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Thinking Faithfully About AI

7 hours ago
2 min read


How do we live faithfully in a world being reshaped by artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work, create, communicate, and make decisions. Some people greet those changes with excitement. Others with fear. Most of us probably carry a mixture of both.


This five-part series steps back from both the hype and the anxiety to ask a different question:


How should followers of Jesus think and live faithfully in a world increasingly shaped by AI?

Rather than trying to predict exactly where artificial intelligence is headed, we turn to Scripture to explore five questions about the people we are becoming along the way.


The Series

1. FEAR

How do we face technological change without being ruled by fear? Psalm 46

Rapid change creates genuine uncertainty. Psalm 46 does not promise us a world without upheaval. It points us toward the God who remains our refuge and strength in the midst of it.



2. AGENCY

As AI becomes more capable of acting for us, what remains distinctly human? Genesis 1:26–28

The deepest question may not be what AI will do, but what human beings will choose to do with it. Scripture grounds human agency in something deeper than intelligence or productivity: we are created in the image of God and entrusted with the responsibility to cultivate his world.



3. SPEED

Just because something can happen faster, does that mean it should? Psalm 37:1–11

Our culture prizes speed, and AI promises even more of it. But Scripture offers another rhythm: trust, patience, rest, and strength submitted to wisdom. Perhaps the goal is not to move as quickly as possible, but to move faithfully.



4. FRICTION

What happens when we try to remove every inconvenience from life? Romans 5:1–8

Technology often promises a frictionless life. Some friction should be removed. But struggle, effort, patience, sacrifice, and service can also form us. The Christian life asks us to distinguish between needless obstacles and the difficulties through which God grows perseverance, character, hope, and love.



5. CONTEXT

What happens when we remember that we never have the whole picture? Psalm 33:10-22

AI systems depend upon context to make sense of the information they receive. So do we. Yet our context is always limited. Christian faith frees us to act faithfully within the context we have while trusting the God who sees what we cannot see and holds the fullness of creation in his hands.



A Christian Conversation About AI

This series is not an argument for or against artificial intelligence. AI is a powerful collection of technologies with real possibilities and real dangers.


Our deeper concern is discipleship.


What kind of people is Jesus calling us to become in the midst of technological change?

At Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, we create Digital Discipleship resources to help people take their next step of faith with Jesus.


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