Christian Vision, a leader in digital evangelism and church resourcing, recently hosted its annual Digital Day conference which gave a platform for various speakers to inspire, equip and empower Christians to spread the Gospel message in the digital age using new and emerging technologies.
Christian Today spoke with Heinz Oldewage, Managing Director at Christian Vision, to hear more about the challenges and opportunities of AI for the Church.
What do you think about the level of AI literacy in the Church at present?
There is a great degree of curiosity and experimentation with all of these technologies, but for the most part people are interacting with these tools on a surface level. On the one hand, there is a small group of technically skilled, highly knowledgeable practitioners, and on the other are those who hope to engage more meaningfully with the technology, but who may not necessarily have the skills to do so.
How is Christian Vision supporting churches to familiarise themselves with emerging technologies and AI?
We do a broad range of work and have evangelistic initiatives all over the world. The best way to interact with our work is to spend some time on our website. There is something there for everyone – from individuals who are interested in one-on-one evangelism, to those wanting to do evangelism at scale into unreached countries.
What do you think the implication for the Church is if we fail to engage properly with these technologies?
The impact of technology and mass media is only going to become more pronounced. Most churches, for example, have now come to the realisation that they have to leverage social media to engage their communities – there is no way to engage your community at scale without it. But the landscape is shifting rapidly. The Church has historically done well to engage with technologies as they emerge. We have seen that in the area of mass media and television evangelism. But I’m worried that we’re entering into a season where meaningful engagement with these emerging technologies is a complex proposition. In my opinion that is all the more reason to engage in an intentional and strategic way. The sooner we engage, and the more meaningful our engagement, the more significant our impact is going to be in the long run.
Could AI potentially amplify human sinfulness e.g. with things like inappropriate surveillance or warfare?
I think our conversation needs to start with the proviso that the powerful emerging technologies we’re engaging with need to be brought to bear on the ministry world in a really thoughtful way. Despite our enthusiasm for emerging tech, we are just as aware of the potential pitfalls, downsides, challenges, and ethical problems around the use of AI. The reality of the matter is that we are all challenged by it – we all end up facing the same questions.
The challenge you highlighted in your question is one challenge among many, and right now in ministry, pastors all over the world are asking related questions. How do I use AI? Should I be preparing my sermons in this way? Should I use it to create media that might impact others?
A growing concern surrounding AI is a potential increase in unemployment. Do you share this concern?
Whenever new technologies arise, new opportunities arise. Of course the nature of particular roles may change and in some cases particular jobs may not be necessary anymore. But new opportunities tend to follow. I think that is true of this next generation as well: three or four years from now, many of us will be working in jobs that simply do not exist today. I’m always sceptical of proclamations about mass unemployment, as technology typically brings about new areas of specialisation that come with new opportunities to bring our skills to bear in different ways. Consider how the launch of the latest crop of AI tools that enable artistic expression has empowered the creative industry. Certainly the nature of some job roles has changed, but when you look at the list of skills we look out for in the creative sector, that list hasn’t shrunk – it’s grown.
How can Christians strike a balance between engaging with technology and remaining faithful to biblical principles?
If the Great Commission is what inspires our action in the world, we are on the right track. At CV, we always go back to what we were called to, and what we were called to is the Great Commission. Our mission is to go and introduce people to Jesus and encourage them to become his followers. That’s all we do. All of these wonderful technological tools are great, but if your departure point is the Great Commission, it grounds your approach.
I think it’s easy to become enamoured with technology and the idea of progress and opportunity. However, if you start with the call of Jesus to reach the world, your decisions are informed by that reality, and your focus falls on people rather than tools. If your departure point is biblical, your solutions will be biblically grounded.
