Artificial Intelligence in Christian Education:  Effects of AI-Assisted Learning on Epistemic Authority and Faith-Integrated Learning in a Bible School Context

Sora Pazer

doi:10.19166/dil.v8i3.11462

Authors

Sora Pazer IU International University of Applied Science

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19166/dil.v8i3.11462

Keywords:

AI in Christian education, epistemic authority, faith-integrated learning, Bible school, quasi-experimental, theological education, generative AI

Abstract

Background: The integration of generative artificial intelligence into theological education raises distinct challenges for Bible schools and seminaries, where Scripture, confessional tradition, and instructor authority traditionally anchor legitimate knowledge. Aim: This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of AI-assisted learning on theological knowledge acquisition, epistemic authority attribution, and faith-integrated learning among Bible school students. Method: A sample of 121 evangelical-Protestant students (58% male; Mage = 22.4, SD = 3.1) was assigned to an AI-assisted condition (n = 61) or a control condition (n = 60) across one academic semester, with pre- and post-test measures of theological knowledge, epistemic authority attribution, and faith-integration. Results: The AI-assisted group showed significantly higher post-test achievement (d = 0.99) and stronger attribution of epistemic authority to AI (d = 1.01), but significantly lower faith-integration scores (d = −0.41) than controls. AI usage intensity and AI-attributed epistemic authority negatively predicted faith-integration, while Christian Worldview Strength buffered this effect. Conclusion: AI-assisted theological learning entails a genuine epistemological risk: cognitive gains may come at the cost of faith-integration unless institutions deliberately embed worldview formation within AI-mediated pedagogy.

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