There’s a lot of talk about how AI is going to replace many of the jobs in our world today.
Glenn Beck has a fascinating article that I recommend you read and think about.
Over the next decade, entire careers may be replaced by artificial intelligence. And I think that is a distinct possibility – even a likely reality. But there’s one career – or I prefer the term calling – that will never be replaced by AI.
AI will simply never be able to replace the job of a pastor.
Pastors hear God’s words, like the prophets of old, and deliver God’s message to His people. This is spiritual work. God speaks to the heart of man. He communes with man’s spirit. AI contains no spirit and therefore cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God.
It’s like trying to use a lightning cable when all you’ve got is a 30-pin phone. It’s not compatible.
I have no doubt that AI will be used – and probably is being used – to write sermons (oh the humanity!). But these sermons will be as dry as a creek bed during drought. AI has no ability to hear from God out of His living Word, and therefore cannot impart to us a message from God.
Yes, AI will be able to collate millions of sermons and commentaries and Bible studies and have a conversation with you about them. In fact, I think this is a good thing. I’ve personally used AI for biblical research. It’s amazing! It will even be able to apply those things to your specific situation. But it will not be able to hear from God directly. And that’s the difference.
AI will only have second-hand spiritual knowledge. Pastors and preachers have firsthand knowledge from God Himself – that is tailored to time, people, and place. It’s the difference between sitting with someone who sat with an author vs. sitting with the Author Himself.
I think this will become increasingly obvious as our use of AI becomes more prevalent. We will discover that AI is much better than us at problem-solving, and much worse at trying to give spiritual insight. At least I hope it will be obvious. My concern is that it will not be, and will pull many pastors and churches down into a place of second-hand spiritual relationship. But I digress….
A pastor with a calling will be needed and wanted the more that we merge with AI in our day-to-day lives. We will be intuitively aware that we need something beyond machine – something beyond intelligence – something spiritual.