A Statement of the Biblical Research Institute Ethics Committee
The digital revolution that began a few decades ago has significantly impacted how we live our lives. The recent boom in artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize our society even more, leveraging dramatic technological innovations across industries, creating new opportunities in the workforce, and altering the way we perform daily tasks. Such changes naturally lead to questions about how we should engage with AI as faithful Christians with a mission to reach the world for Christ. To this end, we will reflect on the place of AI within a biblical worldview, followed by some implications on how to use AI in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in a biblically and ethically informed manner.
AI and the Biblical Worldview
AI can be defined as “technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity, and autonomy.” … Large language models (LLM), such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, are exposed to a large variety of text from various sources, learn language patterns based on those sources, and then utilize the data and statistics they learned to generate answers in response to prompts. Those responses are not necessarily factual; rather, they are predictions based on learned patterns.
In other words, generative AI is data-driven and algorithmic… Because AI works purely based on statistical patterns, it does not “think” or “know” things the way humans do. … it is not imbued with personhood, moral agency, or responsibility, nor does it have opinions, feelings, awareness, or a conscience. Instead, its outputs are determined and limited by algorithms and inputs of its human programmers…
Creativity and resourcefulness are important characteristics of how God made us as human beings created in His image… AI is the latest example of how humans have made use of these essential characteristics… But similar to other technologies, AI can be used either in positive or in harmful ways. In this sense, it is not necessarily AI in and of itself that is problematic, but how fallible and sinful human beings program and operate it.
Similarly, in utilizing AI, we must maintain realistic expectations regarding what it can and cannot achieve. Although technology can contribute much to the improvement of society, Christians recognize that only through divine intervention can sin, evil, and death ultimately be overcome… our hope is found not in technological progress but in Christ and in His death and resurrection… AI is incapable of solving humanity’s deeper problems of evil, sin, and death. Only Christ can address the evil within the human heart that leads individuals to misuse technology for harmful ends.
Implications on How to Approach AI
As a powerful tool that can support human reasoning, decision-making, and work processes in various fields, AI can be utilized in many ways without compromising biblical principles. It can be especially useful when it is used for the glory of God and the furtherance of the mission of the church, when it supports human flourishing and promotes love for one’s neighbor. Examples of such uses include AI tools that help pastors, scholars, and Bible students engage with Scripture more deeply, translation tools for books, sermons, and other media, tools to help in administrative bookkeeping and financial records, analysis of church attendance or member engagement data, and accessible technologies that promote inclusion for people with disabilities.
At the same time, it is not a “neutral” tool in that it is developed and programmed by fallible humans… values promoted by such companies might not always align with—and at times might even be contrary to—the beliefs and values of the Seventh-day Adventist Church…
Similarly… its results are not always failproof… it is the user’s responsibility to verify information. It is not only our responsibility as users, but also our moral duty as believers to carefully check sources and verify information to ensure that we are not blindly believing things nor contributing to the propagation of falsehood, misinformation, or misleading statements… As Christians, we have a moral and spiritual responsibility to be firmly committed to the truth…
Additionally, we should be wary of outsourcing our own research skills and critical thinking to AI, especially when it comes to studying the Word of God… as Christians we are called to engage our mind… God expects from us reasonable, “rational” worship… it is our responsibility with the help of the Holy Spirit… to think, analyze, and discern “what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God” [Rom. 12:2]… While this does not preclude the use of AI to facilitate research and analyses, AI should not be relied on to do all the critical work…
The same also applies to the responsibility of church leaders, pastors, and teachers… While AI may be used as a supporting tool, teachers of Scripture are personally accountable for the faithful transmission of the gospel… it is important to remember that the interpretation and teaching of Scripture are not exact sciences… it is only through the work of the Spirit that the depths of Scripture can be grasped… The Holy Spirit speaks to human minds and hearts… not through AI. No matter how doctrinally or exegetically accurate AI-generated Bible studies or sermons may be, they cannot replace the transforming power of a personal, Spirit-led engagement with the text… For these reasons, we do not recommend that pastors and church elders rely on AI for the preparation of sermons, that teachers depend on AI in preparing class material, or that AI…be used as the primary resource… AI can help us, but should not shepherd us.
Finally, we must remember AI’s proper place within the created order… it is nothing more than a human creation… it should not be elevated to the human level nor should it replace embodied presence… it should not replace personal presence, relationships, or interactions, especially when it comes to pastoral and spiritual care, counseling, mentorship, or worship.
Neither should AI be elevated to a god-like status… we do not need to be afraid because ultimately God is the King of the universe and He is guiding the course of history according to His purposes… As with many other tools and technologies, we can utilize AI from within an ethical biblical framework, so that we may continue to be faithful to God and true to the mission He has entrusted to us. While the world around us and how we engage with it may change, God’s Word, its enduring principles, and our mission to preach the gospel remain the same.
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Excerpt used with permission by the Biblical Research Institute. Established by the General Conference Committee in 1975, the BRI consists of several Adventist theologians and is the official theological research arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Read the original article HERE in its entirety.
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