Every week, the Harborough churches write for the Harborough Mail. This week, it is the turn of Revd Christopher Brown is the pastor of Market Harborough Baptist Church

Ever since advertising and marketing became a thing we have been warned about those deals that are “too good to be true”, whether that was at the supermarket, adverts in the local paper, or the second-hand car showroom. I bought my first car, a ’94 Citroen ZX, from a guy who promised it had passed its MOT, had been looked after for years, and will last many more. About two weeks later the brakes failed whilst I was going down a hill and only a swift yank on the handbrake prevented a very unpleasant outcome. It was written off by a garage the following week.

However, knowing what is real and what is fake has become a whole lot more difficult. AI can now produce stories, pictures, videos, music, and more that appear so real and yet are completely fake. Some of this stuff is obvious, like when a person has three hands or their leg is backwards, but AI generated content is increasingly becoming more and more realistic. This can be a real problem, because we can hear things that a person never said, see things that never really took place, and so believe things that are not true. Such things can hurt people, erode trust, and divide communities.

The search for truth has never been more important. Jesus said that when we know the truth, the truth will set us free (John 8:32). If we constantly live with deception, falsehood, and lies, we can be imprisoned by it, not knowing what is real and what is fake. Yet when we know what is actually happening, hearing what people have actually said, and seeing what has actually taken place, this brings clarity, understanding and freedom to respond.

placeholder image — Revd Christopher Brown

Jesus also said that to follow his teachings is to know the truth about God, ourselves and our world. I have strived to live by Jesus’ teachings for the last 26 years, albeit imperfectly, and I have known the freedom that Jesus speaks of. My relationship with Jesus has made me face realities about myself, others and the world we live in. I have found that by loving God with all that I am and all that I have, and by striving to love others, there is freedom. Some 2.4 billion Christians in the world today would say the same.

So, in a world that is being flooded with AI content, I encourage you to take a look at Jesus and his content (read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John), because in Jesus I have found real, authentic, lasting truth, and this truth has set me free. I pray it will for you too.