This week, I asked ChatGPT three questions in a row.
First question: "Summarize the Old Testament in a single word." Answer:
Covenant.
That's a great answer, which I'll return to shortly.
My second question: "Summarize the New Testament in a single word." Answer:
Redemption.
I like this answer less, but I can't really quibble. But I do want to highlight a contrast between the two answers.
Christianity is what scholars call a "salvation religion." What is, you might ask, a "salvation religion"? We can ask ChatGPT for more illumination:
A salvation religion is a type of religious belief system that focuses on the concept of salvation, which typically refers to the deliverance or preservation of individuals or humanity from some form of perceived harm or undesirable condition. In a salvation religion, the attainment of salvation is often seen as the ultimate goal or purpose of human existence, and it may involve various beliefs, practices, rituals, or doctrines aimed at achieving salvation.
Salvation religions often teach that humans are in a state of spiritual or moral need, and that salvation is necessary to overcome this condition. Salvation can be understood in different ways depending on the religious tradition, but it may involve concepts such as forgiveness of sins, liberation from ignorance or suffering, reunion with the divine, or attainment of an afterlife or higher state of existence.
So, Christianity is a salvation religion. "Getting saved" and "being saved" are a big part of the faith (though less so among progressive/liberal Christians, where moral performance and political activism replace "salvation," eschatologically understood). Consequently, it's not surprising that ChatGPT would give the answer "Redemption" as a one-word summary of the New Testament. And yet, we can sense some tension here between understandings of the Old and New Testaments, between "Covenant" and "Redemption."
Two things we can highlight, by way of tensions, are narrative continuity and a shift toward individualism. Regarding narrative continuity, many Christians don't understand how their vision of "redemption" relates to the story of Israel. In extreme situations, a hard break is inserted between the covenantal promises God has made to Israel and the "salvation religion" proclaimed to modern believers.
A shift from "covenant" to "redemption" has also moved us away from a communal vision of the faith and toward the hyper-individualism we find among many Protestants. No longer are we saved together, as a covenantal people. We are, rather, saved isolated and alone.
Could a better single word be found to describe the New Testament? I asked ChatGPT a final question: "Describe the gospels in a single word." The answer:
