A survey by the US-based Barna Research Group reveals that an overwhelming majority of pastors in parrticular are sceptical of AI, especially about Scripture. “Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults (74%) say they are concerned about AI misinterpreting Scripture,” Barna reported. “Among practising Christians, that figure rises to 83 per cent, and among pastors, 94 per cent.”
Barna also asked pastors and other Christians, in the areas of theology where interpretations genuinely differ, what should AI do? Three in five pastors (60%) say AI should present all the major interpretations of a passage and explain how they differ, without indicating which one is correct. Other Christians were less clear about that.
When it comes to disputed parts of scripture, presenting multiple interpretations side by side is the top choice across every group Barna surveyed. But 60 per cent of Pastors stand out by wanting AI to show all major options, without saying which one is best or true. The option of showing the most widely agreed upon interpretation is only favoured by 5 per cent of pastors.
Weighing various interpretations is more common among pastors than for other Christians, Barna Vice President of Research Daniel Copeland told Baptist Press.
“Pastors, especially those with seminary or biblical training, are trained to weigh competing sources, commentaries and interpretations of Scripture’s meaning and application,” Copeland said. “All of them already carry the risk of potential bias or blind spots. AI introduces a steep learning curve and genuinely new challenges, but many of the obstacles are the same ones pastors are already trained to face.”
“The risks are clear and real. If thousands of pastors habitually lean on the same AI tools for preaching, counselling, and discernment, we risk converging on the same quick, easy answers,” Copeland said. “Over time, that thins the diversity of discernment and depth of care that ministry depends on.
“That’s antithetical to ministry,” he said, “which is meant to be the human place where we sit with hard questions. I say this with great empathy because it doesn’t happen intentionally; it’s the consequence of a ministry culture that has become concerningly demanding.”
In another Barna report issued in May, nearly half of Christians said they would trust AI advice for spiritual growth Christians
“When asked how much they would personally trust AI’s advice across a range of life domains, practicing Christians report noteworthy openness—and not just in practical areas. Nearly three in five (61%) say they would completely or somewhat trust AI with achieving financial stability, and 56 percent say the same for mental and physical well-being. But the trust extends into more personal territory as well: Majorities say they would trust AI with feeling happy and content with life (56%), understanding and expressing one’s true self (54%), having a sense of meaning or purpose (54%), and building meaningful relationships with others (53%). Nearly half say the same for growing spiritually (48%).”
But overall, there is still a lot of caution about AI advice being seen as a spiritual voice.
Findings were drawn from two surveys conducted among the US general adult population, Christians and senior Protestant pastors in November and December 2025. The study group included quotas to include proper representation by church size, denomination and region. Just over 1,500 adults were surveyed in November, followed by 442 pastors in December.
No specific Scriptures were identified as difficult in the questions researchers posed, but the questions broadly referenced “contested” Scripture.
Image: AI generated image with prompt “Draw a picture of scripture interpreted by AI”