5 Best Practices for Online Discernment
When it comes to information and advice, the Bible is clear: Get all of it you can. Just consider this sampling from the book of Proverbs alone:
“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15, NIV)
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22, NIV)
“Listen to the advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” (Proverbs 19:20, NIV)
“Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance.” (Proverbs 20:18, NIV)
How do you take the biblical principle of getting all the counsel and advice and information you can while simultaneously avoiding the dangers of getting that information and advice online?
You must learn to discern. Here are five of the best practices for online discernment:
First, before you research anything, ask yourself what a biblical worldview might have to offer that would be a guiding light to your search. Determine on the front end if there is any sense of true North that you need to keep in mind as you visit sites, read studies or look for insight.
Why? Everything should be read through the lens of God’s transcendent truth.
Second, before you start searching for anything online, own your personal biases regarding the search. Ask yourself – and be honest – what you are hoping to find to be true, or to hear or to have validated. In other words, own your personal lack of objectivity.
The internet is the biggest enabler in the history of the world. Whatever you want to believe, whatever you want to find, you can and will. You can quickly and easily find support for whatever you want to find support for.
Third, start off with – and, as much as possible, stay with – mainstream sites and sources, studies and reports. I know the word “mainstream” is negative to some, but here’s what I mean: stay away from fringe sites, fringe sources, fringe “experts,” fringe opinions and fringe theories.
They are usually fringe for a reason.
For example, if you are chasing something in the field of medicine, your doctor would probably recommend a site such as WebMD or the Mayo Clinic site for information, as opposed to whatever a TikTok search might randomly yield.
This doesn’t mean mainstream sites and sources are always right or that minority reports are always wrong, but there’s a reason mainstream sources are considered mainstream. They represent the mainstream, the main current, the settled body of knowledge and opinion on things. The goal is not to have a blind trust of authority, but rather a reasoned trust in expertise.
Fourth, in terms of news, make sure you take advantage of a wide range of reputable sources. Read multiple takes on key events and stories. I have a personal discipline that is part of my morning routine of surveying a wide range of news sources that represent a blend of left and right, progressive and conservative, East Coast and West Coast, national and international. I have conservative moorings, but all the more reason to read views outside of any kind of echo chamber. But I make sure that every site – particularly the ones that may lean away from my conservative leanings – is heavily invested in competent news coverage and is consistently peer-reviewed.
This helps correct the tilt a newsfeed might have, or a social media search might have, in terms of its attempted “read” on my life or what might be “pushed” for my consumption through some algorithm. Or what might be paid content pushed to me.
Finally, become informed about credentials. For example, if someone claims to be a “doctor,” discover what kind of doctor they are. As someone who holds a Ph.D. and has a background in academia, I can tell you that there are all kinds of ways to get the title “Dr.” in front of your name—and they are not all the same.
Beyond fake diplomas bought from an unaccredited diploma mill, there are also variations in the quality of legitimate degrees. For example, consider a medical doctor.
It matters where they went to medical school.
It matters what grades they made while in medical school.
It matters whether they completed one year or three years of residency following medical school.
It matters where they did that residency.
It matters whether they completed a fellowship following their residency, particularly if they claim to be a specialist and, of course, where they did that fellowship.
Follow the Bible’s counsel and get all the information and advice you can. And by all means, take full advantage of the almost limitless amounts of information that exist for your searches online.
Just don’t forget to learn to discern.
Photo Credit: ©Glenn Carstens Peters/Unsplash
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
Originally published September 07, 2026.
