Hello and welcome! I’m Erik Bakker, originally from the Netherlands though I now call another part of the world home.
My professional journey has been shaped by two distinct decades-long chapters. The first twenty years of my working life were spent as an entrepreneur, navigating the challenges and rewards of building and running businesses. The next twenty years took an entirely different direction: I served as a pastor within the Christian and Missionary Alliance, pioneering new projects and initiatives within faith communities.
These diverse experiences—from the business world to pastoral ministry, from the familiar to the foreign—have given me a unique vantage point on life, society, and faith. Now, I find myself at a fascinating intersection: exploring how artificial intelligence and spirituality meet, challenge, and enrich each other. This convergence has opened up entirely new questions about what it means to be human, to have faith, and to navigate a rapidly changing world.
My faith journey has been equally dynamic. Born into a Catholic family, I became Protestant and served for two decades in that tradition. More recently, I’ve returned to the Catholic Church, bringing with me the richness of both paths.
On this blog, I write articles and columns about social and other issues that move me, challenge me, or simply won’t let me go—including the profound implications of AI on our spiritual lives and communities. My hope is that these reflections might move you too, and perhaps inspire you to engage others in meaningful dialogue. You’ll find thoughts on church life, societal trends, the intersection of technology and faith, and how we navigate spirituality in an age of artificial intelligence. Occasionally, I take detours into completely different territory—because life is too interesting to stay in one lane.
What drives me is simple: sharing insights that move people to move others. At the crossroads where AI meets spirituality, I’m discovering questions and possibilities that demand to be explored together, not alone.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you’re here.