I decided to do a little experiment to get a handle on the state of contemporary AI. Since I’m preaching on the call of Abram in Genesis 12:1-9 this Sunday, I thought I’d ask ChatGPT to generate some sermons on this biblical text in the style of several prominent preachers and theologians. See if you can guess who ChatGPT thinks it is imitating in the following sermons. Feel free to leave your comments in the chat and share with others you think might be interested. I’ll reveal the pseudo-identities of the “preachers” in upcoming posts, as well as share a few observations about where ChatGPT goes wrong.
Continue reading Some Fun with ChatGPTTag Archives: preaching
Talking about Preaching at Westwood
The Rev. Jinsil Park conducted a short interview with me about my current writing project prior to my preaching at Westwood Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg this past Sunday. You can watch the interview below.
May Recap
The month of May has flown by. On May 7, I had the privilege of preaching at Kleefeld Christian Community, which is pastored by my former colleague Ed Neufeld. Two weeks later, on May 21, I returned to Grace Bible Church in Winnipeg to preach on the Ascension. This coming weekend I am the speaker for Kleefeld Evangelical Mennonite Church’s Family Camp. I will giving a series of talks entitled, “Immersed in the Mystery of God” that will be engaging with the Apostles’ Creed.
On the academic front, I recently delivered a paper entitled, “Re-imagining Ethical Preaching” at the Canadian American Theological Association annual meeting in Toronto, where I was also elected Vice President for the coming year. I also attended the first two days of the Canadian Theological Society meetings. Being back in Toronto for a few days also allowed me to catch up with some old friends.
It’s been a busy month, but it I am thankful to be in good health and to have good work to do.
A Sermon for Black History Month
Below is a recording of a sermon I preached this past Sunday at Prairie Presbyterian Church. My text was John 3:1-21. As I was working on the sermon, I began to notice interesting connections between the story of Nicodemus’s encounter with Jesus and our current cultural struggles surrounding race in North America. The fact that I’ve been reading Jonathan Tran’s insightful book, Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism, is also surely a contributing factor. The first part of the sermon is sure to aggravate cultural warriors on the left and the right, but I do think the second half gestures towards a more distinctive Christian approach to this set of problems. Continue reading A Sermon for Black History Month
Editor’s Intro to “Death and Resurrection” Issue of Didaskalia
Unfortunately, the upcoming issue of Didaskalia has been held up in production. However, it sounds like it will soon finally make its appearance. In anticipation of its appearance, I thought I would share my editor’s introduction to the issue. We are once again making this issue available at the special rate of $5 for those within Canada and $10 for those in other countries. See prov.ca/didaskalia for more information.
Continue reading Editor’s Intro to “Death and Resurrection” Issue of Didaskalia
Speaking Christian
My Homiletics students are reading Stanley Hauerwas’s essay “Speaking Christian” for our next class on Wednesday. It contains the following prescient gem of a quote. Keep in mind the address was published over twelve years ago. Continue reading Speaking Christian