Using AI Wisely: A Pastor’s Encouragement to His Church
July 24, 2026
July 24, 2026
Abstract: Pastor Aaron Menikoff writes a letter to his church with ten questions to ask before using AI. As in every area of life, Christians should want to know what the Bible teaches when it comes to our use of AI. Regardless of where we land on specific questions, our aim in using (or not using) AI should be to glorify God and fulfill his purposes for us as those who are made in his image and redeemed through Christ.
Editor’s Note: The following article was originally a letter sent by a pastor to his church to help them think biblically about AI. While Christians will disagree on specific uses of AI, the questions raised in this letter are worth reflecting on.
Dear Church Family,
By now, you’ve heard of artificial intelligence (AI) and, in particular, the large language model (LLM) that allows the software to personalize answers to suit our needs. For years we used a search engine to lead us to websites that housed our answers. Now, the LLM reads most everything the internet holds and digests that data to customize a response for the user. Many experts suggest this is the greatest technological advance since the creation of the internet.
But how should we think of these LLMs as Christians? Entire books have already been written on the subject, but let me suggest ten questions you should answer before you use an LLM like ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok. Right now, my focus is not on how a Christian should use AI to be more efficient at his work but on how Christians should think about AI as they seek to grow in their knowledge of the Bible and service to their church.
I’m not exhorting you to avoid this technology; I’m simply encouraging you to use it well. Here are ten questions to ask before you turn to AI.
Scripture repeatedly tells us to meditate on the Word of God (Ps. 119:15–16). This requires carefully hearing, reading, and pondering particular verses. Knowing the right prompts to ask about the Bible is different than knowing the Bible itself.
For years pastors like me have been advised to study the text before going to commentaries. This is not because commentaries are bad, but because the study of the Bible is a Spirit-led effort that requires patience and prayer (1 Cor. 2:12–14). AI can be a helpful resource, but it should not replace careful, prayerful study.
God made us to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). Part of this is about making children, but another part is about making culture. As individuals made in the image of God, we are to cultivate the world we live in by designing buildings, sculpting statues, writing stories, and drawing sketches. An overreliance on AI can be a way of denying the image of God.
AI is best employed by people who already have expertise in their field. They know the lay of the land. They can sense when the LLM has produced a flawed product. For experts in their field, AI can increase efficiency. But for those still trying to master a subject, the abuse of AI will keep them from ever becoming proficient. Too much reliance on AI to understand the Bible will, ironically, keep you from actually understanding the Bible.
Even non-Christians know it is unethical to present someone else’s work as your own. This is because honesty is a virtue (Prov. 12:22). If you present an AI-produced Bible study or Sunday school lesson as your own, you are plagiarizing as surely as if you copied it out of a solid Christian book.
I once asked AI to tell me in which book by C. S. Lewis a certain quotation could be found. It gave me the wrong book. I’m told each iteration of AI is better, but it will never be inerrant. I’ve been told to think of AI as a really, really smart intern—helpful but imperfect. Thus, it is dangerous to pass along material produced by generative AI without carefully checking its work.
In other words, we should understand that there is a difference between an email for a vendor written by AI and a hymn or Bible study written by AI. Can AI write a hymn better than me? I have no doubt. And yet, to outsource the writing of a hymn or Bible study to AI is to deny the spiritual nature of the task.
My wife, whom I love, would not be pleased if I gave her a romantic poem written by an LLM. You, the congregation I serve, would not be pleased if I gave you a sermon written by an LLM. My wife would rather have an imperfect poem from me than a “perfect” poem produced in a data center. Same with a sermon. There is wisdom in the expression, “It’s the thought that counts.” AI can’t think. AI can’t love.
I often use AI as a topical analysis of the Bible, much like this book by Walter Elwell that sits on my shelf. AI is a powerful search engine that can compile passages on hell or heaven or angels or grace. I sometimes use AI to edit a document for grammar, clarity, and style. It finds typos in no time at all! Only your conscience can tell you whether you are leaning into an LLM to be efficient or to be lazy.
Like your smartphone, like your computer, AI is a tool. It can be used to bring God glory or to bring him dishonor. It can be used for the purpose of your sanctification, or it can lead you down the road of condemnation. Like your expense report, like the search history in your web browser, your use of AI should be something you are proud of—something you’d be glad for the world to see. If it’s something you want to hide, it is probably not glorifying to God.
Aaron Menikoff
Senior Pastor