4 in 10 Christians Say AI Has Helped Them with Bible Study, Prayer
A large percentage of U.S. adults believe advice from artificial intelligence is as trustworthy as advice from a pastor, according to an eye-opening new study that also found Christians are turning to AI during their own personal time with God.
The findings were released during this year’s National Religious Broadcasters meeting in Nashville, Tenn., and were part of new research within the State of the Church report by Barna Group in partnership with Gloo, examining the attitudes of Christians and the general population about the emerging technology.
Among the report’s most surprising findings: nearly one-third of U.S. adults say spiritual advice from AI is as trustworthy as advice from a pastor – with an even larger percentage of Gen Zers and Millennials, two in five, saying it’s as reliable.
About 40 percent of practicing Christians say AI has helped them with Bible study, prayer, or spiritual growth.
“Though the majority of practicing Christians remain the most cautious about embracing AI as a spiritual tool, their views are shifting and remain largely uninformed by their pastor,” said Daniel Copeland, vice president of research at Barna. “There’s a real opportunity here for pastors to disciple their congregants on how to use this technology in a beneficial way, especially as pastors remain among the most trusted guides for integrating faith and technology.”
Among the report’s other findings:
– Roughly 4 in 10 pastors (41 percent) use AI for Bible study.
– One-third of practicing Christians (31 percent) say they want their pastors to offer guidance on how to navigate AI.
– Few pastors – only 12 percent – say they are comfortable teaching on AI.
Meanwhile, the report found that a majority of Americans, 61 percent, consume Christian media in some capacity, with roughly half tuning in at least once a week. About two-thirds of Americans say they consider such content meaningful and credible. Yet the most frequent users tend to be the most critical: 45 percent describe Christian media as divisive, and 40 percent say it “makes Christians look bad.”
“As trust in mainstream media has declined in recent years, it’s encouraging to see that confidence in Christian media remains relatively high,” said Scott Beck, co-founder and CEO of Gloo.
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/David Gyung
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published February 27, 2026.
