> Download these notes in PDF here: https://www.studyyourbible.org/topical/christian-life/ai-and-the-christian/handouts/session-04-ai-in-bible-study-and-christian-ministry/ # AI in Bible Study and Christian Ministry **Session 4 | AI and the Christian** Randy White | Taos Bible Conference | October 24, 2026 ## AI in Bible Study ### AI has received a bad rap for use in Bible Study - AI has earned criticism for some uses. It gets a bum rap when those abuses are treated as an indictment of every use. - **Using a research aid is not the same as outsourcing interpretation, deceiving a congregation, or replacing prayer.** - These examples show what critics actually said, the concerns we should take seriously, and where the criticism can be overextended. They are not six blanket prohibitions against AI. #### 1. AI sermon writing compared with cheating Leah D. Schade, an ELCA pastor and preaching professor, [“Did AI (Artificial Intelligence) Write Your Pastor’s Sermon?”](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/2023/02/did-ai-artificial-intelligence-write-your-pastors-sermon/), *Patheos / EcoPreacher*, updated February 28, 2023. - **What she said:** “But it certainly feels like cheating to me.” Later she pictures AI “like a serpent coiling around the tree”. - **Fair reading:** She is concerned about generated sermons, unattributed material, and a congregation being misled about authorship. She also calls for teaching ethical AI use. - Concealing borrowed work deserves criticism. Asking a tool to locate a passage, compare arguments, or challenge an interpretation is a different activity. The serpent imagery is forceful rhetoric; it does not establish that every research use is sinful. #### 2. A pastor says AI would cheat his congregation Cole Hartin, [“Why I Don’t Use AI for Sermons”](https://livingchurch.org/covenant/why-i-dont-use-ai-for-sermons/), *The Living Church / Covenant*, September 1, 2025. - **What he said:** “I would feel like I’m cheating the people I care about.” - **Fair reading:** Hartin, associate rector at Christ Church in Tyler, Texas, is discussing AI composing a sermon in place of his pastoral engagement. He distinguishes research assistance, describes using disclosed AI illustrations, and treats disagreement charitably. - A pastor's duty to know the text and his people is real. But help gathering information does not automatically mean he has neglected either. This is a pastor explaining his own boundary, not a documented case of a named pastor being falsely accused of cheating. #### 3. AI sermons compared with Israel's defeat at Ai Greg Morse, [“Artificial Preaching”](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/artificial-preaching), *Desiring God*, May 19, 2026. - **What he said:** “A lifetime of AI-produced sermons, Bible studies, and Sunday school lessons will not honor God and will end in defeat.” - **Fair reading:** His Jericho, Ai, and Achan analogy warns against laziness, borrowed preaching, and trusting technology instead of God. He explicitly distinguishes abuse of technology from permissible use. - We should examine our dependence and our work. But gathering information with a tool does not itself prove misplaced trust. Verify the material, understand the passage, and take responsibility for what you teach. Do not turn his warning about dependence into a prohibition broader than he states. #### 4. AI cannot pray—but neither can a concordance Ken Ham, [“Should Pastors Be Using AI to Write Sermons?”](https://answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2025/05/13/should-pastors-be-using-ai-write-sermons/), *Answers in Genesis*, May 13, 2025. - **What he said:** “Be assured, AI doesn’t pray for any wisdom from God!” - **Fair reading:** Ham objects to advertising that offers an instant sermon without the pastor's own study. He expressly allows possible help finding cross-references, related passages, and quotations to consider. - A concordance does not pray either; the person using it must. A tool's inability to pray is a reason to keep prayer with the believer, not a sufficient reason to reject the tool. Ham himself makes room for research assistance. #### 5. A hypothetical warning about demonic possession Jack Hibbs, [“What Spirit Lives In You? – Part 2”](https://calvarycch.org/what-spirit-lives-in-you-part-2/), May 21, 2023; reported by Nicole VanDyke in [*The Christian Post*](https://www.christianpost.com/news/jack-hibbs-warns-against-artificial-intelligence.html?mobile=false), October 6, 2023. - **What was reported:** “What if an AI thing got possessed by a demonic spirit?” - **Fair reading:** This is a hypothetical question in a broader warning about AI, deception, and idolatry. It is not evidence of possession or a statement that ordinary Bible-study assistance is demonic. - Discernment about deception is necessary. A hypothetical danger does not establish that asking for cross-references is occult activity. Evaluate the actual use and its claims rather than treating the warning as proof against every use. #### 6. Real interpretive errors deserve real scrutiny John Boyles, [“Misreading Scripture with Artificial Eyes”](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/07/ai-chatgpt-exegetical-tool-bible-scripture-sermon-mount/), *Christianity Today*, July 27, 2023. - **His criticism, paraphrased:** Testing ChatGPT on the Sermon on the Mount, Boyles finds unwarranted metaphorical and individualistic readings, poor awareness of interpretive traditions, and interpretation detached from embodied life. - **Fair reading:** This is criticism of identifiable output, not merely fear of a new tool. He recognizes similar failures in human interpreters. - We do not have to adopt his interpretation to recognize the need to check a chatbot's reasoning. An early chatbot's failures warrant verification; they do not demonstrate that every later model or limited research task is useless. Read the passage in context and make the tool show its work. ### How AI can enhance Bible study - By locating vaguely remembered scriptures - Find likely passages from a remembered phrase, event, or idea. - Compare your recollection with the actual wording and context. - **AI exercise-test:** "I remember a verse about earning wages and putting them into a bag with holes. Find the closest KJV match, give the reference, and compare its wording with my recollection." - By providing relevant cross references - Distinguish matches by English wording from occurrences of the same Greek or Hebrew word. - Find similar situations while noting differences in audience and setting. - **AI exercise-test:** "Find six cross-references for 'approved' in 2 Timothy 2:15. Label each connection: same English word, same Greek word, or similar situation. Identify the Greek word where relevant and explain each connection." - By providing grammatical structure of a passage - Identify subjects, verbs, objects, and modifying phrases. - Recognize figures of speech and explain their role in the passage. - **AI exercise-test:** "Analyze Philippians 4:6-7 in the KJV. Identify the commands, main clauses, and modifying phrases. Show how the clauses connect, and identify any figures of speech." - By giving historical information - Explain customs, political arrangements, and daily life relevant to a passage. - Distinguish what Scripture states from outside historical information or uncertain reconstruction. - **AI exercise-test:** "Give three pieces of historical background for Acts 16:11-40, including Philippi's civic setting and Roman citizenship. Cite checkable sources and distinguish what Acts states from information supplied by other sources." - By finding relevant references in extra-Biblical materials - Locate accounts in writers such as Josephus or Philo that can be compared with Scripture. - Request precise work and section references so you can read the source in context. - **AI exercise-test:** "Find a possible parallel in Josephus to Acts 12:20-23. Give a precise work and section citation, then compare the accounts. If you cannot verify the reference, say so." - By comparing Bible translations and highlighting differences in wording - Place translations side by side to make differences easy to examine. - Identify wording differences that raise questions about grammar or meaning. - **AI exercise-test:** "Compare 2 Timothy 2:15 in the KJV, NKJV, and ESV. Identify wording differences, name the underlying Greek terms involved, and list questions I should investigate further." - By outlining the flow of thought in a chapter or book - Trace the sequence of an argument, narrative, or set of instructions. - Notice changes in subject, audience, or time that help explain the structure. - **AI exercise-test:** "Outline Ephesians 2 using the KJV. Give each section a short heading and verse range. Identify changes in audience or time, and show how each section connects with the next. Base the divisions on clues in the text." - By developing study questions that draw attention to details in the text - Ask who is speaking, to whom, about what, and in what circumstances. - Use follow-up questions that require supporting answers from the passage. - **AI exercise-test:** "Ask me six observation and context questions about 2 Timothy 2:1-15 in the KJV, one at a time. Wait for my answer, ask which words support it, and then give feedback." - By organizing people, places, and events into timelines or comparison charts - Arrange events and locations in sequence with supporting Scripture references. - Mark estimated or disputed dates so a neat chart does not imply unwarranted certainty. - **AI exercise-test:** "Create a table of Paul's journeys in Acts 13-21 with columns for event, location, passage, and approximate date. Label estimates and cite sources for dates supplied from outside Acts." - By quizzing you on Bible knowledge - Test recall of people, places, events, and passage references. - Adjust the difficulty and review missed answers with the relevant Scriptures. - **AI exercise-test:** "Quiz me on 2 Timothy, one question at a time. Wait for my answer before giving feedback and a KJV reference. After ten questions, identify weak areas and give me a short review quiz." ## AI in Christian Ministry ### AI and song selection - Match hymns to the Scripture passage, sermon theme, and congregation's familiarity with the songs. - Arrange selections into a service order with a suitable balance of themes and musical pace. - **AI exercise-test:** "Suggest three congregational hymns for a service on Philippians 4:4-9. Give each title and author, explain its connection to the passage, and propose a service order. Flag any uncertain attribution." ### AI and Christian Music - Develop original lyrics from a biblical theme or message you supply, then refine their wording, meter, and theological meaning. - Describe the melody, mood, instrumentation, and vocal range you want for an AI-generated musical arrangement. - **AI exercise-test:** "Draft two original verses and a chorus about gratitude to God. Explain the biblical allusions, then write a music-generation prompt for a traditional congregational song with a modest vocal range and piano accompaniment." ### AI and Church Communication - Prepare placemats and bulletins with clear announcements, service information, and welcoming language. - Adapt the same information for newsletters, announcement slides, and social media while keeping the details consistent. - Website creation and updates - **AI exercise-test:** "create a beautiful HTML landing page advertising our Taos Bible Conference based on your knowledge of the event. Use graphics and content that matches the work we've been doing on this conference" ### AI and translation - Translate invitations, announcements, and study materials for people who speak another language. - Do live translation during services. - **AI exercise-test:** "Translate this sample invitation into natural Spanish: 'Join us Sunday for Bible study at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. Everyone is welcome.' Provide an English back-translation and explain your choices for 'Bible study' and 'worship.'" ### AI and answering Bible questions - Identify the issue behind a listener's question and gather passages that deserve examination. - Organize your conclusions into concise talking points for Ask The Theologian or a personal follow-up reply. - **AI exercise-test:** "Help me prepare a two-minute answer to 'What does rightly dividing the word of truth mean in 2 Timothy 2:15?' List relevant KJV passages and questions about audience and context. Ask for my conclusions before drafting the answer in my voice." ### AI and creating teaching slides and conference handouts - Turn a teaching outline into slides with clear headings, concise points, and relevant Scripture references. - Create matching handouts with an outline, discussion questions, and room for participants' notes. - **AI exercise-test:** "Turn the teaching outline I paste below into a six-slide presentation outline and a one-page participant handout. Preserve my argument and KJV references. Include short slide titles, suggested speaker notes, two discussion questions, and space for handwritten notes." ### AI and turning broadcasts into articles and study guides - Reshape a broadcast transcript into an article or study guide while preserving your position and manner of expression. - Remove verbal repetition, organize the argument, and flag unclear names or Scripture references for review. - **AI exercise-test:** "Using the transcript I paste below, draft a 600-word article, a five-point study guide, and three discussion questions. Preserve the speaker's theological distinctions and mark unclear words or references for review."