This is the third and final reflection in a short series on artificial intelligence. But this post, like the others, is ultimately not about AI. Rather, it’s about how the rise of this revolutionary technology compels us to confront deeper existential, ontological, and theological questions about who we are, and who we are becoming.
AI isn’t just changing and challenging how we work or learn. It’s exposing the fault lines in our assumptions about what makes us human, what education is for, and what kind of knowledge we actually need to navigate the future.
In a recent episode of Honestly, Bari Weiss moderated a lively and at times unnerving debate entitled: “Will the Truth Survive Artificial Intelligence?”. On one side were those urgently warning of A.I.’s unchecked trajectory, calling it an existential threat. On the other were skeptics of the alarm, urging a more tempered, rational approach.
After this 75 minute debate was over, what lingered was not just the arguments, but the confusion as to the way forward: each side being well-informed, articulate, and adamant.
How do we know what to believe? How do we move forward when the data seems to support opposing sides, the risks are high, and the paths diverge? What our moment calls for is not more information or better analysis. What we need, what Moses longed for in the wilderness, is discernment.
“I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” — Numbers 11:29, NIV
Pentecost and the Gift We Forgot
Recently the church celebrated Pentecost which reflects back upon an astonishing moment in the story of God and humanity. This coming of God’s Spirit was not an isolated event but the culmination of ancient hopes. It was an answer to deep longings whispered through the ages, and the dawn of a new era and a new way of being human.
Long before tongues of fire danced in the upper room, Moses, weary of leading a complaining people through the wilderness, cried out a longing from his soul.
At Pentecost, that longing was fulfilled. The Spirit of God descended on not just one but upon all who waited. And with this divine indwelling came not just power, but perception. The Spirit brought to humanity an entirely new existence and the ability to see the world through God’s eyes.
A profound but often neglected and misunderstood aspect of this moment is the understated gift of spiritual discernment. With the coming of the Spirit came the grace to recognize what is true, good, and beautiful in a world thick with confusion and contradiction. In our AI-shaped age, this gift may be one of the most essential capacities we need to develop.
Why Discernment Matters Now More Than Ever
Artificial intelligence is not merely a tool, it’s a magnifying mirror. It reflects our ingenuity and our insecurity as it surfaces both our brilliance and our brokenness. It has the capacity to solve extraordinary problems and to amplify our deepest flaws.
In his book Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari makes a poignant observation that people think in terms of stories, and we are much more interested in the power of the story than whether it reflects what is true in reality. In other words, compelling narratives often shape our beliefs and decisions more than facts do, which means we are especially vulnerable to distortion in an age where AI can generate persuasive but misleading content at scale.
This insight reveals one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities of our age. We fear not just misinformation, but the seduction of narrative. We don’t simply discover ideas based on truth; rather, we consume them based on how compelling they are, how emotionally satisfying, how well they fit our ideological tribe.
This is why we cannot place spiritual discernment on the periphery of what it means to be a follower of Christ. We need a deeper awareness, a Spirit-given, Scripture-anchored way see through the most persuasive stories to the unseen source underneath. This kind of discernment doesn’t originate in our minds or experiences. It begins with the unfathomable reality that God has given us the very mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16).
In a world of powerful algorithms and emotionally attune language models, spiritual discernment resists manipulation because it senses the spirit. Having access to the mind of Christ allows us to test the spirit of the age, and affirm what it means for humans to flourish. As we evaluate the world around us, how can we grow in Spirit-led discernment?
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” (1 John 4:1)
What Is Spiritual Discernment?
Spiritual discernment is not just decision-making. It’s not instinct, nor is it simply wisdom acquired through experience. At its heart, spiritual discernment is the Spirit-enabled capacity to perceive what is true, good, and beautiful in the midst of complexity, contradiction, and competing voices.
It is not about predicting outcomes but about sensing alignment with God’s purposes. It’s the gift of seeing through the surface to the heart of a matter, being able to recoginze where the Spirit’s vitality is at work, where danger is hidden, and where love is leading.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
Discernment, then, is not a luxury for the especially spiritual. It is a vital practice for all who follow Jesus in a rapidly changing world. And in the age of AI, it may be one of the most needed competencies of all.
The Gift We’ve Neglected
Spiritual discernment is one of the very gifts of the gospel, and yet one we rarely seek with intention. In our spiritual lives, we often prize inspiration over interpretation, action over attentiveness. But discernment is not a mystical add-on. It is how the early Church navigated crises. It is how Jesus resisted the devil’s temptations. It is how Paul advised the community in Philippi to test what is “excellent and praiseworthy.”
Discernment is not a checklist but a gift received in prayerful attentiveness, prophetic imagination, communal wisdom, and in surrendered trust. It grows when we slow down and create space to ask not only what feels right, but what aligns with Christ and His Kingdom. It matures when we learn to wait, to listen, and to weigh.
Hopeful Intelligence Is Discerning Intelligence
We must position ourselves to receive this spiritual discernment as it allows us to move forward in the midst of confusing complexity. It lets us function, as F. Scott Fitzgerald put it, with “two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time,” not because we are brilliant, but because we are indwelt by the One who sees all things clearly.
Spiritual discernment is the gospel’s hope for how Christian scientists, entrepreneurs, ethicists, teachers, and everyday workers can navigate AI and its countless ripple effects. It’s how leaders can weigh important decisions around when to integrate and when to resist. And it’s how the Church will offer not just critique or celebration, but a distinctive witness: an attentive people who think wisely, see further, and act in hope.
“This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best…” (Philippians 1:9–10)
At Goldenwood we are committed to cultivating rhythms and practices that position us to receive these graces. It is one of the reasons why we developed Nautilus. This seven-month cornerstone program is designed to strengthen these spiritual competencies, so that a new generation of distinct leaders can live as Spirit-led stewards of wisdom.
Because the world doesn’t need louder voices. It needs clearer ones, rooted in Christ, formed by love, and led by the Spirit. Let us boldly claim God’s gifts. Not just for ourselves, but for the sake of the world we’re called to serve. For we are not machines. We are beloved image-bearers, dust and glory, called to discern and to steward, in the likeness of our loving God.
This is the final post of a 3-part series by David Kim.
Read the first: Dust and Glory: How AI Confirms the Bible’s Most Paradoxical Truth About Humanity.
Read the second: Not Picking A.I. Sides: How Love Holds Tension