By Abigail Aguilar –
As with the advent of the Internet, Christians are facing a daunting new technology that some may fear and others will employ to extend the kingdom of God: artificial intelligence, or AI.
“Rather than debating the ethics (of AI), I would say, Can we redeem it for the glory of God?” Andre Echeverria asked CBN. “We’re using a lot of that technology to be able to actually help people discover a relationship with Jesus, go deeper in their relationship with Jesus, or maybe even share their current relationship with Jesus with their neighbors.”
When the internet emerged for the general public’s use in the early 2000s, myriads of Christians loudly complained about its dangers – to the point of urging people to shun it altogether. But the growth of the internet could not be slowed, as bad actors pounced and peddled their evil to an alarming extent.
China and Iran are among those exploiting AI in line with their nefarious plans to surveil and control their populations. Christians and other religious minorities, like the Uyghurs, are acutely vulnerable.
“Some of these new technologies used by countries like Iran and China, create brand new ways for the repression of religion or the control of religion around the world,” Stephen Schneck, former dean and professor at The Catholic University of America, told the Christian Post.
China is using facial and voice recognition technologies to track, monitor and repress “at a level never seen before” the faithful who attend church congregations, Schneck added. “It’s truly Orwellian.”
In 2023, more than 365 million people worldwide – or one in seven Christians – faced persecution for their faith, according to the persecution watchdog Open Doors.
So what are the caveats for the church that wants to leverage AI?
“Pastors, in some cases, are lazy and are realizing AI is a means of getting perhaps a better sermon,” George Barn cautions.
If you use AI to develop a sermon or a Bible study, AI gathers and “averages” existing sermons on the Internet. In so doing, you diminish the capability of the Holy Spirit to guide you and your congregation.
In June 9, 2023, not only a sermon, but an entire service was led by AI in Furth, Germany. An avatar projected onto a screen behind the altar preached a 40-minute sermon generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.
“I was positively surprised how well it worked,” said one attendee of the St. Paul’s Church.
This begs the question. Will congregants send their avatars to church to listen to the avatar preaching while they stay home and engage in other activities?
In Lucerne, Switzerland, St. Peter’s Chapel installed an AI priest to automate its confessional booth. The substitute priest dispenses Biblical advice by scouring the internet and summarizing common responses. But does this AI version have the authority to render absolution for sins?
Cru’s Echeverria sketches out some positive uses for AI: translation for evangelism and building advertising platforms personalized for certain groups online. It is hoped it will speed Bible translation efforts worldwide.
If Christians fear AI, “we just lose an opportunity,” Echeverria says. “We should take every opportunity to share the eternal hope we have.”
