From Pulpit to Prompt: AI-Generated Spiritual Guidance and the Transformation of Religious Authority Among Christian Youth

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to examine Christian youth's trust in AI-generated spiritual guidance and its implications for religious authority. AI-generated spiritual guidance is understood as the use of generative AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, to generate religious materials such as biblical interpretations, prayer assistance, and theological answers. Religious authority, in contrast, denotes the socially recognised legitimacy of scripture, clergy, and ecclesiastical institutions in determining and affirming spiritual truth. Despite extensive scholarship on digital religion and online worship, limited empirical research has examined Christian youth engagement with AI-generated spiritual guidance and its implications for traditional religious authority, particularly in African contexts. The study was guided by Mediatization Theory, which explains how media technologies progressively shape religious practices, communication, and authority structures. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed, involving 196 Christian youth purposively selected to complete Google Forms questionnaires and 20 religious leaders purposively selected for semi-structured interviews. The questionnaires generated quantitative data, while the interviews provided qualitative insights. The findings revealed that 69.5 per cent of Christian youth had used AI-generated platforms for biblical interpretation, prayer support, theological inquiry, and personal decision-making, and AI was perceived as accessible, convenient, and informative. However, 92.3 per cent of respondents maintained that AI should complement rather than replace church leaders, indicating that traditional religious leaders and scripture remained the primary sources of spiritual authority. The study contributes to emerging scholarship on AI-mediated spirituality and offers insights for religious institutions navigating technological transformation in faith formation and communication in Kenya.