This summer, Mark Andrew Jefferson, who was leading a teaching workshop at Princeton Theological Seminary, prompted ChatGPT to write a homily based on the Gospel of Luke’s parable of the good Samaritan. For good measure, he ordered the artificial intelligence engine to mimic the style of the late, legendary evangelist Billy Graham.
When Jefferson showed the results to the students in his workshop, they were split on the possibilities of AI-generated sermons. Some were enthusiastic, others ambivalent but curious. Yet others were concerned about what it might spell for their future livelihood as preachers: As do many people in any number of vocations, they feared that AI will render humans dispensable.

“Students were excited because we helped them to do some of the work necessary, but also some of them were dismayed because some of them felt like technology was going to do their job for them,” said Jefferson, who teaches homiletics — the art of preaching — at Howard University’s School of Divinity and is CEO of a preaching and leadership consultancy called Maleko Global.
Across the United States, seminaries are contending with the possibilities of AI for clergy and churches. Many, such as United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia and Howard’s School of Divinity, are in the beginning stages of discussing how AI will factor into their curricula and crafting policies for their students’ educations. From divinity school hallways to organized seminars to governing bodies such as the Association of Theological Schools and the Academy of Homiletics, professors are chatting about what AI means their students.
AI’s success in religious contexts so far has been mixed. In April of this year, Catholic Answers, an advocacy group, launched “Father Justin,” an AI-driven chatbot designed to explain church doctrine to curious users. The bot has since been “defrocked” after suggesting that babies could be baptized in Gatorade, among other gaffes. AskCathy, created by the Episcopal Church in partnership with TryTank Research Institute, sticks to basic questions about that denomination and helps users find digital resources.
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But most seminary professors acknowledge that their students’ toolboxes will inevitably include AI. The Rev. Shauna Hannan, a professor at the graduate school of California Lutheran University, dismisses “the fear is that technology will sort of take over the need for humans,” pointing out that there are many duties of clergy that can’t be replicated by AI. “I don’t think, in a kind of relationship-centered vocation like ministry, that technology will replace the human-to-human interaction,” she said.
Hannan looks at AI as “a tool, in the way that you might mention Gutenberg printing press in the 16th century that Martin Luther used.” In that spirit, she said, “I would love to hear from my students ways that they would like to use ChatGPT to help that creative process as a kind of collaborative one.”

When it comes to sitting down to write a sermon, said the Rev. Karyn Wiseman, who is on the education and technology committee at United Lutheran Seminary, generative AI can be a brainstorming partner, but beyond that, the nuances get tricky. Since the source of AI’s output is the work of other authors, she noted, plagiarism is a major concern.
“Do I cut and paste? Is it an inspiration? It all gets so fuzzy,” Wiseman said. “How do we say that the integrity of your work is your own? It’s an amazing resource, but it can’t be the bulk of your work.”
Students of Frederick Ware, at Howard’s School of Divinity, will be reading a textbook this semester that will help them think through the capabilities of AI from a theological perspective. Then, Ware said, they will experiment with AI for themselves. “What does it produce? What are its capabilities?” said Ware.
Other professors also seem to think the best route is to give students experience with AI programs, along with guidance on how it can be helpful and how it can get facts wrong.
Tisa Wenger, a professor of American religious history at Yale Divinity School, had her students prompt ChatGPT to write a sermon in the language of Joranna Lee, a 19th-century preacher in the AME Church, then critique the output. Wenger found the exercise was good for teaching the limitations of ChatGPT more than its benefits, and for testing the students’ knowledge of the material for all the details ChatGPT did not include or got wrong.

“Students really loved that exercise, and they really did a great job of unpacking them. In fact, we felt like their resulting papers were more creative,” said Wenger. “We’ve now done that for three years in a row.”
In many traditions, clergy are already considered to have a writing partner in the Holy Spirit. If AI is helping out, is there still space for the Spirit to move the preacher as it pleases?
Yes, said several homiletics professors. “I think the Spirit can move through the sermon crafting process. If AI is one conversation partner among many (and not used simply to spit out a sermon), I suspect the Spirit can move through preachers who are engaging the tool,” said Hannan. Whether the Spirit can inspire AI directly, she said, is questionable.
Jefferson believes that while the Spirit may move through AI, preachers must consider the biases of AI’s source material as they engage with it. “The literature around AI and race, gender and the criminal justice system attests that these tools are not neutral. So I recommend the preacher examine themselves as they engage these tools.”
As AI makes its way into all corners of society, including the church, “I think we want to be cautious,” said Hannan. “But I don’t fear using whatever is out there for good, as long as it is for good, and it’s not a good for a small group of people. But how is it good for all living beings?”
Genevieve Charles is a journalist with Religion News Service.
9 Responses
There have always been some clergy who do not write their own sermons. I graduated from the old Cincinnati Bible College in 1972. Yes, we had classes in homiletics (sermon prep). But the college bookstore sold sermon outline books by assorted authors. I never used any of them, but they must have sold enough to be worth keeping in stock.
I think the old Pulpit Commentary from the late 1800s and early 1900s was similar in intention. It gave preachers notes and outlines for sermons based on biblical texts.
If one’s using AI for fun that’s one thing but if it’s used to write sermons for Sunday morning and writing papers for school then I have a problem with it.
It’s scary that the church is aggressively getting on the AI bandwagon and to date we have AI programs to answer Bible and theological questions, write songs and prayer sites run by AI. I even suspect that a few of users on the comment section of this site are AI.
I am not surprised that some churches are embracing AI and exploring using it. The progressive churches and denominations are much more concerned with staying trendy and attractive to secular society than they are about giving a theologically and doctrinal correct message that is also, instructive and useful. Sound doctrine and Spirit-led messages are passe’ in those churches. When I hear so-called experts floating the concept that the Spirit can “move” through AI a red flag pops up inside my head.
“Open the narrow gate, Hal.”
“Hal, open the narrow gate.”
“Open the narror gate, Hal!”
“I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I never knew you.”
I asked AI to compose lyrics for a contemporary Christian praise and worship song about healing with a few other parameters I can’t remember right now. Here’s part of it: (Verse 1) In the shadows of our pain and despair, In the brokenness, Lord, You’re always there, You bring hope and light, in You, we find our way, Your healing touch, O God, restores each day.
(Pre-Chorus) You’re the Great Physician, our Redeemer, our Friend, In Your presence, broken hearts will mend, By Your grace, by Your love, we are set free, In Your healing power, we believe.
(Chorus) You’re the healer of our souls, the mender of our hearts, In Your presence, Lord, all brokenness departs, By Your stripes, we are made whole, in Your love, we’re found, In the healing power of God, we stand on solid ground.
Just remember that a program wrote the song and not a human being. It’s an imitation of what we as humans can do.
I hope that AI brings the church business industry to an end. That Believers return to small private gatherings as described in the Bible.May we return to the Word of life, may the Lord hear the cries of His sheep.
Small correction: AskCathy.AI doesn’t just “stick to basic questions.” It’s got more than 1,000 documents and can have quite complex conversation trains about the Episcopal Church. In fact, the average conversation (out of several thousand) is more than 12 exchanges per conversation. Lots of people go on deep-dives about church history and policy and many other matters.