Faith Facts

• The University Center has served Oklahoma State University students since the 1920s through the Stillwater Church of Christ
• The $1.1 million renovation preserves a 100-year-old ministry facility for future generations of students
• Leaders emphasize the project continues the legacy of inviting students to belong in community and believe in Jesus

A 100-year-old campus ministry recently cut the ribbon on a $1.1 million renovation of its 6,000 square-foot facility. The University Center, a campus ministry of the Stillwater Church of Christ, has served the students of Oklahoma State University since the 1920s. The center has served as a hub of the ministry’s work and activities since its construction in 1967, “serving as a place for students to worship together, share meals and do life,” ministry leaders said.

“The renovation took the building down to brick and concrete in order to update the building’s major systems and reconfigure the space for the ministry’s needs today,” the leaders said.

“This much-anticipated project reflects a commitment by the ministry and its many friends and alumni to continue the nearly century-long legacy of inviting the students of Oklahoma State to belong in community, believe in Jesus and become like him.”

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Faith Facts

• Wes Woodell, a ministry technology strategist and Ph.D. candidate at Talbot School of Theology, is developing AI tools to spread the Gospel globally through Connect My Church.
• Woodell believes AI is a complex math equation with no soul and cannot think or process genuine thought, only compute data.
• He warns churches against using AI to write sermons, calling it dangerous and unhealthy for a preacher’s heart and spiritual life.

A Tennessee cybermissionary is offering biblical perspective on artificial intelligence as questions about its power and purpose continue to grow. Wes Woodell founded Connect My Church to create enclosed AI systems that can answer spiritual questions using trusted Christian resources.

Woodell spoke with Bobby Ross Jr. via Zoom this week from his home in Columbia, Tennessee. The 46-year-old Harding University graduate and former Church of Christ campus minister now pursues advanced theological studies at Biola University while building digital tools for global evangelism.

“So my question is, what if we could put something out like that which didn’t just play a recording?” said Woodell. “What if you could actually ask it questions, and it would give you answers? … You know, it’s not the open internet. It’s just an enclosed set of resources that we can put on there, and that’s essentially what we’re building.”

Woodell addressed concerns about AI’s potential dangers with measured clarity. He acknowledged real security risks but emphasized the need for America to lead in defensive technology rather than yield ground to hostile nations.

“There’s a lot of people afraid of that, and there are some real destructive capabilities when you think about security, when you think about where we’re going in the future with new technology,” said Woodell. “For instance, humanoid robots. If those things are deployed and successful, and now there are a million humanoid robots in 10 or 15 years, or maybe even sooner than that, what if something could hack all of those things at the same time?”

“What if a foreign, hostile government could take over those things and make them start karate-chopping people and kicking people in the head?”

Woodell also spoke directly to the spiritual question of whether AI possesses a soul. He rejected the notion outright, describing AI as nothing more than advanced computation without consciousness or divine image.

“I don’t think it can,” he replied. “This idea of supreme intelligence, I think, is a misnomer. When we’re talking about AI, we’re talking about a complex math equation. It doesn’t process thought. It doesn’t think. It processes. It’s a computer program.”

Woodell warned against the transhumanist vision popular in Silicon Valley, where some seek to merge human consciousness with machines in pursuit of immortality. He contrasted that humanist ambition with the Christian understanding that true eternal life comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.

While supporting the use of AI for administrative tasks like sermon optimization and social media scheduling, Woodell drew a firm line against allowing artificial intelligence to replace the preacher’s spiritual labor.

“What frightens me a little bit are preachers using AI to write their sermons for them,” Woodell said. “That has become a thing, and I don’t think that’s healthy.”

“AI can help give some feedback that’s helpful sometimes,” he added. “But I would not have it just draft the sermon for you. I think that’s very dangerous and also just not good for a preacher’s heart.”

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Faith Facts

• Hillsong United worship leader Joel Houston has spoken openly about a season of deep personal reflection after facing significant challenges in recent years.
• The well-known worship artist revealed that he spent two to three years largely removed from regular church involvement during this difficult period.
• Houston’s experience highlights the reality that even prominent Christian leaders face seasons of testing and spiritual struggle.

Joel Houston, the frontman for Hillsong United, has been candid about navigating a challenging season marked by personal struggles and spiritual introspection.

The worship leader shared that this period led him to step back significantly from church involvement for an extended time.

“I spent two to three years largely away from church,” Houston stated regarding his time of soul-searching.

His honesty about this chapter in his life serves as a reminder that faith journeys are not always straightforward, even for those in leadership positions within the Christian community.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.