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ChatGPT and Wolfe’s book on Christian Nationalism

So, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been all the rage in artificial intelligence (AI) circles in the last week or so and I decided to experiment with it in evaluating Wolfe’s book on Christian Nationalism. Apparently, there are some who disagree that his work represents nineteenth century romantic nationalism more than it does any historic Reformed perspective. And, of course, not everyone is familiar with critical theory as a methodology and why I see it in his case over and above whatever he might be saying about historic Reformed theology. Remember, even according to Wolfe he’s doing political theory and not theology proper or biblical interpretation (16).

So, below are several interactions with OpenAI’s ChatGPT where I ask a question about Wolfe’s work and provide the text to the AI itself. The answers are quite in line with what I’ve already pointed out but read it for yourself. Each question is followed by a quote from Wolfe’s book and the answer OpenAI’s ChatGPT client provides.

First, can we find racist statements in Wolfe’s book (139)?

Next, are there any parallels between Wolfe’s ideas and Nazism (139)?

What kind of philosophers might be represented in Wolfe’s point of view in quoting Renan, underlying his definition of what a nation and ethnicity are (140)?

The next question is interesting as it seems OpenAI may be using texts from the likes of C.S. Lewis to define something like love, Christianity’s historical theology on this point is actually quite a bit more complex than that (cf. Nygren’s work if you want to jump into that ocean). But, does ChatGPT think Wolfe is right about how he views love? Wolfe’s assertion re: Aquinas and Edwards is in fact, as the AI points out, highly selective and rare (151).

Here ChatGPT explains what is wrong with Wolfe’s problematization of today’s Christianity (4):

Oh. You don’t say. Wolfe’s problematization echoes who?

And, for those not up on their critical theory and analyzing various issues in the social sciences, can ChatGPT tell us what problematization is?

So, overall, just a passing check via ChatGPT reveals some serious problems with Wolfe’s work from a more objective basis than the well-considered opinion of one particular person like myself who traffics in critical theory and philosophy all the time. While the chat function is itself experimental and not conclusive on its own, given what I’ve already pointed out in other blog posts and what other reviews have also considered one can only conclude that Wolfe’s work represents the sort of nineteenth-century romantic nationalism the world just never wants to see again.