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Teach Like a Human: Playful Practice and Serious Faith in the Age of AI by Dr. Dave Mulder
Paperback: 188 pages, 5.50 × 8.50 × 0.38 in
Publisher: Wipf & Stock
Publish Date: September 18, 2025
Language: English
ISBN-13: 979-8385258413
Content
From the back cover…
Are the machines taking over? Artificial intelligence suddenly seems to be everywhere, including in the world of education. With new AI-powered tools popping up every day, it’s no wonder that educators might feel overwhelmed. How can we navigate the strange new world of AI without losing our humanity—or our sense of humor?
Blending thoughtful theology, practical wisdom, and a deep love for teaching, this book invites educators to reflect on big questions: What does it mean to be a real human in an age of artificial intelligence? What tools should we adopt, and which ones should we avoid—and how can we decide? How do we stay grounded in the Gospel story while adapting to emerging technologies?
Rather than offering easy answers or alarmist warnings, let’s consider an approach that is curious and courageous, developing a hopeful vision for education that forms both minds and hearts. Standing on the truth of Scripture and keeping a finger on the tech pulse, this book helps Christian educators practice thinking faithfully, acting ethically, and teaching joyfully—even when algorithms are everywhere. Teaching Christianly with technology isn’t about keeping up with the latest tools and trends; it’s about being the humans God created us to be!
From the author…
I have a passion for equipping Christian educators. What do I bring to the table? Nearly 30 years of experience teaching in Christian schools, a passion for faith-inspired teaching, deep knowledge and experience working with educational technologies, and a playful, positive spirit. I hope this book will be part of that equipping, and I’m hoping to strike the balance between thoughtful judgment and joy-infused hope.
This book is for Christian educators who are interested in the role of artificial intelligence in education today, and how to wisely respond to the challenge to quickly adopt these powerful-but-still-emerging technologies. It is intended to do four things:
- Help educators understand that however they are feeling about AI in education (excited, anxious, angry) these emotions are shaped by their imagination for what AI is, and what it can do.
- Help to demystify what large language models (i.e., AI chatbots) are, and how they work to better understand the benefits and concerns of using AI as part of the teaching & learning process,
- Develop a biblically-framed way of understanding what it means to be human, and how to respond to the challenges of AI in education in God-glorifying, humanity-affirming ways, and
- Provide some use cases for AI in education to illustrate the possibilities and pitfalls of using AI as part of the teaching & learning process.
I hope it will be a blessing and encouragement for you!
Table of Contents:
- Part I: The (Latest) Brave New World
- 1. Artificial Intelligence: Problem? Panacea? Something Else Entirely?
- Part II: Stories, Imagination, and Technology
- 2. An Imagination for AI: 2001, the Terminator, the Matrix, and More
- 3. Examining Your Imagination: Stories We Tell Ourselves
- 4. Imagining Humans and Machines: You Are Not a Computer
- 5. Contours of a Christian Imagination: The Big Story of the Bible
- Part III: The Big Story, and Why It Matters
- 6. The Metanarrative of Scripture: Finding Our Place in God’s Story
- 7. Creation: God Doesn’t Make Junk
- 8. Fall: Everything is Actually Awful
- 9. Redemption: Jesus Loves You!
- 10. Restoration: How Then Shall We Live?
- 11. Becoming a Truth-Seeker: Navigating Competing Stories
- Part IV: Demystifying Artificial Intelligence
- 12. Thoughts on Intelligence: Should we Be Worried about ‘Real Stupidity?’
- 13. Thinking vs. Processing: How Do Computers Work?
- 14. Neural Networks: More Powerful Processing
- 15. Machine Learning and Probability: Basic Ideas for Programming AI
- 16. Large Language Models: Generating Responses to Your Prompts
- 17. Garbage In, Garbage Out: Learning to Talk to a Computer
- Part V: AI and the Work of Teaching and Learning
- 18. Becoming, Not Arriving: Committing to Playful Practice
- 19. Teaching and Learning: Two Different (but Related) Activities
- 20. Rosie the Robot: Ensuring Humans do the Right Work
- 21. Doing the Right Work: ‘Work Is Fun,’ and Other Wisdom from Grandpa Mulder
- 22. Ethical Implementation: Where the Christian Imagination Rubber Hits the Road
- 23. AI and Discipleship: Avoiding an Educational Technology Arms Race
- 24. Being Brave: Learning from Orville Wright
- Part VI: AI Use Cases
- 25. AI Use Case: Leveled Reading
- 26. AI Use Case: Generating Review Questions and Scripts
- 27. AI Use Case: Rubric Development
- 28. AI Use Case: Creating Graphics
- 29. AI Use Case: Personalized Tutoring Systems
- 30. AI Use Case: Iterative Writing
- Part VII: A Theology of Educational Technology
- 31. Toward a Theology of Educational Technology: Living Faith in a Technology-Rich World
- 32. Education as Formation: More than Information Transfer
- 33. The Role of Doubt: Cultivating a Humble Skepticism
- 34. The Arc of the Redemptive Story: From the Garden to the City
- Part VIII: Launching into the Future
- 35. Christian Education and AI: Where Are We Headed?
Author
David J. Mulder serves as professor of education at Dordt University, where he
teaches courses in education foundations, educational technology, and STEM education. He is the author of Always Becoming, Never Arriving: Developing anImagination for Teaching Christianly (2024). As a former technology director for a Christian school and having earned an EdD in educational technology, Mulder takes a playful approach to supporting Christian educators in applying technology to teaching and learning.
Endorsements
“Dave Mulder’s book is timely for today’s educational landscape. He illustrates the worries and wonders of artificial intelligence, giving Christian educators bite-sized (or should I say ‘byte-sized’) concepts and cases to ponder. Instead of fear and hype about AI, he offers practical and wise insights through the lens of faith.”
– Rebecca Alburn, Assistant Professor of Education, Corban University
“Teach Like a Human by Dr. David Mulder is a timely, refreshing guide for Christian educators navigating AI with wisdom and heart. He asks the right questions and offers practical applications for teaching and learning, all framed through a biblical lens. The bite-sized chapters are great for discussion and action. This is a must read for the Christian educator!”
—Jared Pyles, Instructional Designer, Cedarville University
“Dr. Dave takes the most pressing topic in education (and the world?) today and brings it down to Earth with a casual, practical, and human-centric approach. Whether you are just beginning to wonder about AI or are already comfortable using it, this book equips all educators with a healthy, nuanced, and Christian framework for understanding AI’s impact in the classroom and in everyday life.”
—Joseph Jasper, Educational Technologist, Capistrano Valley Christian Schools
“For anyone wondering if AI will ruin or revolutionize education, this book is for you. Teach Like a Human is the roadmap for AI integration which every Christian educator needs—a reminder of our place within the Big Story and vision for why decisions about AI in the classroom matter. With the wisdom and energy of Neil Postman, Dr. Mulder has adeptly balanced candor with humor, worldview with practice, and warnings with hope.”
—Jacob A. Hall, Assistant Dean for Assessment and Accreditation, SUNY Cortland