Should AI Be Used for Theological Research?

Small variations in prompt wording can significantly change the course of AI-generated theological research, as exemplified in the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism. Shifts in phrasing shape the model’s assumptions, research patterns, source selection, and final conclusions in ways that often go unnoticed, revealing how easily bias can be loaded into the process without realizing it. AI models tend to prioritize systematic theological structures, emphasize textual coherence over narrative development, and reinforce the framing presented to them, making truly objective theological analysis difficult to achieve through artificial intelligence.