Displaying items by tag: sermon

In what might be the latest sign of things to come, a rabbi in New York has become the first Jewish teacher to deliver a sermon written entirely by artificial intelligence. Before teaching on Genesis 44, Rabbi Joshua Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, told his congregation that his AI-written sermon was, in fact, written by ChatGPT. Following the crowd’s reaction and applause, Franklin said the real issue is how AI will impact what the world considers spiritual. He asked, ‘How does spirituality function in a world that’s driven by data and driven by information?’ AI has jumped from simple task management to being used to design self-flying planes, paint works of art and consider ‘moral dilemmas’ for AI-driven ‘driverless’ cars.

At her installation as bishop, Dr Rose Hudson-Wilkin asked the congregation to think what it might look like if we became a unifying body, focussing not on what separates us but on what we have in common. ‘What if we recognised God’s presence as we seek to ensure that the resources we have been blessed with are not for amassing personal wealth but to be shared in such a way that those in poverty are no longer in need? She added, ‘If we are going to experience that oneness of purpose that Jesus prayed for, we need to be identified more with the name of Jesus. We have kept him hidden in our beautiful churches and cathedrals that people visit on our terms.’ She challenged the congregation to think about how they might share the gospel in a natural way on social media, challenge policy-makers, and make decisions that will help their community.

Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex created a huge media reaction. Many UK newspapers quoted it on their front pages. The Sunday Times said that no one delivers a church sermon quite like a fire-breathing American revivalist preacher, while the Sunday Telegraph said that his sermon was ‘sure to wake royal wedding guests up. It was quite a gear change.’ Sky News described him as ‘the unexpected star of the wedding’. Thousands of people from across the nations are tweeting about his sermon on love: ‘Love, the love that comes from God in Christ, is the only way.’ If people were stunned by the presentation, the message of Christ’s love and God’s love for His creation got through to millions.