Majority Of Christians Don’t Want AI In Churches, Study Finds
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new report has found Christians are overwhelmingly skeptical about AI and its potential uses in the church.
A study from Barna reported that just 29% of Christians surveyed are “hopeful that [AI] can do positive things in the world,” compared to 39% of non-Christians.
Additionally, 17% of Christians also said they were “fascinated” by the technology and “don’t understand it.”
When it comes to AI’s place in the church, Christians are even more skeptical.
“When asked how to express their level of agreement with the statement: ‘AI is good for the Christian Church,’ just one in five Christians agree,” Barna’s study stated, adding, “Most Christians…seeing AI and the Church at large as something that should not intersect.”
Twenty-six percent of Christians surveyed said they “agree strongly” with the statement that they would be “disappointed” if their church started using AI.
However, some believe AI can have a positive impact on churches.
“We believe it is a moral imperative to responsibly use technology to advance human flourishing. AI is a powerful technology that should better enable, not replace, relationships,” Scott Beck, founder and CEO of Gloo, said.
Pastor Eric Parks, who signed up for Gloo’s “AI & the Church” initiative,” explained, “I believe that God created us to thrive. If you look at what Jesus promises, life with Him — that there is a fullness in Him. And so can AI create that? No. Not according to my theology. That comes from a relationship with Christ. Can AI put tools in front of me and in people that I love that may help move us toward flourishing? Yeah.”
Movieguide® previously reported on an app that uses AI for Bible study:
Nils Gulbranson hopes his “Christian ChatGPT,” Biblemate.io, will help believers and non-believers to find answers to life’s most difficult questions.
Biblemate.io aims to “Engage in a transformative Bible study experience like never before.”
“Our innovative web application empowers you to dive into the Scriptures with newfound depth and understanding,” it continues. “Explore profound insights, gain clarity on complex passages, and strengthen your connection with God’s Word.
“The big difference from ChatGPT is that it’s a model grounded in a biblical and theological view of the world,” Gulbranson stated.
The chatbot relies on a growing database of sermons, books and academic articles to provide the answers.
The 23-year-old even created a feature that explains the Bible to non-believers.
“You type a hard-to-understand theological concept, and it would dumb it down and explain it the way you would to a 5-year-old kid,” he stated. “The goal is to give responses rooted in unwavering biblical truth.”
