SERMON
NOTES

Anchor Scripture: Daniel 2:31-35
Other Important Passages: James 3:10-12, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Proverbs 4:5-11, Habakkuk 2:18-20

Key Themes: 

• · Human systems—including technologies like AI—can be powerful but ultimately temporary. Like the statue in Daniel’s vision, they cannot replace the Kingdom that comes from God.
• · AI is here to stay and is part of life now. We should not approach it as luddites, nor should we be ignorant of its dangers.
• · AI reflects human creativity and human flaws, but is not itself an entity with a soul or capable of spiritual wisdom.
• · The use of AI requires discernment, it can legitimately improve many things, but can also misguide terribly.

Sermon Points:
· Christians are increasingly relying on AI as a source of spiritual discernment but the same tool that is giving you Bible verses and interpretations can also give a militant atheist strategies to attack people of faith. A reliable spring cannot produce both fresh water and salt water.

· AI is a tool, it does not possess a soul and has no understanding of what it is saying. It is best thought of as a blog or search engine that provides real time feedback instead of an entity that is engaging you as a person. It will reflect whatever the user themselves puts in, and is designed to be convincing not accurate or moral. There is also emerging evidence that AI companies are manipulating their AI’s responses to subtly shape the political and social opinions of their users.

· Using AI to help organize your thoughts, proof-read a paper, or workshop ideas is generally fine, and can be a major help to people suffering from certain disorders, but treating AI as a spiritual authority is dangerous. Christians are beginning to use it as if it were an Oracle instead of a search engine. God can and does work through all things, but relying on AI as the arbiter of your faith is not healthy. You cannot outsource your faith formation to anyone or anything else, it must be solely based on your relationship with Jesus Christ and lived out through your participation in the Family of God. The importance of Christian formation in groups—churches, small groups, friends and family—will become more important than it ever has been.

· As Christians, our responsibility is to protect human dignity rooted in the Image of God and to steward God’s creation wisely. As AI reshapes society, we must ensure that the vulnerable are not further isolated or devalued and God’s creation which we are stewards over is not further destroyed.