It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools.
-Ecclesiastes 7:5

We live in an age of information overload. Within seconds, our fingertips have the ability to pick and choose what we want to hear, what aligns with our opinions and what justifies our thoughts and feelings. Now if all the information available was reliable, truth based and trustworthy, we could celebrate this modern advancement of mankind. However it seems people in general are rapidly degrading in their intellectual aptitude. Why? Could it be that when information is readably available, when we can simply listen to others who claim to be experts, when we no longer need to dig in and figure it out ourselves, our brains actually become lazy and out of shape?

Not all available information is detrimental, much of it is healthy, necessary and has the benefit of leading us in the ongoing process of learning. But as with everything, in the presence of boredom, the people will seek out anything to stimulate their entertainment.

No longer do we need to commit to reading a whole book or do our own research. No longer do we need to tax our brain through critical thought and trial and error. We don’t even need to personally experience new things, because after all we can simply experience these things through others.

Again, not all, but more and more of the content that is available is easily posted with relatively no boundaries. The most overt issue here that should glare at us with deceptive eyes is that there is no accountability for content creators. This means they can write, video and post whatever they want with no responsibility to truth or accuracy. At best, content creators are only challenged by… other content creators. Inevitably when clicks are the ultimate goal, content follows popularity, controversy, fear or lust. That is what our human nature craves. The result is blogs and podcasts full of false information enticing us away from truth. Even more detrimental to the Christian follower is the over abundance of false theology. If you think about it, this is nothing more than manipulation. We are being manipulated to like and follow. As a result, content creators bring in the mighty dollars or Bitcoin if they are really trendy.

God’s truth on the other hand offers something very different. Hope, wisdom and eternal life. The Bible contains everything we need, but there are a few other reasons we can count it superior to anything else. First, it is the inspired Word of God. The original Content Creator is the only One who can be fully trusted because He possesses all truth and wisdom. Second, God’s Word is alive through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. That means when we study and meditate on Scripture it actually talks back to us. Third, the motivation of God’s Word is eternal, not monetary. Unlike continent creators, God truly wants the best for us. Inherently the best, most important, most impactful message we can ever hear is the Gospel of Christ Jesus. This is intended to be a personal revelation from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can go directly to the source, our Bible. Fourth, God’s Word does not need to be filtered, fluffed or repackaged by a third party. This includes content creators as well as authors, experts, pastors and Popes. If anyone discourages or impedes you from going to Scripture yourself, deeply consider their intentions. 

Though not all content available to us is malicious, self-serving or manipulative, as with all things in our life, it should all be measured against the truth of Scripture.