We live in a world where many (most?) have become mentally lazy. It seems that instead of thinking, people listen to whoever are the most outraged, loudest, and take the easiest path (without realizing that its destination is very dangerous). Ignore history, Biblical truth, common sense, settle for being swayed “by every wind of doctrine” that comes along. Feelings trump facts and fun trumps work, mental or otherwise.
Students, for many decades, have been taught what to think instead of how to think. Granted there are still a few teachers in our schools who encourage thinking for oneself; thank you, Mrs. Dean, for being one such teacher in my educational upbringing. For many more decades our nation has been caught up in the snare of amusement – the word itself, “amuse” means not to think. To take a break from thinking is one thing, to be caught up in a lifestyle of amusing or entertaining ourselves to death is quite another.
Now, with AI everywhere, particularly at most people’s fingertips, there are many who allow social media, influencers, and AI to do their thinking for them. Can I just tell you that’s a dangerous place to be? Especially for the Christian.
I wonder if our readers will be as surprised as I was to learn the following from a recent Barna poll report (July 21, 2026) regarding Christians and the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence). According to this report:
“Practicing Christians are outpacing nearly every population segment on AI adoption, including pastors.” Data showed that forty-four percent say they use AI “very often” or “often” in their personal lives, compared with 31% of U.S. adults overall. At work, 39% of practicing Christians use AI “often” or “very often,” compared with 26% of U.S. adults nationally.
“Nearly half of practicing Christians say they’d trust AI with their own spiritual growth—even though asking it about faith ranks near the bottom of how they actually use it.” About one-third say they have used AI for spiritual guidance or Bible-related questions in the past month.
One in three practicing Christians say they want guidance from their pastor on navigating AI. Yet, only 12% of pastors feel ready to give it.
All the above to say that we were created to be a thinking people; tools are meant to be tools, not to replace thinking and working. Paul commended the Bereans for being ready to accept what he was saying, but more so because they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what he said was true. As we look at this week’s Decency Minutes (DM), we are reminded of the importance of thinking for ourselves.
Our first DM sounds the alarm of letting social media influence you to accept what is said by the masses without running it through your gray matter (the brain) first. Whether it’s politics, culture, science, or any other topic, the Word of God stands true regardless of how many deny it, criticize it, or mock it. Research people and what they stand for; look at what they do more than what they say. In the end, be good Bereans; always view those positions in light of what God says about it.
The second DM warns about the dangers of forgetting. How often does the Bible remind us to remember or forget not? I often wonder if the children of Israel and those in Egypt had remembered Joseph, what might history have been? When we forget to remember what our enemies have said and done, it puts us and our loved ones in a dangerous position. Let us remember what has happened, move forward with forgiveness instead of bitterness, and use the mind which the Lord has blessed us with to move forward cautiously. Let us remember the history of a people as they moved violently forward across the globe, have proclaimed further violence in our own nation, and think on what that might portend if we allow their ideology to be accepted in our own nation. How will that affect freedom? Let us also remember that not everyone from a people group may hold to that way of thinking, but all people deserve to hear the gospel message of Jesus’ love for them, His death for them, and His offer of salvation for them.
Our third DM speaks similarly as DM 2, but speaks to thinking ahead and letting others know the truth of what is taking place in our communities and our nation. The saying goes, “Knowledge is power.” But it is only power if it is used as a means of offense or defense. To know something but not act on it is similar to the man who built his house upon the sand in Matthew 7:26-27. “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
America was founded upon the wisdom of God’s Word. If we will continue to reject its truth, great will be our fall. Let us become a thinking, educating, warning, and witnessing people.
In 2015, Congressman Eric Swalwell was informed by the FBI that his romantic interest, Christine Fang, was working for Chinese intelligence.
Presumably, Fang’s intention was to stay close to the congressman she had helped get elected, glean as much inside information as possible and influence the way he would vote.
This is what we imagine when we think of foreign influence on our government.
But what if instead of targeting specific politicians, they could affect which politicians were elected in the first place?
This is exactly what China intends to do.
Their tech wizards are using our social media posts to build models of American voters and then running simulations to see what messaging can be manipulated to sway voters in swing states.
Bots can then push that messaging online.
Don’t let social media do your thinking for you.
It could be working for the enemy.
We used to say “never forget” regarding 9/11. Yet, as we approach the 25th anniversary of that heinous day, many have forgotten that it was Islamic ideology which led to the murder of thousands of Americans.
Leftists not only ignore the threat of Islam, they’re joining forces with Islamists who share the common goal of destroying the influence of Christianity.
And so, we are seeing the increasing Islamification of America. Sharia Courts are operating in Texas; animal sacrifice is legal in the Muslim-majority city of Hamtramck; Girl Scouts of America are indoctrinating young girls in Islam; and public schools take students on field trips to mosques.
Today the same ideology which took down the Twin Towers is seeking to tear down the pillars of freedom and Christianity upon which our nation was founded.
May God have mercy on our nation.
I could wish that every state would have The Allied Special Intelligence Group come and hold trainings for pastors like they did in Texas, teaching them about the dangers of Islam. It seems that the masses are willfully blind to the dangers that threaten to overtake America. Look at world history, at contemporary Europe, and then realize that Islamists are knocking down the door of our own nation. It’s not an exaggeration to say that if America falls on this front, the world falls.
Pastor Ben Warrick exclaimed, “I think we’re in a war. It’s a battleground, and I would like to be the tip of the spear and be able to do that strategically, but I’m more of a blunt force, so I’ve got some learning to do.”
Get informed, tell others with urgency, and vote accordingly.
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