A Wealth of Translations
How the MacArthur Trust, TMAI, and TMU Alumnus Roy Garrett are Using A.I. to Strengthen the Global Church.
In recent years, it seems that in every country where The Master’s Academy International identifies a member school, they also identify the same problem. There aren’t that many high-quality theological resources available in the local language. Schools in places like Myanmar, India, the Philippines, and Japan have faithful translations of Scripture, but in order to fully prepare their students for pastoral ministry, they need greater access to commentaries, systematic theologies, and other theological works in their native tongue.
In the past, such translation work was both time-consuming and expensive. It required a translator, someone theologically sharp and fluent in both the local dialect and English. Even if someone like that was available, it would often take the individual months, if not years, to produce one work, much less a small library that’s an essential part of any seminary-level education. Yet in recent years, a solution to this seemingly ever-present problem has presented itself: artificial intelligence.
With funding from the John MacArthur Charitable Trust, The Master’s Academy International secured software called Smartcat, which uses artificial intelligence (or A.I.) to translate books, articles, and interviews into 40 languages. But just having the software wasn’t enough to solve TMAI’s problem. They also needed someone who knew how to use this sophisticated software, and could communicate its benefits to the staff, faculty, and students at their training centers around the world. For that, they called David Crater, a professor at The Master’s University who specializes in artificial intelligence. They told him they were looking to use the MacArthur’s Trust’s grant to hire a liaison, someone who understood Smartcat and could help the training centers use it to produce more theological resources in their language. Crater knew exactly who to recommend: Roy Garrett, who at the time had recently completed his penultimate year at The Master’s University.
Beginning in 2023, Garrett helped TMAI training centers implement the software, troubleshooting compatibility issues and providing guidance for integrating it into their translation workflows. It was a great opportunity for Garrett, who graduated from TMU this May, to put into practice the philosophy and understanding of A.I. he gained at the University.
Few, if any, recent students at TMU are more knowledgeable about A.I. and more passionate about the subject. Roy learned from Crater how it works, and also how to think biblically about the power and limitations of this new technology.
“Artificial intelligence was an emphasis of my computer science degree,” Roy said. “Professor Crater’s class Introduction to A.I. was particularly helpful. I learned what A.I. is, how coding it works, and how we can use it.”
The more he studies A.I. and learns how it works, the more excited Roy becomes about its potential benefits, the primary one being its ability to boost productivity.
“There are an endless number of ways it can boost your productivity,” Roy said. “It can help write and proofread basic emails, it can certainly help with translation, as we’re seeing with TMAI, and it can help you track down information more easily. Those are a few of the benefits.
Of course, Roy understands there are also limits to A.I. Even as the technology makes it easier to find and organize information, it can also impede learning if used incorrectly. Specifically, Roy sees it as a danger if A.I. becomes the go-to source for learning. It must always supplement an education that trains the mind to think critically and logically. It can never replace that form of education. Roy also understands that there are so many elements of the Christian life that can’t be learned from artificial intelligence.
“A.I. can never teach us the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom,” Roy said. “Scripture also talks about iron sharpening iron. It makes it clear there are elements of our Christian walk and wisdom that can only be gained through relationships with other people. Artificial intelligence can never replace those human relationships. There are truth, wisdom, and virtues that can only be learned from parents, mentors, or peers, not an A.I. bot.”
In the coming years, as A.I. is integrated more and more into society, Roy believes it’s critical that Christians are part of the conversation surrounding this new technology. Without a Christian understanding of what it means to be human, Christian ethics, and a Christian conviction of life’s ultimate purpose, Roy isn’t sure the church, or society, will avoid abusing this technology.
Roy believes that his knowledge of artificial intelligence will always be part of his career. And he knows he is equipped to use this technology the right way in large part because of his education at TMU and his experience working with TMAI. For Roy, Crater’s recommendation, and the subsequent time he’s spent working on translating theological works for TMAI, have been more reminders of God’s kindness to him, the importance of discipleship, and the unlikely path that brought him to The Master’s University five years ago.
For the first ten years of his life, Roy had hardly any exposure to Christianity. His parents rarely took him to church. That changed when Roy’s parents divorced and he moved with his mom from Fresno to Santa Clarita to live near his grandma. Not long after they arrived, Roy and his mom started visiting churches. They would eventually settle on Church of the Canyons. Their first Father’s Day at the church—about a year after they moved to the area—Roy’s mother prayed for male role models for Roy. She knew she needed help—help that only the church could provide—if she was going to raise him to be a God-fearing man.
“The Lord deeply answered my mom’s prayer,” Roy said. “At Church of the Canyons, various youth leaders poured into me through the years. They showed me what it looks like to be a man, particularly a Christian man.”
Two of those mentors were alumni of The Master’s University. One was Peter Goeman, a graduate of both The Master’s University and Seminary, who is currently a professor at Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary, North Carolina. The other was Ben Emberley, currently shepherding Community Bible Church in Northfield, Massachusetts.
“Those older men impacted me a lot and were father figures in my life,” Roy said. “I didn’t know anything about The Master’s University when I came into the youth group at Church of the Canyons but by the end of high school I knew I wanted to be like those guys so I should go where they went.”
Because of Peter and Ben’s influence, Roy applied to one college: The Master’s University. Not long after he arrived on campus, Roy realized that even though he admired men like Peter and Ben, and he appreciated the truth of God’s Word, he still had not fully submitted his life to Christ.
“When I came to TMU, I understood the truth in my mind, but none of it had reached my heart,” Roy said. “Being at TMU, I figured that out pretty quickly. I wasn’t truly following Christ like my peers were. I made a lot of mistakes my first year. The Lord used those trials to show me that without him, I am nothing. I realized I needed to either walk away from Christ and stop claiming him or give my entire life to the Lord.”
Since fully submitting to the Lord in January of 2021, Roy has seen the Lord’s kindness again and again in his life. He is now engaged to a girl he met at TMU. He also recently accepted a job at Edwards Air Force Base, where he will be working as a software engineer on military aircraft. Roy knows wherever the Lord takes him, he will always be grateful for his time at TMU and, most recently, his time with TMAI, using his knowledge of A.I. to help them solve one of their biggest problems by translating more theological resources for the global church.
“I have experienced so much growth from this university that I can’t even begin to explore all that it means to me,” Roy said. “I think it’s a beautiful place. As I leave this place, I know the Lord has done everything he meant to do with me while I was here.”
