Calvin University’s Wisdom in the Age of AI conference, held Oct. 8–10, drew more than double the originally expected registrants and served as the venue to announce a new Center for Faith and Technology. Derek Schuurman, professor and chair of computer science and director of the AI conference, was named director of the center by Calvin president Greg Elzinga at the conference opening.
Global turnout and cross-sector conversations on AI
Planners had hoped for 250–300 attendees, but final full-conference registration reached 658, and presenters and participants came from across the United States, Canada and countries including the Netherlands, Lithuania and Indonesia. The conference aimed to help Christians discern faithful and responsible uses of AI across education, church, business, healthcare, STEM and the arts.
“We want to be a wise, winsome Christian voice in how to responsibly employ this technology,” Schuurman said, adding that “the 2,000 years of Christian thinking has something to say about what it means to be human, about what is the structure of created reality. We want to join the conversation.” He also noted, “There is a profound hunger for convening with other Christians to engage this topic through a Christian lens.”
Presenters were selected after a call for papers evaluated by Calvin experts in the conference tracks. Among international participants, Abraham Kunz and Willemieke Neijnount, instructors at Driestar Christian University for Teacher Education in South Holland, Netherlands, emphasized education-focused reflection. “It’s not about simple answers, but thinking more profoundly about the influence of technology and AI,” Kunz said. “And it’s not about building higher and higher walls regarding our calling.”
In the health track, Kelly Klerk, manager of strategic initiatives, research and operations at Grand Valley State University, presented with colleagues on an immersive operating room that uses virtual reality and augmented reality to add clinical hours for nursing students. “We want to share what we’re doing and are working on creating other uses for this technology,” she said. “We need to teach our students how to use AI ethically and responsibly.”
Steven Schmidt, a retired physician from Neenah, Wisc., who serves as an elder and senior high school teacher in his Orthodox Presbyterian church, described AI as a diagnostic tool in medical practice and said he wants students to approach AI in ways consistent with Christian faith. “I wanted to learn more about a Reformed theological way of thinking about this topic without falling into the trap of a dystopian or utopian future,” Schmidt said.
Calvin launches Center for Faith and Technology
The newly formed Center for Faith and Technology will be housed within Calvin’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, which launched earlier this year. Initial funding for the center came from a legacy grant from the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship.
Schuurman said there are no concrete plans yet for a second Wisdom in the Age of AI conference. He is editing a book titled Christian Wisdom for the Age of AI: Insights for Education, Health Care, Vocation, Culture and the Church, to be released by IVP Academic in July 2027, and Calvin is developing a curated online hub of resources on faith and technology, including books, podcasts and video.
Speakers stressed wisdom, ethics and practical application
Israel “Izzy” Soong, who works in tech at the CIA and is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, opened the conference with a keynote titled “A Better Eschatology: Toward AI-Enabled Human Flourishing.” He contrasted technological utopia and apocalyptic views of AI and urged a Christian perspective focused on wisdom and hope in God: “But Christianity has a better eschatology than either of those,” Soong said. “One that focuses on wisdom as we place our hope in God. Let us boldly claim the truths of our Christian faith. May everything we do in this age of AI be signposts to the more important heavenly age to come.”
Five keynote addresses anchored the event: Soong; Megan Sullivan, whose prerecorded talk was titled “The Dignity of Learning in the Age of Power AI”; Andy Crouch, with “Waking From Our AI Dreams”; Rosalind Picard, who asked “Are We Merely Machines?”; and Ryan Struyk, who closed the conference with “The Future of AI and News.” Struyk, director of AI Innovation at CNN and a 2014 Calvin graduate, described how CNN uses AI in newsroom work and said the conference was an opportunity to think critically about integrating AI. “Our faith doesn’t stop at the church or classroom door. As someone sent out by Calvin, I’m making hard and complicated decisions about AI every day. My faith animates the way I integrate AI in my work as a journalist. It’s important for people of faith to help find the best ways to integrate AI into our careers,” he said. “AI is going to dramatically change the way we consume information, and it’s a great privilege to be part of that conversation.”
Schuurman emphasized that the AI issue has united Christians across a range of Protestant traditions. “Unlike other issues that divide people, the AI issue is rallying Christians from a wide variety of Protestant traditions. The issue is less polarizing, and we can work together more widely and contribute to the conversation,” he said. “The Christian faith has important resources to inform our cultural moment with AI.”
