Artificial intelligence (AI), when used wisely, will help Christians spread the gospel and fulfill the Great Commission, according to speakers at the Oct. 7 “AI for Humanity” conference. The event, presented by the Christian Post in partnership with Gloo AI and Colorado Christian University, addressed how church leaders and lay people can use values-based AI to God’s glory.
Pat Gelsinger, executive chairman and head of technology at Gloo, said AI can help churches and Christians with operational tasks, missional work, and theology. For example, he has been using AI to help him study the works of St. Augustine. Like the Roman Road—the greatest technology available to early Christians—AI is helping God’s Word go out to the entire world, Gelsinger said.
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Building on that analogy, California Pastor Justin Lester said that, amid persecution, Jesus’ first followers developed the fish symbol to stay safe on the Roman Road. Likewise, modern-day Christians must move forward and embrace AI, he said—even if new technology seems scary—because God will guide and sustain us.
AI’s Potential for Christian Outreach
Speakers at the “AI and Humanity” conference listed some amazing ways that society is already benefiting from AI. These range from earlier disease detection and faster pharmaceutical development to self-driving cars and AI-generated software code.
Church-specific uses include rapid translation of the Bible into the languages of people who have never heard about Jesus. Translation work that used to take 20 years can now be accomplished in months. Also, pastors are using AI to create apps for their congregations. “You can do it too,” Pat Gelsinger encouraged attendees. “It’s so empowering to use AI to break down barriers.”
Pastor Justin Lester—whose books include “The Church of AI: Theology, Ethics, Implications, and Possibilities of Artificial Intelligence and the Local Church”—is excited about using AI to “engage with people who are far from God.”
Lester, who uses the social media handle @thattechpastor, said honesty is the biggest challenge for church leaders in the high-tech age. “Preach the truth of the gospel,” he told pastors. “Be prophets fully” and don’t be “pathetic.” Because every generation tries to make a Tower of Babel, Lester said, faith leaders and Christians must be unafraid to “stand flat-footed” amid worldly culture.
