On ‘The Machine Stops’: ‘You Are Beginning to Worship the Machine’
Through adoration, acedia and atrophy, Forster perceives how the machine age exerts power over our relationships, our religion, our reality, and even our bodies.
AI
The Pope Underestimates AI
In 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued an encyclical on the industrial revolution. In 2026, his namesake, Pope Leo XIV, issued an encyclical on the AI revolution. Unfortunately, AI is more of a revolution than the American-born pontiff seems to realize. The title of papal encyclicals comes from their first words: Magnifica humanitas is Latin for
The Cover We Didn’t Choose
As Lutherans, we believe “that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them” (SC II 1). We confess, moreover, that mankind was created “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27). Gazing at the empty eyes of the AI “creation,” it was hard to see how this “art” (if such it was) could possibly communicate these glorious and eternal truths.
Lutheran Witness: August 2026
The August issue deals with life in the digital age and the rise of artificial intelligence.
‘Non Multa sed Multum’: As Knowledge Abounds, So Too Does the Need for Discernment
There’s an old Latin saying: Non multa sed multum (“not many things, but much”). It’s not so important that a pastor has read a thousand books, but that he’s deeply familiar with the greatest and best.
Artificial Intelligence in the Church: A Call for Real Wisdom
A deeper response to AI requires us to reflect on what it means to be human and on how the reality of the body and incarnational theology affect the way we do ministry.
Relating and Connecting in the Age of Chatbots
The rise and widespread presence of companion chatbots reveals something important about our current moment: Many individuals long to belong, to be heard, and to experience friendship and companionship. Yet they are struggling to find these things.
The Future in the Digital World
What lies next on the digital horizon? What principles should guide our thinking as each new technological frontier is opened?