Is artificial intelligence (AI) ethical? That’s the question secular and Christian leaders alike are contending with as technology quickly evolves.

Andre Echevarria, leader of U.S. digital strategies at Cru, a large Christian ministry formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ, is among those contending with how to use AI.

Rather than shun the burgeoning tech, he believes it’s a tool that can be used to spread the Gospel. Echevarria offered up an intriguing response when asked if AI is moral.

“Rather than debating that part, I would say, ‘Can we redeem it for the glory of God?’” he said. “And that’s actually what we’re doing here. We’re using a lot of that technology to be able to actually help people discover a relationship with Jesus, go deeper in their relationship with Jesus, or maybe even share their current relationship with Jesus with their neighbors.”

Already, Echevarria is seeing the benefits of using social media and technologies like AI. He shared a recent text he received from an individual who always felt like an outcast. The text read as follows:

“I never grew up with a true role model in my life. I was never raised religious. My story starts after 2020. I tried to make the best of it through COVID, but I felt like something [was] missing. Plus, on top of high school starting, I felt very isolated. However, at the end of my sophomore year, I decided to give Jesus a try. Christians were coming up on my ‘For You’ page on social media, so I decided to research more about it. Eventually, I got listening to the Bible every day and eager to know more about God.”

Reflecting on this text message, Echevarria said the story provides a wonderful illustration of how Cru is using AI and other tools in virtual and online spaces to help bring people closer to God.

“So let’s say that our friend here has certain characteristics, like maybe they like certain brands and certain types of posts,” he explained. “So, we’re able to use AI to find more people like her and then be able to put our offers and messages of hope in front of them. So we’re using the AI built into some of our advertising platforms to be able to find more people that we can actually share the gospel with.”

Echevarria said they’re also using the technology to help equip people and let them know, based on certain “aptitudes,” about available resources to help them share their faith with neighbors.

“And whether that resource is in a certain language or certain context … we’re able to actually provide that for you,” he said. “So, we’re using AI in a lot of different spaces like this to … help us be able to contextualize a lot of this.”

Echevarria is fully aware of the critiques and worries surrounding AI, but warned of what could happen if Christians decide to fully disengage or ignore it.

“We just lose an opportunity,” he said. “We should take every opportunity to share … the eternal hope we have. And we just miss an opportunity.”

He tries to encourage people to see AI as an “advanced intern” — a useful tool that can help make tasks easier, not totally overtake people’s processes.

“In turn, you obviously wouldn’t let [an intern] run your radio show daily, right?” he said. “You’d have them maybe do some research and maybe bring up some topics, ideas, and some things that you can then fine-tune for the effort and the outcome that you want for the show.”

Echevarria said this is how Cru is using AI — to help analyze documents, explore analytics, and even translate.

“We’ve seen really great fruit from that,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of people engage with the material.”

With all of this in mind, Echevarria stressed the importance of putting up guardrails to ensure AI is under control and not taking over each process. This is something Cru is quite intentional about, with Echevarria noting that there’s never a moment when fully automated virtual content is used.

“AI doesn’t have a story,” he said. “We have a story, and that story God continues to write.”

Cru’s use of AI, he said, has yielded examples of people “taking multiple steps in their spiritual journey,” offering opportunities for staff to engage and help bring these people further in understanding the Gospel.

As for future uses, Echevarria said he believes customization will continue to be tweaked and used to reach people in different cultures and contexts.

But one major area where AI could become even more indispensable is in the translation realm.

“Whether it’s translating books or resources, being able to have a resource and translate it into 60, 70, 80 languages on demand in minutes rather than months and years is a huge advantage for how we’re accelerating a ministry,” he said.

Cru isn’t currently using AI to translate the Bible, but is employing the technology to translate Gospel presentations. He said he has personally been able to use the tool for such conversations, calling it an “accelerator.”

For smaller ministry teams, Echevarria also pointed to copyediting, graphic design, and other tasks, noting AI can help generate much-needed content for teams who don’t have the resources to create in these areas.
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

Popular Bible app YouVersion says it has seen more people engage with the Bible this year than ever before, drawing closer to God through His Word and through prayer features on the app.

Developers of the Bible app point out the most popular verse from 2024 reveals that people have been seeking God’s comfort in tumultuous times.

This year, the most searched scripture was Philippians 4:6. It reads: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

YouVersion Founder and CEO Bobby Gruenewald believes it shows that people are more likely to turn to God when they face anxiety and daily struggles.

“In many cases, our anxiety comes from holding onto worries that we aren’t meant to carry,” said Gruenewald. “To me, this verse being sought out the most this year is an illustration that our community is seeking God in prayer and choosing to trust Him to carry their burdens—and we’re seeing that supported in the data.”

The YouVersion app was designed to encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout each day. It offers a free Bible experience in more than 2,170 languages and has been installed on more than 875 million unique devices.

“I was just trying to figure out how to use technology to help people read the Bible more consistently. And just had enough faith to start, to try something, and of course, what we’ve seen God do is incredible. Our faith has grown, but in the very beginning had no idea what it was going to become,” Gruenewald previously told CBN News.

Praying for Peace

Seeking peace through God’s Word is not the only thing that has increased this year.

YouVersion also saw increased interest in prayer around the world.

The words “prayer” and “peace” were among the top in-app search terms this year and the app’s YouVersion Prayer features went up by 46% this year compared to last year.

The YouVersion’s Prayer Team volunteers responded to prayer requests in 20 languages and prayed for concerns involving finances, healing, family, marriage, and anxiety.

The group has partnered with 24-7 Prayer International to facilitate “an unbroken chain of prayer, every hour of the day and night” among churches in more than 65 countries.

This year, they saw a 37% increase in the number of 24-7 Prayer Rooms they’re supporting.

“Throughout 2024, we have seen a rise in the number of people dedicating themselves to night and day prayer in different nations around the world,” said Carla Harding, International Director of Products for 24-7 Prayer International. “Our hope is that through continual prayer, the global church would be ignited in the presence of God and carry His love with greater compassion and power to the communities around them.”

Global Trends

It was a good year for YouVersion for another reason–more people engaged with the scriptures through their smartphones and tablets than ever before.

Every month of 2024 became the highest month in YouVersion for both app installs and daily use.

Across its Family of Apps—which includes Bible App, Bible App Lite, and Bible App for Kids—YouVersion saw an average of 11.2 million new device installs per month and about 14 million people engaging in the Bible every day.

Regional Momentum

YouVersion has also had a major impact in many countries around the world.

Bible engagement is growing at a fast rate in Central Africa (54%) and Eastern Africa (56%), compared to last year.

Countries like South Sudan (82%), Angola (68%), Mozambique (55%), Guinea (50%), Nigeria (35%), and Algeria (35%), saw a rise in daily Bible use in 2024.

YouVersion’s Bible App for Kids has also seen a big boost.

Nigeria, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire experienced the biggest engagement spikes among kids in Africa this year.

YouVersion is also seeing sustained growth in Latin America.

Many countries across the region saw a surge in daily Bible use, including growth in Nicaragua (107%), Venezuela (74%), Bolivia (52%), Honduras (50%), Cuba (45%), and Argentina (30%).

The Bible app is moving forward with plans to launch its first-ever Regional Hub in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in support of the roughly one million Brazilians opening the Bible App every day.

YouVersion’s goal for its Regional Hubs is to have a local team recruit content partners and churches to create a more authentic and regionally relevant Bible experience that helps people better connect with God’s Word on a personal level.

“It’s encouraging to see people throughout the YouVersion Community, in every region of the world, engage with the Bible at such high levels,” said Gruenewald. “These Bible engagement trends highlight the commonalities that can be found throughout the global Church—in the struggles we face and in our need for God.”

As CBN News reported, sales of physical, paper Bibles are also up 22% this year.

According to The Wall Street Journal,13.7 million copies were sold in the first 10 months of this year, compared to 14.2 million for all of 2023. Experts expect the total number to outpace last year once they tabulate November and December Bible sales.

Dr. John Plake, chief program officer at the American Bible Society, told CBN News why he thinks so many people, especially Gen Z, are engaging with the Word of God.

“They’re leaning into the Bible,” he shared. “They’re really trying to engage in their faith and they are kind of a bright hope for us as a young generation of American adults.”
Sources:CBN News

http://theendtimeradio.com

ചുങ്കത്തറ • ഇന്ത്യൻ പെന്തക്കോസ‌്തു ചർച്ച് (ഐപിസി) സംസ്ഥാന കൺവൻഷൻ ഇന്ന് മുതൽ 8 വരെ പാലുണ്ട ന്യൂ ഹോപ് ബൈബിൾ കോളജ് ഗ്രൗണ്ടിൽ നടക്കും.
സംസ്ഥാന പ്രസിഡന്റ് പാസ്റ്റർ കെ.സി.തോമസ് ഉദ്ഘാടനം ചെയ്യും. പാസ്റ്റർമാരായ ഷിബു തോമസ് ഒക്കലഹോമ, ബാബു ചെറിയാൻ, ഫിലിപ് പി.തോമസ്, വിൽസൺ വർക്കി, രാജു മേത്ര, സാം ജോർജ്, ഡിഗോൾ ലൂയിസ് എന്നിവർ പ്രസംഗിക്കും.
സമ്മേളനത്തിനോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് എല്ലാ ദിവസവും വൈകിട്ട് 5.30 മുതൽ പൊതുയോഗങ്ങൾ, 5ന് രാവിലെ 10 മുതൽ മലപ്പുറം, കോഴി ക്കോട്, വയനാട്, കണ്ണൂർ, കാസർ കോട് ജില്ലകളിലെ ശുശ്രൂഷക കുടുംബസമ്മേളനം, 6, 7 തീയതികളിൽ രാവിലെ 10 മുതൽ ഉണർവ് യോഗങ്ങൾ, 6ന് ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് 2 മുതൽ സംസ്ഥാന വിമൻസ് ഫെലോഷിപ് സമ്മേളനം, 7ന് ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് 2 മുതൽ സംസ്ഥാന പി വൈ പിഎ – സൺഡേ സ്കൂൾ സമ്മേളനം എന്നിവ നടക്കും.
8ന് രാവിലെ 9 മുതൽ സംയു ക്ത ആരാധനയോടെ കൺവൻ ഷൻ സമാപിക്കുമെന്ന് ജനറൽ കൺവീനർ പാസ്‌റ്റർ ജോൺ ജോർജ്, മലബാർ മേഖലാ ജനറൽ സെക്രട്ടറി പാസ്‌റ്റ‌ർ ബിജോയ് കുര്യാക്കോസ്, ജനറൽ പ്രസ്ബിറ്റർമാരായ പാസ്റ്റർ കെ. സി.ഉമ്മൻ, പാസ്റ്റർ വർഗീസ് മാത്യു, പ്രോഗ്രാം കോ ഓർഡിനേറ്റർ സജി മത്തായി കാതേട്ട്, കൺവൻഷൻ കോ ഓർഡിനേറ്റർ ജയിംസ് വർക്കി എന്നിവർ അറിയിച്ചു
Sources:gospelmirror

http://theendtimeradio.com