A Common Grace Institute course
God, AI, and the Future of the Church
A six-session, self-paced course on what the Bible says about artificial intelligence. It gives your church a Reformed framework for engaging AI with wisdom, not fear.
AI is already in your church. The question is whether you'll meet it faithfully.
Most Christians meet AI with one of two reactions: uncritical adoption or fearful rejection. Both skip the only question that matters: what does faithfulness look like here?
People in your congregation are already using AI at work, at school, and at home. Some of your staff may be too. What most people lack isn't opinions. It's a framework, a way to think that begins with God rather than the machine. The spiritual life isn't a workflow to optimize. It is something to be discerned, prayerfully and together. This course gives you that framework before the habits form on their own.
You won't fear AI. And you won't be naive about it.
Trace the whole biblical story (creation, fall, common grace, idolatry, wisdom, and the sovereignty of God) and come away able to evaluate any technology, not just today's.
“Can we?” vs. “Should we?”
Learn the discernment every new tool demands, beyond capability alone.
The warning signs
Recognize technological idolatry before it takes root in your home or ministry.
A traffic-light framework
Embrace, use with caution, or refuse: a simple tool for families and church leaders.
If you can open Scripture, you can take this course.
No technical background required. It grows out of seminary-level research, written for real people.
- Pastors & elders who need to guide their congregations wisely through technological change.
- Ministry leaders & educators building discipleship for a digital generation.
- Parents deciding what belongs in their home, and what doesn't.
- Any believer who wants to think clearly and biblically about the age we're living in.
The six sessions
The whole biblical story, applied to the tools in your hands.
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Session 1: Creation, Imago Dei, and the Cultural Mandate
Why we make anything at all. We build because we bear the image of a Creator. Genesis 1–2 grounds human creativity, and that is where any Christian view of AI has to begin.
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Session 2: AI and Common Grace
Should Christians use tools built by people who reject God? The Reformed doctrine of common grace explains how God gives real gifts through unbelievers, and how to receive them with discernment.
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Session 3: Transhumanism and the False Gods of AI
The worldview behind AI's loudest voices: enhancement, transcendence, the conquest of death. Why transhumanism is a counterfeit gospel, and why it cannot deliver what it promises.
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Session 4: Wisdom and AI
When a tool becomes a master. Five warning signs of technological idolatry, and how to keep the ninth commandment in an age of deepfakes and synthetic content.
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Session 5: AI in Life and Ministry
Practical discernment for home, work, and church. A traffic-light framework for what to embrace, what to approach with caution, and what to refuse, and where AI has no place in the life of the body.
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Session 6: AI and the Sovereignty of God
From Babel to Babylon, the same human story. Why technology cannot save, and why the church can face the future with hope rather than dread.
Built to be taught, not just watched.
Work through the course on your own schedule, or gather a group and go together. Every enrollment includes a Participant Guide and a complete Leader's Guide with opening hooks, teaching blocks, and instructor notes. That's everything a small group, Sunday school class, or leadership team needs.
Courses done in community get finished. If you want this to change how your church thinks, bring a few people with you.
What's included
- Six self-paced video teaching sessions
- Participant Guide (print-ready, one per participant)
- Complete Leader's Guide for group teaching
- Scripture readings, discussion questions, and takeaways for every session
- Lifetime access, including future updates
Meet your teacher: Ryan Shelley
Serious theological training meets real technical fluency. Ryan holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary, where this course began as his master's thesis. He is completing an MPhil in Artificial Intelligence at Capital Technology University, bringing historic Reformed theology and hands-on AI expertise to the same table.
- MA, Theological Studies, Westminster Theological Seminary
- MPhil candidate, Artificial Intelligence, Capital Technology University
- Google Generative AI Leader
- Purdue Applied Generative AI
- Harvard CORe · MIT Sloan Analytics
Founding pricing
For our first students, before the price goes up. Join the list to lock it in. No payment today.
Individual Access
For one person
$149
- Full six-session course
- Participant & Leader's Guides
- Lifetime access
Best value for churches
Church & Team License
One price for your whole ministry
$399
- Everything in Individual Access
- Your leadership team, Sunday school, or small group
- Made to be taught together
If cost is a barrier, reach out. Scholarships are available. This is a matter of grace before it is a matter of price.
Are you in?
We're opening founding enrollment to a small first group. Tell us a little about you and your church. We'll send Session One free and hold the founding price for you.
- First access when enrollment opens
- Founding price locked: $149 / $399
- Session One free, no commitment
Start reading
Free articles drawn from the course.
Common questions
What does the Bible say about AI?
The Bible never mentions artificial intelligence by name (the "Ai" in Joshua is a Canaanite city). But Scripture speaks directly to what AI raises: we make things because we bear God's image (Genesis 1:27), God gives real gifts even through people who reject Him (common grace), tools can become idols (Psalm 20:7), truth-telling is commanded (Exodus 20:16), and no human technology can save (Genesis 11, Revelation 18). The course walks through each of these.
Should Christians use AI?
Yes, with discernment. Under common grace, Christians can receive useful tools built by unbelievers, much as Noah used craft first developed in the line of Cain. The real question is not only "Can we?" but "Should we?" Session five gives families and churches a traffic-light framework for that question: embrace, use with caution, or refuse.
What is common grace, and why does it matter for technology?
Common grace is God's non-saving kindness to all people: He restrains sin, sustains order, and hands out real gifts to believers and unbelievers alike. It is the Reformed answer to whether Christians can use technology built in a secular culture, and it is the theological backbone of this course.
Do I need to know anything about AI or technology?
No. The course starts with Scripture and builds from there. If you can read your Bible, you are ready. No technical background required.
Is this too academic for a normal church group?
No. It grows out of seminary-level research, but it is written for real people. Every session includes discussion questions and plain-language takeaways.
Can I teach this course at my church?
Yes. That is what it is for. The Church & Team License and the included Leader's Guide are built for small groups, Sunday school classes, and leadership teams.
When does enrollment open?
Founding enrollment opens soon. Join the founding list and you will hear first, at the founding price, before it opens to the public.
What if I can't afford it?
Reach out. Scholarships are available. This is a matter of grace before it is a matter of price.
The most important thing about AI is not what it can do. It's what it cannot do, and what only Christ can.
Join the founding list