1 00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:09,240 S1: Today at the radio Backyard fence. We're talking artificial intelligence. 2 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:11,239 S1: When you hear those two words, what do you think? 3 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,760 S1: What comes to mind? I will admit, when I hear AI, 4 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,120 S1: my knee jerk reaction is negative. I don't want to 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,080 S1: cede control of my life and thinking to a computer 6 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:25,680 S1: or some algorithm. But if the surveys are correct, many 7 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:30,040 S1: Christians are utilizing AI already, and not just for questions 8 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,320 S1: about their health or how to get rid of moles 9 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,000 S1: in the front yard, how to find the address of 10 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,280 S1: the grocery store that has those purple sweet potatoes. Christians 11 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,400 S1: are turning to AI with their spiritual questions, their questions 12 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,440 S1: about meaning and purpose. And so are a lot of non-Christians. 13 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,160 S1: So today on Chris Fabry Live, I have a guest 14 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,000 S1: who's a former colleague with us here at Moody Radio, 15 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,760 S1: who is part of a digital discipleship ministry. She believes 16 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,950 S1: the internet's a mission field, and she and her team 17 00:00:59,950 --> 00:01:02,910 S1: want to leverage technology to meet people where they are 18 00:01:02,910 --> 00:01:06,110 S1: in their search for truth. And here's the important part. 19 00:01:06,150 --> 00:01:10,550 S1: And connect them with a live person to answer their questions. 20 00:01:10,550 --> 00:01:12,110 S1: So we're going to talk about that today on the 21 00:01:12,110 --> 00:01:14,869 S1: program from the heart to the heart for the heart. 22 00:01:14,870 --> 00:01:18,990 S1: Chris Fabry live.org is our website. We thank our team. 23 00:01:18,990 --> 00:01:21,910 S1: Ryan McConaughey doing all things technical. Teresa is our producer. 24 00:01:21,950 --> 00:01:25,110 S1: Lisa is in the engineer chair today. Josh will be 25 00:01:25,110 --> 00:01:27,550 S1: answering your calls. We'd love to hear from you today 26 00:01:28,030 --> 00:01:31,670 S1: at the back fence. And your answer to the question 27 00:01:31,670 --> 00:01:34,030 S1: I posted on Facebook. You can go there and find 28 00:01:34,030 --> 00:01:36,230 S1: out more. And let me thank those of you who 29 00:01:36,270 --> 00:01:39,150 S1: have supported us here in the first 11 days of August. 30 00:01:39,190 --> 00:01:43,030 S1: We are listener supported, so your gift helps us have 31 00:01:43,030 --> 00:01:45,870 S1: conversations like the one we're going to have today. And 32 00:01:45,870 --> 00:01:48,030 S1: as people have heard about our thank you this month, 33 00:01:48,030 --> 00:01:52,190 S1: Doctor Kathy Cook, her book, they are seeing hope for 34 00:01:52,190 --> 00:01:55,990 S1: an estranged adult child and others. Here's a note from 35 00:01:55,990 --> 00:01:58,070 S1: a listener. I was listening to your radio program in 36 00:01:58,070 --> 00:02:01,330 S1: the car. I thought of my brother. He is estranged. 37 00:02:01,370 --> 00:02:04,690 S1: He has been estranged from his daughter for years. He 38 00:02:04,690 --> 00:02:09,490 S1: has a grown grandchild he has never seen. He's in 39 00:02:09,490 --> 00:02:13,530 S1: his late 70s. I have made many unsuccessful attempts to 40 00:02:13,570 --> 00:02:16,290 S1: try to heal this relationship. I thought the book might 41 00:02:16,290 --> 00:02:20,130 S1: help and the book is resolve conflict and find peace 42 00:02:20,130 --> 00:02:24,889 S1: and hope with adult children. It's really encouraging. It's very hopeful. 43 00:02:25,450 --> 00:02:28,210 S1: But here's the warning. The first step is to look 44 00:02:28,210 --> 00:02:31,810 S1: at yourself as a parent, not to blame yourself for 45 00:02:31,850 --> 00:02:34,770 S1: a fracture in the relationship, but to really see the 46 00:02:34,770 --> 00:02:37,410 S1: truth and then be able to act on it. If 47 00:02:37,450 --> 00:02:39,210 S1: you give a gift of any size, we'd love to 48 00:02:39,250 --> 00:02:42,250 S1: send it your way. Easiest way is at the website. 49 00:02:42,250 --> 00:02:48,730 S1: Chris Fabry live.org. Last name FABRY. Chris Fabry live.org. Or 50 00:02:48,730 --> 00:02:52,810 S1: if you want to talk to a real live human being, 86695. 51 00:02:52,930 --> 00:03:00,519 S1: Fabry is the number 532279. I really hope this months 52 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:05,079 S1: resource will encourage you and quickly. A program note I 53 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,400 S1: emailed Rosie today about our next book club. If you 54 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,000 S1: have not heard, it's coming up next Monday, and I'm 55 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,080 S1: excited for you to join us and talk about a 56 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:17,400 S1: little book I've never read by George MacDonald. It's titled 57 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:21,440 S1: The Wise Woman. So get your secret decoder ring out 58 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,480 S1: and be ready next Monday as our next installment of 59 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,480 S1: the new, the brand new Rosie's Book Club right here 60 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,480 S1: on Chris Fabry Live. Go to our Facebook page and 61 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,840 S1: you can see more about it right there. Rosie's Book 62 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,320 S1: Club coming your way next Monday. Don't you dare miss it. 63 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:44,000 S1: Yvonne Carlson is chief technology officer of the Digital Discipleship Ministry. 64 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:48,360 S1: Explore God. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and 65 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:52,960 S1: completed graduate work in information communications technology. A member of 66 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:59,790 S1: the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society. Which 67 00:03:59,790 --> 00:04:03,710 S1: looks like it to me. And she serves in leadership 68 00:04:03,710 --> 00:04:08,990 S1: positions with the national religious broadcasters faith tech and missional AI. 69 00:04:09,150 --> 00:04:11,310 S1: You can find out more about her at our website. 70 00:04:11,310 --> 00:04:17,190 S1: Chris Fabry live.org. We have a link there to explore god.com. Yvonne, 71 00:04:17,190 --> 00:04:18,190 S1: how are you doing today? 72 00:04:19,070 --> 00:04:21,710 S2: I'm doing well. I'm so glad to be here with 73 00:04:21,710 --> 00:04:22,750 S2: you today, Chris. 74 00:04:23,310 --> 00:04:26,030 S1: I'm so glad you're here. And just so we make 75 00:04:26,070 --> 00:04:28,830 S1: sure this is this is really you. You're not an 76 00:04:28,870 --> 00:04:30,110 S1: Yvonne bot, right? 77 00:04:30,910 --> 00:04:34,429 S2: Definitely not. This is Yvonne Carlson in the flesh. Well, 78 00:04:34,710 --> 00:04:35,590 S2: in voice. 79 00:04:36,029 --> 00:04:38,910 S1: Yes. In voice. Okay. I have not done a whole 80 00:04:38,910 --> 00:04:41,430 S1: lot of programs on AI. I've done a few of 81 00:04:41,430 --> 00:04:44,190 S1: them over the last, you know, several months. So I 82 00:04:44,190 --> 00:04:46,150 S1: want to ask you a few general questions. Let's get 83 00:04:46,150 --> 00:04:48,430 S1: these out of the way. Respond to my knee jerk 84 00:04:48,430 --> 00:04:52,110 S1: negative reaction when I hear AI, am I a unicorn? 85 00:04:53,390 --> 00:04:59,210 S2: No, you're not a unicorn because this technology is different. 86 00:04:59,770 --> 00:05:04,290 S2: It's the first general purpose technology that self evolves. So 87 00:05:04,450 --> 00:05:08,330 S2: it improves itself. So there's really not anything like it. 88 00:05:08,330 --> 00:05:12,130 S2: So there is real genuine reason to be concerned. 89 00:05:12,529 --> 00:05:15,650 S1: Yeah. And it's so when it evolves you mean it 90 00:05:15,650 --> 00:05:18,930 S1: learns more and more every day, right? 91 00:05:19,410 --> 00:05:22,010 S2: That's right. It changes and evolves much like we do. 92 00:05:22,770 --> 00:05:26,370 S1: Do we even know, especially people in my age, because 93 00:05:26,370 --> 00:05:29,810 S1: I see people answering on Facebook like, I'll never use AI. 94 00:05:30,089 --> 00:05:32,650 S1: Do we even know what's AI and not AI? 95 00:05:33,850 --> 00:05:36,650 S2: I would say probably not. A lot of people are 96 00:05:36,650 --> 00:05:40,410 S2: not aware that they're using it every day. Chris, do 97 00:05:40,410 --> 00:05:41,370 S2: you have an iPhone? 98 00:05:41,570 --> 00:05:42,169 S1: I do. 99 00:05:43,089 --> 00:05:45,570 S2: You use AI every day if you have an iPhone. 100 00:05:45,610 --> 00:05:48,850 S2: A lot of the technologies on an iPhone are AI driven. 101 00:05:48,970 --> 00:05:52,810 S2: If you use the beautiful feature that everybody loves where 102 00:05:52,810 --> 00:05:56,400 S2: you can open the camera with your face. That's AI. 103 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:00,839 S2: How does it recommend the next song to you? That's AI, 104 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:04,360 S2: so it's really infused into a lot of different common 105 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:08,560 S2: things that we're using daily. So it's just not, um, 106 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,320 S2: you know, there's no sign that says here, this is AI. 107 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:17,040 S1: So when I, if I go on the internet and I've, 108 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,159 S1: you know, I've been talking with my wife about aluminum 109 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:25,640 S1: siding and aluminum siding pops up on my search engine 110 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:29,880 S1: immediately or on the social media. That's AI. 111 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:36,640 S2: So, um, yes, it's listening for patterns. That's what machines do, right? 112 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:40,200 S2: They do pattern recognition. So if you can be heard, 113 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,200 S2: if you can do voice analysis and yes, our phones 114 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:47,560 S2: hear us and take that into consideration. Uh, that Alexa 115 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,599 S2: does too. And the advertisers are really just at the 116 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,310 S2: end of the day, trying to deliver you something that 117 00:06:53,310 --> 00:06:54,669 S2: they think you want to know about. 118 00:06:55,070 --> 00:06:58,710 S1: Yes. And that will pull you in and keep you going, 119 00:06:58,750 --> 00:07:01,510 S1: especially on social media. You know, with the with the 120 00:07:01,550 --> 00:07:06,029 S1: real reels that are there. So you agree, then there 121 00:07:06,029 --> 00:07:09,070 S1: are dangers. What are some of the dangers that you 122 00:07:09,070 --> 00:07:10,190 S1: see with AI? 123 00:07:11,550 --> 00:07:15,710 S2: Well, first of all, I think that AI does not 124 00:07:15,710 --> 00:07:20,030 S2: replace critical thinking. So obviously we're seeing it utilized more 125 00:07:20,030 --> 00:07:24,990 S2: in the educational process, for example, and I know students, 126 00:07:24,990 --> 00:07:28,310 S2: college students who refuse to use it because they feel 127 00:07:28,470 --> 00:07:31,910 S2: that using AI to do their homework for them is 128 00:07:31,910 --> 00:07:36,350 S2: going to decrease their intelligence. And so we have to 129 00:07:36,390 --> 00:07:40,390 S2: think about AI in terms of not what it should do. 130 00:07:40,870 --> 00:07:43,550 S2: We have to ask the key question what should it 131 00:07:43,550 --> 00:07:45,230 S2: not or never do? 132 00:07:45,830 --> 00:07:50,590 S1: Yes. That's been my and I've seen this over, you know, 133 00:07:50,670 --> 00:07:53,530 S1: been around for for quite a while now, and I've 134 00:07:53,530 --> 00:07:56,850 S1: seen sitting around with a group of friends who are 135 00:07:56,850 --> 00:07:59,770 S1: about the same age as me, trying to remember what 136 00:07:59,770 --> 00:08:03,130 S1: was the name of the main character on some TV show, 137 00:08:03,170 --> 00:08:06,890 S1: or what was the the song, the theme song for 138 00:08:07,010 --> 00:08:09,490 S1: fill in the Blank. And it used to be that 139 00:08:09,490 --> 00:08:11,890 S1: we'd sit there and say, no, that's not it. That 140 00:08:11,890 --> 00:08:14,610 S1: was this. And finally you'd come to it, you know, 141 00:08:14,650 --> 00:08:18,530 S1: just like you'd use your brain to remember these things. 142 00:08:18,650 --> 00:08:21,290 S1: But now all I have to do is, as you said, 143 00:08:21,530 --> 00:08:25,929 S1: pick up my phone. And within 10s, I've got the, 144 00:08:26,210 --> 00:08:29,650 S1: the actor I've got, whether they're alive or dead, I 145 00:08:29,650 --> 00:08:32,690 S1: know exactly what else they played in. I got the 146 00:08:32,690 --> 00:08:35,130 S1: theme song and who wrote it. You know, I've got 147 00:08:35,130 --> 00:08:38,130 S1: all this information, which is great to have, but I 148 00:08:38,130 --> 00:08:40,610 S1: didn't have to use my brain in order to do that. 149 00:08:43,010 --> 00:08:46,770 S2: And the thing to think about is this technology could 150 00:08:46,770 --> 00:08:49,810 S2: start the conversation. So say you're with that group of 151 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:53,480 S2: friends and you remember the information, or you use your 152 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:58,040 S2: phone to look it up. The point isn't that you 153 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,319 S2: use technology. The point is, is that hopefully that information 154 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:05,960 S2: helped further your conversation. And that's the relational link. So 155 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,640 S2: I have no problem if you use it to look 156 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,640 S2: up some information that is going to seed a real 157 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:16,160 S2: in-person conversation. So I think we need to, again, look 158 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,800 S2: at it in terms of being a tool and what 159 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,800 S2: should it be used for and what should it be 160 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:26,280 S2: used for, and what are our personal boundaries around these technologies? 161 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,880 S1: But you've seen this GPS, the stories of GPS where, 162 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:31,800 S1: you know, you were told to take a right turn, 163 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,760 S1: you go off a cliff, you know, and I wonder 164 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:37,520 S1: if that kind of that same kind of thing can 165 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:41,920 S1: be done with AI and a lot of the spiritual 166 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,040 S1: questions that we ask. That was my question on Facebook. 167 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:50,300 S1: Do you use AI for any spiritual questions or encouragement, 168 00:09:50,300 --> 00:09:52,500 S1: and I want to hear your response today. You can 169 00:09:52,540 --> 00:10:02,340 S1: do that on Facebook, or give me a call at 87754836758775483675. 170 00:10:02,380 --> 00:10:08,780 S1: We have the Chief Technology officer@explore.com, Yvonne Carlson, with us today, 171 00:10:09,100 --> 00:10:12,380 S1: and you'll hear why I asked her to be here. 172 00:10:12,380 --> 00:10:15,580 S1: And some really good stories coming up straight ahead on 173 00:10:15,580 --> 00:10:30,180 S1: Chris Fabry live at Chris Fabry, Livorno. If you have 174 00:10:30,179 --> 00:10:33,059 S1: an AI question or concern, I'd love to hear it 175 00:10:33,059 --> 00:10:39,900 S1: today at (877) 548-3675. Question on Facebook is do you use 176 00:10:39,900 --> 00:10:44,020 S1: AI for any spiritual questions or encouragement? And there are 177 00:10:44,020 --> 00:10:47,970 S1: a variety of answers to that all the way from 178 00:10:48,170 --> 00:10:52,970 S1: absolutely not. Never to. Yeah, absolutely. Here's what I did recently. 179 00:10:52,970 --> 00:10:59,090 S1: So I'd like to hear your response. (877) 548-3675. Yvonne Carlson 180 00:10:59,090 --> 00:11:04,970 S1: is chief technology officer@explore.com. And that's the reason. Real reason. 181 00:11:04,970 --> 00:11:08,170 S1: I wanted you here today, Yvonne. And we're going to 182 00:11:08,210 --> 00:11:13,730 S1: still talk about AI. But the what explore.com does and 183 00:11:13,730 --> 00:11:17,410 S1: where you come in here is that connections can be 184 00:11:17,410 --> 00:11:22,809 S1: made through AI for those who are spiritually searching. So 185 00:11:22,850 --> 00:11:24,010 S1: tell me how that works. 186 00:11:24,170 --> 00:11:26,850 S2: Sure. So I'm going to tell you how we use 187 00:11:26,850 --> 00:11:31,770 S2: AI at Explore God. We start with an ad, so 188 00:11:31,809 --> 00:11:34,010 S2: we look for people who have not heard the gospel 189 00:11:34,010 --> 00:11:37,050 S2: of Jesus Christ. And we do use AI to do 190 00:11:37,050 --> 00:11:40,850 S2: our research and look at information and think through in 191 00:11:40,890 --> 00:11:45,449 S2: that language, in that geography. What are people struggling with? 192 00:11:45,490 --> 00:11:48,800 S2: Maybe it's loneliness, for example. And then we think about 193 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,800 S2: what's the message that they need to hear? How can 194 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,559 S2: we reach their hearts for the gospel of Jesus Christ? 195 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:57,840 S2: And so people's first encounter with us as a seeker 196 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,760 S2: is an ad. And once they see that ad, they're 197 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:04,520 S2: hearing the gospel, the full gospel, and they have an 198 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:09,840 S2: opportunity to respond to it. And most importantly, they have 199 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:15,080 S2: the option to connect with a person life on life here. 200 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,240 S2: So you can connect as a seeker with an online missionary, 201 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:23,240 S2: and that person actually journeys with you just like a 202 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:25,480 S2: person would do so in real life. 203 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:31,040 S1: So there is a real sense of discipleship, and you 204 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:34,560 S1: get all kinds of levels of people who are interested, 205 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:39,160 S1: people who are in other religions or no religion at all, 206 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:43,240 S1: who really want to, you know, find out, okay, who 207 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:47,860 S1: is this Jesus From different spots on the globe, right? 208 00:12:48,179 --> 00:12:52,340 S2: Yes. The internet is our mission field. Think about it. 209 00:12:52,340 --> 00:12:55,219 S2: The largest mission field there is. So people are in 210 00:12:55,220 --> 00:12:59,020 S2: hard to reach places, but those people are online and 211 00:12:59,020 --> 00:13:05,020 S2: we're using technology to cross every divide, whether that's geographic, cultural, personal. 212 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:07,860 S2: And we want to reach people who are seeking hope. 213 00:13:09,020 --> 00:13:10,140 S1: How many countries? 214 00:13:12,140 --> 00:13:15,620 S2: All of them. Except two. We've heard from all of them. 215 00:13:15,620 --> 00:13:19,459 S2: Except two. That's correct. And I'm the technology person. The 216 00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:22,300 S2: data the data team sits underneath me and I've asked 217 00:13:22,300 --> 00:13:25,180 S2: the same question. And obviously you could probably guess what 218 00:13:25,500 --> 00:13:32,100 S2: countries we haven't been able to quite reach. But even so, um, we're, 219 00:13:32,100 --> 00:13:35,819 S2: we're now advertising in 14 languages, soon to be 15. 220 00:13:36,059 --> 00:13:40,700 S2: So when you think about a language based strategy, that 221 00:13:40,700 --> 00:13:44,850 S2: means if you speak Spanish, the Spanish online missionary speaks 222 00:13:44,890 --> 00:13:49,329 S2: to people who are talking in Spanish, interacting in Spanish 223 00:13:49,330 --> 00:13:50,450 S2: all over the world. 224 00:13:51,410 --> 00:13:54,970 S1: What about the people who can't speak those 15 languages? 225 00:13:54,970 --> 00:13:56,090 S1: What happens to them? 226 00:13:57,410 --> 00:14:00,930 S2: So what we're doing is usually English, or we try 227 00:14:00,929 --> 00:14:05,050 S2: to find someone who does have that language in their repertoire. 228 00:14:05,250 --> 00:14:08,330 S2: So online missionaries can tell us, and if you're interested 229 00:14:08,330 --> 00:14:13,410 S2: in being an online missionary, go to explore.com. And for 230 00:14:13,410 --> 00:14:17,370 S2: people who speak more than one language, we gather that 231 00:14:17,370 --> 00:14:21,090 S2: information and we understand that information, and we route people 232 00:14:21,730 --> 00:14:24,810 S2: to the best person for them. So when you think about, 233 00:14:24,850 --> 00:14:26,810 S2: you know, we know each other, Chris. So it's easy 234 00:14:26,850 --> 00:14:31,770 S2: for us to have rapport. But imagine building rapport online 235 00:14:32,410 --> 00:14:34,690 S2: that starts with language. So we always want to pair 236 00:14:34,730 --> 00:14:38,170 S2: somebody in their heart language so they can speak freely. 237 00:14:38,930 --> 00:14:43,800 S1: I had a friend, Bill, who had ALS and, survived 238 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:47,160 S1: long 20 plus years. But and I don't think it 239 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:50,720 S1: was explore.com that he was was with, but he was 240 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,320 S1: an online missionary and he would use his I to 241 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:58,520 S1: type letter by letter, you know, in his darkened room 242 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:03,120 S1: the I whatever that technology is. And he would talk 243 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,080 S1: with Muslims around the world and share the faith that 244 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:10,440 S1: he had from his bed at home. And it just 245 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:14,239 S1: shows you God can use anybody just about anywhere for something. 246 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:18,840 S1: And with this technology, it's just amazing. Uh, okay, so I, 247 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,840 S1: I don't know which two countries you are talking about. 248 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:26,920 S1: Is it, are they not available because they are closed? 249 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:28,120 S2: Correct. 250 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:29,600 S1: So China. 251 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:31,040 S2: Correct. 252 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:31,560 S1: Okay. 253 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,960 S2: Well, we have had some activity there, uh, North Korea. 254 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,480 S2: Those are those are the those are the two hardest 255 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:38,480 S2: places to reach. 256 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:41,120 S1: Well, and there are a lot of places that don't 257 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,340 S1: have the technology, don't have computer technology yet, you know, 258 00:15:44,380 --> 00:15:49,260 S1: into the hinterlands. And that's all changing too. So, um, 259 00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:53,940 S1: it sounds like you're really hopeful about connecting one person 260 00:15:53,940 --> 00:15:57,140 S1: with somebody else. Can you tell me a story where 261 00:15:57,140 --> 00:15:59,100 S1: that has happened? Someplace in the world. 262 00:16:00,500 --> 00:16:03,340 S2: Oh, well, I'll have to tell you that it's very 263 00:16:03,340 --> 00:16:08,540 S2: difficult to answer that question because there's so many incredible stories. But, um, 264 00:16:08,820 --> 00:16:12,300 S2: I want to talk about our work in the Middle East. 265 00:16:13,300 --> 00:16:17,860 S2: We have people who have come out of terrorist organizations 266 00:16:18,100 --> 00:16:21,100 S2: that have met Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior 267 00:16:21,100 --> 00:16:29,300 S2: through Explore God, and they are now sharing their faith. Indonesia, India, 268 00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:33,900 S2: you name the country. There is a story of people 269 00:16:33,900 --> 00:16:40,690 S2: who are being transformed online and then turning around and 270 00:16:40,690 --> 00:16:43,290 S2: sharing their faith with others in their heart language. 271 00:16:43,890 --> 00:16:50,570 S1: Wow. And is there any of fear or trepidation about 272 00:16:50,570 --> 00:16:54,850 S1: you mentioned India, and I know there's more crackdowns now 273 00:16:54,970 --> 00:16:59,810 S1: on people of Christians, you know, who are out there 274 00:16:59,810 --> 00:17:04,330 S1: and trying to reach others. Is there any concern that 275 00:17:04,570 --> 00:17:07,450 S1: those countries might find out about what is going on 276 00:17:07,450 --> 00:17:08,890 S1: online and shut you down? 277 00:17:10,050 --> 00:17:13,690 S2: Well, that's that's the purpose of my team and why 278 00:17:13,890 --> 00:17:17,970 S2: technology is so important and explore God. So we have, um, 279 00:17:18,010 --> 00:17:23,690 S2: experienced individuals who understand security and understand. Um, I myself 280 00:17:23,690 --> 00:17:27,209 S2: have worked extensively in the Middle East, so we understand 281 00:17:27,210 --> 00:17:29,330 S2: what it's like to be in the field. And we're 282 00:17:29,330 --> 00:17:32,530 S2: always thinking about how can we protect our online missionaries 283 00:17:32,530 --> 00:17:38,010 S2: in sensitive places. That means even our sister systems, right? Um, 284 00:17:38,010 --> 00:17:42,680 S2: all of the technology that supports our ministry. We're on 285 00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:45,160 S2: on top of that, and we stay on top of that. 286 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:49,120 S2: And that's a something we talk about regularly. It's the same, though. 287 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,919 S2: If you were a mission organization, if you have people 288 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:56,520 S2: in the field physically where and we do work with 289 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:00,239 S2: other Christian organizations and we compare notes, you know, what 290 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:02,400 S2: are you doing in your ministry? How are you protecting 291 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,720 S2: your people? What kind of training are you giving them 292 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,760 S2: so they understand what to look for? Oh, is this 293 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:12,760 S2: a concern or is this just some something that looks 294 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:18,320 S2: like a problem? So it's, um, something we're dedicated to do. 295 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:22,359 S2: I think it's a it's a stewardship piece for us. 296 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:24,359 S2: We want to be good stewards of the people that 297 00:18:24,359 --> 00:18:27,760 S2: God has brought us to minister. And we take seriously 298 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:28,440 S2: their safety. 299 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:33,920 S1: Do you have more response in North America than you do, say, 300 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:37,520 S1: in Europe or outside the US or in Canada? 301 00:18:38,940 --> 00:18:42,859 S2: We have great response within the United States, but actually 302 00:18:42,859 --> 00:18:45,700 S2: a lot of our response, um, you know, we're seeing 303 00:18:45,700 --> 00:18:48,740 S2: the most response outside of the US. Part of this 304 00:18:49,020 --> 00:18:52,260 S2: has to do with how we target our ads. So 305 00:18:52,940 --> 00:18:55,980 S2: when you think about our ad spend and how we 306 00:18:56,460 --> 00:19:00,180 S2: apply those dollars where we pray, obviously we're asking God, 307 00:19:00,180 --> 00:19:03,020 S2: where do you want us to be working? Um, what, 308 00:19:03,180 --> 00:19:06,060 S2: you know, again, just like the, you know, a physical 309 00:19:06,060 --> 00:19:09,139 S2: mission field, um, where do you want us to plow 310 00:19:09,140 --> 00:19:13,379 S2: and plant seed? And so, um, depending on the campaign, 311 00:19:13,380 --> 00:19:18,980 S2: we'll see different response from different countries and different languages. 312 00:19:19,140 --> 00:19:22,540 S2: And again, that's on purpose because we want to think 313 00:19:22,540 --> 00:19:28,020 S2: through what message needs to be said for that particular audience. 314 00:19:28,260 --> 00:19:32,260 S2: So we want to not just focus on one audience, 315 00:19:32,260 --> 00:19:34,740 S2: but we're focusing on a multiple. 316 00:19:35,820 --> 00:19:37,850 S1: Give me an idea of the different ads. You know, 317 00:19:37,890 --> 00:19:41,290 S1: for somebody who's living in Chicago who will see an 318 00:19:41,290 --> 00:19:44,890 S1: ad and somebody who's in Timbuktu, you know, would see 319 00:19:44,890 --> 00:19:49,450 S1: the same ad. What is the difference between those two? 320 00:19:50,730 --> 00:19:57,490 S2: So the creative might differ slightly. So for using a video, obviously, 321 00:19:57,490 --> 00:20:01,810 S2: if I'm in Africa, I want to portray someone who's 322 00:20:01,850 --> 00:20:07,810 S2: African speaking in someone's heart language and the messaging being 323 00:20:07,970 --> 00:20:14,850 S2: localized and really contextualized for somebody. Um, geography is important 324 00:20:14,850 --> 00:20:18,330 S2: to us. We think that it's loving people well to 325 00:20:18,369 --> 00:20:20,929 S2: speak that to them in the way that they deserve 326 00:20:20,930 --> 00:20:24,970 S2: to be spoken. Um, our friend Colin Lambert used to say, 327 00:20:25,010 --> 00:20:28,330 S2: speak in the language of the listener. Um, at Moody Radio, 328 00:20:28,369 --> 00:20:33,130 S2: we want to speak in the language of the listener. Well, 329 00:20:33,170 --> 00:20:36,320 S2: or the viewer. Um, at Explore God. 330 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,640 S1: Yeah, you can do that. All of that, can't you? 331 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,640 S1: And before the program, for those of you who don't know, 332 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:45,919 S1: Colin Lambert worked with us at Moody Radio for many years. 333 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:51,360 S1: He passed away last week and his memorial service is 334 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,800 S1: in two days in Austin, Texas. And so he and 335 00:20:55,800 --> 00:21:00,800 S1: his wife and his kids and granddaughter and family are 336 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:03,400 S1: on our minds. And and Yvonne was saying, I want 337 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,919 S1: to dedicate this program to Colin. So that's one of 338 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:07,960 S1: the reasons, I think, why he came to your mind 339 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:11,920 S1: right there is because of this deep loss that we've had. 340 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:16,440 S2: And he was a master communicator. I think I learned 341 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:21,680 S2: more about communications from him than anyone else. Um, I know, 342 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,240 S2: and he was always challenging you, me to, to really 343 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,560 S2: think about, um, how do we talk to people? Uh, 344 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:33,240 S2: the words we use, the stories we tell, the framing 345 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,380 S2: of the conversation. It's not about us, right? It's never 346 00:21:36,380 --> 00:21:38,940 S2: about us, is it, Chris? It's about what God wants 347 00:21:38,940 --> 00:21:41,820 S2: to do in and through us. So when when you 348 00:21:41,820 --> 00:21:44,340 S2: ask that question, I thought about, you know, speaking in 349 00:21:44,340 --> 00:21:46,540 S2: the language of the listener and how we want to 350 00:21:46,540 --> 00:21:49,700 S2: do the same, explore God because we want to, we 351 00:21:49,700 --> 00:21:52,660 S2: want people to hear a message that resonates with their heart. 352 00:21:53,140 --> 00:21:56,940 S2: We want to move beyond just how they think about things. 353 00:21:56,980 --> 00:22:00,060 S2: And we're addressing that too, because obviously, there are some 354 00:22:00,580 --> 00:22:04,500 S2: barriers to becoming a Christian, especially if you come from 355 00:22:04,500 --> 00:22:07,380 S2: a different faith tradition. But at the at the end 356 00:22:07,380 --> 00:22:09,820 S2: of the day, we want to reach people's hearts and 357 00:22:09,820 --> 00:22:11,540 S2: give them the hope of the gospel. 358 00:22:11,859 --> 00:22:15,659 S1: Exactly. Well, and also something that Colin was able to 359 00:22:15,660 --> 00:22:19,300 S1: do is to synthesize information. He could take a sheet 360 00:22:19,340 --> 00:22:22,659 S1: of information or bullet points of information, and then turn 361 00:22:22,660 --> 00:22:26,700 S1: that around, in his own words, to make it understandable 362 00:22:26,700 --> 00:22:32,420 S1: to everybody. And you're not@explore.com. You're not just giving people 363 00:22:32,490 --> 00:22:36,930 S1: facts or even specific scripture. Read this scripture or, you know, 364 00:22:36,970 --> 00:22:40,409 S1: read this that's on the screen here. You're trying to 365 00:22:40,609 --> 00:22:43,290 S1: come around the back side of the heart and know 366 00:22:43,290 --> 00:22:48,010 S1: them personally so that you can speak directly into those things. 367 00:22:48,050 --> 00:22:51,650 S1: You know, the ads that that if they're lonely or 368 00:22:51,650 --> 00:22:56,050 S1: they're having a hard time financially in poverty, whatever it is, 369 00:22:56,090 --> 00:22:59,410 S1: you want to grab them with that, but then give 370 00:22:59,410 --> 00:23:01,369 S1: them more than just facts, right? 371 00:23:02,050 --> 00:23:05,210 S2: That's right. And that's why discipleship is such a core 372 00:23:06,690 --> 00:23:10,530 S2: piece of what we do. And the technology really enables 373 00:23:10,530 --> 00:23:15,370 S2: that technology, that connection. But it's people that make disciples. 374 00:23:15,369 --> 00:23:18,930 S2: At the end of the day, we want to build 375 00:23:19,369 --> 00:23:24,130 S2: discipleship at scale and through technology. We can do that 376 00:23:24,130 --> 00:23:28,690 S2: because we can connect seekers and online missionaries all over 377 00:23:29,330 --> 00:23:33,840 S2: the world. I mean, technology identifies and connects seekers, but 378 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:38,920 S2: growth happens through personal relationship and of course Holy Spirit transformation. 379 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,440 S1: I want you to talk about that online missionary component, 380 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,440 S1: because there might be somebody listening today who would fit 381 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,240 S1: into that and who would want to contact you. But 382 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:54,040 S1: we just finished July was the 100th anniversary of the 383 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:58,480 S1: beginning of Moody Radio and at the beginning of 1926, 384 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,199 S1: and before that, there were people who said, look, the 385 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,159 S1: devil is the prince of the power of the air. 386 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,560 S1: You cannot use this. This is the devil's playground, you know, 387 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,160 S1: don't do that. Thankfully, there were people who said, no, 388 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:13,639 S1: this is technology that we can harness for the gospel. 389 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:17,639 S1: How have you been able to push back on anybody saying, oh, 390 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:19,000 S1: AI is of the devil? 391 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:25,280 S2: Well, um, let's talk about Bible translation for a moment and, uh, 392 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:31,460 S2: how we can now translate any Language on the face 393 00:24:31,460 --> 00:24:36,220 S2: of the earth using AI. And we're using that same 394 00:24:36,540 --> 00:24:43,300 S2: technology that Bible translators use to help translate content, right? 395 00:24:43,340 --> 00:24:46,500 S2: So language is no longer a barrier when you think 396 00:24:46,500 --> 00:24:50,220 S2: about reaching people online with the gospel of Jesus Christ 397 00:24:50,580 --> 00:24:58,300 S2: because of language translation technology. And then, um, let's talk about, um, 398 00:24:58,540 --> 00:25:02,260 S2: what it means to have a discipleship conversation. So if 399 00:25:02,260 --> 00:25:05,899 S2: you're an online missionary and you're talking with a seeker 400 00:25:05,900 --> 00:25:08,859 S2: and they're doing this through a technology, a system, if 401 00:25:08,859 --> 00:25:13,620 S2: you will, and say, you ask me a question and 402 00:25:13,619 --> 00:25:16,139 S2: I'm like, oh my, okay, what was the, what was 403 00:25:16,140 --> 00:25:19,780 S2: the address of that scripture? Oh, it's right there. The 404 00:25:19,780 --> 00:25:23,540 S2: AI brings it to you. Oh, right. Now this person 405 00:25:23,740 --> 00:25:26,740 S2: has a question about the person of Jesus Christ and 406 00:25:26,740 --> 00:25:29,930 S2: why he's fully God and fully man. Here's some scriptures 407 00:25:29,930 --> 00:25:33,010 S2: that you could use. Then the individual again, the human 408 00:25:33,010 --> 00:25:36,129 S2: in the loop. I'm making the decision. Oh, you know what? 409 00:25:36,410 --> 00:25:38,369 S2: That's a great scripture to use right now. 410 00:25:38,650 --> 00:25:41,850 S1: Okay. I have more questions about that. That's Yvonne Carlson. 411 00:25:41,850 --> 00:25:46,330 S1: She's chief technology officer@explore.com. If you have a question or 412 00:25:46,330 --> 00:25:53,210 S1: comment about AI and using it in evangelism (877) 548-3675. 413 00:26:05,290 --> 00:26:06,170 S3: This is Chris Fabry. 414 00:26:06,170 --> 00:26:08,889 S1: Live on Moody Radio. Yvonne Carlson is with us. She 415 00:26:08,930 --> 00:26:15,570 S1: is chief technology officer of the Digital Discipleship Ministry. Explore god.com. 416 00:26:15,650 --> 00:26:17,530 S1: We have a link there. You can just go to 417 00:26:17,570 --> 00:26:20,729 S1: Explore god.com if you find it easier. Or you can 418 00:26:20,730 --> 00:26:25,090 S1: go to chris.org, find out more about her and what 419 00:26:25,090 --> 00:26:29,430 S1: she's doing for the national religious broadcasters, faith tech and 420 00:26:29,430 --> 00:26:32,669 S1: missional AI. And again, if you have a question or 421 00:26:32,710 --> 00:26:35,149 S1: a comment, I'd love to hear your response on the 422 00:26:35,150 --> 00:26:38,510 S1: question we put on Facebook. Do you use AI for 423 00:26:38,510 --> 00:26:44,030 S1: any spiritual questions or encouragement? And her answers here today, 424 00:26:44,150 --> 00:26:47,470 S1: you're probably using AI and you don't even know it. 425 00:26:47,510 --> 00:26:50,390 S1: I have had this happen to me or someone will 426 00:26:50,390 --> 00:26:53,270 S1: mention a scripture, or I had it with a guest 427 00:26:53,270 --> 00:26:57,030 S1: the other day who said it was the quote from 428 00:26:57,030 --> 00:27:01,830 S1: someone famous, Chris, you'll probably know and I didn't, but I. 429 00:27:02,109 --> 00:27:05,350 S1: As soon as I got into my web browser, I 430 00:27:05,470 --> 00:27:08,230 S1: typed in just a few words and it came up. 431 00:27:08,230 --> 00:27:11,750 S1: Marshall McLuhan. Well, that was from one of the one 432 00:27:11,750 --> 00:27:14,550 S1: of the bots, the, the AI. Usually I try, if 433 00:27:14,550 --> 00:27:17,070 S1: I write a definition down a word that I don't know, 434 00:27:17,070 --> 00:27:18,670 S1: and I need to figure out what it is, I'll 435 00:27:18,670 --> 00:27:23,390 S1: try to go past the AI into Merriam-Webster or something else. 436 00:27:23,670 --> 00:27:27,580 S1: But the AI is so good, you know, and it 437 00:27:27,580 --> 00:27:30,619 S1: gets these things right so often. Sometimes I don't even 438 00:27:30,619 --> 00:27:32,619 S1: need to go past that, even though I have an 439 00:27:32,619 --> 00:27:35,220 S1: aversion to it. So I want to ask you in 440 00:27:35,260 --> 00:27:40,540 S1: this segment about the person who's listening, who says, hey, 441 00:27:40,580 --> 00:27:44,220 S1: I can't go overseas, but I know how to speak 442 00:27:44,260 --> 00:27:47,420 S1: Farsi or I know how to speak German. How do 443 00:27:47,420 --> 00:27:52,500 S1: I become a mission online missionary with explore.com? What's what 444 00:27:52,500 --> 00:27:55,500 S1: is the, um, how many hoops do you have to 445 00:27:55,540 --> 00:27:56,180 S1: jump through? 446 00:27:57,180 --> 00:27:59,660 S2: Well, first of all, I have to tell you that 447 00:27:59,660 --> 00:28:04,900 S2: our leader, um, in that area, uh, Anna is her 448 00:28:04,900 --> 00:28:08,500 S2: name is fantastic. So it's not just that you will 449 00:28:09,980 --> 00:28:12,500 S2: put in an application like you would expect with any 450 00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:18,260 S2: ministry role, but you also get training. You are surrounded 451 00:28:18,260 --> 00:28:21,540 S2: by a group of people who are journeying with you. 452 00:28:22,060 --> 00:28:26,530 S2: So you might say that sounds daunting. I may not 453 00:28:26,530 --> 00:28:29,850 S2: be able to figure out the technology. It doesn't matter 454 00:28:29,850 --> 00:28:32,609 S2: if you can figure out the technology. What matters is 455 00:28:32,609 --> 00:28:36,730 S2: that you're a mature Christian. You can share your faith, 456 00:28:37,369 --> 00:28:40,450 S2: and you could be the person someone meets when they 457 00:28:40,450 --> 00:28:45,250 S2: begin searching for God. So it's it's really easy. Um, 458 00:28:45,250 --> 00:28:49,450 S2: go to explore god.com. There's a volunteer section. Uh, they're 459 00:28:49,450 --> 00:28:53,170 S2: going to ask you a few questions and that's all 460 00:28:53,170 --> 00:28:56,010 S2: it takes to get you started. And like I said, 461 00:28:56,050 --> 00:28:59,250 S2: I mentioned Anna and her team because they are fantastic 462 00:28:59,610 --> 00:29:02,490 S2: in terms of training and journeying with you. And you 463 00:29:02,490 --> 00:29:06,450 S2: have regular, um, meetings. So it's not like, oh, you know, 464 00:29:06,490 --> 00:29:08,930 S2: if I sign up to be an online missionary, what 465 00:29:08,930 --> 00:29:13,290 S2: kind of support do I get? Um, you get the 466 00:29:13,290 --> 00:29:16,530 S2: best support there is. This team is really fantastic. So 467 00:29:16,570 --> 00:29:20,210 S2: I'm excited. Um, for those of you who might consider it, um, 468 00:29:20,210 --> 00:29:23,930 S2: I would not hesitate. You will get an opportunity to 469 00:29:23,970 --> 00:29:28,990 S2: share the the Lord and the gospel with people that 470 00:29:28,990 --> 00:29:32,590 S2: you maybe don't meet in person, but you meet online 471 00:29:32,590 --> 00:29:35,790 S2: and you can make and change a life forever. 472 00:29:36,750 --> 00:29:39,230 S1: So how does that work then? Do they respond to 473 00:29:39,270 --> 00:29:42,830 S1: the ad? They see something. They ask a question in 474 00:29:42,830 --> 00:29:48,350 S1: a online. And then do you send them a phone 475 00:29:48,350 --> 00:29:51,070 S1: number or they they give you the phone number? How 476 00:29:51,070 --> 00:29:51,910 S1: does that work? 477 00:29:52,270 --> 00:29:56,310 S2: Correct. So what we do is we interact with people 478 00:29:56,310 --> 00:30:00,910 S2: through the normal social platforms that they're already on. So 479 00:30:00,950 --> 00:30:05,950 S2: say I'm connected with you, Chris. Um, through a Facebook 480 00:30:05,950 --> 00:30:09,910 S2: Messenger ad, I can then talk to you in Facebook Messenger. 481 00:30:09,910 --> 00:30:12,710 S2: So to you, you're just talking to me in your 482 00:30:12,710 --> 00:30:17,350 S2: regular messaging platform. Uh, to me, we have a proprietary system, 483 00:30:17,390 --> 00:30:21,350 S2: a system that we've wrote just for this purpose that 484 00:30:21,350 --> 00:30:25,300 S2: would allow the online missionary. Again, back to how we 485 00:30:25,340 --> 00:30:28,700 S2: utilize AI. It gives me articles I could share with 486 00:30:28,700 --> 00:30:33,500 S2: you a scripture and whatnot. Um, it's basically, um, performing the, 487 00:30:33,820 --> 00:30:37,820 S2: the assistant job. I don't have to rifle through my files, 488 00:30:38,140 --> 00:30:42,540 S2: but I can then interact with you as often as 489 00:30:42,540 --> 00:30:46,100 S2: you would like. And, uh, for some people, we've been 490 00:30:46,100 --> 00:30:48,220 S2: journeying with them for years. 491 00:30:48,700 --> 00:30:53,540 S1: Really? Do most people want to ask a Bible question? 492 00:30:53,580 --> 00:30:57,540 S1: You know, who were the Nephilim in Genesis six? Or 493 00:30:57,540 --> 00:31:01,340 S1: is it more. Tell me more about why you think 494 00:31:01,340 --> 00:31:05,340 S1: Jesus or the Trinity, or why you think Jesus is 495 00:31:05,340 --> 00:31:06,500 S1: God in the flesh? 496 00:31:07,460 --> 00:31:11,820 S2: It depends on, uh, the part of the world. So obviously, um, 497 00:31:11,820 --> 00:31:15,180 S2: for the ministry in the Middle East, people are asking 498 00:31:15,180 --> 00:31:18,740 S2: about the person of Jesus. They don't really understand him 499 00:31:18,740 --> 00:31:22,530 S2: as we do, um, in the West. Um, it really 500 00:31:22,530 --> 00:31:27,210 S2: depends on the faith tradition that's predominant in the area 501 00:31:27,810 --> 00:31:31,450 S2: where the seeker lives. But we see a lot, I mean, 502 00:31:31,490 --> 00:31:37,890 S2: just good old fashioned, um, needs that human needs, um, 503 00:31:38,050 --> 00:31:43,290 S2: relational brokenness, you know, you're grappling with your own sin 504 00:31:43,290 --> 00:31:45,410 S2: and you might not call it sin, but you're dealing 505 00:31:45,410 --> 00:31:49,370 S2: with some sort of consequence, uh, based on a life choice. 506 00:31:49,810 --> 00:31:53,250 S2: And so people come to us in a really vulnerable state. 507 00:31:53,890 --> 00:31:58,530 S2: And again, it's, it's what Jesus would do, right? We 508 00:31:58,530 --> 00:32:02,650 S2: have so many examples in Scripture where he would come alongside, 509 00:32:02,690 --> 00:32:05,290 S2: you know, the woman at the well come alongside that, 510 00:32:05,290 --> 00:32:11,130 S2: that person and be relational. He, he, he got to 511 00:32:11,170 --> 00:32:12,530 S2: know the woman at the well, didn't he? 512 00:32:13,370 --> 00:32:16,410 S1: Well, and there's that thirst. And we all have that 513 00:32:16,410 --> 00:32:20,770 S1: thirst down deep. Here's somebody on Kevin said on Facebook. 514 00:32:20,770 --> 00:32:23,229 S1: I asked, do you use AI for any spiritual questions 515 00:32:23,230 --> 00:32:27,150 S1: or encouragement? And some said, no, never. We'll never do that. 516 00:32:27,150 --> 00:32:30,469 S1: Kevin said, yes, I ask AI spiritual question every day. 517 00:32:30,670 --> 00:32:34,430 S1: Why would anyone be afraid of a programmed opinion? You 518 00:32:34,430 --> 00:32:37,870 S1: still have your own mind. And it's like, yeah, I, 519 00:32:38,030 --> 00:32:42,950 S1: I get that, but I also know that there are, are, 520 00:32:43,070 --> 00:32:47,670 S1: there is spurious information out there that can be given 521 00:32:48,070 --> 00:32:51,350 S1: as if you say that AI is evolving or ways 522 00:32:51,350 --> 00:32:55,550 S1: that AI can be programmed to give us slightly nuanced 523 00:32:55,550 --> 00:33:00,510 S1: answer to a spiritual question that that to me is 524 00:33:00,510 --> 00:33:06,230 S1: a reason to be a little not afraid, but concerned. 525 00:33:06,270 --> 00:33:07,070 S1: What do you say? 526 00:33:08,270 --> 00:33:12,430 S2: Well, if I'm a Christian, right? So like we, we 527 00:33:12,710 --> 00:33:14,830 S2: typically are talking to people who are not. But if 528 00:33:14,830 --> 00:33:21,060 S2: I'm a Christian, I'm going to always Use the Bible 529 00:33:21,660 --> 00:33:26,340 S2: as my measuring stick. So, uh, just I really, it's 530 00:33:26,340 --> 00:33:29,060 S2: funny that we, that we talk about using a chatbot 531 00:33:29,100 --> 00:33:33,620 S2: or you were talking about using search, uh, the internet's 532 00:33:33,620 --> 00:33:35,780 S2: wrong and we use it all the time. It Wikipedia 533 00:33:35,780 --> 00:33:38,060 S2: is wrong and we use it all the time a 534 00:33:38,060 --> 00:33:43,700 S2: chatbots wrong. Um, because it was fed human data like, well, 535 00:33:43,700 --> 00:33:46,979 S2: welcome to being in a fallen world. I mean, nothing 536 00:33:46,980 --> 00:33:52,340 S2: is 100%. Um, so I think as a, as a Christian, um, 537 00:33:52,340 --> 00:33:54,540 S2: what I do when I use it for anything a 538 00:33:54,580 --> 00:33:58,620 S2: Bible study related, um, I always, you know, double check it, 539 00:33:58,660 --> 00:34:03,300 S2: reread it, ask for, you know, what's your source material? 540 00:34:03,780 --> 00:34:06,020 S2: I never, I never want to know, you know, oh, 541 00:34:06,060 --> 00:34:08,580 S2: here's my opinion. Like, what's your source material? Where did 542 00:34:08,580 --> 00:34:12,620 S2: you get this information? Where did you glean this answer from? 543 00:34:13,219 --> 00:34:17,219 S2: And that's really telling because it'll literally list all of 544 00:34:17,219 --> 00:34:19,609 S2: the articles. It's looked at all of the, you know, 545 00:34:19,730 --> 00:34:23,410 S2: like the library of content that it used to decide 546 00:34:23,410 --> 00:34:26,850 S2: your answer. So I think that's the other piece. Um, 547 00:34:26,969 --> 00:34:30,770 S2: you know, um, having been in media, right, you know, we, 548 00:34:30,770 --> 00:34:33,810 S2: we would never say anything on air that we hadn't 549 00:34:33,810 --> 00:34:38,210 S2: first validated if, if, but for seekers, it's different. I 550 00:34:38,210 --> 00:34:42,450 S2: think that's where having the online missionary in the conversation 551 00:34:42,690 --> 00:34:46,370 S2: to help them understand and discern what's back from fiction 552 00:34:46,370 --> 00:34:48,290 S2: is really important. 553 00:34:48,330 --> 00:34:51,770 S1: Yes. And that is what you're trying to do. You're 554 00:34:51,770 --> 00:34:56,930 S1: trying to harness the technology to bring people into a relationship, 555 00:34:56,930 --> 00:35:01,170 S1: a one on one relationship with somebody who cares about them, 556 00:35:01,370 --> 00:35:04,049 S1: and who knows some of the answers to the struggles 557 00:35:04,050 --> 00:35:05,530 S1: that they're going through. Right? 558 00:35:06,330 --> 00:35:09,770 S2: Absolutely. And we even have specialty communities. So for people 559 00:35:09,770 --> 00:35:13,570 S2: who are going through particular issues, maybe they're dealing with suicide, 560 00:35:13,570 --> 00:35:14,290 S2: for example. 561 00:35:14,770 --> 00:35:15,210 S1: Mhm. 562 00:35:15,410 --> 00:35:18,509 S2: We have people who are especially trained to talk to 563 00:35:18,550 --> 00:35:22,190 S2: those individuals because they need someone who's going to respond, 564 00:35:22,190 --> 00:35:25,270 S2: listen and walk with them and have knowledge of how 565 00:35:25,270 --> 00:35:29,790 S2: to do so in a way that honors Christ. And 566 00:35:29,830 --> 00:35:33,950 S2: there's some there's always the the need for counseling. You know, 567 00:35:33,989 --> 00:35:36,069 S2: when do I need to see a counselor? When do 568 00:35:36,070 --> 00:35:38,830 S2: I need to talk to my pastor at my church? 569 00:35:38,910 --> 00:35:41,950 S2: All of that is discernment. And for people who are 570 00:35:41,989 --> 00:35:46,230 S2: senior saints and they've lived life and they know, um, 571 00:35:46,390 --> 00:35:48,870 S2: the answers to that. It's really easy for them to say, 572 00:35:48,910 --> 00:35:50,750 S2: you know, I can tell you exactly how I would 573 00:35:50,750 --> 00:35:53,670 S2: handle that. And again, that's where the training comes in. 574 00:35:54,510 --> 00:35:58,110 S2: So we don't just say, oh, here's some random answer. 575 00:35:58,110 --> 00:36:03,029 S2: Everyone at explore God is receiving training. And we want 576 00:36:03,030 --> 00:36:07,110 S2: to make sure that you're theologically sound in your responses. 577 00:36:07,469 --> 00:36:11,670 S2: So I'm glad that, um, we think about it in 578 00:36:11,710 --> 00:36:15,830 S2: that way. It's important that as believers, how we share 579 00:36:15,830 --> 00:36:19,460 S2: the gospel, and making sure that we double check our 580 00:36:19,460 --> 00:36:20,780 S2: sources is critical. 581 00:36:21,540 --> 00:36:26,140 S1: There's a counter on the website Explore god.com. There's encounters 582 00:36:26,140 --> 00:36:29,620 S1: with the gospel and new connections. And I don't I 583 00:36:29,660 --> 00:36:32,500 S1: don't do well with a lot of commas, but it 584 00:36:32,500 --> 00:36:36,780 S1: looks like there's been more than 3 billion encounters with 585 00:36:36,780 --> 00:36:40,060 S1: the gospel that you have lost on that site. Is 586 00:36:40,060 --> 00:36:40,700 S1: that right? 587 00:36:41,660 --> 00:36:45,580 S2: That's correct. Since the start of our ministry. Wow. Yes. 588 00:36:45,620 --> 00:36:46,020 S1: And how long. 589 00:36:46,060 --> 00:36:46,740 S2: Has the ministry. 590 00:36:46,780 --> 00:36:51,420 S1: Been? 22 years. Wow. And have I never heard of this? Okay. 591 00:36:51,460 --> 00:36:56,060 S1: And 32 million. Almost 33 million now. New connections. Does 592 00:36:56,060 --> 00:36:58,180 S1: that mean one on one connections? 593 00:36:59,260 --> 00:37:02,420 S2: So that means somebody gave us their contact information so 594 00:37:02,420 --> 00:37:07,660 S2: we could have that personal conversation. Wow. Seeker to online missionary. 595 00:37:08,300 --> 00:37:11,219 S1: That's pretty amazing. And look at that. And and what 596 00:37:11,219 --> 00:37:15,210 S1: would Hudson Taylor do with with this Technology. 597 00:37:15,250 --> 00:37:16,770 S2: Oh, I can only imagine. 598 00:37:18,290 --> 00:37:21,210 S1: Uh, okay, so if you want to find out more 599 00:37:21,330 --> 00:37:24,930 S1: about being an online missionary, or maybe you have a 600 00:37:24,930 --> 00:37:28,250 S1: question that you want to ask and connect with somebody 601 00:37:28,810 --> 00:37:34,770 S1: who is@explore.com, go to the website, kris.org. We'd love to 602 00:37:34,770 --> 00:37:37,529 S1: hear from you today. Click through to find out more 603 00:37:37,530 --> 00:37:43,690 S1: about Yvonne Carlson again, Chief technology Officer at Explore god.com. 604 00:37:44,050 --> 00:37:47,689 S1: Go to Chris Fabry live dot ORG. I have more 605 00:37:47,690 --> 00:37:51,410 S1: questions from some Barna research, and we'll talk about that 606 00:37:51,410 --> 00:38:06,730 S1: straight ahead on Moody Radio. With Yvonne Carlson, who is 607 00:38:06,730 --> 00:38:11,570 S1: chief technology officer@explore.com. You can find out more about her 608 00:38:11,570 --> 00:38:19,350 S1: and that At Chris Fabry live.org. Chris fabriclive.org. Yvonne, I 609 00:38:19,390 --> 00:38:24,150 S1: want you to give us a an example of somebody 610 00:38:24,190 --> 00:38:28,990 S1: whose life was touched through explore.com, especially for somebody listening 611 00:38:29,030 --> 00:38:31,110 S1: who said, I might I might want to try being 612 00:38:31,110 --> 00:38:33,910 S1: the online missionary. Can you tell me a story? 613 00:38:35,310 --> 00:38:41,310 S2: Sure. I love the story of reindeer. Reindeer. He grew 614 00:38:41,310 --> 00:38:45,029 S2: up in a Hindu family in Mauritius, which is in 615 00:38:45,030 --> 00:38:50,510 S2: East Africa, and he nearly ended his life until he 616 00:38:50,950 --> 00:38:55,230 S2: encountered and explore God, add and connected with an online 617 00:38:55,230 --> 00:39:00,589 S2: missionary and is now an online volunteer. And let me 618 00:39:00,590 --> 00:39:02,549 S2: let me tell you something that he said that this 619 00:39:02,550 --> 00:39:06,310 S2: this will this will really hit home. I feel I 620 00:39:06,350 --> 00:39:09,550 S2: felt like I had lost everything. I searched for peace 621 00:39:09,550 --> 00:39:15,580 S2: and healing everywhere, but found nothing. In that desperate moment 622 00:39:15,580 --> 00:39:20,379 S2: I cried out, not to any idol this time, but 623 00:39:20,380 --> 00:39:25,900 S2: to the creator of all things. And I asked, why me, Lord? 624 00:39:26,100 --> 00:39:30,340 S2: Why so much suffering? So this gentleman was going through 625 00:39:30,380 --> 00:39:35,580 S2: intense suffering, and in that moment he cries out to 626 00:39:35,620 --> 00:39:40,220 S2: God and he sees an ad and that online missionary 627 00:39:40,660 --> 00:39:46,219 S2: journeys with him over years, and now he's serving in 628 00:39:46,219 --> 00:39:49,900 S2: the ministry himself. Wow. And if you go to our website, 629 00:39:50,380 --> 00:39:55,500 S2: you can watch a video of his testimony and buckle 630 00:39:55,500 --> 00:39:59,820 S2: up because it is powerful. Powerful. 631 00:40:00,780 --> 00:40:02,940 S1: Isn't that what it's all about? That's what we want 632 00:40:02,940 --> 00:40:05,140 S1: to do. You know, here at Moody Radio a little 633 00:40:05,140 --> 00:40:09,460 S1: bit differently, but to be able to harness the technology 634 00:40:09,780 --> 00:40:12,799 S1: to come into somebody's life, because that's what I think 635 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:16,839 S1: we're all asking the question. Does. Does anybody see me? 636 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:21,879 S1: Does anybody know me? Especially if I'm created? If God 637 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:25,120 S1: actually took the time and the effort and the care 638 00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:28,959 S1: to create me. And in His word, it says that 639 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:32,680 S1: he has created me to do the good works that 640 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:37,400 S1: were prepared ahead of time for me. If that's all true, 641 00:40:37,719 --> 00:40:40,399 S1: then how do I connect with that? The heart of 642 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:46,720 S1: God and through Explore god.com. That's what you're doing. One conversation, 643 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:50,520 S1: one add, you know, one click at a time. You're 644 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:54,160 S1: able to connect people with those who would say, yes, 645 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,680 S1: God does have a plan for your life, a purpose 646 00:40:56,680 --> 00:41:00,120 S1: for your life. He does see you and he sees 647 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:02,920 S1: your sin, but he did something for you so that 648 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:05,600 S1: you wouldn't have to stay there. You can be forgiven. 649 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:07,359 S1: That's what it's all about, isn't it? 650 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:12,790 S2: Yes. And I love the rest of his story. Um. 651 00:41:12,910 --> 00:41:16,750 S2: Reindeer has this moment where he hears the voice of God, 652 00:41:17,190 --> 00:41:20,989 S2: and God says to him, I can hear you. I 653 00:41:21,030 --> 00:41:24,109 S2: can hear you. And he says, for the. For the 654 00:41:24,110 --> 00:41:27,430 S2: first time I knew that the living God is real. 655 00:41:27,469 --> 00:41:30,750 S2: I wept and I begged him for a new life. 656 00:41:31,989 --> 00:41:32,390 S3: Wow. 657 00:41:33,390 --> 00:41:36,870 S1: That's what can happen when you have somebody who is 658 00:41:36,870 --> 00:41:41,149 S1: faithful to make that kind of connection. And if you're 659 00:41:41,150 --> 00:41:44,149 S1: getting excited about that and you think, maybe I can 660 00:41:44,150 --> 00:41:47,989 S1: do this online missionary thing, just go to chris.org. We 661 00:41:47,989 --> 00:41:52,469 S1: have a link right there under Yvonne's picture for the ministry. 662 00:41:52,510 --> 00:41:58,310 S1: Explore god.com. I want to come back to pastors who 663 00:41:58,310 --> 00:42:01,989 S1: are who might be listening. There is a. And I 664 00:42:01,989 --> 00:42:04,710 S1: think in a lot of ways, pastors can be a 665 00:42:04,710 --> 00:42:08,190 S1: little more averse to AI because they've heard about all 666 00:42:08,230 --> 00:42:12,700 S1: of the dangers. Daniel Copeland, the vice president of research 667 00:42:12,700 --> 00:42:16,939 S1: for Barna, said this about their survey that came out 668 00:42:16,980 --> 00:42:19,899 S1: a couple of weeks ago. He said the danger for 669 00:42:19,900 --> 00:42:25,020 S1: pastors is underestimating just how normal AI is for the 670 00:42:25,020 --> 00:42:29,780 S1: people around them. For most practicing Christians, AI isn't for 671 00:42:29,780 --> 00:42:33,419 S1: occasional use. It's already woven into how they work, how 672 00:42:33,420 --> 00:42:37,460 S1: they learn, how they make decisions. Do you agree with Daniel? 673 00:42:38,820 --> 00:42:41,820 S2: Absolutely. I see it all the time, and my husband 674 00:42:41,860 --> 00:42:46,299 S2: is a pastor. We're talking about this every day, almost. 675 00:42:46,340 --> 00:42:52,980 S2: How do we encourage people within a congregation to talk 676 00:42:52,980 --> 00:42:56,140 S2: with their pastors about what they're seeing and sensing around AI? 677 00:42:56,980 --> 00:43:00,660 S2: I think it's a two way conversation. The pastor can discern. 678 00:43:01,140 --> 00:43:03,779 S2: God can show him what it is he needs to 679 00:43:03,820 --> 00:43:06,859 S2: preach on. But at the end of the day, there 680 00:43:06,900 --> 00:43:10,839 S2: are people in the congregation that are probably already struggling 681 00:43:10,840 --> 00:43:13,120 S2: with you know, you and I talked about this on 682 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:17,480 S2: the break. You know, people have relationships with chatbots now, 683 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:22,560 S2: that approximate human relationship. Well, that's not God's design for 684 00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:25,600 S2: our lives. So how do we talk about that? You know, 685 00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:29,000 S2: from the pulpit and this is where and if you 686 00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:31,359 S2: know me and you do, I always say I'm a 687 00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:35,399 S2: big fan of the phone, a friend, uh, phrase, you know, 688 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:38,279 S2: phone a friend. So for the pastors that are out 689 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:41,720 S2: there that say, you know, I really don't understand this technology. 690 00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:44,400 S2: It doesn't matter if you do or do not just 691 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:48,880 S2: know that it's making an impact on your congregation. Seek 692 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:53,600 S2: out those people in your congregation that know about AI. 693 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:56,520 S2: They could be a power user. They could. Maybe you 694 00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:58,600 S2: have people who are AI engineers or do it for 695 00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:01,560 S2: a living. Seek them out and say, you know, I'd 696 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:04,879 S2: like to have coffee. Uh, and if and if they 697 00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:08,029 S2: have something to offer, maybe even invite them to an 698 00:44:08,030 --> 00:44:11,629 S2: elders meeting. Talk about it. That's the most important thing, 699 00:44:11,670 --> 00:44:14,390 S2: is talk about it. Because whether we like it or not, 700 00:44:14,430 --> 00:44:19,550 S2: it's shaping our shaping us. Just like any technology has 701 00:44:19,550 --> 00:44:23,989 S2: an impact on spiritual formation. This technology, because it is 702 00:44:23,989 --> 00:44:28,350 S2: so human and and so personal, absolutely could have an 703 00:44:28,350 --> 00:44:31,589 S2: impact on spiritual development. So we need to have open 704 00:44:31,590 --> 00:44:33,630 S2: and honest conversations about that. 705 00:44:34,070 --> 00:44:35,230 S4: Talk to the person. 706 00:44:35,510 --> 00:44:40,150 S1: Younger or older or middle aged who is using ChatGPT 707 00:44:40,190 --> 00:44:43,430 S1: or grok or whatever to have that kind of relationship. 708 00:44:43,430 --> 00:44:45,549 S1: I'm feeling kind of bad today about this and that 709 00:44:45,550 --> 00:44:47,630 S1: and the other thing. And what do you think? And 710 00:44:47,630 --> 00:44:51,549 S1: they're getting an answer, uh, to that. What is what 711 00:44:51,550 --> 00:44:53,029 S1: do you say to that person? 712 00:44:54,750 --> 00:44:57,950 S2: Well, I think it's fine to use the technology to 713 00:44:57,989 --> 00:45:01,830 S2: do some research and maybe even sort out your own thoughts. 714 00:45:01,830 --> 00:45:04,549 S2: It is good in that way. Like I'm thinking this, 715 00:45:04,790 --> 00:45:07,900 S2: it will challenge you. AM I am I really looking 716 00:45:07,900 --> 00:45:10,900 S2: at this correctly? But it's also and this is the 717 00:45:10,900 --> 00:45:14,660 S2: danger it self reinforces. It's not going to tell you 718 00:45:14,660 --> 00:45:17,900 S2: if you're off track. It's going to continue to agree 719 00:45:17,900 --> 00:45:22,500 S2: with you. That's where you know you absolutely need a person. 720 00:45:22,940 --> 00:45:26,980 S1: Bingo. And that's what Sheridan Boise, who's been with us 721 00:45:26,980 --> 00:45:30,660 S1: from England and from the Friendship Lab, sent me an 722 00:45:30,660 --> 00:45:32,819 S1: email today. And I saw this. A third of the 723 00:45:32,820 --> 00:45:37,340 S1: population in the UK, US and Australia use ChatGPT Claude 724 00:45:37,340 --> 00:45:42,620 S1: or another chatbot for companionship, emotional support, or just someone 725 00:45:42,620 --> 00:45:46,060 S1: to talk to. Some do it daily. It sounds harmless, 726 00:45:46,420 --> 00:45:50,500 S1: but the research says otherwise because of the very thing 727 00:45:50,500 --> 00:45:53,620 S1: that you just talked about it that we use the 728 00:45:54,340 --> 00:45:57,859 S1: the AI friend is not going to be judgmental. They're 729 00:45:57,860 --> 00:46:01,379 S1: going to encourage you with what you are thinking and 730 00:46:01,380 --> 00:46:04,760 S1: they'll never challenge you, you know, to think a different way. 731 00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:06,560 S1: Or you may want to think about this a little 732 00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:08,960 S1: bit differently, like a friendship, you know, having a cup 733 00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:11,799 S1: of coffee. This is fascinating. Yvonne. I'm glad you are 734 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:15,160 S1: where you are today. This is where you landed and 735 00:46:15,160 --> 00:46:18,120 S1: where God is flourishing. You and I wish you all 736 00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:22,200 S1: the best and thanks for coming along. Thanks for mentioning 737 00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:24,719 S1: Colin Lambert's name here today too, friend. 738 00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:28,200 S2: Thank you so much, Chris. It was a pleasure. God 739 00:46:28,200 --> 00:46:28,760 S2: bless you. 740 00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:33,839 S1: Yvonne Carlson again, chief technology officer at Explore god.com. You 741 00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,359 S1: can find out more about her at our website, or 742 00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:41,920 S1: just go to Explore god.com again, Chris Fabry dot ORG. 743 00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:45,879 S1: Who in the world is Patrick Wigglesworth and how can 744 00:46:45,880 --> 00:46:48,080 S1: he help your kids? You'll find out tomorrow right here 745 00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:51,400 S1: on Chris Fabry live production of Moody Radio, a Ministry 746 00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:53,240 S1: of Moody Bible Institute.