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When the World Shakes: Anchoring Your Soul in the Unchanging Goodness of God

  When the World Shakes: Anchoring Your Soul in the Unchanging Goodness of God If you feel like the ground beneath you has been vibrating lately, you are not alone. As we close out 2025 and look toward 2026, the prevailing cultural mood isn't one of optimistic resolution—it’s one of low-grade anxiety. We see it in global instability, we feel it in the deep divisions fracturing major church denominations, and we experience it in the economic and personal pressures of daily life. The writer of Hebrews spoke of a time when God would "shake not only the earth but also the heavens," so that "what cannot be shaken may remain" (Hebrews 12:26-27). It feels like we are living through a great shaking right now. In times like these, the most difficult—yet most vital—question a Christian can ask is: Is God still good? The world’s answer is "no." The skeptic’s answer is "if He is, He isn't very competent." But the biblical answer is a resounding ...

Faith in the Age of AI: Discernment in a "Deepfake" World

 

Faith in the Age of AI: Discernment in a "Deepfake" World

If you scrolled through social media earlier this year, you likely saw it: the video of "Pope Leo XIV" endorsing a controversial political candidate. It looked real. It sounded real. It had the weight of the Vatican behind it.

Except, it wasn't real. It was a deepfake that fooled millions of believers before being debunked.

Then came September, when we saw the "AI Resurrection" of prominent figures like Charlie Kirk, where algorithms generated new sermons from deceased leaders, saying things they never actually said while alive.

As we head into 2026, the line between reality and simulation has vanished. We are living in the age of "Synthetic Truth," where seeing is no longer believing. For Christians, this isn't just a technological crisis; it is a spiritual one. When a machine can write a perfect sermon, feign deep emotion, and mimic the voice of your favorite pastor, how do you obey the biblical command to "test the spirits"?



The Theology of the "Ghost in the Machine"

The primary danger of AI in the church isn't that it will become "conscious" like in a sci-fi movie. The danger is that it sounds like truth without the Breath of God.

In Genesis 2:7, God formed man from dust and "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." This is the Imago Dei—the Image of God. Humans have a soul; algorithms have parameters.

An AI can aggregate every sermon ever written on "Grace" and produce a theologically accurate essay. But it cannot experience grace. It cannot weep over sin. It cannot be convicted by the Holy Spirit.

When we consume AI-generated spiritual content, we are consuming the "form of godliness" without the "power thereof" (2 Timothy 3:5). We risk turning our faith into mere information consumption, rather than a relational encounter with the Living God.

Biblical Discernment: Testing the Digital Spirits

The Apostle John gave us a mandate that feels written specifically for 2026:

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)

In the first century, "false prophets" were men who twisted scripture. In the twenty-first century, false prophets can be code. How do we "test" a digital spirit?

1. The "Fruit" Test (Matthew 7:16)

Jesus told us to judge prophets by their fruit. An AI has no life, so it has no fruit. It has no marriage to maintain, no neighbors to love, no suffering to endure.

  • Practical Tip: Be wary of "faceless" online ministries or influencers who have no connection to a local church. If you can't verify their real-world fruit, don't trust their digital root.

2. The "Embodiment" Test

Christianity is an intensely physical faith. The Word became flesh, not a PDF. The sacraments (Communion, Baptism) require water, bread, wine, and touch.

  • The Warning: If your primary spiritual intake comes from a screen—especially from sources that could be AI-generated—you are starving your soul.

  • The Fix: Prioritize the Incarnational. A stumbling, imperfect sermon from a real pastor who knows your name is infinitely more valuable than a "perfect" sermon generated by a bot.

3 Rules for the Christian Internet in 2026

To navigate this "Deepfake World" without losing your way, adopt these three habits for the New Year:

1. Verification is a Spiritual Discipline Laziness in checking facts is a sin against the Truth. Before sharing a sensational quote, video, or "prophecy" you saw on TikTok, pause. Verify the source. If it provokes outrage or fear, assume it is manipulated until proven otherwise.

2. Return to the "Analog" Bible Algorithms can track your reading habits and subtly steer you toward content that confirms your biases. An increasingly vital practice is reading a physical Bible. A paper page has no algorithm. It does not change based on what you "clicked" yesterday. It is the unchangeable Rock.

3. Reject "AI Resurrection" Content We are seeing a trend of using AI to make deceased pastors "preach" new messages. This is a form of digital necromancy. God speaks through the living church and the canon of Scripture. Let the dead rest; God has raised up living voices for this generation.

Conclusion: The Voice That Cannot Be Faked

In John 10, Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

There is a resonance to the voice of Jesus—echoed through the Holy Spirit—that no deepfake can replicate. It brings peace, not anxiety. It brings conviction, not condemnation. It leads to love, not outrage.

The world of 2026 will be flooded with counterfeits. But if you stay close to the Shepherd, immersed in His Word and rooted in a real-life community, you will always be able to tell the difference between the voice of the Machine and the voice of the Master.

Call to Action (CTA):

Have you encountered "AI spiritual content" on your feed recently? How did it make you feel? Let’s discuss how to spot the difference in the comments below.

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