Should Christians Use AI? Discernment, Stewardship, and Wisdom in a Digital Age
Today, we are starting a new series for February, and I’m really excited about this series. It is being called “Faithful and Wise, Navigating AI as a Christian business owner.” So, the idea is that AI is a tool.
It is not meant to replace our calling, our conviction, or our conscience. This series will help you as a Christian, author, speaker, or coach. Discern how and if you should use AI in your business, but do so wisely, ethically, and effectively. We are going to start this episode.
Should Christians use AI, discernment, stewardship, and wisdom in a digital age?
We’re going to talk about some things that might be on your heart about AI. We’re going to calm some fears, hopefully, and set a Biblical foundation. I’m so excited about this topic. So, I’ve been a user of AI for quite some time.
I have used ChatGPT, which you’ve probably heard of. In fact, I am using it right now because it helps me with notes and things like that. I make notes and outlines for my podcast, oftentimes using ChatGPT.
Using AI is not a spiritual failure or compromise. It’s a discernment issue. The question is, how do I use this faithfully? How do I do this in a way that honors God? This is a heart issue and not a technical issue, honestly, because many Christians feel guilty for using AI.
They might be afraid that they’re cheating. You might be worried that you’re trying to replace the Holy Spirit, but let me share with you, it all matters about how your heart is when you’re going into using a tool like AI. I think of it this way: AI is a tool. And you know what, it reminds me a lot of the fact that we have Biblical discernment and topics on money.
Money is often seen as negative in our society.
Like someone with a lot of money who relies on it rather than God. We see that as a negative, which it should be, but remember that money is not evil. The scripture says that money is, but does it say money is evil or the root of all evil? It says the “love” of money is the root of all evil.
So that’s the thing, you’ve got to use it just like you would use money as a tool, and it can be used for good. Think about how people use their money for good. We have just experienced a natural disaster at my home in Mississippi. We had an ice storm, and I have been without power for eight days. Yesterday at 8:15 am, I got power back after eight long days. I’ve seen a lot of people in my community and in the communities around me, sharing resources and things to help those in need. That is using money as a tool to help others. And I believe that we can use AI as a tool to help ourselves and others to do more for God’s Kingdom.
AI doesn’t replace discernment, it doesn’t remove responsibility, and it doesn’t negate your calling. God has always worked through people using tools. He has never required us to work without them. Think about that. He has always provided different tools to use. So, is using AI biblical or is it not?
I know this is a controversial topic.
I have been following someone for a long time, in fact, a person who has been really helpful on the topic of AI. So, I became a podcaster back in 2020. Before becoming a podcaster, I studied podcasting for a really long time. In fact, I studied it and dipped my toe in the waters of podcasting for so long before I ever started my podcast that people thought she’s never going to start a podcast, because I did so much research and spent so much time learning from other podcasters.
Misty Phillip is one of the people whom I learned from at that time. She and her husband have recently written a book on the topic of AI, and that book is called “Upskill or Die, Thriving in the AI Revolution.” Misty is a very strong Christian woman, she’s a bestselling author, and she is skilled in cyber and AI. Back in 2020, I attended the very first Christian podcasting conference, “Spark” that she put on in 2020 and it was in Houston, Texas. I attended that February, and soon after that, in August of 2020, I started my podcast.
I have a great deal of respect for Misty and believe that she knows what she is talking about. She is sharing on Instagram about AI all the time. There are some scary things about AI, but she has taught me so much, and I wanted to share some of that knowledge, my own thoughts, and scriptural thoughts about it with you.
So, is using AI biblical?
Let’s start with Scripture, not just our opinions. Here are some key scriptures.
- James 1:5 says, “Wisdom comes from God.” I believe that God gives us wisdom about using tools such as AI.
- Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord.” I believe that if we are following after God, we’re committed to God, we’re making sure that we are viewing things like AI through the lens of God, and how He would view it, that we will always do the right thing.
- Luke 16:10 says, “Faithful in little and faithful in much.” We just have to be faithful in the way that we use these tools. The Bible doesn’t mention AI, but it does speak about wisdom, about stewardship, integrity, and motives of the heart.
You have to remember that AI is morally neutral. It reflects the heart of the user, just like money, like I was sharing, just like influence, and just like the platforms that we build online. So, AI is a tool. It should never be a crutch. Think about the tools and the mindset that you would have. If you were thinking in your mind, AI is a tool that can help you clarify your thoughts, it can save you time on repetitive tasks, and it can support your creativity. The creativity comes from your mind. If you think of it that way, that is going to help you so much.
Creativity mindset, or you can have a crutch mindset
Meaning you use AI as a crutch, and in this way, you would avoid thinking, avoid praying, and use it to replace your original voice. It would become a shortcut to avoid doing the hard work that God calls us to do when we need to be obedient to Him. So, I want you to think about, am I using AI to support my calling or to avoid the hard parts that God is inviting me into? That question will help you get to the root of whether or not you should be using AI.
We have to make the most of the time that the Lord gives us, and I believe that He gives us time and resources to use that time better. I want to point out the scripture in Ephesians 5:15-16, which talks about time. It says, “Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise, but as wise. Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.” Don’t you want to make the most effective use of the time that you have?
I know that many of my clients who are authors also work another job. They are doctors, counselors, teachers, and they might be working in these bi-vocational type roles. They’re also caregivers. Maybe they have children who have special needs. Misty Philip herself has a child with special needs. He’s grown now, but I know that she needs to make the most of her time. Running a business is difficult when you’re juggling all these things, and you can be a better steward of your time if you can use tools that will help you.
AI can help you reduce the overwhelm. It can create margin in your schedule and help you to stay consistent.
Over these next few weeks, in February, I’m going to be sharing with you some of the tools, the AI-driven tools that I use to help me make more margin in my life and reduce the overwhelm that I have.
Remember, efficiency doesn’t mean unfaithfulness. Sometimes it means obedience with boundaries. You’re being efficient with your time. Now, some things honestly would not be so good to do, and you have to have integrity and transparency.
Where do you need to draw the line in using AI?
So maybe you draw the line at
- not using AI to ghostwrite a book without disclosing that you used AI
- not using AI to generate devotion
- not using AI to make sermons
It’s about using it with wisdom and honesty. God cares about most of all your truthfulness, not your perfection, but AI can help you to do your job better and easier. I want you to talk, think about this, though, as you pray through, whether you, as a Christian, should be using AI.
I want to ask you to pray and think about these questions.
- Have I prayed about this?
- Am I being honest with my audience about how I’m using AI?
- Does this reflect my voice and my values?
- Is this helping me serve people better?
- Would I feel peace explaining how I’m using this tool?
Remember, God is not surprised by us having AI as a tool. Your calling doesn’t change because you have a new tool to use. Faithfulness still matters more than the method that you use. You don’t need permission from the internet to use AI. You need peace from God to do so.
Next week, I’m going to explain AI in a way that I hope won’t make your eyes glaze over. I hope you’ll tune in next week, and I am really thrilled to be talking about this topic and also to have you join me each week on the podcast.
If you are not a member of my Facebook group for this podcast, it is called the Christian Business Advantage. Please head over to Facebook and join us over there.
That’s where I’m hoping to get more information to share with you about possibly doing a book club for Misty’s Book, Upskill or Die.
Thanks for listening.
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