Do you remember the early days of the internet? There was so much optimism. The idea was that once everyone had access to the world’s information, we’d all be more knowledgeable, more informed, more spiritually enlightened. 

We would all be so wise, so smart! We wouldn't have to rely on intermediaries like editors and fact-checkers to filter information for us. We'd have access to it ALL.

Well that hasn’t worked out so well, has it? Instead of wisdom, we got conspiracy theories, outrage culture, and an endless scroll of distraction. Access to more information hasn’t made us more discerning — just more overwhelmed. Instead of becoming wiser and better informed, we are becoming more foolish and -- dare I say -- more ignorant.

So what happened? Why are so many of us so easily misled, divided, and stuck in echo chambers?

It turns out there’s one essential skill that separates those who navigate today’s flood of information well from those who get swept away by it: the ability to revise your thinking in light of new understanding.

The Essential Skill

To grow wise in the digital age, we must learn to sort through conflicting information — and when needed, let go of opinions and "beliefs" that no longer hold up. That means developing the humility to say, “I might be wrong,” and the courage to change your mind.

This is surprisingly rare. Research highlighted in Scientific American found that people most susceptible to misinformation lack this flexibility. When confronted with evidence that challenges their views, they double down rather than rethink. But the people who grow, adapt, and discern truth are those who can re-evaluate their assumptions.

Let me restate this, because this is incredibly important: 

The difference between wisdom and delusion today comes down to one thing: the ability and humility to rethink what we believe when new truth shows our old view was incomplete or flat-out wrong.

Learning means being willing to unlearn. We can't know the truth if we continue to accept what is false.

Faith and Growth

This is especially tricky in matters of faith. Many of us were taught that letting go of certain ideas or doctrines is a form of spiritual failure, or even betrayal. That letting go of beliefs we accumulated growing up means "losing our faith." But Scripture paints a more dynamic picture.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” Growth in faith, just like growth in knowledge, involves maturing beyond earlier understandings. 

In that passage, Paul goes on to talk about how now, we only know things "in part," but at some point in the future, we'll know completely. He says that “now we see through a glass darkly.” There's so much we don't understand! We will only see fully and clearly at the end of time, when Christ returns. 

Until then, in this life we must simply keep learning and growing, putting away childish things as we understand and grow more.  

Faith isn’t about clinging to every old conviction. It’s about a deep commitment to truth, which means holding what we think of right now as "truth" with open hands — confident in God, yet humble about our perspective.

Growing Through Subtraction

To put this another way: Real wisdom isn’t just about adding more information. It also means subtraction — letting go of falsehoods, assumptions, or limited views that keep us from seeing clearly.

Socrates modeled this humility when he said that true wisdom begins with admitting how little we know. The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu described maturity as a process of shedding -- letting go not only of possessions, but also of ideas and concepts. We were certain about some things earlier in our lives, but new information and experience reveals them be either more complicated than we realized, or just plain wrong.

The same is true for us. The more we grow, the more we realize how much mystery remains. This is not a failure of faith, or indicate a weak faith. It’s the path of genuine, spiritually mature faith.

A Spiritual Exercise

If you find yourself in a season of uncertainty or spiritual disillusionment, don't be discouraged. This could be an importan time of spiritual growth and renewal. Here’s a simple reflection you might try. I've done this several times in my adult life, and each time found it to be really helpful. 

Write three short lists:

1. Things I was taught growing up that I still believe with conviction — the truths about God and life I continue to hold.
2. Things I was taught growing up that I no longer believe — ideas I’ve realized aren’t true -- things that don’t match my knowledge and experience of God and the Christian life.
3. Things I was taught growing up that I’m now unsure about — areas where my understanding is shifting or incomplete.

You don’t have to force answers or explanations. The point isn’t to erode your faith — it’s to strengthen it through honesty and openness. 

Here is a commitment I often encourage people to make: Never let your doubts stay vague. This leads to spiritual uncertainty, which erodes your commitment and stalls your spiritual growth. Write things down. Clarify the questions. 

Then -- and this is the important part -- check into things. You can be certain that whatever questions you're having, someone else has had them in the past 2000 years of Christian history. Do some reading, do some google searching. Talk to trusted friends and spiritual leaders who can help you.

God isn’t threatened by your questions. In fact, that’s where the Spirit often does the deepest work.

The Takeaway

True spiritual and intellectual maturity comes not just from collecting ideas, but from releasing the ones that we've come to see are incomplete or untrue. Wisdom grows in the space that humility creates.

So stay curious. Hold your beliefs with confidence, but also with gentleness and humility. Keep learning, keep asking questions, keep letting go of ideas and beliefs that don't hold up under scrutiny. And trust that God’s truth — not our certainty — is what will ultimately set us free.