In an age often described as a “digital Babylon”,1 technology and artificial intelligence (AI) reshape how humans think, work and relate. Writing for Cru, Dave Lowe describes living in the “digital Babylon” as one where “our smart devices have created a digital environment that is slowly indoctrinating us to views and values that are contrary to our faith.”2
For the Church, this advancement is not merely technological but deeply theological. As AI becomes more pervasive, the question arises—where should the Church draw the line when it comes to writing sermons, analysing Scripture, or carrying out ministry tasks?
Christian theology affirms that human beings are created in God’s image, endowed with creativity, moral responsibility and relational capacity. AI can process data, generate language and simulate understanding, yet it lacks consciousness, soul and moral agency. The danger lies not in using AI, but in confusing efficiency with wisdom, automation with discernment and innovation with spiritual depth. AI can never be a substitute for prayer. It cannot replace communication and connection with the body of Christ.
The Church must therefore resist two extremes. On one hand, uncritical adoption of AI risks reducing ministry to algorithms and metrics, subtly replacing prayer, community and pastoral presence with technological convenience. On the other hand, outright rejection of technology ignores the biblical call to engage culture thoughtfully and redemptively, as Paul did in Acts 17:22-28 where he engages with Greek culture and interprets it through the gospel.
AI may assist research, communication and administration, but it must never replace spiritual authority, human compassion or the communal discernment of the body of Christ. Wisdom, after all, comes not from machines but from reverence for God: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).
Faith is not about rejecting tools and alienating ourselves from the world and prevailing culture, but about setting wise boundaries and using these powerful tools redemptively.
Watch our video to find out more about the Sphere of Internet Science and Technology (one of our Methodist Social Principles)
Bishop Philip Lim was elected Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore in 2024. Previously, he served as a missionary in Cambodia under the Methodist Missions Society (MMS), and as Executive Director of MMS from 2012 to 2018.
1The term has been used by David Kinnaman and later by the Barna Group. https://www.barna.com/research/digital-babylon/
2Lowe, D., & Lowe, D. Living in digital Babylon, Cru, October 2019, https://www.cru.org/communities/city-orangecounty/2019/living-in-digital-babylon/
