LightGrams
January 1, 2026
Volume 30, Number 1
Growing up in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, I knew about slop. It referred to table scraps that had been tossed into a bucket and delivered to the hogs that my father raised. Once it landed in the bucket, that food matter was no longer fit for human consumption, as a quick sniff would confirm.
“Slop” in 2026 has a new meaning. Merriam-Webster.com has dubbed it as Word of the Year for 2025 as artificial intelligence (AI) has spread into many aspects of life. Various versions of AI are now producing articles, photos, videos, and songs with hardly any effort at all. One thing most of these have in common is their low quality. Some have compared it with junk food – pleasing to the eye, perhaps, but devoid of any “nutrition” or substance.
“These tools also make it easier to spread misinformation and commit fraud, eroding social trust in digital ecosystems,” an article on MorningStar.com stated (December 29, 2025). Just a few years ago, “fake news” was a new concept. Now it surrounds us, tempting us to click on links by posting scandalous (but misleading) headlines. Political campaigns are a prime target of such slop.
Who do you believe? That question has great relevance as we enter 2026.
When did slop first appear? Check out 2 Thessalonians 2:9,10: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” Note those phrases again: “lying wonders … unrighteous deception … did not receive the love of the truth.” And the root of all slop? “The working of Satan.”
The apostle John lived a long time ago, but even then he wrote this urgent advice: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Lies and deception had their origin with Satan, and as long as he is around good people must remain on high alert.
So how do we respond to the onslaught of AI? “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). God’s word is true (see Psalm 119:160). As long as our primary focus is on the Bible, we will know what is true and what is false.
Believe me, I ask telemarketers to take me off their call lists – but the calls keep coming. I can scream out loud to “Hold the slop!”, but it’s going to continue. That’s why we must ever be alert and go to the one source that will never mislead us. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2026, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for noncommercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.