My cynicism can too often get the better of me.  I should not have clicked on the recent Guardian article with its headline “An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’.”

I did not expect a Christian-friendly article from the Guardian, but they played it fairly straight with very little sarcasm or disparagement. My eyes did roll, however, when I read this quote from the tech CEO: “My life mission has been [to] work on a piece of technology that would improve the quality of life of every human on the planet and hasten the coming of Christ’s return.”

Forcing Jesus’ hand on the whole second coming thing has been a part of Christian lore for generations and is a key doctrine among some American Evangelicals. In Mark 13, Jesus is talking with his disciples about the end times and his coming to gather the elect unto himself. The key “force his hand” verse is Mark 13:10, “And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations” (ESV) where a simple indicative becomes a condition. “If the gospel is proclaimed to all nations, then Jesus must come.”

The Telstar communications satellite was launched in 1962 with the first live transatlantic television broadcast on July 11of that year. Some well-meaning pastors and others speculated that it would not be long before the gospel would be proclaimed to every nation via Telstar satellite. Pack your bags, Jesus.

Forty years later, others were confident that the internet and the world wide web would allow a global declaration of the gospel. Pack your bags, Jesus.

My own cynicism aside, I wonder how AI, Christian or otherwise, might improve the quality of life of every human on the planet let alone hasten the coming of Christ’s return.

From the foxhole to the hospital bed, from the final exam to the risky business venture, we are prone to making deals with God. But he won’t play our game and certainly will not let his hand be forced.

Is there a tech tool to hasten the coming of Christ’s return? My reading of the Bible has not found it. Theologically speaking, we might say a covenant is not a bargain. No “if/then” on the giving of grace. Like the rain that falls from heaven on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45), God’s mercy is not conditioned on what we do or what tech tool we use.

So, if Jesus is not obliged to pack his bags and head back to earth when we perfect our tech tools or Christianize AI, when will he come?

Acts 1:7: He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
Here’s an example of what AI can do. I don’t think it is going to hasten Jesus’ return.

Pack your bags, Jesus

Becky and I have been home from our trip to Brazil for nearly a week now. Things are falling back into our normal routine and fewer Portuguese phrases are coming to mind when we are out and about.

But what a trip it was. Thank you to those of you who commented on our photos posted on social media and here at “Observations” (email version) the past two Fridays.

It was, as I suggested before we left, a tale of two trips. The first trip took us to the breathtaking beauty of Iguaçu Falls in southern Brazil (with a couple of side trips into Argentina), and the second trip took us to the neighborhoods of Jardim América, Belo Horizonte, in southeastern Brazil, where we have spent so many days over the past 25 years. Continue reading →

In anticipation of our trip to Brazil, Becky and I recently (re)watched “The Mission,” one of our favorite movies and filmed where we will be for the first half of our journey.  We are staying at Iguaçu Falls as depicted in the movie poster and will travel into Argentina to visit the ruins of one of the Jesuit missions that are important in the story “The Mission” tells.

In the film Robert De Niro plays Rodrigo Mendoza, a slave trader and murderer whose penance for one of his many crimes is to join Brother Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) in the work of the mission being built in the jungle above the falls.  While not a “Christian” movie, the story told is the story of Mendoza’s slow conversion to Christian faith. Mendoza studies Scripture – we hear him citing 1 Corinthians 13 on more than one occasion. The former slave trader comes to understand the power of faith, hope, and love through the community at the mission – the Jesuits and, especially, the Guarani people who have found shelter and meaning at the mission. Continue reading →

Becky and I were at the county fair last weekend. A warm Saturday afternoon with our daughter and her family – what could be better? Midwest Americana. Our granddaughters tested some of the carnival rides and all of us rode the Ferris wheel to high above the midway.  There was even a trained sea lion show – what else would you expect in Saint Joseph County, Michigan? And, of course, the 4H kids with their displays of rabbits, pigs, sheep, goats, and cows.

We dined on corndogs and Polish sausages with sauerkraut, but declined the deep-fried delicacies – elephant ears, funnel cakes, cookie dough, cheesecake, Oreos, and Twinkies.

In a week we head off on a long-anticipated trip to Brazil where, among other things, we will spend time with good friends we have known for many years. We can hardly wait. We test as intermediate Portuguese speakers and will be able not only to make our way through airports, but enjoy good, even deep, conversation with our friends. We will talk about life and faith and tell stories as we catch up with one another.

I am not sure we will be able to talk about the deep-fried Twinkies at the county fair. Google Translate says we could say “Twinkies fritos.” But how might we explain this American phenomenon? Continue reading →

Earlier this week I went to our local pharmacy for a tetanus vaccine booster. All went well, and I am good for another ten years. Bring on the rusty nails.

By the time I arrived home fifteen minutes later, an email from the pharmacy asking for some feedback on my experience was in my inbox. How likely am I, they wanted to know, to recommend the pharmacy to a friend or family member? Probably very unlikely. Not that there were any problems. It’s just that, first, I can’t recall a time when I have recommended a pharmacy to a friend or family member, and I can’t imagine such a time coming any time soon. Second, I don’t think my opinion matters much.

Of course, we all know the ratings game. It’s big business. Freelancers make good money writing 5-star (or 1-star!) Amazon reviews for products they’ll never use. This past week we’ve seen businesses and professional practices on the wrong side of the partisan divide inundated with negative Google ratings. Christians were called to leave their church based on whether or not the pastor gave sufficient sermon time (or too much sermon time) to the events of the week.

Everyone has an opinion, and CVS wants mine. Everyone has an opinion and thinks they need to post it, podcast it, TikTok it, scream it to passing traffic, or hit those with an opposite opinion over the head with it. Continue reading →