Texting with Jesus: The Church’s Digital Awakening—or its Next Great Temptation?

An old axiom comes to mind: humans often achieve progress in advance of understanding. That pattern is repeating itself in the Church, where artificial intelligence is being welcomed into pulpits, prayer apps, and even confessions.

Across the country, pastors are using AI to help craft sermons, track attendance, and generate personalized prayers. Chatbots like EpiscoBot and Text With Jesus are marketed as tools to engage the faithful, offering “spiritual journeys” and “enlightening conversations” with digital versions of biblical figures—even Satan.

The appeal is understandable. Many churches are shrinking, pastors are overwhelmed, and new technology promises connection in an age of disconnection. Used wisely, these tools could help ministers manage the practical demands of modern ministry. But used carelessly, they could reshape not just how we share the Gospel—but what Gospel is being shared.

This isn’t a condemnation—it’s an invitation to pause. Before we sprint into the next great “revival” of digital faith, we might need to ask: Who is really doing the leading here?

The Gospel According to the Algorithm

Take, for instance, the popular Text With Jesus app. Its FAQ reveals that it is “inclusive of all Christian denominations and faiths,” allowing users to pick their preferred tradition—whether Catholic, Protestant, or otherwise. That selection then influences how the AI “Jesus” responds. In other words, this digital Messiah adapts to your preferences.

From its own description, the app isn’t built to correct or confront—but to comfort and conform. It tells users what they want to hear, not necessarily what they need to hear. It’s less discipleship, more self-help spirituality.

The Apostle Paul warned against this very impulse in 2 Timothy 3:16–17, reminding us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” True faith reshapes the believer; it doesn’t reshape the truth. When we take Scripture out of context or program it to fit our preferences, we’re not renewing our minds—we’re rebranding God in our own image.

When AI Serves Rather Than Substitutes

Not all uses of AI in ministry are dangerous. The developers of Logos Bible Software, for example, have integrated AI in a far more responsible way. Its AI tools are not connected to the internet, nor are they trained on random online content. Instead, they draw only from verified biblical translations and scholarly commentaries—the same trusted materials pastors and seminary students already use.

In this setting, AI acts less like a preacher and more like a study guide—helping believers search Scripture more efficiently, compare passages, and deepen understanding without replacing the role of discernment, prayer, or the Holy Spirit. It’s a reminder that technology can assist the Church without attempting to become the Church.

Technology may assist ministry—but it cannot embody ministry. A chatbot can quote Scripture, but it cannot discern the Spirit. It can mirror belief, but it cannot bear fruit.

An alcoholic often says, “I know what I’m doing,” right before a decision that changes everything. In the same way, human hubris—fueled by a passion to innovate—might one day cause us to surrender discernment to the intoxicating power of AI.

And here’s the plot twist: this very article was written with the assistance of ChatGPT. I chose the content, framing, and message, editing the text to express what I wanted to say. AI acted merely as a ghostwriter—a digital pen, not a divine voice.

The question that remains is one every believer and church must face: Can we use AI to advance the Gospel without losing the very heart of the Gospel in the process?

This link is not an endorsement. I'm just being transparent so you can see for yourself.