Lifeway Research has a guide for youth leaders on the four kinds of questions teenagers ask, and one line jumped out at me: teens now ask us, a group chat, or “an AI chatbot… that’s over-confident and not especially wise.”
The four types
- Trust: “Can I trust the Bible with my real questions?” Don’t give a quick quip. Open the Bible, read it in context and teach them how
- Future: college, relationships, “where is God leading me?” There’s no “secret Christian GPS,” but there is Scripture, prayer and wise people (James 1:5)
- Love: “How do I love someone when I don’t know what to think?” Model being “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)
- Authority: “How do I know which voices to trust?” The writer thinks this “will become the trauma of adolescence in the AI age”
My take
As an AI guy, I agree. A chatbot can give a confident answer in two seconds, but it can’t be your shepherd. Teach kids to ask: who made this answer, what’s it based on, and does it fit Scripture? And remind them the Holy Spirit is the one who guides us “into all the truth” (John 16:13). Let them watch you test things too (Philippians 1:9-10).
God Bless, and Happy hacking!
