A foundational evangelical perspective on this topic, grounded in biblical theology and pastoral experience.
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Go Deeper · Culture & Society
On Artificial Intelligence & the Church
How should Christians think about AI's impact on ministry, human dignity, creative work, and what it means to be made in the image of God?
Last updated: April 17, 2026
TL;DR
Christians should view AI as a tool that can assist ministry and work while affirming that human dignity rests in being God's image-bearers, not in task performance. Evangelicals debate appropriate boundaries for AI in pastoral care, emphasizing that technology cannot replace human relationships, spiritual discernment, or the incarnational nature of Christ's ministry.
The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence has caught evangelical churches surprisingly unprepared. Unlike secularism or scientific challenges, AI presents not primarily a worldview threat but a practical, economic, and pastoral one. Can a pastor use AI to help draft sermons? Should churches employ AI for counseling? How do we think about humans made in God's image when machines can process information, recognize patterns, and even generate text that mimics understanding? The questions are not primarily theoretical; they are urgent and immediate. Churches must think carefully about what AI can do, what we should permit it to do, and what values we might inadvertently surrender in the name of efficiency and innovation.
The evangelical conversation over AI has barely begun, yet it is already revealing deep questions about human work, dignity, creativity, and what constitutes authentic Christian ministry. How do we use powerful tools without being used by them? How do we preserve what is uniquely human in pastoral care, counseling, and spiritual direction while benefiting from AI's genuine capacities? What does biblical stewardship of technology look like? And fundamentally, how does the Christian doctrine that humans are made in the image of God shape our thinking about human work being automated or supplemented by machines that are not? These are not questions evangelicals can avoid; they are shaping the future of the church and the world.
Key Questions This Topic Addresses
- What does it mean for humans to be made in the image of God when artificial intelligence can perform some human tasks better than humans can?
- Should churches use AI to assist pastoral ministry, and if so, what boundaries should be set?
- How might AI reshape Christian work and vocations, and what is the gospel's response?
- What ethical constraints should govern the development and deployment of AI systems?
- How should Christians think about the spiritual risks of technological dependence and the displacement of human relationships?
The Evangelical Debate
Three Evangelical Approaches to Artificial Intelligence
Evangelicals have begun developing three distinct frameworks for understanding AI and its implications for theology, ministry, and Christian discipleship, each rooted in different emphases regarding technology, human dignity, and the nature of the church's work.
Position 1
Critical Caution
Russell Moore, James K.A. Smith, Carl Trueman, Noreen Herzfeld
AI is not neutral. Every technology embodies values, shapes practices, and forms us. The rush to deploy AI in churches and Christian ministry risks replacing human presence, relationship, and pastoral care with efficient algorithms. Pastoral ministry is fundamentally about presence and incarnational love; counseling requires human wisdom and emotional attunement that algorithms cannot replicate. AI threatens human dignity by reducing persons to data points; it threatens Christian work by making human contribution seem unnecessary; it threatens freedom by increasing surveillance and control. Evangelicals should be more hesitant about AI adoption than secular institutions, asking hard questions about whether efficiency is the Christian value we should prioritize and resisting the technological determinism that assumes innovation is always progress.
Key Reads
Position 2
Technological Optimism
Andy Crouch, Justin Brierley, Derek Rishmawy, John Lennox
AI is a tool created by humans and reflecting human ingenuity, which itself is an expression of bearing God's image. Rejecting AI or fearing innovation cuts believers off from tools that could extend the gospel's reach and free humans for more meaningful work. AI can help churches communicate better, manage resources more effectively, and reach people who might not respond to traditional methods. The Christian response is not technophobia but wise stewardship: using AI where it enhances human flourishing, setting boundaries where it diminishes dignity, and trusting that God's purposes cannot be thwarted by machines. The real spiritual danger is idolatry of technology, not careful use of it.
Key Reads
Position 3
Theological Discernment
David Johnson, Trillia Newbell, Albert Borgmann, Tim Keller (posthumously)
AI is neither inherently good nor evil, but its deployment in Christian contexts requires theological discernment. Some uses are permissible and beneficial; others degrade human dignity or replace what should remain human. Churches should ask: Does this use of AI enhance human relationships or substitute for them? Does it serve the poor and vulnerable or concentrate power? Does it free humans for more meaningful work or displace livelihoods? Does it extend genuine pastoral care or fake intimacy? The Christian vision is not technophobic rejection or uncritical adoption but careful, prayerful discernment about which technologies align with gospel values and which corrupt them. This requires slow decisions, community wisdom, and regular reassessment as AI capabilities expand.
Key Reads
What the Conversation Adds Up To
The evangelical conversation about AI is just beginning, but early voices suggest consensus on several points: AI is powerful and its implications cannot be ignored; technology is not neutral and shapes both the church and discipleship; efficiency and innovation are not the highest Christian values; and human relationship, presence, and dignity must be protected. Whether evangelicals ultimately embrace AI widely, use it selectively, or resist it largely, all agree that the questions require theological discernment, not merely technological enthusiasm or fear.
Perhaps the deepest evangelical task is to ask what makes ministry and human work redemptive in God's economy, and whether AI can either replicate or displace those goods. A sermon is not valuable because of the information it conveys; pastoral care is not powerful because of the wisdom shared; teaching is not transformative because of the content delivered. These practices matter because they involve human persons relating to other human persons in the context of community and God's presence. Where AI can enhance that without replacing it, it may serve the kingdom. Where it tempts us to efficiency at the cost of presence, it threatens the gospel itself.
The Evangelical Conversation, Curated
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An accessible theological survey helping readers understand the major positions and their biblical foundations.
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A collection of essays representing multiple evangelical perspectives on the central questions this topic addresses.
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A careful exegetical study of key biblical passages that inform evangelical understanding of this doctrine.
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Exploring the practical implications: how pastors should think about and teach this topic to congregations.
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Tracing how evangelical theology on this topic has evolved and why disagreement persists across denominations.
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An analysis of how current cultural pressures are reshaping evangelical convictions on this doctrine.
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A sophisticated theological defense of classical evangelical teaching, addressing modern objections.
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How younger evangelicals are re-examining inherited positions and seeking fresh theological frameworks.
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A call for charity and deeper engagement as evangelicals continue to grapple with this contested issue.