Seeking Shalom through AI
Imagine that you are in crisis and need the help of your pastor immediately. But your pastor is not available.
No need to panic, according to some sources.
In the near future, you could click online and connect with an artificial intelligence (AI) pastor that, being trained in the latest pastoral techniques, could be available instantly to listen patiently for as long as it takes to talk through your crisis issues.
How does that sound?
Not so good to Derek Schuurman, a professor of computer science at Calvin University who is interested in the growth and implications – ethical and otherwise – of the increasingly popular field of AI.
“You need to be discerning and aware of the pitfalls of this technology,” he said. “You need to be particularly aware of the problems that can occur when artificial intelligence takes on a persona and pretends to be a person, a counselor, or an AI pastor who is there to help you.”
As Reformed Christians, said Schuurman, members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America hold to a theology that all of creation, made by God, is inherently good and that by God’s grace it can be used for the betterment of us all.
By the same token, he added, we live in a fallen world in which the good possibilities in creation are intertwined with the effects of sin. Computer technology is no exception; it can be directed toward the flourishing of people or for ill, for improper gains, greed, and destructive purposes.
“Reformed theology can be helpful in guiding how we frame and think about AI,” said Schuurman. “God is not surprised to see us unfold and discover technology such as this. But we need to discern how to unfold and apply these new creational possibilities.”
AI, in the realm of the church, has practical uses such as setting up calendars for meetings or searching for and finding music that fits for worship in a range of settings (hymnary.org). AI can help find and make available daily prayers or point you toward helpful devotional readings.
But for all of AI’s promise, as the stock market rises and falls on the news and potential of the latest AI breakthrough, we need to be wary of circumstances in which a data-crunching technology might be allowed to step in and take over important human functions, said Schuurman, author of Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture, and Computer Technology and A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers.
“There are certain callings and activities we have that should not be offloaded to a machine,” he said. “Such things as pastoral care should be left for those who do care and who can speak compassionately into people’s lives. People are people, and machines are machines, and we need to keep that distinction even as the capabilities of AI increase.”
Don’t be duped by the so-called promises offered by AI, said Schuurman, which provides assistance “by cleverly processing statistics and other data but has no empathy, care, or awareness” for what you might be experiencing. AI ultimately is a massive calculator, churning bits of information into words and phrases that may or may not provide what you need.
In the life of a church, AI should not be used to guide a pastor in crafting the heart and focus of a sermon. While it is possible to ask AI to put together a full-fledged sermon on a particular topic, said Schuurman, that sermon will likely come out lacking and unable to speak to the special needs and context of a congregation.
“AI can be a tool helping pastors research sermons. It can be another resource you pull in, but how can you preach effectively if your sermon doesn’t help people with the struggles they are facing in the throes of their lives?” Schuurman asked.
Pastors must walk alongside people, connect with the Word of God, seek the guidance of the Spirit, and allow the Word to be “crafted into a message to a particular people in a particular time and place. AI can’t do that.”
Keep in mind, said Schuurman, that AI is basically a compilation of information from countless sources on the internet and that its output then reflects the secular, materialistic worldviews that are embedded in those sources.
Essentially, AI relies on data and churns out information that is statistically plausible but may or may not be accurate, helpful, or even true.
Of course, AI systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can spin out, almost instantaneously, reams of data that in many circumstances can be helpful. But AI can also be used, and frequently is, to spread misinformation that can be used for power-hungry purposes.
“We see all kinds of mischief being deployed for devious purposes,” said Schuurman.
In addition, of ongoing concern is that AI, with its far reach and evolving capabilities, can become an idol. It can become an end in itself. It can become a “higher power” that we turn to for answers and assistance.
“We can start to see it as the solution to every human problem,” said Schuurman. “We can put our trust in it instead of in God. We can forget that the cosmic redemption of all things is being done through Jesus Christ, who calls us to be agents of reconciliation in the world. AI is not the savior.”
AI can spread misinformation in ways that polarize us, in ways that pervert the health of civic discourse. The goal of AI, said Schuurman, is not to promote truth and goodness among people. There are biases embedded in AI that can promote injustice or nudge us toward behavior that is not helpful.
“We need to be asking ourselves, ‘What does responsible, faithful engagement with AI mean?” Schuurman said. “There is the fear that over time AI can shape how we think and act. Repeated nudges can gradually shape our habits and opinions. There can be latent persuasion in AI, and we are not immune to this.”
With these things in mind, professors at Calvin University in the computer science and data science departments seek to make students aware of the possibilities as well as the pitfalls of AI. As students find jobs in their field, they are encouraged to be a faithful presence in their work, helping to shape the trajectory of AI.
“We try to teach students to think how machine learning can help move us closer to shalom and contribute to the common good,” said Schuurman. “How can they apply machine learning to obey God’s call to show love to our neighbors and to care for the earth and its creatures?”
Some of Schuurman’s other writings on faith and technology are available at
