A recent study estimated that around one-third of American Christians trust AI tools for spiritual advice as much or more than pastors. This is a significant problem. What does the Bible say in relation to this conversation?
There is no denying that artificial intelligence is becoming more and more a part of our world. At seemingly exponential rates, AI of various kinds has grown far beyond niche usage and has become a significant part of daily life.
In many ways, artificial intelligence has benefited society. In others, it has been a hindrance.
Some of the concerns with AI (job replacement, its potential immoral usage, etc.) are easy to see. One particular danger flying under the radar, however, is AI's usage in people's spiritual lives.
Especially in the form of AI chatbots, artificial intelligence has become a source of guidance for some individuals. Sure, people ask ChatGPT what to eat for dinner, how to make it, and where the ingredients can be found in the grocery store. But it has also become increasingly common for some individuals to bring much more serious inquiries to Claude, Gemini, Grok, or other artificial intelligence systems. Some have even brought forth questions about religion, theology, morality, and spirituality.
According to a recent study from the Barna Group as part of their "State of the Church" initiative and "Faith and AI" initiative, about one-third of American Christians surveyed admitted that they trust spiritual counsel from artificial intelligence as much or more than spiritual advice from a pastor.
To put it mildly, that is concerning.
To deviate slightly from Narrow's typical approach, this piece will present some findings from the study and then raise multiple objections from Scripture to highlight the importance of pastors in faith development.
The Barna Group Study
Below are several observations from the previously mentioned study.
- Just under one-third of surveyed Christians in the United States agreed that they can get spiritual advice from artificial intelligence that is just as good or better than spiritual advice from a pastor.
- In Gen Z and Millennial survey participants, that number was around 40%.
- This marks a stark reversal from a 2023 Barna Group study in which only 22% of American Christians surveyed even believed that AI was a good thing for believers to use at all.
- About 40% of professing believers also said that AI has helped them with "prayer, Bible study, or spiritual growth."
- 41% of surveyed pastors admit to using AI for sermon and other teaching prep.
- About one-third of church-goers in the survey said that they want their pastors to teach them or advise them on how best to use AI, both in "everday life" and in their walks with the Lord. Only about 12% of pastors surveyed, though, said they were both comfortable dealing with artificial intelligence and also comfortable teaching about it.
- The study's data suggests that the growing influence of AI is becoming a challenge to the God-given spiritual authority of the Bible and leaders within the Church.
Where This Falls Short Biblically
God's Word does not include a single mention of "artificial intelligence." However, there is plenty within the pages of Scripture that can be applied to this discussion. Scripture also contains several passages that detail the role of a pastor. It also explicitly says that Christians must seek help from the Lord, from those charged with their spiritual care, and from other believers. AI is none of those things.
AI is not human.
The first and most obvious point of contention surrounding Christians using artificial intelligence for spiritual advice is that AI is not human.
As such, AI is not made in the image of God. It does not worship or pray. It has no semblance of affection for the Lord or His people. It has no capacity to speak truth in love. It cannot feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It cannot discern. It is incapable of recognizing and understanding emotion. It is unable to read a person's motivations or thought processes. It should never serve as a facsimile of the only creation that God called "very good" in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:31).
Christianity is not faith in high-speed, advanced internet searches or worldly-tailored algorithms; instead, Christianity is a living faith in a living God who works through living people in the lives of other living people.
It should be noted that utilizing technology to make things simpler or more convenient is far from wrong. As pastor RC Sproul used to joke, "Imagine using your teeth to mow the lawn when lawn mowers are readily available." However, both teeth and lawn mowers are mere tools for individuals to use and cannot take the place of an individual ready to do the labor necessary to mow the lawn. In fact, without human beings, tools are worthless and can accomplish nothing. A lawn mower does not cut grass without someone operating it.
In a similar way, something like AI is a tool that can be used within its proper context, but it cannot take the place of people. In consideration of a person's real need for guidance in the Christian walk, ChatGPT or other forms of artificial intelligence fall far short of the role filled by biblically faithful pastors. (More on that later.)
Reliance on the artificial is not a good thing.
In many ways, American society has become too reliant upon artificial intelligence.
Because of that, it shouldn't be surprising that so many people have turned to AI for spiritual needs, as well.
Even so, the sheer quantity of people taking part in an activity does not increase the activity's quality. Just because an increasing number of people are asking chatbots and other AI programs for spiritual advice doesn't mean that it is a good thing.
Simply put, while artificial intelligence can be a useful tool in many contexts, reliance on any tool can become unhealthy, and that is exactly what has happened for the one-third of American Christians who admitted to liking the advice of chatbots as much as the advice of pastors.
When seeking spiritual counsel of any kind, a pastor or counselor encourages that person to conform to the image of the counselor's preferred deity and/or worldview. A pastor has the job of pointing people to Christ and Him crucified. That comes both through wise guidance and through personal example. Paul speaks to this point in 1 Corinthians 11:1 ("Be imitators of me as I am of Christ"). Artificial intelligence does not have that same standard for its counsel and should not be imitated or emulated.
Pastors have been given a responsibility from God.
One of many of the duties of a pastor is to care for the flock. Scripture refers to Christians as God's sheep (Matthew 10:16, Luke 15:4, John 10:11-15) and pastors/elders/overseers as shepherds (1 Peter 5:2, Acts 20:28). That relationship mirrors the one Jesus Christ has with His bride, the Church.
As shepherds, pastors must guide church members when they are in need.
Titus 1:9 says about a pastor, "He must hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." Acts 20:28 also instructs elders to "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood."
Though artificial intelligence can provide informational truths that can be helpful to Christians, it cannot do the job of a pastor. AI, which does not have the Holy Spirit indwelling, can never place faith in the Lord like a pastor and, in turn, cannot help others do the same. AI also cannot pay attention to believers and help monitor their spiritual well-being; because of that, AI cannot offer any meaningful spiritual guidance. Christ's propitiating sacrifice was for His beloved sheep, and he has entrusted earthly shepherds to look after them.
Pastors will be held accountable for their shepherding. In Hebrews 13:17, the author writes to his Christian audience, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account." James 3:1 adds to this, saying that teachers of the Word "will be judged with greater strictness."
Artificial intelligence will not be held accountable for its successes or failings. It will simply receive another software update whenever it becomes available.
Pastors, like literal shepherds, are to care for their sheep in a way that becomes self-sacrificial. There is no such requirement for AI. Simply from a practical standpoint, should a person trust their spiritual well-being to one who cares for them in a deep, meaningful way or to a computer void of love altogether?
When they need help, Christians have the responsibility of looking in the right places.
God's Word is clear: believers find their help in the Lord, in the community of fellow believers, and from their pastors and elders.
2 Samuel 22, Psalm 18, and Psalm 46 are some of the passages in Scripture that refer to the Lord as a safe place and fortress. Psalm 121:2 directly says, "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
There are numerous passages of the Bible that show God requiring His people to seek aid from other believers, as well.
Galatians 6:2 instructs Christians to "bear one another's burdens." Similarly, Romans 12:13 says, "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
For the Christian, seeking after God in a time of need is obvious, and finding community with like-minded believers is clearly of great benefit. However, the Bible also instructs followers of Christ to lean on their Church leaders.
While all believers are instructed to serve one another (Galatians 6:9-10 says, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."), elders are called to a higher responsibility that includes serving (Mark 10:45), teaching (2 Timothy 3:16-17), humbly guiding (1 Peter 5:1-5), and leading by example (1 Timothy 4:12). Ephesians 4 also shares the requirement for pastoral ministry to help equip other believers for their own ministerial efforts. Hebrews 13:7 tells Christians to "remember your leaders" and to "imitate their faith."
Artificial intelligence is flawed.
It should be recognized that artificial intelligence is not actually "intelligent." AI is only as good as its input, and because most AI scours the online world, that input includes both good and bad information.
While a pastor seeks guidance from the Lord, AI seeks guidance from man-created data on the internet. Though it can examine the Scriptures, it cannot properly interpret them, instead relying on the available online commentaries on God's Word; this means that the data set includes both the thoughts of the most theologically sound Christians and the musings of the most heretical wolves in sheep's clothing.
Artificial intelligence also presents a handful of moral dilemmas. Because AI programs have extremely flimsy and artificial moral codes, they can steal from behind paywalls (breaking the Eighth Commandment from Exodus 20:15), plagiarize, give ethically problematic advice, promote academic cheating, and encourage lawless behavior.
In addition to the problems with artificial intelligence's information-gathering process, AI is taught to conform to the individual making requests. This means that obtaining thoughtful, objective guidance would be impossible.
Conclusion
The question surrounding Christian reliance on artificial intelligence for spiritual guidance is not one that should be answered by a complete avoidance of use altogether. Instead, it should be answered in such a way that God's people understand that it can never take the place of His designs for spiritual care.
The Lord has already given this Earth what its people need as they follow Him. He has blessed Christians with His Word, His presence, His Church, and His shepherds.
AI is a tool, and if used correctly, it can be a benefit to society, even at a spiritual level. However, like any tool, it can be misused in a way that is not helpful or outright hurtful. No one should ever attempt to cut wood with a toothbrush because a toothbrush's purpose is to clean teeth. Other tools exist to cut wood, depending on the desired outcome, as axes can help split firewood and saws can cut with precision.
Artificial intelligence cannot do for Christians what Scripture study, fellowship with God, community with other believers, and submission to faithful biblical leadership can do.
