soul and sermons written by AI cannot replicate the passion of actual preaching.

While some clergy may believe ChatGPT and other AI tools can write passably competent sermons, there is an evolving consensus that they lack the soul that comes from preaching words written by a human.

According to Hershael York, a pastor in Kentucky, dean of the school of theology and professor of Christian preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, “It lacks a soul – I don’t know how else to say it”.

For many faith leaders, sermons are meant to be the core of a worship service, and often are their best weekly opportunity to impart theological and moral guidance to their congregation.

Lazy pastors may be tempted to use AI for sermon writing, but as York says, “not the great shepherds, the ones who love preaching, who love their people”.

Joshua Franklin, a rabbi in New York, recently delivered a sermon written by ChatGPT to his congregation at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons.

While the congregation applauded the sermon, Franklin stated that AI has yet to develop compassion and love, which are necessary for building community and relationships.

Franklin believes that, while ChatGPT is an excellent tool for drafting various documents and writing assignments, it still has limitations.

He pointed out that the AI system is incapable of understanding spirituality, an essential part of religious teachings, and that this is where rabbis and other spiritual leaders come in.

AI-generated sermons lack connection

Similar experiments were conducted by Rachael Keefe, a pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ in Minneapolis, and Todd Brewer, a New Testament scholar and managing editor of the Christian website Mockingbird.

Both shared AI-generated sermons with their congregation and community, but the response was lukewarm. While the facts were correct, the sermons lacked the deeper connection that comes from a human writer.

Mike Glenn, senior pastor at Brentwood Baptist Church, wrote a blog post in January in response to a joke made by his computer-savvy assistant. Glenn argued that AI could never preach a decent sermon because the gospel is more than just words. It’s the evidence of a changed life.

As the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission notes, wise and virtuous pastors will not let new technology deter them from personal immersion in sermon-writing. However, there is a concern that young pastors may become overly reliant on these machines and not see their imperfections.