AI Christianity: When Sermons, Bible Class, and Care Are Created By the Algorithm
A Post Entirely Written by AI (and it shows)
The intersection of faith and technology has always been a space of both curiosity and tension, but few innovations have sparked as much simultaneous hope and unease as artificial intelligence. As a pastor and communicator, I’ve learned that new tools—whether ancient spiritual practices or cutting-edge algorithms—invite us to ask not just “What can this do?” but “What is ours to do with this?” The rise of AI in ministry settings, from sermon preparation to pastoral care, demands that we wrestle with this question with theological depth, ethical clarity, and a commitment to human flourishing.
The Landscape of AI in Ministry
AI’s infiltration into church life is neither dystopian nor miraculous—it’s pragmatic. Platforms like Gloo’s Faith Assistant now offer churches customized chatbots trained on their own content, enabling 24/7 engagement with congregants. These tools answer FAQs, recommend resources, and even connect users to staff, extending ministry reach without diluting theological distinctiveness. For time-strapped pastors, AI-driven tools can automate administrative tasks, draft sermon outlines rooted in biblical scholarship, and manage social media—freeing leaders to focus on embodied pastoral care.
Yet these applications are not merely functional; they’re formative. When a church’s AI model is trained on its sermons, creeds, and small-group materials, it becomes a digital embodiment of that community’s voice. This raises critical questions: Whose theology shapes the algorithm? How do we guard against bias in training data? Gloo’s “Flourishing AI Standard,” developed with Harvard and Barna Group, attempts to address this by evaluating AI’s impact on seven dimensions of human well-being, including spirituality and character. Such frameworks hint at a future where technology is measured not by efficiency alone, but by its capacity to cultivate shalom.