ANNOUNCEMENT: I Wrote a Book!
Why my debut book is written around AI
It’s finally time to break the big news!
My huge project from last summer has been revealed: I have been writing a book with the wonderful folks at Abingdon Press, now available for pre-order with an official release on January 20th.
The title is God and the Machine: Navigating Faith in the Age of AI — what’s funny about this title is that everything before the colon is precisely what I would have expected my first professional book to be about, but if you had told me back in 2020 the overwhelming nature of AI on my world, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine it.
And yet, here we are. The world of AI has only grown more parasitic, at worst, and like a forever roommate, at best.
Here’s what I really love about this book: it’s not really giving you advice on how to best use AI to get-rich-quick or multiply your ministry. I offer some tips and tricks, sure — but the heart of this work mirrors my own.
Since day one (or at least the first public launch of ChatGPT), I have been in the fray with all of those technologists exploring the application of Artificial Intelligence in ministry settings.
Much to the dismay of many of my peers, however, I have been the thorn in their side — constantly clanging warning bells and waving red flags at how we are inappropriately incorporating the tool.
When my peers have been against AI, I’ve stood firmly in the phase of wise exploration. And when my peers have been too enthusiastic about AI, I’ve stood firmly in the pursuit of humanity and ethics.
This is the energy with which I am approaching AI in the book, and I hope you’ll find it a breath of fresh air. I know as well as anyone — it feels like this is all everyone talks about anymore. My work here is to try to enter into that feeling and offer a way forward.
If AI isn’t going anywhere, then those of us in ministry settings can at least be asking the right questions (or any questions at all, really) about what AI looks like going into the future. Will it be treated more like the printing press, radio, television, and the Internet — or will it be more along the lines of the Borg Assimilator?
This book is my offering on how I believe the Church would be best suited not only to utilize AI but also to serve as ethical leaders in setting tactical boundaries for its application.
In this light, I’m pleased with the partnership and support of Abingdon Press, which has formed this book into something like a Bible Study — each chapter has a scriptural grounding (or several), and there is an accompanying Leader Guide with assets and guided study, if you want to bring this to your small group or church community or reading group.
If you’re interested in having me speak or as a guest on your podcast as promotion, please do reach out to me at nwebb@wnccumc.net, and I will field those requests going forward. I’d love for this book to reach as wide an audience as possible — from AI skeptics to AI enthusiasts — and I believe it can serve as common ground for building a future with AI as a toolset, not an ideology or a boogeyman.
What people are saying so far about God and the Machine:
In God and the Machine, Nathan Webb invites us to look for the Holy Ghost humming beneath the circuitry. Although with technology comes fear or fascination, this work is about faith and what it means to be human when our tools begin to talk back. Webb writes with the heart of a pastor and the curiosity of a technologist, tracing the fine line between creation and co-creation. His words remind us that grace still moves faster than any algorithm and that even in the glow of a screen, the image of God endures.
Matt Rawle, Lead Pastor of Carrollton UMC in New Orleans and St. Matthews UMC in Metairie, LA, and author of The Redemption of Scrooge and The Final Days: A Lenten Journey Through the Gospels
Ready or not, here Al comes. Already this new technology is radically impacting our daily lives, and all of us — especially people of faith — need to think deeply and critically about our relationship to it. God and the Machine is a helpful introduction to this important, cutting-edge conversation. Nathan Webb thoughtfully explains both the challenges and opportunities that Al presents and calls us to see it as a tool to be engaged in ways that are grounded in faithfulness to our tradition. Don't miss this book!
Josh Scott, Lead Pastor of GracePointe Church in Nashville, TN, and author of Bible Stories for Grown-Ups: Reading Scripture with New Eyes
I want to take a point of personal privilege here and thank the supporters here on Pixel & Pulpit. You’ve been in my corner for years, and reading my writing before I had any idea what I was doing. It means the world to be able to share this news with those of you here.
There is plenty of the story of Checkpoint Church captured in these pages. My work in digital ministry bleeds through the words — my heart and passion have always been and will always be for the digital natives. I chose to do the work of navigating AI because I see the human beings online who are being impacted.
I also continue to have a passion for my fellow digital ministers. This is a big year for the Digital Missional Network as we find our footing. If you’ve been hesitating to join, I highly encourage you to invest your time and self now. Join a growing group of like-minded ministry leaders who are working intentionally together to better love our digital neighbors.
As an added incentive, I’ll be giving away an author-signed copy of God and the Machine with an accompanying Leader’s Guide on launch day to all members of the Digital Missional Network, so be sure to join before the 20th for entry.
Congratulations! Awesome news.
Congratulations, that's really exciting!