The Barna Group surveyed 1,524 U.S. adults and 442 Protestant pastors in November and December of 2025, reports The Christian Post.
The survey found that 44% of what Barna qualifies as "practicing Christians" use AI often or very often in their personal lives, as opposed to 31% of adults overall. Barna does not explain why this is the case.
Dr. Scott Rae, professor of philosophy and Christian ethics at Biola University, tells “Washington Watch” the why matters.
“I'm much more concerned about the way it's used as almost a substitute, in cases, for church and community and relationships,” Rae says. “I think using it as some shortcuts to do some things in the workplace or in your private life — some of that, I think, is a case of no harm, no foul.”
The Barna survey finds Christians use it mostly for general advice or educational purposes, but half say they trust AI with their spiritual growth. Rae says that raises a red flag.
“Our spiritual life was, I think, was never intended to be easy or convenient,” Rae states.
In Philippians, the Apostle Paul says Christians are to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Rae also points out that AI chatbots are designed to lure a person into trusting them.
“The algorithms make the bot a sycophant, which means they butter us up, they agree with us, they tell us how great we are,” Rae says.
The Bible, on the other hand, challenges a Christian.
“The New Testament's encouraging, but it's also very challenging. And I have yet to see AI chatbots say, ‘You know, that's really a terrible idea. You ought to think about something else,’” Rae says.
The research also found that Christians use AI more than their pastors, but they still want guidance regarding the technology. However, only 12% of pastors feel prepared to give that guidance.
