What Christians Need to Know Before Turning to AI

Artificial intelligence can write emails, summarize books and answer questions in seconds. But when Christians begin looking to AI for spiritual direction or emotional support, a useful tool can quickly assume a role that belongs to God.

Dr. Drew Dickens addressed that danger during a recent episode of “The Unbound Podcast” with Dr. Tony Evans. Dickens said AI differs from earlier technologies because it does not simply deliver information. It responds, converses and creates the appearance of a relationship.

That becomes especially dangerous when someone turns to AI during grief, loneliness or a spiritual crisis. The machine always answers, making it tempting to treat artificial intelligence as an ever-present counselor.

When Evans asked whether AI could become an “idolatrous tower of Babel,” Dickens answered plainly: “Yes. Short answer is absolutely.”

AI Cannot Replace the Holy Spirit

AI can summarize Scripture, imitate a pastor’s teaching style and produce polished prayers. That does not make it spiritually alive.

“AI has no soul,” Dickens said. “It has read everything that’s ever written and seen everything that’s ever to be seen, but it has no self-awareness.”

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AI can produce words about grief, faith and love, but it has never experienced them. It cannot replace the Holy Spirit’s illumination of Scripture or the wisdom God provides through Christian community.

Christians should test every AI-generated answer against the Bible and sound doctrine. Dickens also urged users to investigate the sources and data used to generate responses.

Discipleship Should Not Be Frictionless

AI’s convenience presents another danger: It can remove the difficult work involved in studying Scripture and growing in faith.

“Some things need to be hard, and AI makes everything easy,” Dickens said.

Rather than allowing a machine to do all the thinking, we must continue opening our Bibles, consulting trustworthy resources and wrestling with God’s Word for ourselves. That process is part of discipleship.

Evans offered a practical boundary for Christians and churches: “Use AI informationally but not relationally.”

AI may help organize information, analyze data or handle routine administrative work. It should not replace pastoral care, write a last-minute sermon or compose a personal message to someone who is grieving.

Churches and families should establish clear policies governing how they use the technology. As AI-generated audio, images and videos become harder to distinguish from reality, biblical discernment will become even more important.

Christians do not need to fear AI, but we must keep it in its proper place.

“Be the boss of AI,” Evans said, “and don’t let AI be the boss of you.”

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.