Written by Pete Nicholas, senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church Downtown in New York City
For pastors, one of the most challenging aspects of AI is its ubiquity. AI is affecting everything from education to entertainment, from jobs to the judicial system. The people in our churches are looking for guidance, but few (if any) of us are AI experts. Even if we’re experts in one area, how can we be experts in all the areas affected? We long to say something helpful, and we rightly believe the Bible has distinctive truths that need to be spoken into our AI age, but where do we start?
I believe focusing on virtues can help. Virtues are adaptable; for example, the virtue of patience is obviously relevant to the desire for immediacy AI seems to fuel. Properly inhabited, patience isn’t restricted to one area of life but can be deployed in all areas. A pastor may not be able to comment directly on the possibilities or pitfalls of deploying AI for medical diagnoses, but congregation members in all fields will benefit from understanding why cultivating patience can help us engage AI more fruitfully.
In my recent article for TGC, I unpack four vital virtues that are needful for our AI age and share how these virtues rub up against some of the most important areas AI stretches us in: community vs. individuality, embodiment vs. virtual living, growth vs. efficiency, and truth vs. sensationalism. Unpacking how to live with timeless Christian virtue amid these important tensions will help us to become more fully human and equip us to live better in our AI age.
—Pete
