On Sunday September 14, Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas played an AI-generated audio clip of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was assassinated days earlier. The clip, crafted entirely by generative artificial intelligence, featured Kirk’s cloned voice delivering a fictional message about faith, martyrdom, and spiritual warfare. Though Graham acknowledged it was AI-generated, the congregation responded with a standing ovation, many visibly moved as if Kirk himself were speaking from beyond the grave.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. At least two other megachurches, Dream City Church in Arizona and Awaken Church in California, played similar clips during their services. The videos, which have since gone viral, depict Kirk in heaven, embracing Jesus, meeting Christian martyrs, and even taking selfies with assassinated U.S. presidents like Lincoln and Kennedy.
It’s a profound distortion of grief, theology, and public discourse.
What’s happening here isn’t just technological novelty, it’s a profound distortion of grief, theology, and public discourse. It’s the fabrication of posthumous testimony, the emotional manipulation of congregants, and the sanctification of political ideology under the guise of spiritual truth. This moment demands more than critique—it calls for moral clarity.
Truth in exile: a prophetic lament
We live in a day of lies—a time when repetition masquerades as credibility, and the sheer volume of falsehoods threatens to drown out the still, small voice of truth. The Old Testament warned of such a time: “Truth has fallen in the streets, and equity cannot enter” (Isaiah 59:14). If ever there was a moment when this prophecy rings true, it is now.
There was a time, not long ago, when truth-telling was a virtue taught in homes, modeled in pulpits, and expected in public life. Parents urged their children to emulate those who spoke with integrity. Truth was not merely a moral ideal; it was a social glue, a sacred trust.
We find ourselves surrounded by serial liars in places of prominence.
Today, however, we find ourselves surrounded by serial liars in places of prominence, from the pulpit to the White House, whose words are venerated as if they were saints, even as their vitriol betrays any claim to spiritual authenticity. Scripture reminds us that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). If the mouth is the gate of the soul, then what pours forth from it reveals the condition of the heart, and in many cases, the heart is sick.
So, what has changed?
The collapse of gatekeeping
One major turning point has been the collapse of gatekeeping in the age of digital technology. In previous generations, truth claims were filtered through institutions: editors, pastors, professors, and journalists, who bore the burden of credibility. These gatekeepers were not infallible, but they were accountable. They operated within systems that demanded rigor, verification, and ethical responsibility.
The internet has democratized voice, but it has not democratized wisdom.
Today, those systems have been dismantled. The internet has democratized voice, but it has not democratized wisdom. The word of a trained Ph.D. is now weighed equally (or even less) than the opinion of a charismatic influencer or a blue-collar worker with a camera and a platform. Expertise is no longer revered; it is resented. Truth is no longer objective; it is relative. The saying, “What is true to you” has become the dominant epistemology (way of knowing), spilling over into our churches, our politics, and our daily lives.
This relativism is not benign, it is corrosive. It undermines the very possibility of shared reality. When truth becomes a matter of personal preference, dialogue collapses into tribalism. We no longer debate ideas; we defend identities. We no longer seek understanding; we demand allegiance.
The rise of synthetic martyrdom
It blurs the line between reverence and propaganda.
Charlie Kirk's death revealed a new and disturbing milestone in this cultural shift: the rise of synthetic martyrdom. AI-generated speech mimics the cadence, tone, and emotional resonance of a real person—without their consent, context, or lived experience. When used in sacred spaces, it blurs the line between reverence and propaganda. Congregants are moved not by truth, but by simulation. The emotional impact is real, but the source is artificial, synthetic.
Martyrdom is a sacred designation rooted in truth and sacrifice. It is not a branding exercise. When AI is used to fabricate declarations of faith, it risks turning spiritual conviction into performance art. The local church, which should be a bastion of discernment, becomes a stage for ideological theater.
The standing ovation that followed the AI-generated clip reveals how easily emotion can override discernment. If churches embrace synthetic narratives, what remains of their moral authority? If pastors become curators of digital illusion, who will speak the truth in love?
Theological and cultural fallout
1. Emotional manipulation through fictional testimony
They bypass critical thinking and exploit spiritual vulnerability.
AI-generated clips like the one played last Sunday are not harmless tributes. They are emotionally engineered experiences designed to evoke reverence, grief, and loyalty. They bypass critical thinking and exploit spiritual vulnerability.
2. Theological confusion and the commodification of faith
When fictionalized voices are used to deliver spiritual messages, the line between testimony and propaganda disappears. Faith becomes a product, and martyrdom becomes a marketing strategy.
3. The erosion of discernment and critical thinking
Churches must be places of truth-telling, not emotional manipulation.
Churches must be places of truth-telling, not emotional manipulation. When synthetic speech is treated as sacred, congregants lose the ability to distinguish between revelation and fabrication.
Reclaiming the gate: a call to courage
This moment demands more than critique calls for renewal. We must rebuild the cultural and spiritual infrastructure that supports truth-telling. That begins with courage.
1. Rebuilding epistemic trust
We need new models of authority that combine transparency, humility, and rigor. Truth- tellers must be both courageous and compassionate, willing to speak hard truths but also listen deeply. Institutions must earn trust not through power, but through integrity.
2. Cultivating intellectual virtue
We must teach epistemic humility, critical thinking, and moral imagination.
In classrooms, churches, and communities, we must teach epistemic humility, critical thinking, and moral imagination. Truth is not just a fact, it is a way of being. It requires discipline, discernment, and devotion.
3. Reclaiming the sacredness of speech
If the mouth is the gate of the soul, then every word is a moral act. We must recover the idea that language shapes reality, and that truth-telling is a form of worship. Churches must become again places where words are weighed, not weaponized.
A final word
To follow Christ is to follow truth.
We are living in a time when truth is not just under attack, it is being redefined, repackaged, and replaced. But truth is not a trend. It is not a brand. It is not a feeling. It is a person: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). To follow Christ is to follow truth, even when it costs us comfort, popularity, or power.
If the Church is to remain a prophetic voice in the world, it must resist the temptation to sanctify simulation. It must speak truth in love, even when the truth is inconvenient. And it must remember that the power of the gospel lies not in emotional spectacle, but in the quiet, courageous witness of those who refuse to lie.
Dr. Michael A. Smith is a historian, author, and college professor whose work lives at the crossroads of American religious history, Christian fundamentalism, and the evolving landscape of Christian nationalism. Whether he's unpacking the legacy of the Scopes Trial or challenging the misuse of scripture in modern culture wars, Dr. Smith brings clarity, courage, and compassion to every conversation. His book From Christian Fundamentalism to Christian Nationalism: A Primer Detailing the Danger to America has helped faith leaders and citizens alike understand the theological roots of political extremism.
