This Advent, our series “Artificial Christmas” invites us to examine the incarnation — God made flesh — through the odd and probing light of our technological age. We’re surrounded by things that appear real but aren’t: artificial intelligence, artificial relationships, artificial peace, and even artificial joy.
And yet, the story of Christmas reminds us that God’s love is not artificial at all — it is embodied, relational, and redemptive.
So why talk about AI at Christmas? Because the incarnation is God’s declaration that presence matters. In an age of digital substitutes, artificial intelligence poses one of the most profound questions of faith: What does it mean to be truly human?
Advent prepares us for God-with-us — not God-as-code, or God-at-a-distance, but God entering real life, real struggle, and real love. Our series explores how that truth speaks to the world of algorithms and automation that increasingly shapes our daily lives.
Why AI Ethics Matters
We’ll be reading AI Ethics by philosopher Mark Coeckelbergh as a companion book for this series. Coeckelbergh encourages us to look beyond headlines about artificial intelligence and explore the moral questions that define this technological era.
AI is no longer science fiction. It’s writing our news, curating our social feeds, influencing our politics, and even shaping how we think about ourselves. We’re told it will make our lives easier, but it also threatens to hollow out what makes us human — empathy, responsibility, relationships, and soul.
In his book, Coeckelbergh invites us to pause and ask:
What does it mean to act ethically in a world increasingly guided by machines?
How do we form moral communities when our technologies make decisions for us?
What happens to human dignity when we delegate our judgment to algorithms?
Why This Author
Mark Coeckelbergh is not an alarmist. He’s a philosopher who has spent years teaching ethics and technology at the University of Vienna, advising European policymakers, and engaging theologians, scientists, and artists alike. He approaches AI not as a problem to be solved, but as a mirror — one that reflects back our values, fears, and aspirations.
In AI Ethics, Coeckelbergh avoids jargon and ideology. Instead, he asks deeply human questions about power, vulnerability, and moral imagination. His work helps us see that the “ethics of AI” isn’t really about the machines — it’s about us: what kind of people we are becoming, and how faith can anchor us amid rapid change.
Why You’ll Want to Read Along
Reading AI Ethics alongside our weekly messages will give you a vocabulary and vision for navigating this new world with faith, humility, and courage. It will challenge easy assumptions and help us discern what it means to be a community that values both innovation and integrity.
As we’ll explore in worship, God’s redemption extends even to the artificial — not by erasing technology, but by restoring the humanity within it. Coeckelbergh’s insights equip us to be wise stewards in a digital age, shaping technology for love and justice instead of fear and profit.
Our vision at Asbury comes from how we collectively interpret scripture.
We envision a church in love with God, one another, and our neighbors, evidenced by the transformation of ourselves and our neighborhood.
This Advent, that transformation means asking how we might love in a world remade by machines — how we can stay human in an age that tempts us to settle for the artificial.
If you choose to follow along, I suggest using the following schedule:
| Sundays | Chapters | Themes |
|---|---|---|
| November 30 | Ch 1 – 2 | Hope |
| December 7 | Ch 3 – 4 | Grace |
| December 14 | Ch 5 – 6 | Joy |
| December 21 | Ch 7 – 8 | Love |
| December 24 | Ch 9 – 10 | Incarnation |
| December 28 | Ch 11 – 12 | Renewal |
I invite you to take your Artificial Christmas experience deeper with our weekly Questions for Life Groups. Each week pairs passages from our companion with Scripture, reflection questions, and prayer prompts. Our goal is to help you make each week’s message a part of your reality. The guide can be used for personal study or small-group discussion.
We’ll have a few new books available for purchase at $11 each. Additional copies of the paperback edition are available through Amazon for $11.18, and used copies in good condition start around $8. This book may also be available at the local library.
Our Book Club does not meet as a group. However, our weekly messages reference that week’s chapters. You can anticipate spoiler alerts unless you keep up with the pace. You can purchase your own copy or visit your local library.
You can contact our office with questions by phone or simply type your question or enter a prayer request on our website’s homepage — FlintAsburyChurch.org.
Pastor Tommy
Dr. Mark Coeckelbergh, AI Ethics. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2020. (ISBN 9780262538190).