Manmade: St. Anthony's Guide to Surviving the A.I. Apocalypse

by C.R. Wiley

Genres: Technology, Cultural, Christian Living, Philosophy, Theology, Artificial Intelligence, Audiobook

Hardcover

Published July 21, 2026

About the author

C. R. Wiley is a Presbyterian minister living in the Pacific Northwest. He has written for Touchstone Magazine, Modern Reformation, Sacred Architecture, The Imaginative Conservative, Front Porch Republic, National Review Online, and First Things, among others. His short fiction has appeared in The Mythic Circle (published by the Mythopoeic Society) and elsewhere, and he has published young adult fiction. He is one of the hosts of The Theology Pugcast (a podcast available on iTunes and elsewhere), and he has been a commercial real estate investor and a building contractor. He also taught philosophy to undergraduates for a time. He is the Vice President of the Academy of Philosophy and Letters, and a board member of New Saint Andrews College.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Rick Davis]

This is my favorite book C. R. Wiley has written so far. It's also an important book to read right now. Go get a copy as quickly as you can.

[Kara Naselli]

“Master it or be mastered by it”.
I really liked the first half of this book, and liked the second half. I think this is because the first half is more concerned with what A.I. is philosophically and what it could do theoretically, not with scientific details or engineering formulas, and it is very insightful and interesting. However, the second half (dealing with what our response should be) actually does have to be a little less theoretical. I think that I would have appreciated a more fleshed out answer for the problem of ‘how shall we then live?’. Wiley basically says what people have been saying about technology for as long as I can remember: don’t let it dominate your life, know how to do things, be a Christian in every way, touch grass. That said, he does point out a difference, which I agree with. Technology has always been to help us do human things, but some things are ‘more human’. Some tasks are actually closer to the core of what it means to be human. There’s a difference between a robot moving logs for you and a robot who thinks for you. Therefore, he says, we should be more cautious, but that’s about as far as he gets. To be fair, I’m not sure what else to say; if I did then it wouldn’t be a question I long to have answered. Perhaps we don’t know enough to answer it yet.
I really do like this book though, and I would recommend it to anyone who even uses A.I. once in a blue moon. If you are going to use it, you should at least attempt to understand it. And to anyone who accuses C.R. Wiley of being a luddite, or of being too negative of A.I., he is definitely more balanced than you might guess from the title. After all, he is post mill. He can’t be too doomsday. And he actually advocates for integrating A.I. into our lives in a healthy and subservient way. He’s not a “back to the Amish!” kind of guy.
Since A.I. is rather inescapable at the present, I recommend this to everyone. Let’s all think about it together.

A bonus for my goodreads review: C. R. Wiley's story snippets that he intersperses through the book are so cool, and I would read the entire thing just for those if I had to.

[Andrew Mulnix]

Drop whatever book you are reading (unless it is the Bible), buy this book, and read it immediately!

[Collin Lewis]

On the recent news CEO’s of AI companies have warned of the possibility of human extinction within the decade if we don’t slow down progress. I am admittedly a bit scared of AI.

Wiley does a good job talking about this pastorally (which is why I read it, because I want to answer questions about this in the congregation I serve). He paints a few different pictures of possible realities with the future of AI. He thinks the best option is sort of middle of the road, recover what’s good in the past and use AI for certain physical and statistical tasks. I’m not sure I’m all the way on board with this since I do believe AI will have more of an impact on our “being human” than even smartphones have and smartphones have messed us up.

I thought Wiley did good picking out some principles from St. Anthony that will be helpful for us to think through, all rooted in the Bible. However, I would have liked more practicality and hope. His 40 “afterthoughts” were good (some of the best parts) and I would have loved if the book was longer to expound on them.

3.5 stars

[Gabel Duke]

I would maybe give it a 4.75 or something close to it. The majority of this book is so effective. The small portion I balked at was Wiley's views on postmillenialism.

Take that away and I believe he offers invaluable insight into how we ought to be engaging with AI and technology as a whole. We must be the masters of what we create rather than the other way around. We must set limitations on ourselves and our families if we except survive the "apocalypse."

[Nik Storm]

Worth your time. Wiley takes a balanced and thoughtful approach in an era of radical imbalance.

[Andrew Wilcox]

This is a book everyone should read. It is a great introduction into the religion of technophiles and AI. Wiley is precise in identifying what their religion is. This book is unique in that it reaches back to the past in using St. Antony as a guide for living in the age of AI. The one thing I would critique is that he doesn't hate AI enough. There are so many warnings, yet the conclusion is some sort of integration with AI because it is inevitable.

[Sam Clapp]

This is the third book I’ve read by C.R. Wiley and I’ve decided I’m a really big fan of his. I like the way he thinks, his many references to literature, and that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. I could listen to him yap about any topic for hours.

This book was very thought provoking. My main takeaway was that Christians are about to face a very old fashioned “idol” in the sense that AI is already starting to be worshipped for what it can do. Wiley suggests that we, Christians, have been tasked with correctly defining humanity as God intended it, because its worldly definition will certainly shift as AI gets more advanced. Also, AI gives us a real motivator to pursue the analog, develop skills, and learn to be self-reliant while machines offer a new kind of laziness we can’t really comprehend just yet.

[Amelie]

Concise, uncompromising, sobering, and reasonable, this is a wonderful read for anyone (like myself) wrestling with how to approach the complexities of AI, humanness, and their interweaving without succumbing to the snares of either avoidant hysteria or resigned acceptance. Dotted with maxims, based on Scriptural ethics, supported with the ponderings and practices of historical thinkers, and flavored with imaginative titles and phrases (such as “apple pie humanism” and the name of the book itself), the book offers cautions and comforts in a readable and memorable manner. Very, very well done.

[Maddie Carter]

Listened to the audiobook and it truly felt like I was listening to a companion to The Twilight Zone haha. So eerie and written from a brand of brilliant a bit over my head, but I found it to be really on the nose. We’ll probably look back and say this was prophetic.

“Master it or be mastered by it”

[Gary]

Even though I have been listening to the Pugcast for years, and heard CR lecture on this recently, I still got a ton from this. It is packed with careful thought on what the near future may hold, and how Christians should respond. It was also a good balance to aspects of Against the Machine by Kingsnorth.

Liked it a lot.

[Benjamin]

Great read and very relevant. We need more Christian thinkers like Wiley, engaging this massive subject. AI is here to stay, and Christians need to wrestle with it. Wiley does a great job digging underneath the superficial rubble of the AI conversation and brings out the worldview implications behind the machine. Great read.

[Leah Johnson]

Terrific.
I’ve always been a bit skeptical of AI, more suspicious of its possible tyranny than interested in its potential good. I wouldn’t say this book has changed my opinion, but it has broadened and informed it. We are right to be suspicious about something that is already being set up as a false god; but, like all other forms of technological innovation, used wisely, it does have the potential to do immense good.
I loved Mr. Wiley’s thesis that we will retain our humanity by immersing ourselves in the analog: pencil on paper, book in hand, needle on vinyl. I also appreciated his straightforward, practical advice on how to live alongside the technological innovation that is surely coming. No one is going to unplug AI. But if we don’t fight to control it, and control our perspective on it, it will control us. The world doesn’t have God, so it latches onto other things to worship, and AI will be no different. But because we have a God who has instilled transcendent values in us, Christians are without excuse and must exercise self-control and wisdom where AI is concerned.
“You don’t change the world by trying to change it; you change it by pursuing something better than the world.”

[Abrahamus]

Quite helpful, informative, and generally balanced. The author’s stance on AI is essentially that it represents a highly and uniquely dangerous toolbox (a major premise being that there is no such thing as a “mere” tool – the tools we use wind up shaping us, for good or for ill, in ways we can can often barely anticipate), but, given that there almost certainly will be no putting the genie back in the bottle, we had best learn to live with and utilize it thoughtfully and wisely, within well-considered guidelines and self-imposed limitations. The chief dangers Wiley identifies are mostly not of the utter doomsday sort (although he doesn’t totally discount scenarios which tend in that direction), but rather have to do with the ruination to our Divinely-imaged humanity which would (and in many cases, tragically, will) be wrought by the thoughtless and indiscriminate embrace of this and associated technologies and ideologies (e.g. transhumanism). He urges a highly self-disciplined approach to its use, offering a variety of practical considerations and guidelines to that end, and foresees numerous advantages and potential benefits to those possessed of sufficient wisdom and strength to do so – and who will take pains to likewise train their children and others close to them.

[Aidan Haskell]

4.5/5

[John]

Wiley offers good pastoral counsel on how we can, and will have to, come to use AI. He acknowledges that we will have to use it, if for no other reason than that it will become a requirement in our vocations and even in some technologies we have come to be unable to do without.

But he offers parameters that will distinguish Christians from non-Christians in how we use it. We must not let it become our master.

[Sammie Hargrave]

I’m unsure if he’s a prophet, but he for sure understands the enemy

[Anita Deacon]

Good, beneficial, but needed more time on the editing block. Somebody needed to say No to the three stories.

I especially appreciated the bit about postmillennial realism, and the suggestion of apple pie humanism accorded with how I strongly feel about AI adoption.

In the audiobook, the author just about got away with reading quotes using various accents (risky, very risky) but I’m afraid pronouncing Sauron as “Sah-Ron” is not allowed. Straight to jail.

[Luke Arthaud]

Very insightful. Wiley provides a balanced approach, recognizing the many dangers of AI while refusing to deny its usefulness. His uses of history and storytelling brilliantly covey his message and illustrate his point at the same time. I think this is a great starting point for Christians who are thinking through this complex topic. We don’t know how AI will impact the future, but we do know that Christ will have victory over all human creations. STAY HUMAN!

[David Lapp]

This is a short, accessible book full of Wiley’s concerns, questions, and tips regarding AI. It’s less of an instruction manual and more of a collection of thoughts meant to start a conversation. It introduces some of the dangers of AI, fleshing out some pretty disturbing worst-case scenarios, raises a lot of good questions, and also offers a basic framework for how to respond to the temptations of a world transformed by an AI revolution. Wiley tends to be fairly pessimistic about AI, but I found this book to be an important and mostly balanced take. Yes, he can seem to ramble sometimes, but I actually came to enjoy his slightly wandering style. All in all, I highly recommend.

[Mason McCray]

Would be a 9 out of 10

I enjoyed this read. Gave it a 4 because it feels more like a collection of essays on the topic

[Travis Daggett]

Well researched
Prescient
Well written
Biblical
Fun
Demanding

[Jordan Litts]

Thoroughly enjoyable and helpful for the days ahead.

[Madee Johnson]

A great book for everyone to read concerning AI…for both the haters and early adopters!

[Logan Thune]

3.5

[Jim Becker]

So so good.
Wisdom given.

[essie]

C. R. Wiley is like Micheal Mann’s Nicholas Hathaway for our time.

[ValeReads Kyriosity]

I'm not smart enough to understand all the pros and cons surrounding AI, but I'm glad there are thoughtful people wrestling with the issue. Some are strongly pro, others strongly anti. Wiley is balanced. I commend his insights to interested readers.

[Patrick Porras]

How can we live wisely and prudently in the age of AI? By exercising dominion instead of being dominated, by worshiping the Lord Jesus, and by living in the real world with a community of like-minded saints who will help each other navigate the brave new world. And never call a robot your "friend" or implant it in your brain.

Lucid, brief, and balanced.

In sum - "We can’t flee from artificial intelligence; we will have to work with it. And when we do, we must be the master. This will call for sublime skill...Mastering it will be more like wrestling a golem than swinging a hammer. But in God’s providence, this is the world we’re entering. It is either master or be mastered. We must remain the master."

Some Good Quotes

- The ideal of technocracy is machine- like efficiency. To realize machine- like efficiency, rational control is a must, and the more control the better. It is the imposition of assembly- line logic to everything, including civil institutions and public life. And taken to its logical conclusion, it reduces human beings to machines and subjects them to total control.

- For the wise men of old knowing meant understanding, literally “standing under”—being subject to. While this left room for them to make things, craftsmen worked with the natures of things. Ignoring those natures would have been considered overweening pride, a direct challenge to the Creator and his purposes for the things he’d made.

- You know as well as I do that men’s power over Nature means the power of some men over other men with Nature as the instrument. - Filistrato, That Hideous Strength

- “Paperclip AI” is a thought experiment Bostrom conducts for his readers. Here’s the gist of it: Imagine an AI that is given the simple task of producing as many paper clips as possible. Now imagine it is so smart it won’t let you shut it off. In this nightmare scenario Paperclip AI succeeds in burying the world in paperclips—wiping out life on earth—then it builds spacecraft to take the good news of paperclip supremacy to the stars. Do you see what this means? We might find ourselves at the mercy of an absurdity both intelligent beyond our ability to fathom, and stupid beyond belief.

- The technocrats are trying to build Babel. What we have here is eschatology, an engineered Kingdom of God, without God or the inconvenience of repentance.

- The Bible begins with a story that explains why we long for transcendence. We had it, then we lost it. We were given a nature and a purpose. By nature, we are the image of God, and our purpose is to rule the world as his regents. But not long after the story begins, we fall because an evil superintelligence calls God’s probity into question. (The word “fall” is telling here; it implies we’ve come down in the world and we’re lower than we were intended to be, and that we’re now subject to limits we were not originally subject to—the most significant being death.) Since that fateful day we’ve tried to bootstrap our way back to where we began, but (and this is the damning caveat) on our own terms.

- With the help of AI we might make tremendous progress in curing diseases that have proven resistant to other therapies. But we will also level up the designer-baby problem, and in the process generate new psychological and social diseases.

- You don’t change the world by trying to change it. You change it by pursuing something better than the world.

- A hidden cost of the digital world is the degree to which it comes between us and the analog. It is a layer of noise that functions much the way light pollution does when it keeps us from seeing the Milky Way on an otherwise clear night. If we’re going to escape the virtual reality of the digital, it will mean returning to the desert of the analog. This begins with fasting, not from food, but from our digital devices.

- - Washington noted that, over time, slave owners grew incompetent when it came to managing their own affairs, becoming slavishly dependent on their slaves. While it is true that slavery degrades people, according to Washington it does that to everyone associated with the institution—even slave owners. In the end they couldn’t do the simplest things—cook food, mend clothes, or paint fences. They’d lost the ability to care for themselves. Will we fare any better when we rely on omnicompetent machines to do everything for us? Will it even occur to us that something is wrong, that we are actually doing violence to human nature by depending on machines to do things we ought to do for ourselves? (Again and again throughout this little book I’ve voiced my doubt that we will.)

- - bad things continue to happen to optimists, even to those who believe in the sovereignty of God.

- There’s a bright future for the parallel human economy. Soon we will have products with the label, “Certified Human Made.”

- People who equate the printing press and artificial intelligence misunderstand both.

- If I were to add anything to the list of disciplines needed to keep from being co-opted by AI, it would be long-form reading, preferably with physical books, and not screens. There is something about sustained attention to a line of thought that is good for the soul. Video pacifies the mind; reading activates it.

- If AI can be your cutting board employee, freeing you up for the good stuff, as far as I’m concerned, more power to you. Go for it.

-When it comes to using artificial intelligence well, it is important to know—at least in a rough sense—what you’re after. The last thing you should do is allow the technology to tell you what you should want.

- The biblical story that is most salient for our times is clearly the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9). One might say that the history of the world could be told as a series of failed attempts to rebuild it. Clearly, we’re engaged in the most ambitious attempt to date. Will it finally succeed? (That’s a rhetorical question and it says a great deal about you by how you answer it.)

- The people most likely to use AI wisely and profitably are the people least likely to want to. They’re older, and they’re already happily pursuing a good life. They’ll incorporate it along the edges and use it to leverage what they already have mastered.

-Purity isn’t possible. Moral ambiguity remains. While some injustices can and should be corrected, others are too costly to correct or simply remain unseen. You need a theology that helps you live with impurity. Try Augustine.

[Stephen Lay]

On the balance, this is a decent book. It's quite short (4 hour audio), and that's appropriate. This book properly takes a step back to consider what makes us human, and what the temptation to make ourselves 'gods' can look like - with respect to transhumanism and AI.

He does a great job connecting the virtues and habits of a 3rd-4th century monk to the needs of our day. I'm personally persuaded that I ought to enact some form of fasting -- both digital and foodwise -- into my ordinary rhythms.

Personally, I'm no fan of A.I. (LLMs), and that's putting it mildly. So, even though he was probably quite balanced objectively speaking, I found him to be a bit too starry-eyed about the likely future applications and normalised integrations of AI that he conceived of. I personally look forward to the day that AI subscription costs get so high in order to make up for the ludicrous investments that ordinary people can't afford it, and it once again leaves the ambit of ordinary people's lives. Let it crash and burn, I say.

The book introduces a fair few 'maxims', which were all great little self-reminders we can be confident in internalising to stay sane in an AI-proliferated world, such as (something like) 'machines are not persons' and things like that.

Not bad, but nothing ground-breaking.