Article Summary
- George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, launched two free, self-paced public AI courses on August 17, 2026.
- The courses are AI Basics: Fluency & Discernment and AI Advanced: Leadership & Wisdom.
- Each has five modules of about one hour, with video, quizzes, hands-on practice, and extra resources.
- Completing a course earns a non-credit Certificate of Completion for a resume or LinkedIn profile.
- Barna and Gloo research finds roughly four in ten practicing Christians say AI has already helped with prayer, Bible study, or spiritual growth, and 41 percent of pastors have used AI for Bible-study prep.
- Only 12 percent of pastors say they feel comfortable teaching about AI. George Fox is trying to close that gap with theology in the modules, not only in a disclaimer.
Most Christian headlines about artificial intelligence pick a side: panic, or uncritical hype. George Fox University chose a third path. In mid-August the Newberg, Oregon, school opened two free public courses that teach people how the tools work and ask what a follower of Jesus should do with them.
| AI Basics: Fluency & Discernment | AI Advanced: Leadership & Wisdom |
|---|---|
| For people still hesitant to start | For people already using AI and ready to lead |
| How large language models work | Agents, automations, and multi-step workflows |
| Prompting and multimedia practice | Custom platforms and organizational adoption |
| Bias, hallucinations, privacy, ethics | Governance, labor, power, creativity, and truth |
| A Christian framework for personal use | Theology for long-range institutional leadership |
Course aims as described in George Fox University's August 17, 2026 announcement and public course pages.
What George Fox opened to the public
On August 17, 2026, Oregon's largest private university announced AI Basics: Fluency & Discernment and AI Advanced: Leadership & Wisdom. Both are free, self-paced, and hosted on George Fox's online learning platform. Working professionals, students, ministry leaders, and anyone curious can enroll.
Each course has five modules. George Fox says each module takes about an hour and includes a video lesson, an automated quiz, hands-on activities, and curated extra reading. Finish all five in order and you receive a Certificate of Completion. It is not university academic credit. It is a public record that you did the work.
This is one of the only high-level, organized courses of this type infused with a Christian faith perspective.
Brian Doak, vice president of digital programs and academic innovation, George Fox University
Doak's claim is easy to test. Plenty of free AI explainers exist. Very few ask students to practice prompting and then sit with Christian theology, vocation, and wise decision-making in the same sequence. George Fox is betting that fluency without discernment is a half-education.
What you actually learn
The Basics course is a guided on-ramp. George Fox designed it for people who have been hesitant, who have only used a chatbot like a search box, or who need help connecting their faith to the tools already on their phone. Students learn how generative systems work, who the major players are, and how to prompt for text, image, and other media. They also practice spotting risks: bias, invented answers, privacy leaks, and the ethical arguments swirling around the industry.
The Advanced course assumes you already live with these tools. It moves into agent-style workflows, automation, specialized platforms, and how to bring AI into a team without pretending the technology is neutral. The syllabus names labor, power, creativity, and truth. It also names change management and governance, the unglamorous work of leading an organization through a new tool without losing people or integrity.
- Instructors are George Fox faculty and executive leaders, not anonymous clip compilations
- Registration runs through Canvas: verify email, set a password, start
- The university says the courses are for the local community and the entire world
- Both tracks keep Christian theology in the body of the class, not as a footnote
Register from the public hub: georgefox.edu/certificates/ai.html.
PRO TIP If you lead a church staff, take Basics together and write down one rule before you take Advanced: what this tool may never do with a person's story, a sermon, or a counseling note.
Why the church needed a class like this
Barna Group, working with Gloo on its State of the Church 2026 snapshot, found that AI is already inside Christian practice. Roughly four in ten practicing Christians say it has helped with prayer, Bible study, or spiritual growth. Forty-one percent of pastors report using it to prepare Bible study. Nearly one in three U.S. adults say spiritual advice from AI is as trustworthy as advice from a pastor. Among Gen Z and millennials, that share rises to two in five.
The same research shows a discipleship gap. One-third of practicing Christians want their pastor's help navigating AI. Only 12 percent of pastors say they feel comfortable teaching about it. Daniel Copeland, Barna's vice president of research, put the pastoral assignment plainly: views are shifting, many Christians remain uninformed by their church, and leaders have a chance to disciple people toward beneficial use.
That is the hole a course like George Fox's is trying to fill. People are already prompting. The question is whether anyone they trust will teach them how to test an answer, protect a congregant's story, and refuse to outsource wisdom to a model that cannot love a neighbor.
Related on WWJD.COM: Christian media is helping young people engage faith online and Bible reading is rising among young adults.
PRO TIP When an AI answer touches Scripture, open the passage in a printed Bible or a trusted translation and read it aloud. Fluency that skips the text is only speed.
A constructive story, with limits
George Fox is not claiming to have solved AI ethics. A five-hour module sequence will not replace a pastor, a board policy, or the slow work of character. The certificate is a door, not a degree. Students still have to decide whether a tool that drafts a sermon outline is a servant or a substitute.
It is still a better public offering than most of what the church has shipped so far: vague warnings, or silent adoption. The WWJD question fits this classroom. What would Jesus do with a technology that can summarize Scripture in seconds and also invent a verse that does not exist? He would tell the truth. He would care for the least. He would refuse to let a tool become a master.
Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis has also published faith-and-technology coursework on worship, formation, outreach, theology, AI, and the human person. That is a different school and a different program. It belongs in a later roundup. For this week, the news is simpler: a Christian university put free, structured AI education on the public internet and refused to separate skill from wisdom.
How to use this well
The courses are free. The formation still costs attention.
- Read the George Fox announcement, then open the course hub and pick Basics or Advanced honestly.
- Block five hours. Treat each module like a class, not a podcast in the car.
- If you pastor, notice Barna's gap: people want teaching, and few pulpits feel ready. Put AI on a staff-meeting agenda this month.
- Write a one-page use policy for your home, team, or church before you automate anything.
- Practice the WWJD question on the next prompt: does this serve a person, or does it hide from one?
FAQ
Are the George Fox AI courses really free?
Yes. George Fox University announced two public, self-paced courses with no tuition. They do not carry university academic credit. Students who finish all five modules in a course receive a Certificate of Completion they can add to a resume or LinkedIn profile.
Who are the courses for?
Basics is for people who have been hesitant, who have only used AI like a search engine, or who need a Christian framework for first steps. Advanced is for people already using the tools weekly who want to lead workflows, teams, and organizational decisions. George Fox says faculty and executive leaders teach both.
Do I have to be a George Fox student?
No. The August 2026 launch is for the public. Brian Doak said the school wants to serve its local community and the entire world. Registration is through Canvas from the university's AI certificate page.
Why does WWJD.COM cover a technology class?
Because Christians are already using AI to pray, study, and draft ministry work, according to Barna's 2026 snapshot, while most pastors do not feel ready to teach about it. A university putting theology inside the skill-building is the kind of constructive faith-tech story this desk will keep watching.
Where do I start?
Start with the George Fox announcement, then register for a free course. If you are brand new, take AI Basics: Fluency & Discernment. If you already prompt every week and lead other people, take AI Advanced: Leadership & Wisdom.
Sources
- George Fox University: George Fox Launches Free AI Certificate Courses
- George Fox: free AI certificate course hub
- Your Oregon News: Confused about AI? George Fox offers free training
- Oregon Faith Report: George Fox launches free AI certificate courses
- Barna: Insights on Tech, Media and Faith in 2026
- Christian Theological Seminary: Faith, Technology, and AI
- WWJD.COM: Christian media and digital faith
- WWJD.COM: Faith Is Rising
- WWJD.COM: Statement of Faith
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