Navigating Artificial Intelligence as a Christian is the focus of the day and if you have ever seen the movie ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ you may have been tempted to fear Artificial Intelligence because of the scenes where ‘robots’ appear and act as humans then take over the world. But do we truly have anything to be afraid of when it comes to AI? If we go by the bible (which believers ought to) we know it doesn’t end with robots triumphing over mankind, but rather Jesus winning in the end (as He did from the beginning of time).
Presently, it is no secret that Artificial Intelligence is one of the major topics dominating the world of tech. Many are wondering (including the body of Christ) what it is, how it can benefit us and whether we should be deeply afraid of it. Unafraid to test it out was a Lutheran church in Germany who delivered a sermon using Artificial Intelligence just last month.
Now If you’re the one wondering what Pastor AI preached on, how to navigate Artificial Intelligence as a christian, or what the pros and cons are for the trending tech are read on.
First things first, what is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial Intelligence or AI for short is technology that helps a computer think or act in a more human way. It does this by taking in information from its surroundings and decides on its responses based on what it has learned or sensed. AI is found in most ‘smart’ devices such as your iPhone with Siri, or Alexa, the gadget that tells you whether it is cold or warm outside.
However, because of how popular it is becoming some researchers believe it is not enough to just have devices following our commands, they now want to make ‘robots’ with feelings and emotions. So far, we see AI performing in things like online shopping with customer service assistants known as ChatGPT. ChatGPT has the ability to create human-like text, for example if you think the customer service assistant you are talking to about returning a clothing item is human, think again it is most likely a pre-programmed robot.
Let Everything that has Tech Praise the Lord?
An issue raised against AI technology is if we teach ‘robots’ too much they could eventually become smarter than humans. Which could become a cause for concern for Christians and our churches if a repeat of events in the Lutheran church in Germany happens somewhere else. Could you imagine arriving to church on Sunday morning and a ChatGPT bot is leading call to worship and asks you to rise from your seats to praise the Lord?
In the case of the German church, it didn’t stop there as the entire service was led by four different avatars on the screen. One of which emulated a bearded black man while preaching a sermon to over 300 people on leaving the past behind, focusing on the challenges of the present, on overcoming the fear of death and never losing trust in Jesus Christ. Can someone (human) say hallelujah?
Now it is important to note while navigating artificial intelligence as a Christian, that while technology is not inherently evil it doesn’t mean we overlook wisdom on how we use it or what God says about it, because at the end of the day His Word is the only authority that matters. While there is no specific scripture about the ‘use of technology’ in the Bible, we do know that God doesn’t want us to treat anything as an idol and we know He uses human vessels to preach the good news.
Matthew 28:18-19 says: Jesus came and told His disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Does this include Artificial Intelligence? Personally I don’t think so.
(Tech)nically Speaking
Our Creator chose to use living breathing humans with souls to preach the good news, to edify and encourage the body of Christ. Artificial Intelligence in its nature can only process information and respond accordingly, AI can take in huge amounts of data and identify patterns, but it cannot shape you into the image of Christ which is what ‘preaching’ is all about.
So, the chatbot in Germany could tell you to ‘keep going and not lose trust in Jesus Christ’ based on previous sermons it had processed, but it cannot speak as an oracle filled with the Holy Spirit. It cannot speak to your heart of stone and turn it into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
Some of the church members in Germany said there was ‘no heart and soul in the presentation’ as the AI images of the speakers spoke quickly and in a monotone voice.
Cheat Code?
The question is then if we cannot use AI to preach a sermon, what can we use it for? And how it can be of value to the kingdom?
As said previously Artificial Intelligence can analyze large sets of data very fast, which can be particularly useful and somewhat of a hack for churches who have a lot of members and want to know who their sheep are, instead of delegating it to a volunteer who may take a while getting the task done. Another pro with AI is its ability to identify patterns, which could be useful for the different events churches put on. So administratively speaking, AI could help significantly with the running of the church with tasks that seem more mundane and data driven.
On the contrary, a disadvantage of that is AI only works well doing repetitive tasks, so coming up with innovative and creative ideas is not one of its strengths. If say for example a church needs to figure out why people are not coming for certain events and how to fix it, AI won’t be able to help. AI doesn’t have a creative and innovative brain like a human does.
Wisdom is Still the App-licable Thing
Looking at the advantages and disadvantages for the use of Artificial Intelligence, when it comes to how we could use as Christians we need to tread carefully to ensure we are not replacing the voice of God.
Overall, remembering that science and faith have a long history of being in opposition with one another, it is our duty to make sure God is exalted above all the creations out there today. However we may decide to implement the use of Artificial Intelligence in different areas of our lives let God, through the power of His Holy Spirit guide you in all things.
After all, being the Creator of heaven and earth, there is nothing artificial about the One true, Living God.
Written by Esther Okusaga
