ROAD TO THE MDIV #2
Is Using ChatGPT Okay?
ChatGPT, like any tool, can be used well or poorly. Getting the engine to write your papers is using it poorly; I think I use it well. At least, I have standards I’m careful to keep to. So if the standards are good boundaries, there we go — but if not, I’ll need to adjust.
My basic premise is to have ChatGPT do tasks which would typically be assigned to a secretary or personal assistant. Many of the pastors, writers, and leaders I admire have had assistants — and one day a few weeks ago it clicked that AI can do much of that same work. I’m working on a blog post fleshing out some of the ethical implications of using AI in this way.
Here are some things I’ve used AI for this past week:
Fleshing out my basic format for book reviews on the podcast
Narrowing down my list of ideas for my Philosophy paper
Brainstorming potential podcast series ideas
You might think this use isn’t okay — I’m happy to talk about it. Hang tight while I finish that blog post and lay out my case, then get back to me.
Halfway Through My Philosophy Class
It’s December 14 as I’m writing this — my Intro to Philosophy began on December 1 and ends on December 31. This week, I’ve made the sort of progress you’d expect being halfway through the course:
I finished my textbook, The Moral Quest by Stanley Grenz
I drafted my book report on this textbook too.
I read my second textbook in its entirety, Uncommon Ground edited by Tim Keller and John Inazu
I listened to my first of three lecture series, Essentials of Christian Ethics by Ronald Nash
I got my major project approved, outlined, and all my sources gathered. It’s going to attempt a synthesis of God’s attributes of love and wrath by approaching the problem from his Trinitarian nature. Basically, each of the persons of the Godhead can be infinitely wrathful against all of humanity because we have betrayed the infinite worth of each of the other persons of the Godhead. Or, put more simply — the Father can be deeply angry with all people, because all people have sinned against his beloved Son. I’m calling the paper That Every Mouth May Be Stopped: A Philosophical Defence of a Wrathful God.
My plan for the next two weeks of school: finish my next two lecture series; finalise my book report; draft, and edit my major paper; and write my reflection paper. Decent workload, but we’re rolling on schedule.
Learning the Complicated History of the Sacraments
From murder to worship, bitter rivalries to major inconsistencies — the story of the sacraments in the church is messy. After releasing my episode on the sacraments in church history, we’re deep diving these next two weeks into various views on baptism and the Lord’s Supper. I’ve gotten to crack open my Catechism of the Catholic Church (exhilarating, as usual). Along the way I’ve dipped into the Westminster Confession of Faith, the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (equally thrilling), and found out that Martin Luther’s Small Catechism has its own website, which is awesome. Along with these, two books from Zondervan’s Counterpoints series have been in rotation. The amount of research makes my mind try to work ahead and nail down books for our next series — which will be on gender.
Additionally, in podcast news — I’ve finalised my rating categories for book reviews, so I can start rolling those out on Thursdays. I’ll put up a separate blog post later this week detailing the rating system. (If you read that, you’re a nerd. No judgement — but you are, and I’m here for it.)
Weekly Stats
I’ve done it — I’ve crunched the numbers.
Reading
Total = 760 pages
Breakdown:
50 pages (Historical Theology by Gregg Allison)
170 pages (The Moral Quest by Stanley Grenz)
155 pages (Understanding Four Views on Baptism, by Zondervan Counterpoints)
120 (The Fires of Heaven, by Robert Jordan)
220 (Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference)
10 pages (Book Review of Aimee Byrd’s Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, by Denny Bruk)
35 pages (Understanding Four Views on the Lord’s Supper, by Zondervan Counterpoints)
Writing
Total = 11,790 words
Breakdown
4375 words (Outline: Podcast Episode #80, The Sacraments in Church History)
970 words (Lecture Feedback Form #1, Introduction to Philosophy)
815 words (Draft: Book Report (The Moral Quest by Stanley Grenz)
3780 words (Outline: Podcast Episode #81, 4 Views on Baptism)
1000 words (Notes for Introduction to Christian Philosophy)
850 words (The current state of this blog post)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHASE HALL is a student at OBC, doing his Bachelor's in Biblical Studies, and a Ministry Intern at Central Community Church. He is the host of Revolution Podcast, and an avid student of Greek.
