The smartphone and social media, for example, have changed the way we curate and share our lives and information, providing us with access to knowledge in ways and at speeds once unfathomable. Technology is not a theologically or morally neutral tool; it is formative, shaping our behaviors and values, often toward the goal of efficiency.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is framing the way we live and see the world
Technology shapes every aspect of the human experience.
As a manifestation of the creation mandate God gave man and woman to cultivate and steward creation (Gen 1:28), technology is a reality that demonstrates humanity’s ability to shape the world around us. The 21st century has witnessed an unprecedented explosion of technological advances, unmatched in the course of human history.
The smartphone and social media, for example, have changed the way we curate and share our lives and information, providing us with access to knowledge in ways and at speeds once unfathomable.
Technology has become an inseparable part of human existence, framing how we live and see the world.
RaShan Frost, ERLC director of research
While technology seeks to enhance human flourishing, we must ask ourselves about the implications of the technologies we utilize. As new technologies rapidly enter public life and become commonplace, our consideration of their theological and ethical impact is not keeping pace with their arrival.
Technology is not a theologically or morally neutral tool; it is formative, shaping our behaviors and values, often toward the goal of efficiency.
RaShan Frost, ERLC director of research
In other words, technology transforms us into a particular type of person whose lives are shaped around its use. Technology also amplifies our virtues and vices, as it can facilitate our behaviors toward honoring God or the “lusts of the flesh” (1 John 2:16). How we use technology matters because it communicates what we deem important as a society.
One area of concern in our technological age is the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence routinely performs tasks that were once considered defining aspects of human intelligence, such as reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, communications, and learning. Over the last few years, the prevalence of AI has transformed the way we perceive interpersonal relationships, education, work, warfare, and our understanding of what it means to be human. A theological and ethical framework for AI is not only necessary but also required for Christians to think through how AI, as a technological marvel, will shape human life and, subsequently, the course of human history. Just as technology as a whole is not neutral, neither is AI, as it shapes our understanding of God, ourselves, and the world around us. Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and we must cultivate wisdom and discernment in how to best engage these new realities.
How do we as Christians navigate a world in which AI seeks to support almost every aspect of our lives?
As we examine AI, it is essential to recognize that because all human beings are created in the image of God, we must consider the various implications of AI usage in light of human dignity and its impact on human activity and vocation.
Southern Baptists at the forefront of AI ethics
Southern Baptists have been at the forefront of calling Christians to consider the theological and ethical implications of AI for several years. The ERLC released the first faith-based statement on AI ethics in 2019 titled “Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles”. This statement, signed by over 70 leaders from various sectors of society, laid the groundwork for evangelical Christians to consider how the Christian worldview engages with AI and the issues that human beings face.
In 2023, Southern Baptists adopted the first denominational statement as a resolution titled “On Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies”. Now, the ERLC is building upon that work by producing this practical guide on AI, which aims to equip churches with a resource that helps them consider the theological and ethical implications of AI in a way that is both accessible and forward-looking. This guide not only provides biblical and ethical principles for considering AI, but it also offers practical ministry scenarios in which we provide pastorally and ethically driven solutions to pressing questions of AI.
At the ERLC, we are committed to serving our churches by providing resources that help Southern Baptists address AI and a host of other ethical issues from a distinctly biblical perspective. We recognize the need for an explicitly Christian and pastoral approach to AI, as it will shape our work, life, and relationships. This church guide, as a part of our ministry assignment to serve and equip our churches on ethical issues, provides not only a theological and ethical framework on AI, but also provides practical considerations for our churches as they serve their congregations and communities with the gospel. It is our prayer that this guide will enable Christians to assess and use technological innovations in a way that maintains human dignity and fosters flourishing, while exercising biblical wisdom and moral discernment in an ever-changing world.
