Christian Witness in the Digital Age
This theme was discussed during the 38th edition of the Giornate teologiche, the annual theological conference, held on Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, at IFED in Padua, Italy. The document was drafted on the occasion of the conference.
1. Introductory Questions
The digital age, with particular reference to artificial intelligence, represents one of the most significant cultural challenges of our time for Christian witness. The speed at which digital technologies are developing, and the depth of their impact on personal and social life, are without precedent in the history of technological revolutions.
As we face this transformation, the evangelical response must be shaped neither by indifference nor by uncritical enthusiasm, but by biblical discernment, public responsibility, and faithful witness, confessing that no sphere of reality lies beyond the government of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:22). The gospel of Jesus Christ remains the decisive answer to the hopes and fears of our time (Rom. 1:16).
2. Evangelical culture, animated by a deep conviction of the sovereignty of God and fully subject to the authority of Scripture, is not called merely to adopt categories developed elsewhere, nor to echo worldviews fashioned in other contexts. In the realm of technology and artificial intelligence as well, it is called to rethink all things in the light of God’s revelation and of a coherent and comprehensive biblical worldview. If this is pursued with faithfulness and biblical wisdom, evangelical Christianity can enter the public square not simply as one voice among many, but as the bearer of a distinctive and fruitful perspective (Rom. 12:2; Col. 2:8; 2 Cor. 10:5).
3. In order to address the challenges posed by artificial intelligence in a distinctly Christian way, the pattern of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation remains the most reliable framework within which to interpret every technological development. God is the Creator of all things, the Lord of history, and the King who rules even over processes that surpass human understanding. No innovation can escape his dominion, nor does any future lie beyond his wisdom. For this reason, we reject both catastrophic and salvific readings of technology. The future belongs neither to algorithms nor to digital powers, but to the living God (Ps. 115:3; Eph. 1:11).
2. Risks and Challenges of the Digital Age
4. Systems described as “artificial intelligence” lack personal intelligence, moral consciousness, and spiritual life. They remain instruments produced by human creativity and reflect, in a derivative way, capacities received from the Creator (Ps. 147:5). Yet precisely within this context a particular idolatrous temptation emerges. It appears in the confusion of Creator and creature: systems produced by human beings come to be perceived as authoritative sources of knowledge and guidance concerning reality, assuming a role that, within the biblical vision, belongs to God. This dynamic takes root through promises of reliability, security, and immediate access to forms of knowledge presented as truth, fostering functional dependencies and directing people toward new technological idols (Gen. 3:5; Rom. 1:25).
5. The biblical doctrine of the human person remains decisive. Man and woman are not an aggregate of data, a biological machine, or an upgradable platform. They are persons created in the image of God, endowed with inviolable dignity and accountable before him (Gen. 1:26–27). Yet in the digital age a growing form of anthropological reductionism is emerging. On the one hand, the human being is interpreted as an informational system that can be analysed and predicted; on the other, the idea is emerging that identity may be redefined through the integration of human beings with technical devices. Within this framework, movements such as transhumanism and posthumanism, which propose to overcome the human condition through technology, are gaining increasing cultural legitimacy. These perspectives tend to dissolve the distinction between the creature and technology and to redefine the human in functional and performance-based terms. The distinction between the creature and the Creator tends to disappear, together with the moral responsibility that follows from it.
6. Scripture teaches that the root of the human crisis lies not primarily in a scarcity of tools, but in the breaking of the covenant with God. Sin corrupts the human heart and is also manifested in the design and use of technologies (Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:23). In this context, a form of hamartiological relativism is spreading, whereby technology is implicitly regarded as neutral or as not deeply marked by sin. Such a view tends to marginalise concrete risks: the manipulation of information, the concentration of power, technocratic control, disinformation, and economic exploitation. Evangelical faith, precisely because it recognises the radical nature of sin and its personal and structural consequences, has a distinctive role in discerning these dynamics and in developing a body of thought that does not ignore them. Technological systems embody criteria and purposes that shape human action and must therefore be assessed in the light of a biblical understanding of reality.
7. To this must be added a form of soteriological presumption. Human limitations are increasingly interpreted as technical problems. Vulnerability, dependence, and even mortality appear as defects that can be corrected through technological progress. This is not merely technological optimism, but a reinterpretation of the human condition. The breaking of the covenant tends to disappear from view, replaced by a promise of continuous improvement. Here evangelical witness has a distinctive role to play. Convinced that the gospel of salvation in Christ alone is the only way of salvation, evangelicals exercise an irreplaceable prophetic role in recalling that no technical solution can address the human condition at its deepest point of need. The dominion entrusted to the creature is not autonomy; it remains the exercise of responsible stewardship under God (Gen. 1:28; 2 Cor. 5:17–21).
8. The question of truth and authority takes on particular significance in the age of artificial intelligence. The automated production of content, generative systems, and techniques of algorithmic persuasion place under pressure our very capacity to orient ourselves reliably within reality. Increasingly profound forms of epistemic disorientation are thus spreading, making it difficult to distinguish the authentic from the artificial and to recognise trustworthy criteria of truth. Christian witness is called to be clearly oriented toward the truth revealed in Scripture, recognising it as the ultimate criterion of judgement and trustworthy source of knowledge (John 14:6; John 17:17; Eph. 4:25). It is likewise called to lead humanity back to the primary source of truth, the revealed Word of God, by which every human claim is judged and every form of wisdom is brought under scrutiny. In its use of media and digital platforms as well, the church must renounce deceptive shortcuts, the spectacularisation of the gospel, and communicative practices that contradict the truth it proclaims (2 Cor. 4:2).
9. Artificial intelligence systems, as probabilistic models trained on large quantities of data, tend to reflect the distributions present within those data. This exposes them to bias and may lead them to reinforce majority dynamics. In this context, we may speak of forms of algorithmic exclusion: minority positions, including religious ones, risk being marginalised or misrepresented within digital environments.
10. A further concern must also be considered. The principal artificial intelligence systems are developed and managed by private actors operating on a global scale, often interacting with public institutions in ways that are not always transparent. The digital age therefore raises new questions concerning the distribution of power and the relationship between public and private actors, creating the risk of techno-financial oligarchies. New centres of power, particularly in the technology sector, exercise growing influence through the ownership and control of data, the development of digital infrastructures, and the use of systems capable of shaping behaviour, decisions, and perceptions. This influence becomes intertwined with that of public institutions through unprecedented dynamics, entering directly into people’s lives through forms of control, persuasion, exclusion, and potential manipulation.
3. Evangelical Propositions
11. In his common grace, God continues to sustain the world, restrain evil, and distribute gifts that serve human life (Matt. 5:45; James 1:17). From this perspective, digital technologies are not to be rejected as such, but interpreted in the light of the cultural mandate, while keeping in view the risks identified in the preceding paragraphs. We are called to ensure that they are used to display the glory of God, make visible his lordship over every sphere of reality, and contribute to the extension of his kingdom.
12. Within this horizon, the Christian calling is expressed through priestly, royal, and prophetic responsibility (1 Pet. 2:9; Gen. 2:15; Matt. 5:13–16). It is priestly in its attention to the consequences of technology for human life, in care for one’s neighbour, and in responsibility toward those who are most exposed; royal in the exercise of an ordering and preserving responsibility within the digital dimensions of reality as well; and prophetic in bearing witness to the truth of God and denouncing whatever contradicts it. This threefold calling, exercised in genuine dependence upon God, can engage fruitfully with the challenges outlined above. In the sphere of digital technology too, these dimensions call believers not only to informed use, but also to active engagement in understanding, developing, and directing technological processes.
13. In the face of the new forms of opacity and overlap in the exercise of power raised by the development of artificial intelligence, the evangelical perspective reaffirms the principle of sphere sovereignty as an expression of the order of creation under the lordship of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:16–17). This principle affirms that God has established a plurality of spheres of life, each endowed with its own mandate and authority, and it provides a restraint/safeguard against every undue expansion of power, whether in the form of integration between public institutions and technological and economic actors or through the tendency to concentrate control over private data, infrastructures, and decision-making processes in a single centre. It requires public, economic, and social actors to exercise their responsibilities within their appointed limits, and civil authority to safeguard justice and preserve proper boundaries between the different spheres, without exceeding its own sphere or being absorbed by other powers. From this perspective, the collection and use of private data must not violate or improperly redefine the relationships proper to the various spheres of human life, such as family, education, and community, by assuming a form of control that exceeds their mandate. The development and deployment of artificial intelligence systems must remain within limits that respect the order God has impressed upon human and social life, and must not become instruments of dominion or of undue intrusion into other spheres.
14. Digital transformations require solid ethical foundations. The evangelical vision offers a distinctive contribution capable of holding together revealed norm, historical complexity, and personal responsibility (Mic. 6:8; Col. 1:9–10). In certain areas, it may arrive at practical convergences with other perspectives, particularly regarding principles such as accountability, transparency, fairness, the protection of the human person, and resistance to abuses of power. Such convergences can foster forms of cooperation and a shared presence in the public square. Its contribution nevertheless remains distinct both in its foundations and in its concrete implications.
15. This Scripture-rooted ethic shapes not only individual conduct but also the evaluation of technological processes and their moral implications. It concerns not only the use of tools, but also the structures that make them possible. It requires us to examine the architecture of digital systems so that they may reflect criteria consistent with the biblical vision of reality. This entails attention to the design criteria of algorithms, the transparency of automated decision-making processes, the quality and representativeness of data, and the purposes guiding technological development. In this sense, evangelical ethics can make a genuine and fruitful contribution to public debate, offering categories capable of holding together truth, responsibility, and the common good.
16. For these reasons, we encourage evangelical churches, theological institutions, and wider evangelical networks to bear faithful witness in the digital age:
on the theological front, by promoting a theocentric vision in which the rule of God sheds light on the challenges of technology, steadfastly maintaining the Creator–creature distinction and the centrality of redemption in Christ; and by developing a biblical vision of digital environments and artificial intelligence that includes ethical reflection rooted in Scripture;
on the homiletical and catechetical front, by teaching the doctrines of the imago Dei, sin, calling, truth, and Christian wisdom as they apply to digital questions; and by forming believers capable of discernment, faithful witness, and competent service in the public square, including through well-grounded vocations in the realms of culture, technology, and institutions;
on the pastoral front, by upholding the church’s calling as a covenant community in which authentic relationships are cultivated toward mutual good, justice, and the calling of God; and by accompanying those who face challenges related to digital dependencies, loss of identity, technological anxieties, and professional transitions;
on the missional front, by using technological tools wisely for evangelism, discipleship, Bible translation, training, and the support of churches in difficult contexts, without confusing the means with the message;
on the public front, by taking a courageous part in civil debate, bearing a biblical worldview concerning the human person, freedom, and justice, and being present in the spaces where the governance of digital technology and artificial intelligence is designed, regulated, and decided; and by remaining vigilant regarding the risks associated with the concentration of technological power and its implications for religious freedom (Matt. 5:13–16; Jer. 29:7).
Primary Bibliography
McGrath, Quinting; Huizinga, Gretchen; Dyer, John; Graves, Mark, “AI, Ethics, and Trust: A Biblically Grounded Christian Position”, WEA General Assembly, 2025.
“AI Ethics and the Great Commission”, Lausanne Global Analysis, 2025.
Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Artificial Intelligence: An Evangelical Statement of Principles, Nashville, ERLC, 2019.
Lausanne Movement, The Seoul Statement, 2024, §7.
“Etica ed internet”, Supplemento a Studi di teologia, Centro Studi di Etica e Bioetica, n. 5, 2007.
“Post-umanesimo”, Supplemento a Studi di teologia, Centro Studi di Etica e Bioetica, n. 14, 2016.
“Intelligenza artificiale”, Supplemento a Studi di teologia, Centro Studi di Etica e Bioetica, n. 19, 2021.