The Eighth Annual Apologetics and Worldview Conference
Artificial Intelligence
Is AI a “giant leap for mankind”? A return to Babel? How can it be harnessed and used well? What are the implicit dangers?
How does it impact Christian anthropology, the imago dei, a liberal arts education, human relationships and interaction?
And what comes next?
Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MN
June 24-25, 2026
Videos from this conference are online and worth checking out. Three presentations have been put on YouTube here:
Among several intriguing presentations was Rev. Jonathan Conner’s on “AI & the Need for Real Wisdom.” What follows are notes, ideas, and my editorial thoughts based on the recording of this presentation.
AI “is everywhere” both commercially and for personal use. Rev. Conner mentioned the “funeral industry” employing an “AI bot of a deceased loved one.” The world is either enthusiastically embracing it with reverence, as a religious fanatic, or a pessimistic doomsayer predicting AI will end human civilization. It will “help humans flourish or take over the world.” But “simplistic answers don’t work.” Christians must be more nuanced and not get caught up in the hype.
We must start with defining AI—it is not a real intelligence but only (at times impressive) facsimile. “AI only mimics or simulates human qualities.” It relies on huge inputs of data and sorts it, finding patterns based on predictive algorithms. It mimics intelligence rather than creates it from nothing. It relies on “pattern recognition of a vast amount of information.”
But it is not real human intelligence or consciousness—it is “only a mirage.” It does not think. It has no desires, intentions, or goals. It does “not celebrate its wins.” It has “no inner life” or “moral sense.” At the end, despite its results and reputation, it is “just a program.” Satan would have us fear and adore the created thing more than the uncreated Lord.
Calling AI more precisely a set of “LLMs” or large language models is more accurate and also “less scary.” Whatever it produces is a “parasitic output”—only based on input data. It never “truly novel” original.
A Christian framework paints LLMs as neither fully divine nor satanic. It is under us, since only man has the divine duty to have domain over all creation. We can assume our authority is God-given but also possible to be abused. Man has the duty to not just dominate, but to manage well. Rev. Conner asks: “what does God call good.” This requires a framework to “flourish in the three dimensions he placed us in and made us for.”
AI will change us, but we must have the wisdom to discern and determine how it will do so. It can change how we interact with the world. It can lead to “dark avenues” of sin. It may change our relationships to one another and even God Himself. People “submit prayer requests to AI.” It may be treated as an oracle—despite it being a created thing, like all idols.
We are advised to turn to Scripture and its doctrinal framework to evaluate these questions—which are not easy or simple. This will require hard and ongoing work.
Rev. Conner discusses several sub-topics, including research. It “sorts and synthesizes” what it has available to it, rather than a human doing the real work. “We should feel torn.” We use technologies, like cars, microwaves, washing machines, and calculators, to make our lives easier. We can use new technologies to be more productive in other areas we prioritize. Or, we could waste that time ‘gained.’ There is always a cost or trade-off. AI is called “an easy-button.” He cites the Wall Street Journal: “AI helps students do better at homework but worse at tests.” It helps remove the actual skill of learning. AI removes friction, but we need it to learn, grow, and mature.
LLMs may cite non-existent sources and quotes. Others say it “hallucinates” output that sounds right, but is actually baseless and wrong. The programs behind LLMs are not perfect, and neither is their output. Truth is not easy or mechanical—it is of Christ and through His Spirit. AI is most helpful for those “with a working knowledge of a subject.” It is a tool to be used wisely, not a god. Competence is a prerequisite. Wisdom cannot be as easy as querying an LLM. To cite a poet: “Lessons of life can’t be learned in a day” or a click.
“AI does not create; it only generates.” It can generate a sermon or portions of it, or even Bible studies. It can do many things, some dangerous and subversive of God’s Word and the authority He reserves for the church, while some can be helpful and used reverently in wisdom. Finding spelling and grammatical errors is vastly different from trusting and taking its output uncritically or passing it off as your own creation. Wisdom moves us to use AI, if we do, with critical distance. It cannot be trusted—it is not an authority or god, let alone a person. This is not a simple task and will require discretion.
We need to have the hard conversations about the difficult choices AI presents to us. Ignoring it is not a wise path, nor is fearing it. “Patience and reflection and resistance to our inbuilt laziness” are needed to use this man-made tool to help humanity, not relegate it. This synopsis and recap is not a replacement for engaging with the presentation of Rev. Conner. It is commended to you as a thoughtful and well-done presentation. —ed.
