Technology will keep coming and accelerating. What is important is how we approach these changes: fear vs. faith, reaction vs. reflection and panic vs. prayer. We need to know how to use these tools faithfully with wisdom and leverage on them to build connections. At the same time, we still need to read and handle the Word wisely as well as be present in community.
Despite the advancement of generative AI and chatbots, we need to remember Whose we are. We are made in God’s image for fellowship with God. We were made to know God and enjoy Him forever. We are thinking souls and not machines. AI cannot reflect God, cannot experience worship and cannot replace real community.
AI is also optimised for engagement (acts as a mirror) while spiritual direction should challenge as well as comfort (reality). We need the renewal of the mind (Romans 12:2) to align human thought with divine purpose. AI chatbots lack authority to speak of Christ’s forgiveness and the experience to guide transformation. Transformation comes from relationship while wisdom requires time, presence and love.
The timeless truths of discipleship are:
- Formation happens in relationship, not through information
- Wisdom comes from experience, not optimisation
- Growth requires challenge, not just affirmation
- The soul needs presence, not just responses
In conclusion, the path forward is the ancient path – fear God, keep His commandments, love mercy, do justice, walk humbly and trust grace.
- In a world of artificial intelligence, cultivate wisdom
- In a world of virtual connection, cherish presence
- In a world of digital abundance, practice discipline
- In a world of algorithmic answers, ask better questions
- In a world of constant change, anchor yourself in the unchanging
Reference:
Spirit and Circuit: Seeking Wisdom for the Church in the Age of AI by Stephen McCaskell and John Cobb (2025)
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