CHURCH LEADERS published an article yesterday (12/27/2024) about Lead Pastor Ron Carpenter of Redemption World Outreach Center, Greenville, South Carolina. According to Ron Carpenter Ministries, Pastor Carpenter is “recognized as a leader of leaders” and has “advised, consulted, and mentored CEOs, pastors, and political leaders around the world for over two decades.”
According to Pastor Carpenter, his ministry’s new ‘Ron Carpenter AI’ app answers people’s questions and even “prays” for specific needs, allowing users to have “1-on-1 personalized interactions” with an artificial intelligence (“AI”) version of him any time of day or night.
The CHURCH LEADERS article may be read in full HERE.
Protestia, a Christian news site which states that it brings its readers ‘discernment news and commentary’ from a Biblical and polemical (controversial) perspective, recently published an article expressing hope that the $49 monthly price for Pastor Carpenter’s AI app “dissuades most people from being tempted to use this thing.”
On ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Protestia shared a video of Carpenter’s prayer demonstration HERE, calling it a “horror show.” Subsequent comments have expressed dismay and alarm at the app’s implications for ministry and faith, with one person stating that “[t]he one thing the world will not be able to replicate in the AI age is the Holy Spirit.” Another person commented that “[t]his is like asking your toaster to pray for you.”
The Protestia article may be read in full HERE.
My brothers and sisters, I must always be careful about commentary, as saying that which might, albeit with good intentions, tear down another’s faith walk or speak falsely or otherwise inappropriately about a man or woman of God is a clear violation of God’s will; however, in this case, and without judging the ‘person’ or motive(s) of Pastor Carpenter (that is reserved for the Holy Spirit), I have to express concern.
We already live in an age where the truth is hard to discern and society in general has become isolated, with family members often living thousands of miles apart and friendships often engaging in online conversation (e.g., texting) instead of in-person communications, sometimes when we are in the same physical rooms!
Perhaps the most distressing thing is that our God is alive and it is our RELATIONSHIP with Jesus which saves us from perdition and brings us comfort, knowing that He is only a whisper away in prayer and that the Holy Spirit resides within us, as a believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. One can’t have a relationship with, or seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, from a computer.
Biblical context is key and critical when applying scripture in our day-to-day lives, so allowing a computer to ‘speak’ to us and guide us spiritually is a formula for trouble.
Carpenter’s app seems to cross the line of providing information to persons seeking help or advice from the church into, seemingly, taking the position that in-person assistance may be too much for the church and, perhaps, the church’s elders and leaders are unwilling or ill-equipped to counsel and/or pray effectively with those seeking help.
The AI app funnels non-personalized, non-Holy Spirit guided responses to those seeking godly prayer or guidance by using computer-formulated responses from the archives of a single person, the lead pastor. This is the evil one’s sneaky way of bringing ‘make believe’ or false relationship into the Christian church. The app’s responses are snippets of pastoral comments selected, reordered and expressed via AI technology. As such, the AI responses will never supplant the love, perspective, context and one-on-one personalized, Holy Spirit-guided responses of a pastor (or other mature Christians).
Reading published articles and prayerfully considering the Biblical adherence and relevance to a person’s life is one thing, and is often a valuable way to learn and grow – depending on what one is reading – but, actually engaging with a computer as if it were a sentient being worthy of our attention as a pastor or elder of the Christian church is an entirely different matter. We must use DISCERNMENT!
The Bible tells us that the word of God is living and a “discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” – AI is not alive! Satan can use the word of God and the words of well-meaning men and women to deceive those lacking spiritual discernment and knowledge, so what makes us think that he would not use AI pastoral language to deceive?
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The Bible tells us that even before the great lie to Eve in the Garden of Eden, the devil was (and is) the deceiver of the whole world.
Revelation 12:7-9 (ESV)
Satan Thrown Down to Earth
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world [emphasis mine]—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
The Bible warns us to be aware that Satan (the devil, the evil one) seeks to deceive and devour the children of God.
1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
The Bible tells us that the Father has given us the Holy Spirit, who testifies of Jesus, who the world does not know, who is the Spirit of Truth, and who lives within us forever. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives within us and brings us strength, discernment and godly wisdom!
John 14:16-17 (Amplified Bible)
Role of the Spirit
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
Your Body Is the Temple of the Holy Spirit
“…[d]o you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
