Ask a chatbot about a disputed Bible verse and you may get a tidy answer. Ask America’s pastors about the AI response, and you get a warning: That tidy answer could be a real problem.
The Barna Group recently highlighted findings from two surveys, conducted in partnership with Gloo for the State of the Church initiative, that land on a common concern.
Whose worried?
Artificial intelligence misinterpreting Scripture is a shared worry for 74% of U.S. adults.
Among practicing Christians, the figure climbs to 83%, and for pastors, it reaches 94%.
Even 77% of non-practicing Christians say they are concerned.
Seeking a solution
Agreement on the danger is easy. Agreement on what AI should do about it is not.
When asked what AI should do when it comes to “the areas of theology where interpretations genuinely differ,” 60% of pastors preferred the technology to reveal all major interpretations and explain where they differ while not stating which one is “best.”
Only 26% of practicing Christians agree with this approach, with a separate 26% stating they do want AI to highlight which interpretation it finds most accurate.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Sarah Holliday and originally published by Decision Magazine.
