Some Christians worry that using AI to write sermons, prayers, or study guides could get in the way of real growth. And that’s a fair concern. Writing—especially when it’s about faith—isn’t just about getting words on a page. It’s a craft, and it shapes us while we do it. Letting a machine do too much of that work can mean missing out on what God might teach us in the struggle to write honestly and well.
AI can help with spelling or grammar, just like a spell checker. But it can’t replace real study, prayer, or wrestling with Scripture. And if you don’t know the craft yourself, you won’t know if what AI suggests is true, clear, or faithful.
There’s also an ethical side. When we use someone else’s work, we should say so. That’s true whether it’s a book, an article, or a sermon outline. It should also be true for AI. If a preacher uses AI to write a sermon—or even just to polish it—it’s worth asking: Would you be comfortable telling your church that? If the answer is no, it might be a sign that something’s off.
Another problem is that AI often pulls from copyrighted material without the author’s permission. Even if you don’t know whose words it’s using, it might still be borrowing work that belongs to someone else.
In the end, it comes down to why you’re writing. If you’re only collecting facts, maybe AI can help. But if you’re trying to think deeply, pray, and bring something new to your community, AI might actually get in the way.
Writing about faith is a spiritual task. It changes us as much as it teaches others. And sometimes, the slow, messy, very human work is exactly what God uses to shape us.
1 thought on “Should Christians Avoid Writing with AI?”
I love this topic and have had great fun in a Digital Narrative Futures class debating what prayer is and whether or not AI can “pray.” I think we need to choose our language a lot more carefully around this – and, indeed, examine the tasks of preaching and praying in terms of revelation-response.
I “had a conversation” i.e. carefully selected inputs to generate specific outputs with my Chatbot app which resulted in this paragraph from it:
“a sermon is deeply rooted in divine revelation and the Spirit of God guiding the preacher. As an AI, I don’t have the capacity to directly experience or interpret God’s Spirit or revelation.
However, I can assist in preparing sermons by providing biblical insights, ideas, outlines, or drafts based on scripture and theological principles. These can serve as tools to support your spiritual reflection and message. Ultimately, the spiritual authority, discernment, and inspiration come from the person delivering the sermon, guided by prayer and the Holy Spirit.”