A Defining Moment in Humanity: A Statement from Rob Hoskins, President of OneHope, on Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas’

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- We are living through one of the most consequential inflection points in human history -

POMPANO BEACH, Fla., June 5, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The release of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical letter, “Magnifica Humanitas,” arrives at a defining moment not only for the global Church but for the whole of human civilization, says Dr. Rob Hoskins, President and Co-founder of OneHope. As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes communication, learning, relationships, and the very formation of identity, Pope Leo XIV names what the most serious voices across theology, ethics, and technology are beginning to say in unison: the deepest crisis before us is not technological, but anthropological and spiritual.

We are living through one of the most consequential inflection points in human history.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how children and youth learn, how people connect, how truth is formed, and how identity itself is understood. I was invited by Anthropic to participate in a meeting where AI researchers, ethicists, and technologists openly discussed the moral weight of what they are building. What struck me most was not the sophistication of the technology, but the realization that the deepest questions emerging from the AI age are not ultimately technical questions, but theological questions. They are questions of dignity, purpose, truth, formation, and the story we believe our lives are part of.

In a moment like this, the Church cannot stand on the sidelines. We need moral clarity, rooted in the unchanging truth that every person is created in the image of God and carries inherent dignity, worth, and purpose that no algorithm can quantify and no model can replace or improve.

I believe technology can be an extraordinary instrument for good. It can open doors, expand access to God’s Word, strengthen learning, and help us reach the next generation in ways we never imagined possible. But technology was never meant to replace humanity or redefine it. When innovation moves faster than wisdom, people begin serving the systems created to serve them. Technology may assist human flourishing, but it can never replace the God-given role of parents, pastors, mentors, and the local church in the spiritual formation of the next generation.

As the leader of OneHope, a global ministry committed to engaging every child and youth with God’s Word, I believe the Church must guide the next generation to not only develop digital discernment but deep theological wisdom, forming young people who understand truth, human dignity, embodiment, purpose, and community through the lens of Scripture. In the age of AI, this is a foundational part of discipleship.

I affirm the “Magnifica Humanitas” warning against any technology that seeks to transcend or redefine what it means to be human. Human beings are not problems to be optimized away. We are image bearers of God, created for relationship with Him and with one another through Jesus Christ. That truth must be the immovable foundation of every conversation about artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence will inevitably amplify the values of those who build it and those who deploy it. That means the future of AI cannot be shaped solely by technology companies and market forces. The Church has something vital to contribute. For two thousand years, Christians have wrestled with questions of virtue, formation, community, dignity, and human flourishing. Those questions are now at the center of the AI conversation. I have been encouraged to meet technology leaders who genuinely want to engage these questions and invite voices from faith communities into the discussion. I believe this is an important opportunity for the Church to serve, and I am committed to standing in that space, helping bridge the conversation between faith and innovation in ways that serve and protect the next generation.

The age of AI does not need more innovation, but it does need wisdom. And the people of God have been stewarding wisdom for generations.

To global Church leaders: The formation of the next generation is happening right now with or without your voice. The values being embedded in artificial intelligence systems today will shape how billions of children learn, think, and understand what it means to be human for decades to come. You carry the theological wisdom, global reach, and moral authority to speak into this moment. We must convene, collaborate, engage, and refuse to surrender one of the most important formation questions of our time to voices that do not begin with the Author of humanity.

To next-generation pastors and ministry leaders: Preach this from your pulpits. Teach this in your classrooms. Weave it into your discipleship. Your children, your students, your young people are already being formed by AI systems, and they need more than screen time guidance. They need a robust, Scripture-rooted understanding of their identity as image-bearers of God, their purpose as people called to love and serve, and their resilience as disciples who know what is true when the world’s voices multiply and conflict. Do not wait until you feel fully equipped. The formation happening in your absence will not wait for your readiness.

To parents: You remain the most powerful formative influence in your child’s life, more powerful than any platform, model, or algorithm. No technology company, however sophisticated, can replicate what God has entrusted you. Be present and ask the hard questions about what your children are encountering online, in AI tools, and in the digital spaces shaping their self-understanding. Create room in your family’s rhythms for the conversations only you can have about faith, identity, truth, and what it truly means to flourish as a human being made in the image of God. The greatest gift you can give your child in the age of AI is a parent who is fully, unhurriedly, irreplaceably there.

To the technology community: Many of you understand the imperative of ethically shaped AI models. Many of you carry a genuine desire to build well and serve humanity. Faith leaders want to collaborate with you. But we also call you to the highest standard, one grounded not in metrics or market share, but in the dignity of the human person. Protect children by designing for flourishing, not for dependency. Be transparent about the values you are embedding in the systems you build. And invite the Church, with its long, hard-won wisdom about virtue, formation, and the meaning of being human, into genuine dialogue. This is an invitation to build wisely and faithfully in one of the most consequential moments of our time.

The moment to activate the global Christian community is now. We must move beyond concern into bold, coordinated, Spirit-led action for the sake of the next generation.

ABOUT ONEHOPE:

OneHope® is a global ministry dedicated to engaging every child and youth with the life-transforming message of Jesus through His Word. Since 1987, OneHope has impacted over 2 billion young lives with the Gospel, and their goal is to engage another 2 billion children and youth worldwide by 2033. To learn more about OneHope, visit: https://onehope.net/.

ABOUT ROB HOSKINS:

Dr. Rob Hoskins is the President and Co-founder of OneHope. Since becoming president in 2004, he has led the ministry to reach more than 2 billion children and youth with God’s Word through innovative Scripture-engagement tools in print, film, and digital formats. A recognized missions strategist and global connector, Rob also serves as a senior advisor to the World Evangelical Alliance, and a member of the Empowered21 Global Council. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in World Missions and Cross-Cultural Studies and teaches at the Hoskins School of Mission at Southeastern University. Rob and his wife, Kim, share a lifelong passion to “build young leaders and serve great leaders,” and together they cherish their role as parents and grandparents.

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Photo caption: Dr. Rob Hoskins, President and Co-founder of OneHope.

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NEWS SOURCE: OneHope

Keywords: Opinion and Commentary, Dr. Rob Hoskins, OneHope, Pope Leo XIV, Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, artificial intelligence, AI life-transforming message of Jesus through His Word, POMPANO BEACH, Fla.

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