Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming one of the most disruptive technologies of all time, with the potential to changing life as we know it. This discussion aims to explore the profound impact AI is having on employment, society and human cognition. It will then look at the unique job that AI cannot take over—the role of a pastor as described in the Bible.
1. AI and human cognition
Artificial Intelligence is a groundbreaking technology altering our world in unimaginable ways. It is set to transform every aspect of our thinking and actions that involve human cognition. With AI, we gain direct access to “expertise knowledge” comparable to having multiple PhD-level specialists—be it health, psychology, warfare, finance, health, or software programming.
For the human mind, processing information from multiple fields at once is incredibly complex. However, AI has now reached a point where it can handle this task with ease. AI is pushing the boundaries of our rational abilities.
2. AI’s impact on jobs and employment
AI technology leads to two conflicting outcomes: increased productivity for those who use it and a significant reduction in job opportunities. For example, in our software business, we previously hired expensive software engineers. Now, we can develop new software in three days without engineers, matching three months’ work by a software engineer. Our productivity has soared, and we no longer foresee hiring software engineers.
A year ago, I wouldn’t have predicted software engineers would be early casualties of AI, expecting roles like taxi drivers to be at risk due to self-driving cars instead.
Traditionally, productivity was linked to education. But what is the future of education, why would anyone endure the discipline and effort to study when they could have access to multiple PhD-level insights at their fingertips? Where are we heading as a society? Are we witnessing the end of the “human mind” and the beginning of the machine age—a very transhumanist perspective?
Despite these advancements, there is a noticeable lack of strategic planning to address the societal impact of AI. Tech innovators are focused on staying ahead rather than identifying potential negative outcomes, leading to an uncertain future.
3. Knowing God, and AI
Theology teaches that truly knowing God requires His self-revelation, a spiritual experience that AI cannot provide. Studying the Bible can teach us about God, but it is not the same as knowing Him personally. John 17:3 equates knowing God with eternal life: “Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Knowing God in the biblical sense has a special meaning. The Devil, despite knowing God and being able to recite Bible passages, does not possess eternal life, demonstrating that mere knowledge of God does not equate to truly knowing Him in the biblical sense. The same is true for knowing every word of the Bible by heart (something AI is flawless at).
In the biblical sense the more you know God, the more you become like Him. A person who reflects God in their life knows Him better than a theologian who can explain everything about God but lacks a spiritual encounter. The Devil does not reflect anything of God in his life and therefore does not know God in the biblical sense. Conceptual knowledge is not enough; it must be integrated with spiritual and experiential knowledge of God.
The Bible’s truths should become personal realities through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Understanding this, it is clear that AI cannot replace, facilitate, or enhance the experience of truly knowing God.
4. The unique role of pastors
While AI can mimic many human tasks, it cannot replace the role of a pastor as outlined in the Bible. Ephesians 4:11 describes pastors as gifts from Christ, given to equip and build up the church. This role goes beyond mere administration; it requires a deep, personal knowledge of God through His self-revelation.
In 1 Peter 4:10-11, we read: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.” This shows that those who minister spiritually, particularly through preaching, must do so in line with the gracious gift they have received. Being a good and intelligent speaker does not automatically make someone a preacher; a special gift and anointing from God are also necessary.
A sermon is not just data being conveyed; the day when God, through His Holy Spirit, however brings the “data” to life, is the day that a thousand bells start to ring in a person’s heart.
Romans 10:15 asks, “And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” This implies that no one can become a successful preacher based on personal merits alone. While dedicated talent is a valuable contribution, true preaching requires the gracious gift of God.
A preacher is an ambassador of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) and does not rely on human wisdom. As 1 Corinthians 2:13 states: “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”
Thus, it is clear that, first, a preacher must receive their message from God. Second, the Holy Spirit needs to impress it upon their heart, and third, the Holy Spirit must also work in the listener. This divine self-revelation to the pastor and listener cannot be achieved by AI, just as it cannot be acquired through multiple PhDs in theology.
5. The authority of the Bible and AI
The Bible was written because God foresaw or planned for a book that would serve a specific purpose. The Bible’s existence is part of God’s divine plan, intended to guide, teach, and communicate His will to humanity. God, in His foresight, knew that such a book would be necessary for conveying His messages and instructions to people throughout history.
- Ex. 17:14 “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered …”
- Hab. 2:2 “Then the Lord replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets …”
- Rev. 1:19 “Write therefore, what you have seen, what is now and will take place later.”
The Bible is solely under God’s control, and it is only through the work of the Holy Spirit that biblical truths are revealed and become active in one’s life. Therefore, the word of God is not a tool for humans to wield but is exclusively the “sword of the Spirit,” meaning it is a powerful, divine tool used by the Holy Spirit.
In the light of this, the preaching of AI generated sermons is very problematic.
6. AI generated sermons
There are services available online to get free AI generated sermons.
The following are screenshots of the question and answer section on this website and underneath I will comment from ATS’ perspective.
The process of how a sermon comes to being
When God uses a preacher to share His message, it becomes intimately connected to the preacher’s own being. The preacher is not merely echoing words like a parrot; if that were the case, the message would feel alien to him instead of becoming a part of his identity. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the message grows within the preacher, allowing him to understand it clearly and deeply. God first imparts the message to the preacher, who must then internalise it and make it his own. The transformation intended for the listeners must first occur in the preacher’s own life.
A true preacher spends time in the presence of God, engaging in much prayer, tears, longing, and zeal before stepping onto the pulpit. As a result, his preaching is heartfelt, personal, genuine, and deeply probing, rather than just an artificial recital. Anyone who proclaims something they do not embody themselves is like a lecturing Pharisee: their words may be true, but listeners will instinctively perceive them as mere ceremony rather than a genuine part of the preacher’s life.
For this reason, one cannot simply preach another person’s sermon or deliver the same sermon repeatedly, unless the message is received and preached in the manner described above. And also AI cannot “take care of the rest”.
A sermon is much more than just words; it becomes an event.
There is no short cut
There is no “quick and easy” way for someone to truly understand God’s message. When a preacher wants to get a message from God, they need to spend time alone and seek His guidance. In this place, he can focus entirely on God, setting aside all distractions, and fully submit himself to God’s will and guidance. He wrestles in prayer with God, while reading the Bible. This means that he must spend much time in prayer if he wants to be successful in his preaching. AI cannot make this process “quicker and easier”, AI can however eliminate this process.
It is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. The preacher must therefore pray for a mighty anointing of God’s Spirit. The Holy Spirit must captivate his attention and direct his thoughts towards God. The Holy Spirit must purify his mind and enable him to hear what God wants to say to him. It is the Holy Spirit who must illuminate our understanding so that the Word of God can be understood.
The congregation does not primarily need good administration and organisation from their pastor; they need to receive the message of God more than anything—our souls demand God’s revelation. It pleases God to use preaching as a way to fulfil this need. A pastor should not be deceived into thinking that his congregation will not recognise if they are delivering an AI-generated message. As believers born of the Spirit, it is the same Spirit that dwells in them that raised Jesus from the dead. If their spirit does not resonate with the message being delivered to them, they know there is a problem, even if they do not know exactly what it is.
At times, however, they do know what is going on, and this brings great unease regarding their pastor’s legitimacy. I sat in a sermon where a pastor preached about Al Hafed, who supposedly owned the farm in Kimberley where the Kimberley diamonds were found. I could not recall the exact history of the origin of the Kimberley diamond mine, but I knew enough about South Africa’s history to be certain that before 1994, no Al Hafed would have owned a farm in Kimberley. This sermon was a product of what the tech world calls AI hallucinations.
Quick question: What would prevent a church member from bypassing the pastor and directly getting their own AI-generated sermons online? What if they also “value” their time?In Revelation 1, Jesus is depicted standing among the seven golden lampstands and holding seven stars in His hand. He explains to John that these symbols represent the churches, with seven being the divine number, indicating the universal church of our Lord Jesus. The seven stars symbolise the angels, or more specific, the teachers [2] of the church. This echoes the scripture that Jesus is the head of the church (not to be confused with a denomination). The future work of the pastor is in the hands of our Lord, but we must ensure we are craftsmen worthy of our calling.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV): “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
7. AI and theological students
In conclusion, it should be self-evident why Auckland Park Theological Seminary does not allow our students to use AI to compile their assignments. We want them to engage with the study material mentally and spiritually, and we pray that the Holy Spirit will use the material to reveal something of Himself to them. We pray that our virtual classes and material will bring about an experience similar to what the two on the road to Emmaus felt: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” This is something we cannot achieve on our own but need the Holy Spirit for.
7.1 Transhumanist perspective
Secondly, it concerns an underlying philosophy that is prevalent in the technological world. “The transhumanist perspective is a philosophical movement that promotes using technology to fundamentally enhance the human condition. It seeks to improve human physical and cognitive abilities and extend life through advanced technologies, aiming for potential immortality. Transhumanists envision a future where humanity surpasses its current limitations, evolving into a post-human state with enhanced abilities and possibly new forms of existence.” (as per AI’s own description of transhumanist).
Some refer to this new form of existence as “Homo Deus,” suggesting humans that have evolved into god-like beings through technological advancements (refer to the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari).
7.2 The principle is to critically consider technology
The principle is that we should not adopt technology simply because it exists, and it supposedly represent progress. We’ve done just that with smartphones, handing them to our children, and this has contributed to the most significant rise in teen mental illness ever.
As stated at the beginning, the technological world is in a mad rush to develop and keep up with the advancement of AI. No other considerations are taken into account, and in this heightened sense of mad euphoria, they believe they can be like gods, creating new superior beings. This pursuit is fundamentally against our Creator and his creation, viewing humans not as fallen and in need of a Saviour, but as flawed designs to be improved technologically. For this reason, we do not want our students to neglect the development of their God-given spirituality, attention, focus, and mental ability. We know that when deadlines are looming, the temptation to turn to AI for help “just this once” can be overwhelming. However, we ask the Holy Spirit to make us relentless and sharp in detecting such instances, and to treat them as academic misconduct.
8. Man is created in God’s image while continuously being transformed into God’s image
Man with his “spirit, soul, and body” is created by God and God said it is very good: the crown of His creation. At the same time God is on His way to His final destination. The purpose of God’s work in Christ is to prepare believers to be His coheirs for eternity, using the world as the setting or stage for this preparation. Our future state (not the transhumanist vision) will be even more glorious: the day of His return is also a day of glorification for believers and we will be like Christ. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2) Christ is so exalted in power and glory that a human cannot see Him and live. However, we will see Him as He is because we will be transformed to be like Him. While the exact nature of this likeness is unclear, Revelation 1:16 describes Christ’s appearance: “His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters… His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” The glory God has prepared for His children is indescribable and incomprehensible: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9). [1]
P.S. Harari en sy “homo deus” se voet in ‘n visblik!P.P.S. We are experiencing “changing winds”. Can a medical doctor change his/her “sails” and work with the “spirit, soul, and body” of his/her patients… becoming a marketplace minister?[1] Sections of this essay originate from the modules on “Preaching and Liturgy” by Prof Jan Hattingh and “Dogmatics” by Prof Francois Moller that is part of the Marketplace Minister Certificate programme at Auckland Park Theological Seminary.
[2] The Greek word for “angel” (angelos) can also mean “messenger.” Therefore, these angels could represent the leaders or pastors of the churches, acting as God’s messengers to the congregations.
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