Artificial intelligence and doctrinal authority: Emerging ethical and theological questions for the Church in Ghana

Richfield Kwame Atinyo ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol. 12 No.9 2026 Issue Article 4 pp. 425 – 441
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20261294 Published online 23rd October 2026.
© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This study examined the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and doctrinal authority in the context of the Church of Ghana. The increasing use of AI in sermon preparation, biblical interpretation, theological research, and religious communication has raised important theological and ethical concerns regarding the integrity of Christian doctrine and the legitimacy of machine-assisted theological content. The study specifically explored how AI influences theological interpretation, the ethical issues associated with AI-generated religious content, and how churches should respond to AI-driven theological tools. The study was underpinned by Hermeneutical Theory and Technological Determinism Theory and grounded in the interpretivist paradigm. It used a qualitative research approach with a phenomenological research design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nineteen purposively selected participants, including pastors, church leaders, seminary lecturers, theological educators, and theological students. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that AI is increasingly being used in sermon structuring, biblical explanation, theological research, contextual communication, and comparative doctrinal synthesis. However, the study also found that AI-generated religious content raises serious concerns related to doctrinal inconsistency, authorship and authenticity, overdependence, misinformation, and spiritual disconnection. The study concludes that while AI may serve as a useful assistive tool in ministry and theological education, it cannot function as a source of doctrinal authority. The paper recommends doctrinal oversight, digital theological literacy, and ethical guidelines for the use of responsible AI in Christian contexts.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Doctrinal Authority, Theological Ethics, Biblical Interpretation, Church in Ghana.

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Richfield Kwame Atinyo is Assistant Librarian at the Apostolic Church Theological Seminary (ACTS), Kumasi, Ghana, and an Adjunct Lecturer in Research Methods at the University of Gold Coast (Accra Business School). He holds an MA in Information Science from the University of Cape Coast and an MPhil in Human Resource Management from the University of Ghana. He is a Chartered Member of the Ghana Library Association and the recipient of the Kimathi & Partners Prize for Best Graduate Thesis in Human Resource Management at the University of Ghana. His research focuses on digital transformation, digital theology, artificial intelligence and religion, information ethics, and doctrinal integrity within African Christianity.

Atinyo, Richfield Kwame. “Artificial Intelligence and Doctrinal Authority: Emerging ethical and theological questions for the Church in Ghana.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 12, no.9 (2026): 425 – 441. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20261294

© 2026 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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