AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep
Leading and Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
About
Since ChatGPT burst into the public consciousness in 2022, AI has thoroughly infiltrated everyday life. Machines can now take on work once thought to be solely the domain of human beings--from writing college essays to composing worship music. How should Christians respond to this brave new technology?
In this accessible introduction to AI, Sean O'Callaghan and Paul Hoffman explore its social and ethical impacts for ministry and teaching. The authors shed light on the biblical vision for human flourishing--and on how AI can help or hinder that flourishing. Avoiding both alarmism and uncritical acceptance, O'Callaghan and Hoffman offer resources and practical tools for using AI in our classrooms and congregations.
AI can write a generic three-point sermon, but it cannot replace an authentic encounter between humans and the divine. In a time of cultural confusion, O'Callaghan and Hoffman encourage readers to embrace the clarity found in the gospel. The book includes a foreword by A. Trevor Sutton.
Foreword by A. Trevor Sutton
Introduction
1. What Is Artificial Intelligence?
2. What Are the Current and Potential Implications of AI?
3. What Does It Mean to Be Human from a Biblical Perspective?
4. What Does It Mean to Be Human in the Technological Age?
5. How Should Educators Interact with AI?
6. How Should Christians Be Formed and Discipled in the Age of AI?
7. How Should Ministry Leaders Approach AI?
Conclusion
Appendix: Six Views on Technology
Recommended Resources
Index
Endorsements
"Artificial intelligence is something I never envisioned would be a universal topic in the church or in theological education. Thankfully, in this significant work O'Callaghan and Hoffman guide Christian leaders biblically, theologically, and practically on this life-altering development called AI. While we do not know what the future holds in this digital world, we do know the One who holds the future. AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep is a well-researched and pioneering book that gives us a clear road map to begin understanding and navigating this ever-changing technological age."
Matthew D. Kim, professor of preaching and pastoral leadership, George W. Truett Endowed Chair of Preaching and Evangelism, Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University; author of Preaching with Cultural Intelligence
The Authors
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Sean O'Callaghan
Sean O'Callaghan (PhD, University of Liverpool) is associate professor of religious and theological studies and director of the PhD program in humanities and technology at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, where he also serves as a coordinator...
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Marie Guagliardo Photography Paul A. Hoffman
Paul A. Hoffman (PhD, University of Manchester) is senior pastor of Evangelical Friends Church of Newport, Rhode Island. He also teaches courses on preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the coauthor of Preaching to a Divided Nation,...
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