Just over two years ago, when some pastors began experimenting with artificial intelligence to generate sermons, a majority of Christians didn’t think the technology was good for the Church.
Fast-forward, and the use of AI has increased by 80% across all ministries in churches, and a growing number of people have been turning to apps like Text With Jesus for spiritual guidance.
While he doesn’t see the use of AI by Christians as a threat to faith in God because “God is much bigger than AI,” Pastor Ray Miller of First Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas, warns that the rapid adoption of the technology in the faith arena could become “another type of idol pulling at our attention.”
“The interactivity that AI brings will feel more like a personal deity that seems all-knowing. When a company tries to sell you on texting with Jesus, I believe we have walked into dangerous, perhaps idolatrous waters,” Miller told The Christian Post.
The Text With Jesus app is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and developed by Catloaf Software, a Los Angeles-based company founded by Stéphane Peter. It allows users to interact with AI versions of Jesus, the apostles, a host of other biblical figures and even a counselor.
In October, Peter told Fox 32 that most users have been gravitating towards the Text With Jesus App out of curiosity.
“Since launch, most people have come to the app out of curiosity, and it’s been incredible to see how many want to try a conversation with biblical figures,” he said.
Miller told CP that he began having concerns about the impact of AI in the faith space while he was a professor at Belmont University, a private Christian College in Tennessee.
“I started noticing my students using AI to get answers to difficult questions. It became sort of a running joke in the class. As I have reflected further and become more conversant with AI, what I have noticed is that AI tailors its answers to something you will like. When you use it to replace a religious community, for instance, you get the comfort but maybe not the conviction,” he explained.
Miller also worries about AI’s exploitation by “bad actors.”
“I also have a concern that AI will be used deceptively by bad actors who wish to exploit church people (promises of conversations with Jesus or Martin Luther or whomever). Often, people turn to AI because they do not have another human being or pastor or priest to turn to, and it becomes convenient. With discernment and care, I believe we can develop some best practices when it comes to AI usage for churches and use for faith in general,” he said.
The Texas pastor believes AI should be treated as a tool to be used sparingly to support human flourishing, but adds that it should never be seen as a substitute for the work required to draw closer to God.
“We are living in the midst of a technological revolution unseen in human history since the advent of the printing press. That technological shift had profound implications for faith, as the Bible was finally placed in the hands of the people.
“As we begin to sift through what AI will do to us as humans, the Church will have to help answer the question: what does it mean to be human, to be made in God’s image in an age of digital AI?”Â
Miller suggested that churches could help people develop an interactive relationship with God and teach them how to use AI as a research tool.
“We will have to double down on discipling people to develop their own slow interactive relationship with God,” he said.
“New things and new technology can be exciting and scary at the same time. There will be early adopters and probably people who will never use it. I still have people in my church without an email address,” he said. “God has already gone before us [and] will give us wisdom in best practices.”
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