The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religion Freedom Committee has released a guide to advise church leaders on boundaries that should not be intersected when using artificial intelligence.
ERLC released a new guide on Thursday entitled “The Work of Our Hands: Christian Ministry in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” The 39-page document provides a list of general principles that Christian leaders should consider when interacting with AI, as well as an overview of some scenarios that churches may encounter as the prevalence of AI technology increases.
This document condemns efforts to use AI to “stop or reduce the process of maturation and wisdom development.” He opposes the use of “AI drafted sermons,” claiming that “AI can help prepare pastors, but should not be used to replace or replace God's man with preaching God's word to the people of God.”
“The process of sermon development is one way God can revive and refine the mind of a preacher,” reads the guide. “If it's a short period of time and there is no valuable and personal involvement with the text. As a general rule, these tools are best used after an effort in interpretation and research, which is a process that must be immersed in prayer and personal reflection.”
The goal of the document is to “equip pastors and ministries leaders as they seek to shepherd people amid these pressing issues, from families and education to business and ministries,” ERLC senior fellow Jason Thacker said in a statement.
“As we know, we cannot maintain the issues surrounding the ethical use of AI at the length of the AR,” Thacker said. “Currently, these issues affect us all in a profound way, as technology continues to shape every aspect of our lives.
Rashan Frost, ERLC's research director and senior fellow, emphasized, “technological advancements outweigh their understanding, and sometimes how do we think about the moral and ethical implications of technology?”
“Thankfully, God's Word provides us with timeless insights, commands and principles to bring out to guide us in all aspects of life and faith,” Frost said.
The guide “draw theological and ethical principles to incorporate God's Word and then help us navigate the world with artificial intelligence, take those principles and think through practical scenarios that pastors, congregations may experience,” continues Frost.
Regarding the outlook that church leaders are hiring AI assistants, the guide advises AI use in a way that maintains that technology should be used only as a supplement, being “replaced with an important aspect of other people's ministry.”
“We should not attempt to adopt AI or other emerging technologies in ways that reduce human dignity by overturning human calling as the bearer of God's image and using them as a means of shaping the world around them,” the document declares. “AI should only be used in a complementary way [the] Overall transformation “is attributed to the development of “respectful” across people, including our minds, bodies and minds.”
Furthermore, the guide warns that AI should not be “a substitution or alternative to rich, embodied communities, ultimately God and other humans.”
“A faithful approach to AI and new technology must be rooted in God's transcendental nature and control of his sovereignty over everything, including the most advanced AI systems,” the Guide states.
The document emphasizes that technologies, including AI, must be “developed, deployed, evaluated and used in a way that defends the immense dignity of all people.”
As the world discusses how the world responds to the rapid development of AI technology, the Christian Post, Colorado Christian University, Glue will co-host a summit on October 7th entitled “AI for Humanity: Navigating Ethics and Morality for a Prosperous Future.”
The event, held at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado, will feature “keynotes, panel discussions and interactive sessions designed to provide strategies to responsibly integrate AI within a faith-based framework for Christian institutions, students and innovators.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for the Christian Post. He can contact ryan.foley@christianpost.com
