Beliebe it or Not

We live in a world of deception, where people shade the truth of Scripture for their own benefit, who attempt to adorn themselves with false righteousness and spiritual platitudes in order to make themselves look good. We have to expose and stand against deception at every turn. Jeremiah 9 addresses ancient Israel, stating:
5 Everyone will deceive his neighbor, And will not speak the truth; They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me," says the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: "Behold, I will refine them and try them; For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?
8 Their tongue is an arrow shot out; It speaks deceit; One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, But in his heart he lies in wait.

There's a new worship song out called, "Holy Jesus," which, according to Movieguide, it "quickly racked up over 5 million views." The article included some comments on it:

“Such a beautiful song,” one person tweeted. Another commented on the video, “God is using Justin in magnificent ways.”

Justin?  That would be Justin Bieber. Yes, Movieguide says that the song has "vocals from Bieber."

But, is it really?  The article reveals the truth:

“Holy Jesus” isn’t actually Bieber’s song. It was created by music producer Evan Mahim, who runs the YouTube account Evan Tunes.

“Just to clarify, the song ‘Holy Jesus’ by ‘Justin Bieber’ is an AI-generated creation,” Mahim wrote in a pinned comment on the video. “The purpose of this song is to inspire and bring people back to the light of faith and belief. It’s not an official release by Justin Bieber. We love Justin Bieber and always will.”

The website for Relevant Magazine provides some more of the nuts and bolts of this release:

Mahim used ChatGPT to create the lyrics, and he synthesized Bieber’s voice using AI before mixing the track in his studio. The result? A worship song that’s even fooling Beliebers.

Mahim has dropped a handful of these “AI Bieber” tracks over the last several weeks. He’s also released “Dear Christ,” which, in his words, “weaves together themes of hope, grace and divine connection.”

The writer of the article, Emily Brown, states, "He’s clearly got a niche, and fans are eating it up."

This is certainly not intended to be an endorsement of Justin Bieber.  To me, it seems that he has one foot in celebrity culture and attempts to be faith-adjacent, as well.  The point I want to make is that, to me, this is not cute or catchy.  I believe worship should be a sacred space, and to profane the act and art of worship with inauthentic techniques is beyond the pale.  

I'm all for quality music production, and Christian music should hold to high theological, as well as stylistic values.  But, this to me, seems like a gimmick.  And, a stern warning about recognizing what is true.  Again...

I believe artificial intelligence can be used to make our lives better - there are certainly ways that technology can aid us in our communication and performance of certain tasks. It has enormous benefits in the artistic realm.  But, by creating work products that do not reflect the actual performer or manipulating online content to convey a message that is different than the original intent, we are dealing in deception.  And, we have to be cautious that we are not deceived.   The enemy desires for us to buy into material that is not true; we have to earnestly hold on to the truth.