Like most forms of technology, artificial intelligence can be used for both good and evil. As this latest wave expands into more aspects of daily life, many Christians may question how to approach it in a Godly manner. The Southern Baptist Convention is tackling this issue with free guidance for Christians as well as church leaders.
Recognizing that artificial intelligence is quickly growing and likely to become intertwined in our culture, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is sharing advice on how to understand and navigate this emerging tech.
They offer two guidebooks called The Work of Our Hands: Christian Ministry in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, and Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles.
RaShan Frost, Ph.D, ERLC’s director of research and senior fellow focused on issues of human dignity, told CBN News that Christians need guidance on how to approach AI.
“We saw the need to be able to provide a theologically grounded resource on AI and technology that’s rooted in scripture, and at the same time provide practical scenarios in real-life events that pastors, ministry leaders, and churches are going through,” he said.
The guides explain how, with just one click, programs like Open AI, Chat GPT and others synthesize vast amounts of information online and respond like you’re talking to a human.
“We’re able to interact with machines as if they’re persons,” Dr. Frost said. “That’s the end goal of artificial intelligence.”
Using God’s Word, readers are directed to potential advantages of AI, such as in areas of medical diagnoses and treatments. The guidebooks also recommend that believers exercise discernment in its use, such as when students are completing term papers or when pastors prepare their sermons.
“Our sermon preparation is a time for us to be in the Word of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to penetrate our hearts to illuminate his Word to us so that we can present God’s Word to God’s people,” Frost said. “What are we doing when we insert AI into that? We are circumventing that process.”
One of the latest concerns gaining notice is the ability to have conversations with chatbots as if they were people.
“God created us for community with one another amongst human beings, but when we’re connecting with machines, we’re connecting with something that is not created in His image,” Frost said. “We’ve seen people committing suicide, unbiblical sexual behaviors, unbiblical community, formation of hate and rage towards other groups of people, and the like.”
That’s why the guides recommend that in this age of social isolation, Christians, especially young people, put down the phone and get together in person.
“God recognized we were created for community. And so what has Satan tried to do since the beginning of time? Destroy community,” Frost said. “We need to cultivate places of community to show the love of Christ around us where we live, learn, work, and play.”
Since many Christians may find the use of artificial intelligence confusing and controversial, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has developed guides to help navigate this technology in a way that honors God.
