SUMMER 2026 Volume 14 Issue 2 WHY AI? BIBLICAL WISDOM FOR BOLD CHANGE
FORMING STUDENTS FOR FAITHFUL FUTURES 02 THOMAS WHITE | One year ago, Cedarville launched a campuswide AI solution with OpenAI. Now, Cedarville’s president reflects on why the decision was made, what biblical principles govern Cedarville’s AI usage, and how AI might shape higher education in the future. ONE YEAR OF CAMPUSWIDE AI 08 How is ChatGPT preparing students for interviews? How many messages have been sent to ChatGPT on campus? And what is a “MillerBot”? This retrospective celebrates the culture of growth and innovation at Cedarville by highlighting AI use cases across campus. HEART OVER HUSTLE 22 NICHOLAS CARRINGTON '10 | AI is contributing to growing feelings of isolation as people turn to artificial connection instead of godly community. See how seven Cedarville student entrepreneurs are navigating AI business uses and redefining “hustle culture” through genuine connection in this student-focused feature. FEARLESS AND FAITHFUL 26 Dr. Rob McDole has been interviewed about AI, but he’s never been interviewed by AI. This innovative interview is full of practical wisdom about how to start using AI, discern healthy guardrails, and have productive conversations about AI use with family and friends. 02 22 WHY AI? ENGAGE: A CHRISTIAN FRAMEWORK FOR AI USAGE 16 JOHN DELANO AND ALINA LEO | Business professors John Delano and Alina Leo’s ENGAGE framework for AI usage has won awards in the business field and shaped minds in the classroom. Now, they’re bringing their framework to you with a user-friendly guide to ethical AI usage. The skyrocketing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) is leading universities to ask themselves a big question: When information is easier to come by than ever before, how can universities adapt to help students thrive? The answer isn’t avoidance. It isn’t recklessness. Instead, Cedarville is engaging AI with biblical discernment — and encouraging students to do the same. Our goal is that each Cedarville graduate combines timely skills like AI usage with the timeless traits of wisdom and humility to reflect Christ well wherever their professional path may lead. “ Keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.” Proverbs 3:21b–22
Editor Janice (Warren) Supplee ’86 Managing Editor Rachel (Rathbun) Benefiel ’23 Creative Director Chad Jackson ’05 Photographer Scott Huck Art Director and Graphic Designer Craig Salisbury ADMINISTRATION President Thomas White Senior Advisor to the President Loren Reno ’70 Chief of Staff Zach Bowden Vice President for Academics Tom Mach ’88 Vice President for Advancement Will Smallwood Vice President for Athletics Chris Cross Vice President for Business and Chief Financial Officer Chris Sohn Vice President for Enrollment Management Scott Van Loo ’98 Vice President for Marketing and Communications Janice (Warren) Supplee ’86 Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Bob Lutz ’01 Vice President for Student Life and Christian Ministries Jon Wood OUR MISSION Cedarville University transforms lives through excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority. OUR VISION For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ Cedarville Magazine is published spring, summer, and fall and mailed free of charge to alumni and supporters of Cedarville University. 1-800-CEDARVILLE • cedarville.edu Direct inquiries and address changes to: Cedarville Magazine Cedarville University 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314 cedarville.edu/magazine magazine@cedarville.edu 1-800-CEDARVILLE READ ONLINE! Visit cedarville.edu/magazineSP26 on your computer or mobile device. CHAPEL NOTES 30 Catch up on Dr. White’s 2025–26 chapel series and enjoy an edifying message on wisdom from student-favorite speaker Trevin Wax. IN EVERY ISSUE ADVANCING CEDARVILLE 32 The more quickly the digital landscape changes, the harder it is to defend. Front and center in this feature are the young leaders rising to meet the challenge: Cedarville’s cybersecurity students. You can support future cybersecurity leaders through scholarships or career development opportunities. YELLOW JACKET SPORTS 34 Catch game-day highlights and season-end stats in this roundup of all things Cedarville Athletics. JACKETS FOR LIFE 36 See a sneak peek of Homecoming 2026, browse upcoming events, and view photos celebrating progress on the newest academic facility in this issue's alumni corner. CAMPUS NEWS 40 Celebrate the class of 2026 in our commencement spotlight, then catch up on other events and updates from Cedarville. BETWEEN THE LINES 46 Time to get prompting! From our faculty and staff to you, enjoy these ideas for AI prompts to use at home. Use the prompting tips in this issue to give one of these ideas a try! IN CLOSING: FOCUSED ON THE FIRM FOUNDATION 48 JANICE (WARREN) SUPPLEE '86 | Cedarville’s Marketing and Communications team first started exploring AI a little over three years ago. From playful experimentation to earnest ethical questions, Dr. Supplee shares her team’s journey through AI adoption and offers practical advice for readers interested in learning more. 30 32 2026 Award of Merit 1
BY THOMAS WHITE FORMING STUDENTS FOR FAITHFUL FUTURES: A PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE ON AI 2
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In late summer 2025, Cedarville became the first evangelical Christian university to adopt ChatGPT Edu campuswide. I have never been so convinced about a decision that received such a mixed reaction. I quickly learned that AI generates more than data — it generates strong emotions, both positive and negative. I get it. Some people fear change. Others worry about ethical dangers, environmental costs, the threat to human dignity, job loss, or the unknown. Among Christians, AI rightly raises profound questions about what it means to be human. At Cedarville, our response is neither fear nor uncritical embrace but humility seeking discernment rooted in a biblical worldview. WHY WE ACTED By adopting a campuswide solution, we chose engagement over avoidance. Our closed-network environment within ChatGPT gives us greater control over our data, protects our intellectual property, and allows monitoring to encourage academic integrity. Certain image generation features that would not honor the Lord have been disabled. Our focus from day one has been simple: access, training, and humility. During my own deep dive into AI, two things became undeniable: AI is not going away, and employers are already demanding AI competency. The voices from the marketplace are unambiguous. Consider the words of Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart: “AI is going to change literally every job.” Stephen Squeri, CEO of American Express, warns of “the growing disconnect between the skills that CEOs are prioritizing … and how colleges and universities are preparing their students.” A recent employer survey found that 77% expect new hires to have AI experience, yet 58% believe universities are not doing enough. Direct conversations with leaders at JPMorgan Chase were equally clear: § “We expect everyone to have some level of competency for AI.” § “Higher ed does not move at the speed of business.” § “Faculty and staff are eliminating jobs for their students if they do not teach their students how to use it.” If we reject AI, we fail our students. AI literacy paired with integrity, critical thinking, and people skills will distinguish Cedarville graduates in a competitive marketplace. We know many résumés will be reviewed by AI before reaching human eyes. We must equip our students accordingly. Yet higher education is more than workforce preparation. We are forming students for lifelong faithfulness, wisdom, and service. Information is not formation. Critical thinking, creativity, moral courage, and spiritual maturity remain central to our mission. 4
OUR BIBLICAL PILLARS From the beginning, we established biblical pillars to guide our engagement with AI tools. These guidelines will grow and mature over time, but this is a humble attempt to ground everything we do in a biblical foundation. We Worship the One True God. No human invention, including AI, will replace genuine worship. AI is a predictive tool, not a soul. It cannot repent, worship, or love. Genuine discipleship requires perseverance through trials over time. This relates to our core value of Love for God. We Value People. Every person bears the image of God. AI must never diminish human dignity or replace human relationships. God designed us for community. In an age of digital interaction, people skills matter more than ever. AI raises questions about what it means to be human, and we want to think deeply about these big questions. This flows from our core value of Love for Others. We are forming students for lifelong faithfulness, wisdom, and service. Information is not formation. Critical thinking, creativity, moral courage, and spiritual maturity remain central to our mission. 5
We Promote Truth and Embody Integrity. We reject plagiarism, deception, deepfakes, and every form of academic dishonesty. We pursue transparency and take responsibility for our outcomes, understanding AI's limitations and our own. This flows from our core value of Integrity in Conduct. We Demonstrate Faithful Stewardship. God calls us to steward all resources wisely, including technology. We refuse to let AI weaken our intellectual development, bypass our strategic thinking, or replace our hard work. We embrace the goodness of work and reject laziness. We strive to enhance the common good while resisting wasteful or harmful applications. This relates to our core value of Excellence in Effort. We Engage With Biblical Discernment. Not everything that can be done should be done. We challenge bias and falsehood, advocate for the vulnerable, and approach AI with humility, justice, and love. In this way, we are standing for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. We Walk in Wisdom and Humility. AI reflects finite human knowledge and is therefore fallible. We must not place ultimate trust in AI or in ourselves. Because technology shapes our habits and our thinking, we intentionally cultivate virtue alongside skill, and we seek to use AI in a way that pleases God. LOOKING AHEAD Only our sovereign God knows what the future of AI in higher education will look like — but I am certain that the institutions that engage it wisely, guided by conviction rather than convenience, will be the ones best positioned to serve their students with excellence. I can envision different disciplines aligning with different models, AI tutors supplementing coursework, a GPT created for every class, and academic support available 24/7. For now, ChatGPT EDU integrates best with our learning management system, so we will use it while evaluating continually. As I write this, I have three AI models open in various browser tabs. I am learning in real time and seeking wisdom from above for decisions that will shape our students’ futures. The landscape is changing quickly, but while technology evolves, our foundation does not. We do not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. And that confidence allows us to move forward — not recklessly, not fearfully, but faithfully. Thomas White is President of Cedarville University. He earned his PhD in systematic theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am learning in real time and seeking wisdom from above for decisions that will shape our students’ futures. The landscape is changing quickly, but while technology evolves, our foundation does not. 6
WALKING IN WISDOM: A Q&A WITH DR. THOMAS WHITE Artificial intelligence is reshaping nearly every sector of society. At Cedarville, our response is neither fear nor blind enthusiasm but engagement with biblical discernment. Doesn't AI make cheating easier — and what is Cedarville doing about it? Yes, AI creates new academic integrity challenges. Rather than playing an unwinnable game of detection, we are redesigning assessment. Some faculty are incorporating in-class writing, oral defenses, process portfolios, and assignments requiring personal reflection and critical engagement with AI-generated material. The goal isn't just catching cheaters; it's forming people of integrity. What's the value of a Cedarville degree when anyone can learn from a chatbot? Information is not formation. A chatbot can transfer information, but it cannot form character. Libraries didn't replace professors, and AI won't replace the "1000 Days" of spiritual formation, mentorship, and shared community at Cedarville. Education is more than just acquiring knowledge; it is becoming a certain kind of person. Employers seek trustworthy, mature, creative graduates — not merely information-holders. How are students being trained in what NOT to use AI for? AI predicts words based on patterns — it has no soul, no conscience, no repentance, and no genuine love. We teach students that AI must not replace their own thinking, voice, relationships, or spiritual growth. Struggling is a natural part of learning. Outsourcing intellectual work to AI is like hiring someone else to complete your physical therapy — you miss the very growth the exercise was designed to produce. AI can assist; it cannot substitute for effort or personal growth. I think of AI more as a thought partner, not a content creator. How is Cedarville helping students see AI as a tool rather than a companion? AI is a powerful tool, but it is not a teacher, friend, or therapist. It predicts patterns; it does not possess wisdom, conscience, or love. We emphasize the irreplaceable value of embodied community, pastoral care, and the Holy Spirit’s work in a believer’s life. Students must learn to leverage technology without leaning on it for identity or counsel. Will AI replace jobs at Cedarville — and will it hurt students' job searches? Yes, some jobs will be replaced, but more will be transformed. Technology historically reshapes work more than it eliminates it. The greater risk is graduating students who are unprepared for an AI-integrated workplace. AI literacy combined with integrity and people skills will move Cedarville graduates to the front of the hiring line. Can AI coexist with good creation stewardship? It must. AI carries environmental and ethical costs, including energy use and inherent bias. We encourage students to factor these realities into their decisions. Technology should serve human flourishing and the common good, not undermine them. AI needs to grow and develop, and over time, our community needs to insist that this growth occurs. How is Cedarville protecting the value of human creativity? Human creativity reflects the Creator. AI can generate content, but it cannot worship, testify, or bear God’s image. We are doubling down on what is irreducibly human: intentional discipleship, authentic community, worship, and the proclamation of the Word. By emphasizing the Imago Dei, we teach that human creativity flows from a soul — something an algorithm can simulate but never possess. AI is a powerful servant but a terrible master. 7
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LOOKING BACK: ONE YEAR OF CAMPUSWIDE AI Nearly one year ago, Cedarville University announced it would become the first Christian university to provide campuswide access to ChatGPT Edu through a partnership with OpenAI. Guided by biblical principles, Cedarville students, faculty, and staff have spent the past year exploring. Together, they learned the tools and developed AI use cases to help the University thrive. Now, we’re celebrating the progress our campus has made by sharing some of the uses our campus community has embraced! 9
TOTAL PROMPTS ENTERED: 4,488,101 — By Students: 4,068,494 — By Faculty: 224,576 — By Staff: 195,031 — Total Users: 4,691 SEARCH 60.8% DATA ANALYSIS 7.1% OTHER 2.1% RETRIEVAL 30% WHAT FUNCTIONS IS AI PERFORMING? The most common way AI is helping faculty, staff, and students is by searching the web for information ("Search"). But the use of more complex functions, like pulling information from files users on campus uploaded ("Retrieval") and analyzing datasets from these files ("Data analysis") are on the rise! HEAVY (> 3 messages/day) 32.3% TYPICAL (0.5-3 messages/day) 30.8% BARELY (<0.5 messages/day) 16.3% NEVER (0 messages/day) 18.5% HOW OFTEN IS CHATGPT BEING USED? Use of AI varies among faculty, staff, and students, and that's OK! More than 60% of campus is using ChatGPT Edu at least once per day. HOW DOES CEDARVILLE'S USAGE COMPARE TO OTHER CHATGPT CLIENTS? 82% of eligible users activated their account (benchmark 75%) On average, 75% of those with active accounts are using ChatGPT at least weekly (benchmark 72%) Active users average 49 interactions with ChatGPT per week (benchmark 43) CHATGPT EDU BY THE NUMBERS WHEN IS CHATGPT BEING USED? This heatmap shows when Cedarville users sent the most ChatGPT messages on average during the week by color. Lighter colors indicate more messages were sent during that hour, while darker colors indicate fewer messages were sent. Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday – Thursday – Friday – Saturday – Sunday – 12 a.m. – 1 a.m. – 2 a.m. – 3 a.m. – 4 a.m. – 5 a.m. – 6 a.m. – 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. – 9 p.m. – 10 p.m. – 11 p.m. – Day of Week Hour of Day 10
MOST POPULAR CUSTOM GPTS: A custom GPT makes a repetitive task easier by saving the instructions and context it needs to complete the task across multiple uses. Users on campus created the following GPTs to help the campus community. 1. Cedarville Style and Branding Content Assistant This custom GPT checks written content to make sure it aligns with Cedarville’s Style Guide, giving the campus community a unified voice. 2. IT Tech Support GPT Got tech problems? This custom GPT diagnoses problems, suggests solutions, and helps connect the user with IT if the problem is too complicated for the GPT to handle! 3. Newsletter Announcement Editor Faculty and staff create clear, compelling announcements for Cedarville’s daily student and fac/staff newsletters with this custom GPT. 4. ExamSoft Formatter and Mapper This faculty-focused GPT streamlines exam planning by formatting instructors’ questions to meet their assessment goals. LEARNING TOGETHER: AI TRAINING SESSIONS Over the past year, faculty, staff, and students took part in AI trainings led by departments across campus. This wide range of topics reflects a collaborative approach to AI learning and applications within the University. § From Prompt to Productivity: Unlocking Custom GPTs and Projects § From “That’s Interesting” to “That’s Useful”: Concrete Ways To Use ChatGPT in Your Work § Apples to Oranges: Making Smarter Decisions When the Answer Isn’t Obvious § Excel, Meet ChatGPT: A Journey of Trial, Error, and Progress § Caption This: Harnessing ChatGPT for Social Media § How Codex Turns Ideas Into Actionable Solutions AI GLOSSARY: If you're new to all things artificial intelligence, don't worry! We've provided a short primer on the terms you need to know to join the AI conversation with confidence. AI: Computer systems capable of performing tasks that usually require human judgement, like reasoning, problem-solving, or analysis. ChatGPT: An AI chatbot created by OpenAI. ChatGPT Edu: A version of ChatGPT used at universities that allows for greater privacy, protection, and data collection within the campus community. Codex: A ChatGPT feature designed to help write, test, and fix complex coding. Custom GPTs: Applications users can create by themselves within ChatGPT that are specially trained to perform specific tasks. Large Language Models (LLMs): AI trained on massive amounts of data to understand and produce text. ChatGPT is an LLM. Prompts: The instructions or questions you give an AI. 11
“MILLERBOT” HELPS STUDENTS FIND COURSE CLARITY Dr. Chris Miller, Senior Professor of Biblical Studies, began creating custom GPT tools after noticing that his students were already using AI to study for his classes but were often receiving inconsistent or misaligned answers. Setting out to provide reliable, course-connected support that extended his teaching beyond the classroom, he has developed tools that allow students to ask questions, receive feedback on assignments, and practice their skills with guidance. Dr. Miller has found that AI dramatically reduces creative teaching barriers like time, scale, and technical complexity, making it possible to create high-quality learning resources quickly. Much of his learning came through experimentation along with feedback from students and colleagues. Dr. Miller stresses that the real challenge is no longer whether something can be built but how creatively and intentionally AI can be used to better serve students and deepen learning. CAREER SERVICES AI GUIDANCE HELPS STUDENTS WITH ROLE-BASED INTERVIEW PREP Cam Arminio, Associate Director of Career Services, has found that ChatGPT can move beyond basic job-search help to function as a practical career coach. He teaches students to use AI to identify the skills employers are seeking based on the job description and compare those skills to their résumés to help them prepare more targeted, role-based interview responses. Students are learning to communicate their value more clearly and strategically and use language their interviewers will connect to. For students, Cam recommends using ChatGPT to refine emails, strengthen résumés and LinkedIn profiles, and help boost critical thinking when developing answers. Used effectively, AI can also support professional growth by helping users build development plans and roleplay interviews. The key is to stay actively involved, using AI to guide and challenge your thinking while ensuring your authentic voice and ideas remain at the center. 12
COMPUTER ENGINEERING STUDENTS DEVELOP AI HOME ASSISTANT TOOL Cedarville computer engineering students are creating an AI-powered robot called Alfred to support older adults living independently. The project aims to help bridge the care gap between a rapidly aging population and a shortage of caregivers. Alfred uses voice interaction, computer vision, and audio processing to assist with daily tasks, provide medication reminders, detect falls, and alert caregivers or emergency services. Unlike many existing home robots that emphasize security or companionship, Alfred focuses on safety and accessibility for seniors. While still in development, this prototype reflects the broader efforts of Cedarville students to use AI to address the needs of vulnerable populations and to promote the biblical values of care and dignity for all image-bearers. BRIAN SHOOK IMPROVES HOW WORK GETS DONE In his work as the Associate Vice President for Graduate Enrollment, Dr. Brian Shook has grown from curiosity to making an everyday impact on his team using ChatGPT. What began as simply experimenting with new approaches to tasks evolved; now, he has integrated AI to improve his daily work processes. The lesson? Dr. Shook has found that AI becomes most effective when he uses it to improve how work gets done, not just to check tasks off his list. He incorporates AI early to capture notes and ideas in real time, then uses clear prompts to organize, categorize, and prioritize these notes into usable outputs like a weekly briefing for his team. This reduces last-minute scrambling and improves the whole team’s accuracy. Shook also uses AI to challenge his assumptions, reveal blind spots, and role-play difficult conversations. His strategies demonstrate that effective AI usage depends on clear inputs, intentional prompts, and active human judgment — allowing the tool to deepen and enhance your own thinking rather than replace it. 13
NATE SCOTT FINE-TUNES CU CONNECT PORTAL WITH AI ASSISTANCE Nate Scott, Assistant Director of Research and Reporting, used ChatGPT as a coding assistant during the development of CU Connect, a new portal that offers valuable information and services to alumni and donors. ChatGPT helped him generate and refine JavaScript for interactive features, speed up time-intensive development tasks, and troubleshoot technical challenges. He also used it to accelerate coding tasks, experiment with new ideas, and generate multiple solutions to technical challenges — making complex processes more efficient and approachable. Scott developed his AI skills through the workshops and webinars offered through Cedarville. He has found the conversations shared across campus especially valuable for generating ideas and understanding effective, ethical use cases. Scott emphasizes that effective use of AI depends on clear, intentional prompting; strong inputs lead to more efficient results, while vague prompts often slow the process down. Looking ahead, he sees AI as a valuable tool for idea generation, research, and analysis across his office. NEWSLETTER-WRITING GPT HELPS CAMPUS OFFICES COMMUNICATE Cedarville Marketing and Communications has created a custom GPT to help faculty and staff members across campus write announcements for Cedarville’s daily student and faculty/staff newsletters. The GPT reviews communication drafts and provides feedback on tone, clarity, structure, and audience alignment so writers can strengthen their own work. Guided by Cedarville’s core brand and voice, the GPT helps ensure that communications from around campus consistently reflect the University’s Christcentered mission and transformational student experience. Writers across campus use it to polish newsletter content so their messages are clear, consistent, and well-received. By offering clear, actionable recommendations, this tool helps teams create more engaging, on-brand content that resonates with the campus community. 14
OPENAI’S CODEX JUMPSTARTS ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING CURRICULUM Dr. Clinton Kohl, Senior Professor of Computer Engineering, had been charged with creating a new class for electrical and computer engineering freshmen. The problem? Teaching the coding skills these students would need to complete the course project — a programmed car that can navigate through an elaborate obstacle course — would’ve taken too much of the course time away from the hands-on experience these students needed most. Dr. Kohl knew AI tools could help his students learn to code and facilitate the course project, but even ChatGPT’s latest models didn’t have enough memory to carry out the complex projects these students needed to undertake. When Dr. Kohl discovered Codex just weeks after its launch, he knew he had found what he was looking for. With Codex’s coding help, Dr. Kohl’s freshman engineering students are coding at a level he used to expect from juniors. And at the junior and senior levels, the progress is even more impressive. By building AI tools into the curriculum, Dr. Kohl and his colleagues are equipping their students to stand out and excel in fields that are changing with each new technological leap. STUDENT PROJECT HELPS CHURCH CREATIVE TEAMS USE AI FOR GOD’S GLORY Church creative teams — writers, designers, and the pastors that oversee them — are often volunteers without the infrastructure and support of a marketing team or agency. While AI can help these teams deliver professional results with limited resources, many church teams are looking for guidance on how to use these tools well — and struggling to find accessible options. Luke Eyerly, a 2026 visual communication design graduate, met this need with his senior project: a decision-making framework to help church creative staff evaluate when to use AI. From interviews with current church staff, he discovered three key priorities: authorship, dependency, and restraint. His decision tree breaks use cases down into three categories: ministry priorities that should never be outsourced, like preaching and biblical counseling; projects that can use AI assistance but should be human-led, like writing content and brainstorming ideas; and tasks that can be fully automated, like transcribing recordings and formatting content. The final result, a colorful, accessible booklet and decision tree poster, shows Cedarville students’ care for the local church. 15
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ENGAGE A CHRISTIAN FRAMEWORK FOR AI USAGE If you have ever used a chatbot to answer a question, rewrite a sentence, plan a trip, or summarize an article, you already know why artificial intelligence (AI) is so appealing: It is fast, helpful, and often surprisingly polished. But that polish can be misleading. AI can sound confident even when it is wrong, and it can make shortcuts feel harmless. That is why a Christian approach to AI cannot start with, “Is this impressive?” It must start with stewardship: “How do we use a powerful tool in a way that honors God, loves our neighbor, and guards our character?" BY JOHN DELANO AND ALINA LEO 17
DEMYSTIFYING AI Stewarding something well requires an understanding of both what it is and what it is not. If you have ever interacted with an AI chatbot, you have likely walked away from the encounter believing that the machine can think. Depending on the quality of the chatbot’s responses, you may have even caught yourself writing your prompts to someone rather than to a thing. But what happens behind the scenes? The answer is simply a lot of math. Think of it this way. Imagine if you could compress the time that it takes you to read through every book in a library down to just a few minutes. Having read those books, you would certainly walk away a changed person, influenced by the writings of thousands of authors, but by no means would you be able to recite the contents of every book verbatim. A similar thing happens when an AI model is trained. Models do not memorize or copy the data that was used to train them. Instead, the training data shapes billions of adjustable mathematical connections, like an enormously complex web of associations. A trained model uses those connections to predict the most fitting response to any given prompt. Despite some models’ uncanny responses, nothing in this process thinks, reasons, or understands. Instead of reflecting original thought, a system that predicts without understanding and generates without knowing carries the assumptions of the people who built it and the purposes of the people who use it. CHOOSING A STEWARDSHIP MINDSET Every tool we use comes with assumptions about what matters. When you use a calendar, you express that time should be managed. Using a search engine infers that knowledge should be instant. AI usage assumes that faster, more confident, and more personalized outputs are better outputs. Assumptions like these aren’t neutral, and a Christian approach to any tool begins by naming them honestly. Scripture gives us a framework for doing exactly that. The opening chapters of Genesis reveal a God who creates, calls His creation good, and commissions humanity to cultivate it. That commission, called the cultural mandate, means that building tools, solving problems, and developing technology are not secular distractions from faith. Rather, they are part of what it means to bear the image of God in the world. When AI helps a missionary translate Scripture into an unreached language or helps a doctor catch a disease earlier, that original mandate is being partially fulfilled. But Genesis doesn't stop at creation. The fall reminds us that every human capacity, including our drive to create and innovate, is touched by brokenness. For example, we are naturally tempted to prioritize efficiency over relationships by avoiding the hard work of being present with people. It is easier to send a polished, AI-drafted message than to make a phone call, and it is faster to ask a chatbot for advice than to sit with a friend and work through something together. AI doesn’t create these temptations; it simply makes them more accessible and more convenient to act on. The A Christian approach to AI cannot start with, “Is this impressive?” It must start with stewardship: “How do we use a powerful tool in a way that honors God, loves our neighbor, and guards our character?” 18
problem was never the tool but the heart reaching for it. A framework that starts with the tool will always miss the point. Stewardship starts with the person, and that makes it the right way to think about AI. Stewardship, at its core, recognizes that we are not owners but caretakers. All that we have been given belongs to God and is held in trust for His purposes and for the good of our neighbors (1 Peter 4:10). When we choose a stewardship mindset, it changes the question from "What can AI do for me?" to "How do I use this in a way that is accountable to God and genuinely good for others?" That kind of stewardship, though, can't be reduced to a checklist. It must begin with the heart. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts above everything else because the heart is the source from which life flows. The habits we form around AI — such as how quickly we reach for it, whether we verify what it tells us, and what we let it replace — are not just productivity decisions. They are formation decisions. They shape what we pay attention to, what we trust, how we communicate, and who we are becoming. Romans 12:2 calls believers to an ongoing, active transformation of the mind precisely because the world presses us constantly toward its own patterns. AI is one of the most powerful and influential forces in our cultural moment. Engaging it without intentionality is not a neutral stance; instead, it is passive formation by default. The goal, then, is not to avoid AI or to embrace it uncritically but rather to redeem it by bringing it under ENGAGE FRAMEWORK EXACT a commitment to what is real, not merely what sounds right NOBLE integrity when no one is watching GENUINE intellectual honesty, or a willingness to think, evaluate, and reflect rather than passively consume ADMIRABLE recognition that AI shapes not only information but relationships GRACIOUS Christlike care expressed through warmth, empathy, and genuine presence EXEMPLARY disciplined excellence joined with moral clarity 19
subjection to Christ. We must ask not just whether a tool is effective but whether it is encouraging us to be people who are truthful, present, and genuinely loving toward others. That approach is the standard that Philippians 4:8 sets for what we allow to shape our minds, and it applies just as directly to our technology habits as it does to anything else we let in. HOW TO ENGAGE WISELY Knowing what AI is and understanding the stewardship it requires is only half of our work. The other half is practice. Philippians 4:8 gives us a virtue filter for what is worthy of our attention (whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable), and the ENGAGE framework is our attempt to translate that filter into everyday habits. Before you trust an output, share a claim, outsource a task, or reach for AI as a default, pause and ENGAGE your mind by checking if that use follows the framework’s six anchors: Exact, Noble, Genuine, Admirable, Gracious, and Exemplary. EXACT is a commitment to what is real, not merely what sounds right. AI can be remarkably polished while being quietly wrong, and the confidence of its output can make carelessness feel harmless. Exactness looks like verifying the information AI gives you before sharing, checking its original sources, and being transparent about when AI shaped your words. It means treating AI as support for your thinking, not a substitute for it. Before you repeat something that sounds right, slow down and confirm it. The truth is worth the extra minute. NOBLE is integrity when no one is watching. AI makes it easier than ever to exaggerate, misrepresent, or take shortcuts with less effort and fewer visible consequences. But noble stewardship refuses what we might call shortcut character: the quiet assumption that if something is easy and undetected, it must be acceptable. A tool can assist your work, but it cannot own your work. You remain responsible for what you produce, what you claim, and what you put your name on. Don't let convenience train your conscience. GENUINE is intellectual honesty, or a willingness to think, evaluate, and reflect rather than passively consume. AI can generate a confident answer in seconds, but confidence is not the same as correctness, and speed is not the same as understanding. Genuine stewardship means treating AI outputs as starting points, not verdicts. It means examining assumptions, recognizing bias, and testing claims against Scripture, trusted sources, and wise counsel. The most important question to ask regularly is whether AI is helping you think more clearly or whether you are simply thinking less. ADMIRABLE is the recognition that AI shapes not only information but relationships. The habits we form around communication tools influence how we The habits we form around AI — such as how quickly we reach for it, whether we verify what it tells us, and what we let it replace — are not just productivity decisions. They are formation decisions. They shape what we pay attention to, what we trust, how we communicate, and who we are becoming. 20
John Delano serves as Professor of Information Technology Management and Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs in the Plaster School of Business. He earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Alina Leo serves as Assistant Professor of Management. She earned her MBA from the University of Maryland. listen, how we show up, and whether we choose people or convenience when both options are available. Admirable stewardship builds trust and deepens real community rather than settling for the appearance of connection. It means resisting the drift toward letting AI become your default reply generator instead of actually listening to people. If you notice you are becoming less patient, less present, or more isolated, pay attention. Ask yourself if this use of AI is moving you toward people or away from them. GRACIOUS is Christlike care expressed through warmth, empathy, and genuine presence. There are moments when AI can help you find words when emotions are heavy or when you are not sure how to begin a difficult conversation. That can be a legitimate use. But gracious stewardship refuses to substitute drafted comfort for real community. Love requires both words and presence. This virtue also guards our tone. Gracious stewardship chooses words that restore rather than wound and follows those words with action. Use the tool if it helps you find the words. Then show up. EXEMPLARY is disciplined excellence joined with moral clarity. AI can help you work faster, write more clearly, and solve problems more effectively. But speed has a way of tempting us to take shortcuts. Exemplary stewardship asks not only whether something is effective but whether it is good. It chooses the slower path when the faster one would compromise integrity or cultivate careless habits over time. When AI makes something easier, it is worth asking honestly whether this tempts you away from the excellence and responsibility the work requires. PRACTICING FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP The most important question about AI is not what it can generate but how we will choose to use it. Tools can accelerate our outputs, but they cannot bear our responsibility for truth, integrity, or love of neighbor. That responsibility remains distinctly human, and for Christians, it is inseparable from faithful stewardship. Cedarville's aim has never been merely technological competence. It is the formation of graduates who guard their hearts and carry Christ-centered truth into the marketplace of ideas. ENGAGE is not a policy or a ruleset. It is a posture — a simple and repeatable method of practicing faithful stewardship in real life — meant to keep AI as a tool in service of human flourishing rather than a substitute for human presence. In a world where it is increasingly easy to sound informed, polished, and persuasive, our prayer is that Cedarville graduates will be known for something better: for being the kind of people who choose to be Exact with the truth, Noble when no one is watching, Genuine in their thinking, Admirable in their relationships, Gracious in their words, and Exemplary in their work. Cedarville's aim has never been merely technological competence. It is the formation of graduates who guard their hearts and carry Christ-centered truth into the marketplace of ideas. 21
HEART OVER HUSTLE CREATING CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY NICHOLAS CARRINGTON '10 22
AI is making workers more efficient; it may also be making them lonelier, according to multiple studies published by the Journal of Applied Psychology. Despite the research, a growing number of people are turning to AI for emotional connection. In 2025, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that about a quarter of adults under 30 had used AI for companionship. The temptation to turn to AI for companionship may be especially strong for entrepreneurs, who had already been experiencing what successful business owner and speaker Marcus Sheridan called an “epidemic of loneliness.” In a profession that glorifies grit and often sweeps setbacks under the rug, entrepreneurs can struggle to find genuine, Christian community. Seven Cedarville students are working together to change the culture of isolation in entrepreneurship through intentional, biblical community and a clear-eyed view of AI’s strengths and weaknesses. Their home base? An off-campus home they’ve affectionately dubbed “The Hustle House.” 23
THE ORIGIN STORY The Hustle House was born out of Entrepreneurs for Christ (EFC), an organization created by Cedarville marketing major Will Woods '27 to equip Christian entrepreneurs with a Kingdom mindset. The Hustle House name stems from his desire to encourage community over seclusion, redefining entrepreneurship’s hustle culture. Aaron Perry ’26, an economics major and EFC board member, helped to inspire the vision and rally other students to it. “We wanted to pursue our businesses while still doing the school side of it, but we wanted to have a place to be able to push each other.” Part of accomplishing that mission meant building a community of Christ-followers who could encourage each other and exchange wisdom as they built their businesses. Ben ’26 and Daniel Ormsbee ’26, brothers who both attend Cedarville, bought in and had friends willing to do the same. They also recruited a transfer student, Josh Hochstedler ’28, a cyber operations major who dreamed of starting a business that would protect churches and missions organizations from cyber-attacks. A few additions later, The Hustle House dream became a reality. In The Hustle House, EFC found a localized version of what it hopes to cultivate nationwide: business owners committed to their faith and each other. That ambition is the key reason Hochstedler jumped on board. “The American ‘do it alone, grind harder,’ that’s not what we see in the Bible. Community is super important, walking in accountability and in partnership with other men.” LIFE IN THE HUSTLE HOUSE True to their goal, the young entrepreneurs support each other's ventures. The house has its own boardroom and collaboration spaces where housemates come together to bounce ideas off each other and work through the complex problems that entrepreneurs face. “On most nights, you’ll find several guys working together in the conference room or living room, often with laptops open even during downtime,” Perry said. “Work and friendship naturally blend together.” Through business partnership and biblical fellowship, deep friendships have formed. Perry said that the group prioritizes community through “weekly Bible studies, one-on-one lunches, and hosting friends for brunch and dinners at the house.” This community approach has spurred on the entrepreneurs to business success. Since forming The Hustle House, six of the seven housemates have started businesses, with the seventh doing so well as a salesperson that he generated over $250,000 in sales in just a three-month period. Three of these businesses engage thoughtfully and creatively with AI. RUPER LABS: CONNECTING TECHNOLOGY WITH PEOPLE Toward the end of 2025, Perry and Hochstedler attended Cedarville’s Impact conference, an event meant to encourage professionals to stand firm for Christ in the business world. They interacted with professionals who were desperate to implement AI but did not have the time to understand its potential role in their organizations. Recent research shows that what Perry and Hochstedler witnessed was just part of an issue that’s incredibly widespread. The Harvard Business Review reported that while 88% of companies use AI, their frustrations with implementing it were palpable. Employees often struggle to understand the technology or identify how it will help them in their specific jobs. After hearing the angst from fellow conferencegoers, Perry and Hochstedler saw a gap in the market that they could fill. “We both have this passion for connecting people and technology, because technology oftentimes is a whole other language,” Hochstedler said. So together, they formed their own business: Ruper Labs. At Ruper Labs, Perry and Hochstedler serve commercial and residential construction companies by Through business partnership and biblical fellowship, deep friendships have formed. Perry said that the group prioritizes community through “weekly Bible studies, one-on-one lunches, and hosting friends for brunch and dinners at the house.” 24
finding problems that AI might solve. They then help the organization understand how to use an existing AI tool or build a custom solution and offer to maintain it as long as needed. While Perry acknowledges AI is not the answer to all of the problems they find, Ruper Labs’ services help businesses discover the right ways to use AI: to serve people, not replace them. ORME SOLUTIONS: AUTOMATING BUSINESS PROCESSES Daniel Ormsbee launched a similar business, Orme Solutions, from a different perspective — one focused on systems analysis. He also sees strengths and weaknesses with AI and suggests we view it as a form of automation. “AI is just a new tool that’s really good at processing information in the digital realm,” Ormsbee said. “You specify the goal, you specify the rules, and then you specify the steps in the workflow it needs to do, then it is able to execute that.” So what does it not do well? “It’s not good at planning for a specific goal,” Ormsbee added. “It won’t build what I want unless I give it a very detailed plan of how to do that.” AI has not replaced critical thinking. It needs direction. Ruper Labs and Orme Solutions are helping companies understand how to give AI the right direction to meet their needs. FIGHTING FOR THE IMAGO DEI The Hustle House members are not only evaluating AI’s strengths and weaknesses for the workplace; they are also wrestling with how faith should influence our use of AI in general. “We need a biblically grounded philosophy of what makes human interactions valuable and what makes humanity valuable,” Ormsbee said. Much of Christendom is wrestling with the same thing. Trevin Wax, visiting professor at Cedarville, summed up that concern in an article for the Gospel Coalition last year: “What captures my attention is a deeper anthropological question: not ‘What will AI do?’ but ‘What will AI do to us?’ Wax’s main concern is that we will exchange relationships with others for the ease and efficiency of AI. The men of The Hustle House share those fears. Hochstedler sees this use as dangerous. “We need to be very clear that it’s not a person, that it shouldn't be treated like a person.” Ormsbee emphasized that while we can use AI for a lot of things, it does not mean we should, especially when it comes to human relationships and creativity. “When we look at the Imago Dei, what is beautiful about human civilization? It’s relationships. Anything that AI is doing that goes against that, I think, is unwise and improper.” Entrepreneurs for Christ and The Hustle House members are fighting for biblical community. That kind of leadership does not come naturally. It has to be cultivated. “Cedarville provides you with tons of leadership opportunities,” Ormsbee said. “And leadership is made by leading. Being put in that situation and navigating it.” Christians need strong leadership on AI, both in the business world and elsewhere. If EFC and The Hustle House are any indication, that leadership will come from Cedarville graduates. Nicholas Carrington ’10 serves as Associate Professor of Communication. He earned his PhD in technical communication and rhetoric from Texas Tech University. The Hustle House members are not only evaluating AI’s strengths and weaknesses for the workplace; they are also wrestling with how faith should influence our use of AI in general. 25
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As Director of Cedarville’s Center for Teaching and Learning, Dr. Rob McDole helps faculty members develop and refine course content using the latest technologies and teaching practices. Recently, his role has included helping faculty navigate one of the most game-changing developments to reach higher education in decades: AI. As a thought leader in ethical AI usage, Dr. McDole has been interviewed by several podcasters in Christian higher education. So, for this issue of Cedarville Magazine, we’re taking a new approach. The interview you’re about to read is not just about AI but conducted by AI. Cedarville Magazine staff members prompted the questions for this interview from Cedarville’s ChatGPT Edu tool, then shared the prompt with you to display our process. FEARLESS AND FAITHFUL AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. ROB MCDOLE 27
How do you personally decide when to use AI — and when not to? Philosophically, I govern my usage by making sure everything I do is weighed against love for God, love for others, Scripture, and God's glory (Matthew 22:37–40; 2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 10:31). Currently, I use it to discover its own capabilities, find areas where it will likely save myself or others on cost or time, and create applications that would normally take me years to build myself. It helps me with the research, web search, and coding parts of these processes. I do not use it to write, but I will use it for grammar, syntax, and style. What’s a personal AI use case that has genuinely improved your own work or thinking? Socratic tutoring prompts. I can feed it content or notes and have it question and guide me through a particular area. For example, I may use it to discuss different theories on the differences between the genealogy in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. It can also create applications that can quiz you on Scripture memory (I use OpenAI’s Codex for that). What’s the most surprising way you’ve seen a Cedarville faculty member use AI well? One of the most inspiring is Dr. Chris Miller. He has created several bots to serve students that are tuned specifically to what he wants them to learn. In at least one of his classes, he even has pre-grading bots that give feedback and evaluate a student’s work before they submit it. Now, students don't need to wonder if they are on the right track for an assignment — they can get immediate feedback. For our readers who want to experiment with AI but don’t know where to begin, what’s a simple first step? Purchase a paid plan with one of the major providers. OpenAI is probably the most well-known, and it is the one I use the most. When you get comfortable with prompting the LLM (large language model), you can advance to more technical prompting frameworks. As you explore, follow the acronym UBER: THE PROMPT: We are compiling questions for a feature interview that will be published in an AIfocused edition of Cedarville University's alumni magazine. This interview with Dr. Rob McDole, Director for Cedarville's Center for Teaching and Learning, should address common questions Cedarville's community (alumni, parents/grandparents of students, donors, etc.) would have about how to use AI, Christian ethics of AI, how AI may impact higher education in the future, and Dr. McDole's personal use of AI. This interview should span four pages — about 1,000 words of content. Dr. McDole has already been interviewed on the Heidi St. John Podcast, the EdUp Experience Podcast, the Enrollify Podcast, and Cedarville's Transform Your Teaching podcast. Search the web for these podcast episodes and use them as context. While it is okay to ask similar questions if they would be important to our readers, prioritize asking questions that would elicit original, interesting answers that highlight Dr. McDole's expertise and personality. Use Cedarville University's pillars for ethical AI usage as additional context. Act as a senior magazine journalist with extensive knowledge about AI. Ask me up to three questions (one at a time) to gather any additional context you need to perform this task. Then, develop a list of 25 possible interview questions for Dr. McDole that mirror our readers' interests and knowledge levels about AI, elicit fascinating and beneficial content, and reinforce Cedarville's Christian approach to AI adoption. Explore the difference between image-bearers and tools with your family. We can mimic God's creation of Adam, but we will never, ever get there. So, use the machine, but don't be deceived that it will be anything more than a machine. 28
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