See Finding 3 in Scott Crosby’s article: parrishtree.substack.com/p/we-are-…

Formation, Not Just Information, Is the Real Crisis

Understanding AI as a map rather than a mind or mere tool helps us see where it can genuinely serve spiritual formation—and where it cannot. I do think that the notion is right, that this moment is a “rite of passage” for our species. The bottleneck isn’t just whether we can build safe models. It’s whether we can become the kind of people who live with God’s presence in this new terrain, rather than trying to wield this power apart from Him.

Part of my research develops a series of pastoral letters for what I call Sacred Terrain—eight recurring “seasons” that God uses in our formation (Beginning, Discovery, Testing, Crisis, Waiting, Renewal, Collaboration, Steady).

The core insight: the same circumstances can either form us or deform us, depending on whether we live them with God’s presence or apart from it. A season of waiting, for example, can produce patient trust (the Spirit’s fruit) or cynical bitterness (fear without God). Same external terrain, opposite formation.

Where does AI fit?

What AI can do:

Recognize patterns across your story that you can’t see yourself—when old habits are at work versus when real growth is happening Surface connections between Scripture, history, and your current season that would take you years to find Help you see formation as it unfolds in real time—distinguishing genuine patience from its counterfeits (apathy, cynicism) Map patterns across all the different areas of your life at once—work, marriage, parenting, friendships—and how the seasons in each are connected and shaping each other What AI cannot do:

Experience God’s presence the way persons do—it has no interior life or personhood Walk the formation journey for you or make your choices about how to respond Replace the Spirit’s work of illuminating truth to your heart The real constraint isn’t AI capability—it’s human character.

We need:

Steadiness in Testing when the newsfeed screams crisis Wisdom in Collaboration as humans, institutions, and tools all pull on each other Hope as we move between seasons, especially as whole professions reshape around new capacities The church has something unique to offer: not just a set of rules about technology, but a story of formation where suffering, limits, and waiting are not glitches but ingredients. Where the same pressure can produce either bitterness or hope, depending on whose presence we’re living in.