April 27, 2026
ChatGPT’s ‘Shepherd’ is NOT a ‘Christian counselor’
Dr. Alex McFarland: ‘Our hope is only in the Christ of the Bible, not Christ as interpreted through AI’
GREENSBORO, N.C. — ChatGPT, the chatbot from OpenAI, is offering Shepherd, an AI service it says is a “Christ-like shepherd offering an empathetic ear and compassionate guidance.” Users may be unaware that Reddit has served as a major training input for ChatGPT.
Asked directly to describe itself, Shepherd says: “Shepherd is a custom version of ChatGPT. Think of it like the same mind, but given a certain role and tone—here, one shaped by the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. It doesn’t have its own life, identity, or hidden person behind it. It’s still AI, just guided to speak in a certain way: with compassion, reflection, and spiritual insight.”
The ChatGPT chatbot also learns through user questions and answers by Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback. This could easily mean a biblically-minded counselor would hear questions one way, while an AI trained on Reddit and other questionable sources would interpret sincere questions in an unhelpful way. ChatGPT’s Shepherd program responses begin with a quote from Jesus, and then it asks probing questions seeking more information on which to base further queries to the users, often about how they feel.
“The mind of Jesus derives from the historical record of the New Testament, not Reddit. Artificial intelligence may seem like an amazing cost saver to cash-strapped ministries, and an instantly available counselor for those desperate for answers, but it can’t replace a human counselor guided by the Holy Spirit,” says renowned speaker, author and apologist Dr. Alex McFarland. “No AI counselor trained with questionable content can replace the face-to-face conversation from counselor to counselee. It’s no secret that the number of Americans feeling isolated has reached critical levels, and the use of AI to replace human interaction is only making it worse. Our hope is only in the Christ of the Bible, not Christ as interpreted through AI.”
Alex McFarland currently co-hosts “Exploring the Word” on the American Family Radio Network, airing daily on nearly 200 radio stations across the U.S. He is also the host of the “Alex McFarland Show,” which airs weekly on NRB TV and YouTube. The “Alex McFarland Show” podcast is available here.
McFarland and theologian Bert Harper, veteran cohosts of the nationally syndicated broadcast “Exploring the Word,” are proud to announce their newest book, “100 Bible Questions and Answers on Prophecy and the End Times.” Available now, the book concisely answers biblical questions about God, Scripture, Christian Living, and more. A follow-up to their previous work, “100 Bible Questions and Answers for Families,” this book promises to guide you through some of the most fascinating and frequently misunderstood topics in Christianity: end-times prophecy and life in the everlasting new creation.
Alex McFarland has authored or co-authored more than 21 books, including the newly released 100 Bible Questions & Answers on Prophecy and the End Times,” “10 Issues that Divide Christians,” “The God You Thought You Knew,” “10 Answers for Skeptics,” “10 Answers for Atheists,” “The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity,” published by Focus on the Family, and more.
McFarland is a frequent guest on Fox News and has been interviewed by other media outlets including Fox and Friends, Focus On The Family radio, NPR’s All Things Considered, The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, CBN, La Vie (France), and various news outlets including CBS, FOX, NBC, CSPAN, SRN, and the Associated Press (AP) wire service. He is a contributing writer in print and electronic media, including LA Times, Boston Herald, OK- Celebrity News Magazine, Christianity Today, Charisma, On Mission, Billy Graham’s Decision Magazine and more.
Learn more about Alex McFarland Ministries at its website, Facebook and Instagram pages, or X feed.
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To schedule interviews with Alex McFarland, contact Hamilton Strategies, media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096 ext. 105, or Richard Jefferson, rjefferson@hamiltonstrategies.com.
