How was the vibe check at the Last Supper? Was the crucifixion pretty mid? Did Jesus eat up the Sermon on the Mount? Have we completely lost you?
If so, you might not be spending much time on TikTok, where these kinds of reimaginings of Bible stories are all the rage. What started as niche memes and slang-filled rewrites of scripture has evolved into something much bigger: a flood of AI-generated Bible content made for Gen Z and by Gen Z (or, at least, by their algorithms).
Gone, apparently, are the days of Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments. The new way to spread scripture is meeting young people where they already are: online, scrolling. And right now, that means TikTok, where biblical characters are being reimagined as influencers, livestreamers, and walking, talking slang machines, using phrases that would have been downright alien thousands of years ago (at least, we don’t think Jesus ever called Judas "totally cringe" in the gospel).
With scores of videos racking up millions of views, they’re definitely bringing the Bible to the internet generation. But at what cost?
Gen Z Jesus
Think of these new TikTok videos as the AI-driven evolution of past accounts which retold the Bible in Gen Z slang. They’re humorously bringing the Bible to life for a new generation, as AI-generated versions of Jesus, Moses, and nearly every other biblical character you can think of talk directly into the camera straight from classic Bible tales.
One video, which has been viewed more than a million times, has a smiling Jesus doing a vibe check at the last supper as if he were a livestreaming influencer. “Judas said he’s got a big opportunity coming up,” a smirking Jesus says into the camera. “Love that for him.”
Another depicts Jesus right after the resurrection. “Just woke up from a three day nap,” Jesus says. “Y’all still doubted me!”
The Future of Faith?
Many may balk at the idea that the Bible needs to be repackaged into humorous bite-size TikToks to appeal to Gen Z. After all, can a smirking, AI-generated Jesus really convey the depth and gravity of sacred scripture? But many reported in the comments that the videos actually inspired them to look deeper into the biblical tales, and AI advocates in the faith realm say that if that is what is needed to get the youth interested in Jesus, so be it.
Critics, however, wonder about the environmental cost of cranking out scores of resource-heavy AI-generated videos for likes on TikTok.
As Guardian contributor Betsy Reed pondered, “how many litres of water did it take for me to witness Mary dabbing? How many finite resources were burned so an AI Jesus could make a joke about dropping the water to wine tutorial?”
Perhaps the most potent criticism is a moral one: What happens when a faith tradition built on genuine reflection is flattened into a punchline? These videos reduce sacred narratives to trendy soundbites, seeking virality over meaning. They’re making scripture accessible, but also disposable, critics say.
Whatever your thoughts on the impact of AI, the intermingling of the seemingly disparate worlds of faith and artificial intelligence will only continue to grow. From these videos, to AI-generated sermons, to AI Jesus taking very real confession… the world of religion – like most other things – is being forced to contend with an artificial intelligence revolution.
The question is, when religion is filtered through AI, are we bringing it a new life… or just feeding it to the algorithm?
35 comments
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Henry Buehler
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Joseph Grieco
Here are my quesitons: 1 - do they accurately represent the tenor of the Bible stories? I've seen some fairly horrid representations especially during my time teaching Sunday School, which I did for levels from Kindergarten through High School. If these Reels provide doctrinal correctness, then they are good. 2 - do they serve to draw people to the Bible who may not be predisposed to do so? Again, if so - great. That makes them a double win for me.
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Cindi
To me, it's all in the eye of the beholder. We are all spiritual beings, having a human experience. What matters is not how a young person is reached, as long as they believe in Christ.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
I fail to see the difference between this and what King James and countless other sponsors of new versions of the Bible have done. It's been rewritten so many times so so many different audiences that it's a wonder any of the original information survives. I just found out the other day that a mistranslation in medieval times caused the omission of a third great creature that completes a trio along with Leviathan and Behemoth: the Ziz. And this was just because someone wasn't sure what they were reading and used the wrong form of Hebrew to change this creature's name into "the beasts of the field". What does it matter what new generations do to the text if no one cares about how it has already been mangled over millenia?
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Patricia Ann Gross
"The question is, when religion is filtered through AI, are we bringing it a new life… or just feeding it to the algorithm?"
In my humble opinion, it's just feeding it to the algorithm. Like all learning, AI "learns" what it is taught, and with the same biases and misinformation, (hence Grok spewing Nazi nonsence). The musical version of part of the Gospels, Jesus Christ Superstar, was also considered a travesty by theologians in its time, and does contain some things that are not particularly supported by scripture (except in a wink/wink, nudge/nudge, kind of way), but it did cause some people to dig deeper into the scriptures to see what the story was all about. I'm not a fan of the "end justifying the means" and I find this no more or less problematic than JC Superstar. The only problem I see that surpasses the "hippie" version is that too many people view AI as absolute truth, when in fact the algorithms have not replaced critical thought or instigated new research, only made finding the resources for them easier. People need to remember that before they jump on the AI bandwagon.
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Walter J. Holbrook
Is it hope or a false way to spread lies
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Walter J. Holbrook
Is it hope or a false way to spread lies
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Walter J. Holbrook
Is it hope or a false way to spread lies
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Walter J. Holbrook
Is it hope or a false way to spread lies
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Patricia Sydney Solis
The blind will always lead the blind. The kingdom of heaven lies within. Narrow is the gate. Few can find it. Good luck. Meditation in silence will calm the outer noise and the stillness within will become known. Be still and know that I am God. I wonder if TikTok ever gets anybody to actually pick up and read the Bible? People always acting like chicken little instead of going directly to the source.
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Tjaye Miller
"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely ... But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." Philippians 1:15-18
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Shango MasterExorcist, D.D.
It's God speaking, direct through TikTok. God speaks where the audience is, no longer on mountain tops. Next time your phone vibrates ♫, it might be God.
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ServantOfJudgement
Dummy talk of 2025. Soon these will be the experts of the day, no doubt even more intelligent than our current experts.
You know the experts are idiots when they don't know if eggs are good for you and can't tell a man from a woman.
Can't wait to see how the dumb dongs run things.
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Colleen McAllister
I believe that this way to evangelize simply cheapens the Gospel. Faith, any faith, should be taken seriously or not at all. Your very soul depends on it.
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Lionheart
Thank you for telling us what you like to believe. 🤷
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Nicholas J Page
I don't do tic toc so I can't comment
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
In our SHP denomination of the ULC (in which I’m the titular-leader of the ULC, as their minister (by default) in Tulsa County) we tend towards still using the original name of the Holy Ghost, when discussing how the 12-year old, then still a Virgin Mary became pregnant— which wasn’t a miracle; but wasn’t child abuse either, because back then, 12 year old virgins were still fair game.
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Jimmy Moon
Fake news.
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Paladin Trevor
That's kind of gross pastor.
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Jimmy Moon
Just another attempt by Satan to woo weak minds into believing anything contrary to the Gospel. 1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Matthew 7:15-20 - Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
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Lionheart
Is Satan real then? 🤷
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Colleen McAllister
Yes, Satan is very real. I have seen him.
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
Would you please elaborate? What does satan look like? Tall? Horned? Dressed in red? Thank you!
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Lionheart
If he's real you possibly have, Colleen, bless your heart.
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Lionheart
I think I should further qualify my statement because I wouldn’t want you to think I was being flippant in any way.
The power of auto suggestion is very real. I know of people that have convinced themselves of the reality of fairies, etc., and dignitaries of other faiths that have long since passed away, and even gods of other faiths, and say they have seen them. In their minds they have, and there is nothing that will shake them from what they are convinced they have seen. That is basically what I was alluding to.
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Jimmy Moon
Read the Bible. He is in there.Revelation-12-9 to name one scripture.
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Lionheart
Yes I've read it, but I'm not in the habit of believing everything I read unless it's based on good scientific demonstrable evidence. Otherwise, I'd be believing in the Qu'Ran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, and even possibly Harry Potter which is another very incredible book of fiction, but thank you for your suggestion, Mr Moon.
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Jimmy Moon
It’s your future. Hell is right in front of you and Satan is well pleased.
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Lionheart
Thank you for your opinion of what you like to think is true.
Would the Hell that you are referring to be the Christian Hell, the Mormon Hell, the Islamic Hell, or the Egyptian Hell etc,? Mankind seems to have created so many throughout the eons of time.
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Tjaye Miller
Hell is hell. While each group provides its own images of what it is and how you get there, the situation is very real. Whether it occurs in this lifetime or the next.
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Lionheart
Until you can demonstrably prove otherwise, hell is just another man-made construct.
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Minister-Brian Tuck
Revelation 12:9 This great dragon - the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world - was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
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Lionheart
Yes, I’m well aware of what’s it says in that book, which was written by historians decades later, similar to those other stories in the New Testament that were written by historians about people they never actually met.
Interestingly, the book of Revelations was supposedly written on the Isle of Patmos, which was, and still is, well know for its marketing if psychedelic mushrooms, which possibly explains a lot when it comes to trying to understand that book. 🤭
Thank you for your comment though.
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Robert Gagnon
Every ridiculous thing you can imagine is on tic tok, why even bring this up. Look at how stupid the questions and comments are.
Well, aren´t the gosspels kinda made up, and aren´t they kinda absurd?