For starters, you might be wondering why I’d even ask Chat in the first place if my mission was to figure out whether we should, you know, ask Chat. 

I was genuinely curious as to what AI would have to say on theology, and figured others were, too.

Here’s what I found.

AI Terrifies Me, but Not in the Way You Think

Since the emergence of ChatGPT, people have been running to it in droves to ask all kinds of questions, ranging from insightful to playful. It reminds me of the “20 Questions” handheld game from when I was a kid, or a “Magic 8 Ball” — we can’t help but gravitate to these mysterious knowledge-givers to see what we might find. 

Do I think it can be useful? Sure. It’s a tool, which can be helpful when used for its intended purpose. 

However, here’s where we start to take a turn toward misuse. When I asked ChatGPT to tell me which questions people ask the most, it came back with these as its top few categories: 

• What is the meaning of life? 
• How do I make money/start a business/invest? 
• Can you help me with my homework?
• Will AI take over the world? 
• How do I get over a breakup/deal with anxiety/find happiness?  

3 of the top 5 questions deal with deep, theological conversations that should be happening during our own study of Scripture/prayer time, in our churches, and within our personal circles of trusted, Bible-believing mentors and friends.

When prompted further, Chat revealed that it doesn’t track religious affiliation, but can often tell how a person leans. 

I pushed again and asked what the top question was from Christians. The response? Chat receives a large amount of questions, from Christians, regarding spiritual topics such as Bible interpretation, theology, and more (see screenshot below). 

Friend, that is terrifying. 

Why Would Christians be Asking ChatGPT those Questions? 

That’s what I wanted to know too. So I asked, and Chat answered.

We have no way of knowing the motives behind someone typing these questions into the prompt field. It could be out of curiosity, like me, to see what it says. It could be to see if Chat aligned with their already-formed beliefs. 

But, it could also be that they’re genuinely searching for answers. 

So I got curious again. 

I inquired about specific examples of questions Christians were asking. These were just a few: 

• “What is the Trinity?”
• “Are we saved by faith alone or by faith and works?”
• “What is predestination?”
• “Is it a sin to…?”
• “How do I know God loves me?”
• “Can I still be a Christian if I have doubts?”

My jaw has never hit the floor as fast as when I was reading through the questions. 

There are people out there potentially entrusting their eternity to a super computer’s answer to, “How can I be saved?” 

If this doesn’t stir us with urgency as Christians, I’m not sure what will. 

There’s a call repeated throughout scripture to be quick about sharing the gospel. Jesus lived with a sense of urgency because He knew the time was short. We should do the same, and this is a resounding confirmation of why. 

Isaiah tells us: 

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6

Paul urges Timothy: 

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. — 2 Timothy 4:2

What should we do? 

For starters, we aren’t going to pass judgment on anyone who has asked theological questions of Chat. 

If anything, we can see how the world hungers for God. People are searching, asking, wondering. 

So, Christian, let’s give the people what they want. Go tell the world about Jesus so they don’t have to ask AI! 

As an aside: Something good did come out of my brief interaction with ChatGPT. I learned that the program itself cautions against using it as a source of Biblical authority, counsel, or a replacement for community. That was a surprising, yet welcome, finding.