Why Would AI Preach the Gospel
The answer to why AI would preach the gospel is because the Bible is information, and AI answers questions it is given. However, it's a little bit deeper than that as well. I was recently speaking to a fellow church Pastor, and he said an AI created human (program) preached a sermon to thousands of people recently. I had seen the same headline but didn't bother to read the entire story because I was not surprised. My brother eloquently put the entire issue into focus for me: “God's people said they wanted something without feelings or emotion, and He gave it to them”. I spent several months digging into all the new AI programming last spring. However, I instinctively understood that I was not to go down this rabbit hole long term.
There exists massive amounts of danger in chasing after every new, what the Bible calls, “wind of doctrine”. That was not misspeak either because although my brother Pastor told me the AI preacher was theologically sound, it removed that which is most important: the love of God! It is one thing to Google: “what is the love of God”, and quite another to experience it.
Here are ways the Love of God is removed when a “machine” replaces humanity:
1. Empathy with the human condition is removed. Artificial intelligence can never, and will never, be capable of empathizing with the failings of the human condition. Any God sent Preacher is not only a personal experiencer of this, but capably communicates it to others. With AI, there is no emotion, absence of wisdom, as well being incapable of providing anything beyond simply words. The gospel speaks to the most basic need(s) of the human condition while AI can only serve information.
2. It is nothing more than a sophisticated version of Google. In effect, people who surrender to the “spiritual” leadership of an artificial human construct, are declaring a more sophisticated version of Google their master. These are, and will be, the same who believe they can be effectively led by a television preacher. Put more simply – these quasi-Christians have forsaken biblical fellowship having declared God a liar for commanding such. For those thinking: “online is simply another way of gathering ourselves together”. That philosophical argument is full of more holes than “fishnet” stockings on a prostitute.
3. There is no spiritual accountability. This is what is most attractive to people who hide in their homes, or on streaming devices. My dearly departed mother was one (1) of these who never fellowshipped with other Believers. Her excuse was not AI rather “there are no real Christians left”. Well, besides her of course! She shunned accountability as do those on this latest “wind of doctrine” (AI preachers).
In summary, people who follow an AI church leader have shunned both the Lord and those He sent to lead them. Further, there is no commitment, nor accountability, between a human and machine. AI spits out information which, not so coincidentally, was “borrowed” from those God truly sent.
How Does AI Know What to Preach
AI, short for Artificial Intelligence, knows what to preach because it scours the Internet (Google basically) and never credits those it “borrows” from. AI cannot not be indwelt with the Holy Spirit and therefore, is incapable of imparting biblical wisdom. I have no doubt at some point AI Pastors will become a “thing” and millions will see this site’s content. However, they will never know from whence it came.
Let me be clear – AI has its place in research because I use it as well. When a scriptures comes to mind, I used to type it into Google. Now, I simply use CHAT GPT because it is faster and serves more specialized results. CHATBOTS grab info from Biblegateway and other online Bibles. However, this is a far cry from using it to write sermons, Bible studies or other! AI has it uses but utilizing it to “lead” a professed Christian is another matter entirely.
Here is why I urge caution allowing yourself to be led by artificial intelligence:
1. 99% of those who hear AI will not know if it is speaking truth. I have spent more time utilizing AI as a research assistant in lieu of the much slower Google. I do not use it to search theology, or what other preachers say (or write) because I do not care. My mission is to communicate what the Holy Ghost gives me. In this process, AI has made more theological mistakes than I can count. More plainly – it LIES and anything less than a God ordained Preacher will never catch misleading information. Most church leaders I know wouldn’t catch it either!
2. Christians never know where the information is sourced. There are legal battles beginning with respect to where AI is aggregating information and how those who publish it are compensated (or not). Even if AI is sourcing information from the church, “what” church becomes relevant. Most theology from the Catholic and Mormon church (“church” used loosely) does not align with the Holy Bible. An example is someone can ask AI: “how are my sins forgiven?” The biblical answer is through “confession to Jesus Christ and accepting HIM, and HIM alone, as personal savior”. Catholics teach that sin is forgiven by “priests” and these men give the “sinner” tasks to perform to be forgiven. This is demonic doctrine and unbiblical. If someone is served the Catholic version of forgiveness, they will die, and end up in Hell, having never trusted Jesus. Source of information will determine where millions spend eternity.
3. When you hear lies, you repeat them. This is the most horrific reason, in my view, because as the old saying goes: “garbage in – garbage out”. Let’s stick with the “confession” scenario from above. If someone is dying, literally, and you tell them the way to be forgiven of sin is to confess to some sinful priest, they will die, end up in Hell, and all because you provided unsound biblical information! This is deadly serious and should not be taken lightly. There are hundreds of scenarios where you can provide misleading teachings and not know it.
In summary, the only way AI sermons are even close to accurate is through borrowing information from other places. In the Kingdom of God, being "close" is equal with "missing by a mile". You cannot verify the source, except asking for a scholarly citation, and thus, don’t know if the information is true or not. This is dangerous for both you and those you pass it on to.
Can AI Lead Someone to Jesus Christ
The answer to if AI can lead someone to Jesus Christ is, well, it already has. As was pointed out prior, Google is a form of artificial intelligence by AI’s purest definition. The question of “how do I accept Jesus as Savior” has been searched online since the beginning of the public Internet. Righteous results (and answers) are provided, and I have no doubt an unknown number of people have been saved! For clarity – it is the Holy Ghost which stirred them to ask the question to begin with.
I see no biblical barrier to someone truly accepting Christ based on receiving the information from the more sophisticated version of Google (AI). Who can forget the righteous words of Joseph, son of Jacob: “what you (we) mean for evil, God means for good to save many people alive this day”. However - “what if the wrong information is served through an artificial intelligence program?”
Here are the consequences of believing the wrong information about salvation:
1. Your eternal soul will be lost. The Bible clearly spells out that Jesus is the only way to receive eternal life. Over my time testing AI CHATBOTS, it constantly casts doubt on this notion. AI is written by human hands which means our biases are interjected into programming. Any software, being incapable of independent decision making, is wholly dependent upon a failed human engineer.
2. Others will be made spiritually sick. When I was a boy, our church had a meal together. The next day, almost everyone who ate a certain dish got sick. The same sickness will permeate anyone who eats from a “poison” spiritual dish. Sick people, untreated, pass their sickness onto others. Should you pass THIS sickness along to others, they, and you, will meet everlasting destruction.
3. You will serve as a slave to a master without knowing it. All lies are a form of slavery because it keeps us in a place of deception. Living a life of untruth means there is a thirst you are unaware of, and a longing (for freedom) you can neither see nor feel. Some have said: “ignorance is bliss”. While I would agree there are some things we do not need to know, such as what the weather in China is, ignorance of the truth of God’s Word is much more costly!
In summary, yes, AI can lead someone to Jesus Christ if it sticks with doctrinal truth. Nevertheless, there is much more to consider beyond the salvation experience. Further, having and providing the wrong information will cost an eternity in Hell and the Lake of Fire. It is your decision but remember, once you die, there are no “do overs”.
Header Image Courtesy of Gerd Altmann @ Pixabay