Andrew VanderPloeg

Believer / Communicator / Husband / Writer / Singer / Volleyball Player

[Tony Reinke @TonyReinke]

Algorithms and the Affections

John Piper (Nov. 2025): “If you had thought that your essence of humanness in the image of God was your reasoning capacity, over an ape or a porpoise, you’re in trouble. Because, guess what? ChatGPT is smarter than you are and more creative than you are in expressing things in language that is good. It can write prayers better than you can, and it can reason through hard problems better than you can. Therefore, there are people who are going to forsake the faith because they thought to be a human in the image of God was to be a reasoning person over against the animals, and they discovered a machine can do it better than they can. Crisis of faith. This to me is no crisis because of my Christian Hedonism. I do not think that my reasoning capacities are my essence. I think the soul’s capacity to delight in God is my essence. The soul’s capacity to enjoy God. No machine will ever enjoy, period. It will have the language of enjoyment. You can tell it to write a poem of enjoyment and it will use the language. That machine is not enjoying *her*. It’s not. It never will. Only human beings created in the image of God can enjoy God. Therefore, enjoyment matters. I mean, affections are who we are ultimately. The end of history, the end of creation, is not going to be merely rational creatures thinking rightly about God, little computers. It’s going to be people who are so perceptive spiritually of the glories of God that they are full of affections that are appropriate for those glories and can give expression to them. That’s what eternity will be.”

Source: Sovereign Grace Churches, Pastors Conference PreCon (November 2025)

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

It’s been amazing to be a part of this rebranding campaign!

[ShareWord Global @sharewordglobal]

Our President, Dr. Alan Anderson, sat down with
Christianity Today to chat about our new name and mission, and what these changes mean for the future of our ministry.

Check out the full article below!

https://t.co/0sXlWR2z3o

[Kevin DeYoung @RevKevDeYoung]

We live in a world that loves to take down a whole group of people for the sins of some, when God told Abraham he would spare the many wicked for the sake of the righteous few.

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@sydneylucillee @981CK @jkwan_md @celliottability No. Quite the opposite. You can vastly improve protective measures if you acknowledge who is actually at risk.

[Andrew Hall @AndrewWHall]

THREAD:

As Christmas approaches and lockdown 2.0 looms large, do you feel discouraged? Weakened in faith?

It’s okay to admit that you’re angry, hurt, or struggling. The apostle Paul knew how vital it was to be in person:

1/3

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@b_stiller From what I’ve seen, you already simulate golf enough in the summer. You need some tough competition from an extremely high handicapper.

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@b_stiller Indoor sometime soon? Support local?

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@ArleneDickinson @sdgoldie I agree, but we ‘vote’ with our patronage, and cede our thinking to corrupted and curated perspectives by not reading broadly beyond those feeds. They exist because we allow them to. I wish I could leave all of them, but as an Ad guy, it’s tough to walk away and stay current.

[Terrible Maps @TerribleMaps]

The top 12 states to live in

[Thomas Sowell Quotes @ThomasSowell]

Ours may become the first civilization destroyed, not by the power of our enemies, but by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous nonsense they are teaching our children. In an age of artificial intelligence, they are creating artificial stupidity.

[Shaun Groves @shaungroves]

The belief that all “conservatives” are misogynistic, homophobic, racists is as intolerant/inaccurate/unloving a caricature as the belief that all “progressives” are Marxist, godless, baby-killers.

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@ThatEricAlper Ring around the rosey

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@b_stiller Door #1

[Thomas Sowell Quotes @ThomasSowell]

Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing today?

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@b_stiller You’re just frustrated that you can’t throw insurance, aren’t you?

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@b_stiller Hey Ben. Still cool if I Tweet you sometime?

[Dustin Benge @DustinBenge]

Remember, when you think your faith will fail:

1. You are God’s delight.
2. You are Christ’s heir.
3. You are the Spirit’s home.
4. You are Scripture’s recipient.
5. You are heaven’s citizen.

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

FACT CHECK...

[World Health Organization (WHO) @WHO]

Q: Could #ibuprofen worsen disease for people with #COVID19?

A: Based on currently available information, WHO does not recommend against the use of of ibuprofen.

[Andrew VanderPloeg @avanderploeg]

@edstetzer ~12 watched our pastor’s sermon while the kids played in the basement. Then we sang/prayed with the kids with instruments. The lyric “...and the church of Christ was born” from King of Kings was particularly powerful as we were all feeling a bit like the early church.

[Scott Sauls @scottsauls]

In a time like now, Christian neighboring looks less like fearful self-preservation and more like servanthood toward the elderly, those with HIV, autoimmune disease, or no healthcare, fatigued and under-resourced healthcare workers, etc.

Wash hands, for sure.
Then, wash feet.