Here's the reason why distrust among believers is rife

written by Stephan Joubert

In the first verses of Matthew 7 Jesus offered a very stern warning to those who believe they possess the sole license to decide who is in and who is out in God's eyes on this side of the grave. He said that they would eventually be judged by the same judgment that they mete out. Still, numerous individuals today believe that they alone occupy the religious high ground. They possess the exclusive rights on being right, as well as the rights to judge the moral character and teachings of others.

Amidst all these "let's find fault with other Christians" games, the one question that really bugged me is why is there so much distrust among believers across the globe, but also here in South Africa where I live? Recently I found an answer. When American church pollster, author and leadership expert, George Barna, was in South Africa a few weeks ago, he referred to recent studies by Ipsos and Pew between 2008-2010 on general attitudes and perceptions among South Africans. They found in their research that only 52% people over here trust their own relatives, while only 12% trust people outside their families! Shocking stats, to say the least.

In a country such as South Africa where more than 87% people claim to be Christians, only 12% actually trust other people. Perhaps this is the real issue — we have become so accustomed to distrusting others that we even feel it is our religious duty to do this in God's Name by constantly forming and voicing negative perceptions regarding the character, teachings, attitudes and behavior of other believers and non-believers behind their backs. What a sad day in the kingdom of God when vices such as distrust, gossip, as well as blaming and framing turn into virtues! What a terrible situation when this has become acceptable behavior. Let's all take heed of Jesus' words in Matthew 7 again.

Peace

Stephan Joubert