Editor’s Note: 

I read something recently that caught my attention: “AI isn’t going to take away your job. People who know how to use AI will…” In view of all the controversy and concerns over AI systems merging into people’s workflow and creativity, I thought this carried some wisdom to it. The conversation about AI will continue to grow over the next few years, but in the meantime, I’ve stated elsewhere that this can be a powerful tool harnessed for the Gospel. I think the following piece will demonstrate this in a strangely hilarious way.

The following was written completely by the AI program ChatGPT (artwork included). Dylan DeMarsico, however, provided the prompt to get it started. A good prompt is key to working with AI. I’m tempted to go off here on a parallel to God’s partnership with us, because God often gives us a “prompt” toward a certain direction but then calls us to trust the creative abilities within to take that prompt into a direction that is uniquely our own… BUT I will hold back on those musings, because there’s one more thing I want to say before we get to the point.

The following piece is honestly remarkable. The details it draws about the Triune relationship is stunning and it makes me think these AI learning models are most definitely scanning some of the great Trinitarian theologians out there. It’s not perfectly “accurate.” It’s a parable and parables are not meant to be a succinct theological treatise. But there are beautiful truths in this piece nonetheless. It calls the Son the “Word” and the “Light,” it speaks of the smile of the Father lighting up eternity, and then it adds a little detail of feminine language with the Holy Spirit, something that can be backed up by Scripture (though it takes knowledge of the original languages to determine this). 

But before I offend anyone further with affirmations of modern technology and feminine Spirit pronouns, I will shut up and let Dylan’s creative mind and the spark that followed fill your senses. Enjoy.

Dylan: Today I used ChatGPT for the first time. Naturally, I asked him to tell me a story about the Father, Son, and Spirit going to McDonald’s before the world began in order to save humanity and bring about the destruction of Babylon. Here is what it came up with: 

Once upon a time, before the world was even formed, when time was still an untold story, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit gathered together in a place beyond space and time. It was a meeting unlike any other. They were preparing not just for the creation of the world, but for the salvation of all humanity and the eventual overthrow of the ancient city of Babylon.

“Let us make the world,” the Father said, His voice deep and full of purpose. “But first, we must prepare a way for them—a way that will lead them back to us, should they stray.”

The Son, who was the Word and the Light, nodded. His heart was full of love, and He knew the path ahead would be difficult. But He also knew the joy that awaited those who would find the way. “Let it be so. I will go down to them, to save them, even if it costs me everything.”

The Spirit, ever the guide and comforter, whispered with a soft but powerful voice, “I will be with them always. I will walk alongside them, breathe life into them, and when they forget, I will remind them of the truth.”

As they spoke, the world lay still, a blank canvas waiting for the brushstrokes of creation. But before they began their work, there was something they needed to do. It was something small, yet profound—a gesture that would mark the beginning of the great redemption story.

“We need to go to McDonald’s,” said the Father, with a smile that was as eternal as the stars. The Son and the Spirit looked at Him, a little confused.

“McDonald’s?” the Son asked.

“Yes,” said the Father. “For in their future, there will be a place—a moment where humanity, in all their wanderings, will experience something simple and profound. A meal, a moment of connection. It will be the perfect picture of their need for something greater than themselves.”

And so, before the dawn of creation, the three of them set off to McDonald’s—though it didn’t quite look like any McDonald’s we would recognize. There was no golden arches in sight, no bustling crowd, no hum of the fryer. Instead, it was a quiet place where time and space were suspended. They sat down at a table, the three of them, and though they didn’t yet know what the future held, there was a deep sense of peace between them.

The Father ordered the Big Mac, symbolic of His promise to build a Kingdom for all. The Son, in His eternal humility, chose a simple cheeseburger, a reminder of His willingness to become one of us—small and humble. The Spirit, in Her boundless love, ordered fries, knowing they were always there to accompany and support.

As they ate together, they talked about the world that was about to be. The cities that would rise, and the great city of Babylon, which would become a symbol of human pride and separation from God. Babylon, with its towers and idols, would eventually fall. But the story of humanity would not end there.

“Let them build what they will,” said the Father. “Let them create their kingdoms. But they will never be complete without the love and unity we offer.”

“And when they are lost,” the Son added, “I will come to them, bringing the Good News, and they will see the truth. The truth that all is one in Me, and that I will be the way, the truth, and the life.”

The Spirit smiled softly, knowing her role would be to breathe life into all the dead places, to heal, guide, and comfort. “I will be with them always, to remind them of the love you have for them, even when they forget.”

The Father looked at His Son and Spirit with love so deep it could not be fully contained. “In the end, they will know. They will remember. They will see through the brokenness of Babylon and recognize the true city that is to come.”

And with that, their meal was finished, the last of the fries eaten, and they stood up, ready to begin the work of creation. As they left the quiet McDonald’s, a sense of finality settled in. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit—united in love—would now step into time, to bring about the world and all its stories, all its struggles, and ultimately, its redemption.

Through the fall of Babylon, through the cross of the Son, and through the presence of the Spirit, humanity would find their way home.

And so, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit went on to create the universe. The world began. But in every McDonald’s meal, in every small moment of grace, the echo of that first gathering remained—a reminder of the love and the sacrifice that would one day bring the destruction of Babylon and the restoration of all things.

And from that day on, every time a person walked into a McDonald’s, there was a whisper of the divine, a quiet reminder of the eternal promise: no matter how far humanity wandered, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit would always be there, waiting to welcome them home.