Using AI Faithfully: A Congregation Handout

Five things to know

1. AI is not a shepherd. It can’t know you, love you, pray for you, weep with you, or hold you accountable. It generates plausible text. It doesn’t possess wisdom, discernment, or the Holy Spirit.
2. AI reflects its training data, not God’s heart. It learned from the internet, error and all. Test what it says against Scripture.
3. Convenience is not formation. Spiritual growth usually takes slow, inefficient, relational work. An optimized answer in seconds isn’t the same as being formed by God over years.
4. Your inner life is worth protecting. Be careful sharing deep personal struggles with tools that store what you type. Confession belongs in trusted human relationships.
5. AI can be a useful servant. Kept in its place, it can help with reading plans, language study, background questions, and scheduling devotional time. It serves your spiritual life. It doesn’t direct it.

Four habits

1. Never let AI be your only voice. If you ask AI a spiritual question, bring the answer to a pastor, mentor, or small group.
2. Protect your inner life. Don’t treat a chatbot like a confessor.
3. Watch for the substitution effect. If you’re asking AI instead of opening your Bible, praying, or calling a friend, pay attention.
4. Stay in community. Be physically present with other believers.

A monthly self-check

1. Did I ask AI anything this month that I should have brought to God first?
2. Did I ask AI anything I should have brought to a friend?
3. Have I read more about the Bible than in it?
4. Is there anything I’m telling a chatbot that no human in my life knows?

That fourth question matters most. If the only one who knows your struggle is a machine, you aren’t being helped. You’re being kept company in the dark.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” James 5:16