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Educators today are facing some big questions about artificial intelligence—how to use it, when to avoid it, and whether we even have the capacity to understand it all. But as Christian educators, we’re invited to approach these questions with a different kind of imagination—one that’s not just shaped by pop culture, cautionary tales, or Silicon Valley sales pitches. We’re called to imagine AI through the lens of the Big Story of Scripture. 

Think of Scripture as a four-act play: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. This is the metanarrative of Scripture—the “Big Story” that is woven through every page of the Bible. The Big Story of Scripture not only helps us understand God’s work in the world but also shapes the way we understand ourselves and our work. And yes, that includes our work with technology. 

Let’s be honest: we already have an imagination for AI. Most of us picture it in terms shaped by sci-fi blockbusters or dystopian thrillers. Depending on what stories we’ve absorbed, we might see AI as an unstoppable innovation, a dangerous threat, or just another overwhelming thing on our to-do list. But those aren’t the only stories available to us. The Big Story of Scripture offers a better one—an imagination grounded in truth, hope, and a deeper sense of calling. 

Competing Stories: Three Tempting (but Incomplete) Tales We Tell Ourselves 

When I talk with educators about AI and the work of teaching and learning, I often encounter three common stories teachers and school leaders are telling themselves about AI: 

1. The “Incorporating Innovation” story says, “AI is a gift! It can make teaching more efficient, help students thrive, and unlock incredible new opportunities.” This story often reflects the optimism of Creation—the goodness of human creativity, the call to develop the earth, and the delight God takes in innovation. 

    

2. The “Policing Problems” story sounds the alarm: “Students are cheating! AI is undermining learning! We have to shut this down!” This story mirrors the reality of the Fall—a world where misuse, mistrust, and brokenness creep into even our best ideas. 

    

3. The “Ostrich Option” story is the overwhelmed teacher’s mantra: “I don’t have time to deal with this. I’ll just stick my head in the sand, ignore it, and hope it goes away.” Surprisingly, this posture might reflect a kind of passive trust in Redemption—a “Jesus, take the wheel!” kind of hope that the Lord will sort things out when we can’t. 

    

Each of these stories has a grain of truth—and as I’m suggesting, I think that each aligns loosely with a part of the Big Story. But none tells the whole story. And when we reduce our view of AI to just one of these, we miss the chance to see more clearly, to imagine more fully, and to respond more faithfully. 

Seeing AI Through the Whole Story 

What would it look like to take the whole Big Story seriously? 

• Creation reminds us that God made a good world—and called humans, his image-bearers, to develop it. That means innovation isn’t automatically suspicious. In fact, our ability to create new tools (including AI) reflects something beautiful about the way God made us—we have been created to create! Technology isn’t outside God’s good design; it’s part of our creative task. 

   

• The Fall reminds us that every part of creation—including our imaginations—is touched by sin. AI can be twisted for selfish gain, can widen inequities, and can tempt us to cut corners instead of cultivating wisdom. This isn’t negativity; it is taking the reality of sin seriously. And being real about the Fall is essential; it keeps us alert and humble as we navigate through the brokenness we see around us and within us. 

   

• Redemption points us to Jesus—the one who does what we cannot. Only Jesus breaks the power of sin and begins the restoration of all things. That includes how we use technology! We don’t redeem the world with our clever strategies, but we can see—and rejoice in!—what God is already doing to heal what is polluted and reclaim what is broken. 

   

• Restoration calls us to action. Through the Spirit, we’re invited to be agents of reconciliation, repair, and renewal—even in our classrooms. That means teaching students to use AI responsibly, ethically, and creatively. It means modeling discernment and helping them imagine better ways to learn, collaborate, and serve others. 

   

This whole-story approach doesn’t give us easy answers—but it gives us a trustworthy framework for truth-seeking. It reminds us that we’re not just reacting to AI out of fear or fatigue. We’re responding as people rooted in a much larger story—one that began before us and continues beyond us. 

Imagination that Discerns 

If we want to be wise in our use of AI, we need to cultivate what we might call a Christian imagination—a way of seeing and thinking that’s shaped by Scripture’s metanarrative. That imagination allows us to affirm the goodness of human creativity without being naive about the dangers. It allows us to trust Christ’s redeeming work without abdicating our responsibility to teach and lead with wisdom. It gives us hope that even now, in a moment of technological upheaval, God is not absent. He is at work. And he invites us to join him! 

So, when we ask, “What should Christian educators do with AI?”—the best answer might be: Tell a better story. Not just the story of innovation, or of caution, or of escape. But the story of God’s goodness, our brokenness, Christ’s redeeming work, and our calling to join him in making all things new. 

In other words: Be a truth-seeker. Think critically, judge sharply, and discern wisely. Let the Big Story be your guide.