Influence Is Not Always Insight
- Written by Mark J. Chironna, PhD
We're living in a moment when influence often masquerades as expertise. Our culture has fallen into a subtle yet dangerous trap: the belief that competence in one area automatically qualifies someone to speak authoritatively in another. It's as if success, popularity, or even brilliance in a particular sphere becomes a universal passport to wisdom everywhere else.
We see this scenario play out all around us:
* The tech entrepreneur who suddenly becomes an authority on economic policy.
* The celebrity who confidently offers medical guidance.
* The spiritual leader who presumes authority in areas of politics or public health without sufficient grounding.
And because we’re continually bombarded with confident voices, we seldom pause to ask essential questions: By what authority? By what formation? By what measure of accountability?
Visibility Doesn’t Equal Wisdom
The truth is...visibility is not the same as wisdom. Having a large following or a recognizable name doesn't translate into having deeply cultivated insight. Genuine wisdom is quietly shaped by long periods of formation, reflection, humility, and even failure. It requires the slow, often hidden, work of discerning truth from error, substance from noise, and depth from superficiality.
Yet, in our digital age, expertise is frequently reduced to sound bites, quick judgments, and bold proclamations. The louder the voice, the more likely we are to assume that voice carries authentic insight—without ever truly evaluating its depth or accuracy.
Technocracy Isn’t King
This trend has particularly damaging consequences when technocratic voices, those specialized in one area, begin confidently advising in other fields without genuine expertise. Their technical language and confident delivery can sound persuasive, even compelling, yet they may inadvertently flatten complexities, ignore crucial historical contexts, and offer simplistic solutions to deeply layered problems.
The appeal of these voices lies in our natural human desire for clear answers. In uncertain times, we crave simplicity and certainty. But the price of this oversimplification is steep. When we uncritically trust voices speaking beyond their real expertise, we risk embracing shallow solutions that leave us more confused, disillusioned, and fragmented than before.
Who is Vetting the Advice?
In every area: economic, theological, medical, political, the essential question is this:
Who is evaluating the advice?
Who is evaluating the credibility and fruitfulness of the voices we're hearing?
More importantly, we need to as ask:
* Are these voices accountable?
* Have they been formed through deep reflection, education, or experience?
* Why do we consistently allow visibility to overshadow genuine, deeply-rooted wisdom?
These questions are not trivial! They are critical. They determine whether our collective future is guided by genuine insight or superficial popularity.
Recovering Discernment
The renewal of our culture demands that we reclaim discernment as an intellectual and even a spiritual discipline. Discernment requires slowing down, asking deeper questions, and seeking out quieter, yet more substantial voices. And just any voices. They need to be voices shaped by humility, proven over time, and marked by integrity rather than mere prominence.
Discernment also means embracing nuance, complexity, and even uncertainty. Sometimes the wisest voices are the ones that pause, consider carefully, and admit, "I don't know," rather than confidently proclaiming immediate answers to difficult problems.
An Invitation to Intellectual Humility
Ultimately, competence in one domain doesn't automatically confer insight across others. True wisdom recognizes its own limits. It's marked by humility, not hubris. Wisdom is willing to listen, to learn, and to admit when it doesn't know.
If we desire genuine renewal culturally, societally, politically, economically, spiritually, then we have no choice but to learn to discern between charisma and credibility, popularity and maturity, knowledge and wisdom.
This shift begins when we, as listeners, readers, and as members of the human race, refuse to grant automatic authority to those who have not done the quiet, slow work required to carry that authority well.
It's time we start asking not simply, "What is being said?", but also, "Who is speaking, and have they earned the trust they're asking us to give?"
Discernment begins right there.
Written by Mark J. Chironna, PhD.
Bishop Mark J. Chironna PhD
Church On The Living Edge
Mark Chironna Ministries
The Issachar Initiative
Order of St. Maxmius
United Theological Seminary, Visiting
Professor, Co-director, House of Pentecostal Studies
Dr. Mark Chironna is a public scholar, executive and personal coach, and thought leader with five decades of experience in leadership development, cultural analysis, and future-focused strategies. With advanced degrees in Psychology, Applied Semiotics and Futures Studies, and Theology, he brings a unique interdisciplinary approach to helping individuals and organizations navigate complexity, unlock potential, and craft innovative solutions.
As a Board Certified Coach with over 30,000 hours of experience, he empowers leaders and teams to thrive through resilience, foresight, and actionable strategies. Passionate about human flourishing, he integrates psychological insight and cultural trends to inspire growth and transformation.
Mark J. Chironna, PhD.
