The Crisis of Trust: Fear, Society, and the Call to Trust God
- Jack Selcher
- Sep 25, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 27
Summary
Trust in American institutions has sharply declined, fueling fear, division, and insecurity. As trustworthiness erodes, relationships and societies unravel. Fear grows where people feel out of control, but Scripture presents trust in God as fear’s opposite and remedy. Trusting God is a deliberate choice grounded in His proven faithfulness. Those who rely on Him find refuge, stability, and peace even amid social unrest, danger, and uncertainty.
The Crisis of Trust in American Life
A local television station has its anchors discussing trust. One of them says, “You trust your spouse. You trust your children. You trust your family.” The station's advertisement reveals the crisis of trust in American life.
Media, Religion, and Broken Trust
In 1976, 72 percent of Americans had a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the mass media.1 In 2025, Americans are now divided into rough thirds, with 31% trusting the media a great deal or a fair amount, 33% saying they do “not [trust it] very much,” and 36%, up from 6% in 1972, saying they have no trust at all in it.2
Distrust is a problem for organized religion. In the 1970s, 65 percent of Americans had a lot of trust in it. In 2025, it was 15 percent. 3
Why Trust and Trustworthiness Are Linked
Why the drastic decline? Trust fits hand in glove with trustworthiness. When the eggshell of trustworthiness breaks, the yolk and egg white of trust leak away.
When I typed “clergy sexual abuse” into my search engine, the first three listings were all law firms. Interestingly, lawyers are trusted even less than the clergy--the same as prostitutes.4
When trust breaks down, relationships and whole societies unravel. Marital unfaithfulness severs trust ties.
Broken promises litter 24/7 life and undermine the trust necessary for healthy relationships. Thinking the worst of the opposing political party has divided the United States into two warring factions.
Fear as the Fruit of Distrust
As trust in American society has decreased, fear has increased. The number one fear in 2024 was fear of corrupt government officials (65.2 percent were afraid, or very afraid).5
The Cost of a Fear-Driven Society
Mass shootings, pandemics, civil unrest, cyber-terrorism, pollution, biological and nuclear warfare, and economic uncertainties stir the pot of fear and stress in America.
Most Americans intentionally and foolishly distance themselves from fear’s most dependable antidote--trust in God. Trust in God and fear are opposites. Where one exists, the other cannot.
Trusting God as Fear’s Antidote
Fear is a trust issue. Fear springs from the awareness of having no control over some threatening danger. By contrast, those who trust in God believe His promises and that He is in control regardless of the situation. Their faith is not blind.
They experience his faithfulness and trustworthiness even in the floods, forest fires, and blizzards of adversity. Trusting God is a choice. Those who refuse will live in fear unless they pay no attention to what is happening in the world.
Finding Refuge in God’s Faithfulness
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
“Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (Psalm 91:1-4 NIV).
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