Dr. Suzanne Nicholson, professor of New Testament at Asbury University, recently wrote a paper titled “Snapshot of the Living Word: AI, the Means of Grace, and Spiritual Formation.” She will present her paper on March 20-21 at the 2026 Wesleyan Theological Society annual meeting in Seattle, Washington.
This paper highlights ethical approaches to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially for Christians.
This presentation will explore the goal of this spiritual formation—developing a holy people who fully love God and neighbor—as well as the extent to which AI should play a role in this process.”
This paper remains relevant for Christians seeking to better understand ethical approaches to AI, especially teachers and leaders seeking to navigate the use of AI.
“The sudden ubiquity of artificial intelligence in the academy and the church has raised concerning questions about the ethical limits of using AI for preparation of sermons, Bible studies, and even academic papers,” Nicholson said.
Earlier this year, Nicholson attended the John Wesley Institute’s third summit in Washington, D.C. Asbury Dean of Christian Studies Dr. Brian Shelton ’89 and Professor of Bible & Theology Dr. Kevin Anderson accompanied Nicholson, along with Wesleyan scholars from Asbury Theological Seminary. The attendees worked collaboratively to write sections of the upcoming book on the nature, authority, and inspiration of Scripture. Nicholson led a group on “Approaching Scripture.”
Nicholson also participated in the John Wesley Institute’s recent project on political theology, “Sermons for America,” this past year. For this project, a group of scholars met regularly on Zoom to discuss Oliver O’Donovan’s book, “The Desire of the Nations: Rediscovering the Roots of Political Theology.” These discussions gave the group a starting point for building a collection of sermons that address political and social discourse with a scriptural foundation. Nicholson also wrote a sermon for this project.
“For my sermon, I focused on the trial narrative in John’s Gospel, especially the declaration in John 19:15: ‘We have no king but Caesar!’” Nicholson said. “This sermon is meant as a cautionary tale about the lengths religious leaders can go to in order to keep their power; it is also a reminder that the way of the true Kingdom is not the way of the world. Instead, the kingdom of God calls all believers at all times to bear the fruit of the Spirit rather than wielding the weapons of the world.”
Asbury’s School of Christian Studies offers majors in Bible-Theology, Christian Ministries, Intercultural Studies, Online Leadership and Ministry, Online Ministry Management, Pastoral Ministries, Philosophy, Youth Ministry, and Worship Arts. The liberal arts-focused Master of Arts in Ministry Innovation is the first master’s program the University offers in Ministry and includes a hybrid experience plus a mentorship experience in which professional coaches guide each student on their path to ministry innovation.