Helen I. A. Oyekanmi, PhD, FAR
Chairman, West African Association of Theological Institutions (WAATI), Nigeria
Baptist College of Theology, Oyo, Nigeria
Email: humankind62@gmail.com
Festus Olu Ade Alade, D.Min., Ph.D.
Registrar, Freedom University & Theological Seminary
Pottstown, Pennsylvania, USA (Africa Campus)
Email: festusoluadealade@futssaki.com.ng
ORCID iD: 0009-0005-4825-9745
Abstract
The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into contemporary religious and educational contexts is transforming the ways biblical texts are accessed, interpreted, and communicated. This chapter examines AI as an emerging hermeneutical mediator and evaluates its implications for biblical interpretation, Christian worship, and theological formation. Drawing on contemporary hermeneutical theory and African biblical scholarship, the study argues that interpretation has always been shaped by mediating structures such as tradition, community, institutions, and technology. However, unlike earlier technologies that primarily facilitated access to information, AI increasingly participates in the generation, organisation, and presentation of interpretive knowledge, thereby raising significant questions concerning scriptural authority, interpretive responsibility, contextual relevance, and spiritual discernment.
Employing insights from Gadamer, Ricoeur, Thiselton, and Vanhoozer alongside African hermeneutical perspectives represented by Ukpong, West, Adamo, and Dube, the chapter situates AI within the broader history of biblical interpretation. Particular attention is given to African and Nigerian Christian contexts, where digital technologies are increasingly shaping theological education, ministry, and worship. The chapter contends that while AI can enhance access to theological resources and support ministerial practice, it cannot replace the communal, contextual, ecclesial, and Spirit-guided dimensions of biblical interpretation. It proposes a theology of responsible AI-mediated hermeneutics grounded in scriptural authority, scholarly accountability, contextual engagement, ecclesial discernment, and spiritual formation.
Keyword
Artificial Intelligence, Biblical Hermeneutics, Scriptural Authority, African Christianity, Theological Formation, Digital Religion
Article Information
Article Type: Research Article
Journal: FUTS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (FJMS)
Publication Status: Pre-Inaugural Publication
Publication Date: October 2026