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As a reformed Presbyterian, I don’t often read commentary from the Vatican. However, this Memorial Day was as good a time as ever to study the Encyclical on AI from Pope Leo XIV. Yes, the 42,300-word letter covers extensive ground well beyond my layman expertise, but it does contain wisdom that merits consideration for evangelical Christians navigating this moment of technological change.
My goal isn’t to wrestle with every aspect of Catholic Social Doctrine. Experts on both sides of the AI debate have shared thoughtful rebuttals, but the pope’s approach is a useful template of how Christians should engage the AI conversation. Specifically, that we have an essential role in shaping the development and deployment of technology. This does not necessarily require technical expertise, political office, or even a master’s in divinity, but it demands faithful discernment with the moral and cultural questions raised by AI (or any technological advancement for that matter).
To his credit, Pope Leo demonstrates humility in his writing. He does not claim to be a technologist, stating that “it is not my intention here to offer a comprehensive treatment of artificial intelligence.” Instead, he brings his own experience and understanding as a leader of the Roman Catholic Church, “recalling a few essential elements for a moral and social discernment that safeguards the primacy of the human person, in order to ensure that it will always be human intelligence, with its conscience and freedom, that guides technical innovations and responsibly determines their use and limits.”
Throughout the letter, Pope Leo illustrates his points by contrasting two biblical stories. The first story is the Tower of Babel, a tragic attempt by humans to do things on our own in our own image. As he explains, “Babel thus reveals the limits of any effort that, however grandiose, arises from self-affirmation, sacrifices human dignity for efficiency and aspires to reach heaven without God’s blessing.”
Pope Leo contrasts the Babel debacle with the story of the Hebrew leader Nehemiah when he returned from Persian exile to rebuild Jerusalem. After inspecting the city’s damage, he brought together families and assigned them sections of the wall to rebuild. As Pope Leo notes, Nehemiah demonstrated great wisdom when he “listened to their concerns, coordinated their efforts and addressed any opposition.”
Many of the questions about the potential benefits and concerns of AI in the encyclical are familiar to us. They are relevant, as Congress is currently debating a federal framework that would establish national safety standards while enabling innovation. This is a necessary move to ensure the United States leads the race over China, which is trying to dominate the development and deployment of AI.
The challenge before us is not whether Christians have expertise to contribute to AI development, but whether we faithfully steward the responsibility God has given us.
Yet while some may approach the AI conversation from a place of fear or trepidation, evangelical Christians have reason for hope. One rationale for optimism is the possibility that AI will serve as a resource for questions about faith and religion. Just as the printing press transformed Christianity in the 16th century, AI has the potential to revolutionize how people encounter the truth of the gospel.
To this end, Christians must actively engage AI developers in shaping how Large Language Models treat religious content. As a starting point, the team at the Keller Center have been doing tremendous work researching how AI platforms answer questions of faith and religion.
The paper’s author, Michael Graham, released his own recommendations for how platforms can better allow users to engage questions of faith. His “principled pluralist framework” is a thoughtful contribution that would allow nonbelievers to wrestle more accurately with tenets of the gospel but also enable Christians to better understand presuppositions, and thus how to better evangelize to those outside our churches. This should be a primary mission for how Christians engage in the development of AI and is one issue not discussed in the encyclical.
It is also worth considering the work of several other Christians who are already contributing meaningfully to the AI discourse. First is Colin Redemer, a fellow at the Center for Renewing America. He recently published a useful AI policy paper based on Christian ethics and understanding of the unique role of the United States in the world. Similarly, Christian entrepreneur Nate Fischer has approached AI through the lens of the cultural mandate in Genesis. As he explains, “… [T]hese technologies offer tools to reassert human control, revitalize American companies, and restore dominion in the digital age.” All of these writers demonstrate how biblical wisdom can inform practical policy while avoiding uncritical tropes.
The pope’s encyclical is an important entry to the larger AI conversation, one that evangelical denominations are actively discerning. We should appreciate the Vatican’s contribution, while also elevating voices from our own theological tradition.
The challenge before us is not whether Christians have expertise to contribute to AI development, but whether we faithfully steward the responsibility God has given us. This means bringing gospel wisdom into every sphere of our lives. The stakes are too high for Christians to remain passive observers. Like Nehemiah’s builders, we each have a section of the wall for which we are responsible.