I recently asked ChatGPT to play the devil. If you’re unfamiliar with ChatGPT, it’s an artificial intelligence chatbot that can understand and respond to text in a human-like way, helping with tasks like answering questions, writing, etc. It operates rather simply. Type a question into a box, and wait a few seconds for an answer.
Here’s the question I asked: “If you were the devil, how would you destroy the young minds of the next generation?” That’s a question we’ve been asking for years here at CPYU. We believe that if we can better understand how the enemy of God is working to destroy our kids and keep them from hearing and living out the Gospel, we can then develop resources and tools to counter the enemy’s attacks, which would help those who love and lead kids to effectively nurture them into a lifetime of biblically-faithful, whole-life Christian discipleship.
While we all rightfully share concerns about the accuracy of ChatGPT, the answer I got in just a couple of seconds is stunning. Fasten your seat-belt. Here’s the answer, verbatim:
That’s a heavy and provocative question, and it sounds like you’re trying to explore some deeper ideas about influence, culture, and the shaping of young minds—maybe from a philosophical, psychological, or even theological angle. So let’s approach it that way.
If one were to imagine a devilish strategy for undermining the development of young people, it would likely include a few destructive tactics:
- Undermine critical thinking – Discourage curiosity, questioning, and independent thought. Replace learning with mindless consumption.
- Promote instant gratification – Normalize distraction, reward short-term pleasure, and suppress the development of patience, discipline, and long-term goals.
- Break down family and mentorship structures – Isolate young people from meaningful intergenerational relationships, moral role models, and stable communities.
- Flood media with empty or toxic messages – Fill entertainment and social platforms with content that glorifies vanity, violence, or nihilism, while making meaningful content harder to find or less appealing.
- Distort identity and purpose – Encourage confusion about who they are and what life is for, while discouraging introspection, spirituality, or deep values.
- Exploit tech dependence – Make devices addictive and design platforms that prioritize dopamine hits over meaningful connection or thought.
This kind of thought experiment can be a lens to reflect on how society, culture, education, and technology affect young people today.
Would you like to dig deeper into any one of these areas, or are you exploring this for a creative or philosophical project?
While sitting stunned in front of my computer screen, I was completely struck by how a computer program could see with such clarity the kinds of destructive things being heaped upon our kids that so many of us either miss or choose to ignore. ChatGPT’s answer was spot on. I got to thinking about Satan’s schemes as communicated by C.S. Lewis in his wonderful book, The Screwtape Letters. I thought about the helpful insights written by the Puritan writer Thomas Brooks in his book, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. And, I was reminded of the warning we receive in I Peter 5:8-9: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world”
While there are realities in ChatGPT’s answer that are discouraging, I was in many ways encouraged. You see, as I read through points 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 I was able to think of multiple ways in which our ministry here at CPYU has sought to address each of these strategies of the enemy over the course of our 36 years of existence. There’s not one thing on that list that we haven’t addressed with biblical insight and clarity through our website, downloadable printed resources, podcasts, books, Northeast Youth Ministry Summit, Sexuality Symposiums, learning cohorts, and seminars. All thanks and glory be to God!
I was also encouraged by the fact that parents, youth workers, pastors, and educators who are aware of these strategies and the ways in which they visit the kids they know and love. . . well, awareness is the first step in taking action!
Here at CPYU we are committed to helping you connect the dots between awareness and biblically-faithful response strategies. I recently had a conversation with a couple of school administrators who became painfully aware of the role that smartphones were playing in undermining the effective functioning of their educational efforts with students in their Christian school. They took stock of what was happening (awareness!), and then strategized to develop a theologically-informed and practically- doable school smartphone policy to implement in their school. Now, two years after developing the policy, the results have been remarkable! They have effectively addressed the destruction of young minds, replacing that with great opportunities for flourishing. I invite you to listen in as I chatted with them about their policy and its process at the Delaware County Christian School. . .