Should I Use AI in Sermon Prep?

Last week, I was finishing a message on Matthew 19 regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage. It’s a subject I dislike preaching on because the biblical data on divorce and remarriage seems unclear to me, and many Bible scholars disagree on the topic.

To illustrate my point, I wanted to reference an article in the Fundamentalist Journal from the 1980s. It was part of their Point/Counterpoint series, where Charles Ryrie and Jay Adams debated when biblical divorce is allowed. Ryrie took the no-divorce position, while Adams allowed it in cases of immorality.

When I searched for the article, an AI-generated summary of the debate popped up:

Jay Adams vs. Charles Ryrie on Divorce and Pornography

The debate between Jay Adams and Charles Ryrie on divorce and pornography reflects differing interpretations of biblical texts. Adams argued that viewing pornography is equivalent to committing adultery, which would justify divorce. In contrast, Ryrie maintained that divorce and remarriage are never permissible under biblical law. This debate highlights the complexity of applying biblical teachings to modern issues of morality and ethics.

Wait a minute! They debated divorce in cases of immorality—not whether viewing pornography justified divorce. That’s a different question. I’m fairly certain Adams did not take the position stated.

What knucklehead drew that conclusion?

So, I clicked on the AI reference link—the only link provided—only to discover that the article AI used to draw this conclusion was one I WROTE on Proclaimanddefend.org!

I was the knucklehead!

Please understand I did not say what the AI tool claimed I said. My original article was clear. AI just doesn’t reason all that well.

So be careful.

AI tools can be very helpful in ministry. They excel at turning articles into outlines and outlines into articles. AI can generate images and create PowerPoint slides. These tools can process large amounts of data and reformat it in useful ways. My son recently created an interactive map of our church members by uploading a data file and giving AI a simple voice command.

What about using AI for preaching?

Most pastors now use AI to write messages, and the level of work AI does in that process could be troubling. The Christian Post surveyed pastors regarding AI and found the following:

• Two-thirds of pastors use AI in some form for sermon prep.
• Twenty-five percent say they use it daily.
• Most report using it for grammar, style, and polishing work.
• It is most often used for research and crafting communications.

Any internet search will produce links to many ‘Free AI sermon generators.’ AI takes vast amounts of information from the internet, digests it, and then outputs it in the format and style you dictate. It will write entire sermons on specific passages or subjects, tailor them to a theological perspective, and do it surprisingly well.

As AI becomes a more commonly used tool in our society, we should take note:

AI is often not accurate.

AI is very useful for checking grammar and enhancing style in communications. However, I’ve found that AI often changes the meaning of what I’ve written in the name of grammar. I must be diligent to ensure the final result accomplishes my purpose.

AI is useful for creating outlines and study guides from documents. However, it tends to eliminate passages it considers redundant—often the most pointed or controversial parts of what I write or preach. I find this suspicious.

AI is a helpful research tool, but its summaries of articles and documents often contain errors. If these errors aren’t caught, they could transfer to sermon writing and delivery. This happened in my case with the Adams/Ryrie debate.

Saving time and effort is a great benefit of AI tools—but that can be the problem. We get so focused on saving time that we fail to check what the AI tool produces.

There is such a thing as ‘too easy.’

Sometimes saving time is not a good thing. When I was in a college speech class, I memorized the first rule for effective speakers:

The effective speaker has a message to deliver and is consumed with the necessity of getting that message across and accomplishing his purpose.

In preaching the Word, I need to interact with the passage long enough for it to impact me. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, that passage must reach deep into my soul. I need to see myself in that passage, see my Lord, and see the people to whom I’m preaching. My message cannot just be a manuscript or an outline. It must be a message from the Word, delivered in the power of the Spirit. This cannot be skipped in the quickness with which AI summarizes and packages Scripture for preaching. Sermons should be prepared more like a smoked brisket than a microwave dinner.

AI is not evil. It is a tool. Like any tool, we can use it to enhance our ability to preach the Word. But we must be fully aware of its limitations and temptations and avoid the traps they present.

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Audio version of this post: Should I Use AI in Sermon Prep?