Artificial Intelligence and Christians
Stop Fearing, Start Using for Good
In the late 80s, one of my uncles came to our house in the village wearing a Casio digital watch. It was about the size of a hammerhead due to its large battery. I spoke nicely to him and borrowed his watch for a school function. The watch was too big for my hand, so I pulled it all the way up to my elbow and went to the function. My teacher saw the watch and told me that I would lose the knowledge of reading time on an analog clock if I used that kind of numbered digital watch. His statement was correct for that era, but look at how watches have evolved today. It is rare to see analog watches now, and many people do not wear them at all.
This was just an example. I have always seen resistance to new technologies among people, especially among a group of Western Christians. Though they are a tiny fraction of the Christian population, they sometimes compare new technologies with the beast (Revelation 13:16–18) and oppose them.
In the 1970s and 80s, a few fundamentalist preachers in the USA claimed that barcodes, computer chips, and Social Security numbers might be "the mark of the beast." Books like The Late Great Planet Earth (1970) by Hal Lindsey fueled fears of technological control systems as a sign of the end times. While Lindsey didn’t specifically call computers "the beast," his writings contributed to a climate of suspicion about global technology. Jack Chick, through his popular comic tracts (Chick tracts), sometimes hinted that computers and global databases were tools that could be used by the Antichrist.
I am an Indian Christian. In India, this kind of technology opposition never took strong root among Christians. Indian Christian theology and practice tend to focus more on social justice, education, and community service rather than heavy eschatological (end-times) fear. Many Christian organizations in India, especially Catholic and Protestant missionary schools, played an important role in promoting modern education — including science and technology. Many Christian hospitals and NGOs also embraced computerization early on to improve services.
These days, I see similar opposition to Artificial Intelligence (AI) among Western Christians, and there are many Christian articles online criticizing AI. They claim that content from AI does not have the emotional components of a human being. I do not understand why they expect emotions from a computer output. The critical articles also say that AI will increase sin. Again, it is just a computer program.
The internet already has several sins such as bullying, dating sites for extra-marital affairs and hook-ups, envy, gambling addiction, get-rich-quick schemes, pornography, pride, rebellion against authority, rumors, sex chat, and stalking.
Nothing new! AI may help people enhance those sins, but it is not evil in itself.
I read an article from a Christian preacher about ChatGPT on Substack. I saw many paragraphs and Bible verses, but I did not see one clear reason why she was opposing AI. All she mentioned was that people should depend upon the Holy Spirit in others for guidance and not depend upon ChatGPT. She is not an experienced computer engineer either. The majority of Christians struggle to identify the spirits because this spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:10) is not given to everyone. How can a Christian identify the Holy Spirit in a person when they seek help? They may be deceived if they do not have this spiritual gift.
I know well that ChatGPT does not have any evil spirit. I do not need to have a spiritual gift to say this, but I can say it confidently based on my 29+ years of experience in the computer industry (spiritual gifts of wisdom and knowledge).
I encourage Christians to use AI for their own benefit and growth in life.
In Exodus 31:3–5, the Lord says, "and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft" (ESV, 2001/2016).
Likewise, Paul used the Roman roads and letters to spread the gospel widely: "Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia" … "Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord" (Romans 16:5, 12, ESV, 2001/2016).
These examples show that God does not oppose tools or new means of communication but rather calls us to use them wisely and faithfully for His glory.
Let me share two recent examples that I went through with ChatGPT.
Canadian Taxes 2024, Non-resident Clause
In 2024, I stayed in Canada for only 12 days, and the remaining days I was out of the country and working remotely. I rented my house in Surrey, BC, and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) approved my non-resident status, meaning I had to pay taxes on the rental income only.
For non-resident tax filing, there is no software or e-filing option. It is paper-based work, and once completed, the signed paper forms should be mailed to the CRA office in Winnipeg, MB. It is one way CRA validates the non-resident status.
I called an accountant, and he was mumbling for some time. My spiritual gift of discernment showed me that he did not have experience in filing non-resident CRA taxes. Another accountant asked me CAD $1,200 to prepare the paperwork. I knew the work was not that complex. The CRA website is useful, but it has too much information, and I did not want to make any mistakes.
Then, I asked ChatGPT. It guided me beautifully by showing the right forms and helped me calculate rental income, maintenance, property taxes, property insurance, mortgage interest rates, and also guided me on how to fill out those forms. By putting in two hours of effort, I was able to complete my non-resident tax papers and mailed them to the CRA from San Diego, CA (I was in Tijuana, Mexico, during April 2025).
Three weeks passed, and I saw the CRA assessment notification online, meaning they accepted my non-resident tax return that was prepared with the help of ChatGPT.
Do you know how many forms?
Just two forms (four pages).
Do you know the cost for this tax preparation?
Zero dollars!
God wants us to be smart and save money as much as possible. He gave us wisdom and knowledge to use these AI tools to be profitable.
English-Spanish Learning
I bought a RVR 1960/ESV (Reina Valera 1960/English Standard Version) bilingual Bible (Spanish-English) last week. The goal is to read the Bible in Spanish and English side by side to improve my Spanish language skills. I generally used the NIV in the past, but I just switched to the ESV because I do not like the gender-neutral language of the NIV anymore.
I am familiar with Psalms, so I started reading and wrote Spanish words in a notebook to learn. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind: “Why don’t I use ChatGPT?”
Once I started using it, I truly saw a peculiar way to learn those words. For example, ChatGPT provided phonetic transcription/phonetic spelling, which is very useful. Currently, this AI tool does not provide features such as “speak out loud” or audio files.
A divine idea came up: Why just read those Biblical word translations on my own? I am called to preach the gospel. I wanted to build those Psalms word translations in PDF format and distribute them to people. ChatGPT came in handy.
For Psalm 1, it took two hours for me to build because I wanted ChatGPT to help create a fine one. For Psalm 2, it took 45 minutes due to some technical glitches. Hopefully, Psalm 3 and the remaining chapters will go quickly.
If I did the above PDF compilation work by hand, it would easily take three to four hours per file. With ChatGPT, I can do it much quicker and without further reviews.
I use ChatGPT frequently to find Bible verses, check the flow of my gospel messages, identify spelling mistakes, correct punctuation, perform grammar checks, and much more. Though the writing is given to me by the Holy Spirit, ChatGPT enhances it for the readers.
Therefore, do not fear AI.
I have heard about the “666 beast” since my childhood, and as of today, I do not see him yet. The interpretations of end-time verses in the Bible often mislead Christian believers. The concept of the Antichrist is true, and I do not dispute the Bible, but we should not live in fear.
I encourage Christians, especially young Christian men and women, to use AI regularly in your life. You can use it to read Bible verses (ask AI to give you a Bible reading plan), find the right Bible version, establish an exercise routine, find food recipes, and if you have a calling to become a computer engineer, you can learn programming too. You can earn millions of dollars! God wants you to enjoy an enormous amount of wealth. All you have to do is come out of fear and use AI for your betterment.
Of course, as with any tool, we should use AI wisely and stay accountable to God and to our community.
As Paul said, "What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice" (Philippians 1:18, ESV, 2001/2016).
Worst case, you can find out if your pastor or favorite Christian writer is influenced by CNN or MSNBC or by the Holy Spirit — By inputting their message into ChatGPT, you can find it easily.
✅ Conclusion
Technology, including AI, is simply a tool — not an enemy. Christians are called to use every gift and resource wisely for God’s glory. We must not let fear or misinformation keep us from growth and service.
Embrace AI carefully, use it for good, and stay grounded in faith and community. God gave us wisdom; let’s use it boldly. Move forward without fear!
🙏 Prayer
Lord, give us wisdom to use AI technology for your glory. Help us stay strong in faith and discerning in spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
🎁 A Biblical gift for you
Since you completely read the blog and God spoke to you through it, I want to give you a gift. The Psalm PDFs (1 & 2) with their Spanish translations are available in the Google Drive link below. If you want to pick up some Spanish words, I encourage you to download them to read — or at least you can see the fine gospel work of ChatGPT.
Google Drive Link to download PDF files
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Lawrence Manickam is a servant of the Lord, a Canadian Indian with Mexican permanent residency, living an international life. In July 2024, he completed his Master of Arts (Pastoral Counseling) graduate program at Liberty University, Virginia. Contact him if you need Biblical counseling or prayers.