Fathers, sons and the 'vital' importance of trust

Trust between fathers and sons may sometimes be faltering, despite the best intentions of all involved, but recent headlines have shone an unpleasant spotlight on one particular royal father and son.

After Prince Harry lost a legal battle over taxpayer-funded security, his first instinct seems to have been to call the BBC to arrange an interview and publicly air his unhappiness. And also to fuel speculation over the health of his father by saying he “doesn’t know how long” the King has left. Loyalty to his father appeared to have left the building. Long-term royal correspondent and commentator Jennie Bond told LBC that “trust has been completely blown out of the window” – presumably on all sides. How that must hurt everyone concerned.

Lack of trust can be deeply painful, personal – and increasingly political. Last July, as he took office, the Prime Minister told supporters that “the fight for trust is the battle that defines our age”. And yet following the recent UK local election landslide for Reform, it was reported that a 10 Downing Street aide offered the explanation that “we are operating in a very low trust environment, which is inevitable after all the broken promises and overblown rhetoric of recent years”. When people think – or feel – that what you preach and what you practice don’t match up, political disaster likely isn’t far away.

Sadly, the church isn’t immune, but also has great challenge here. In our institutional churches, abuse scandals have done huge damage to individuals and to trust in the wider church. The vital importance of trust seems to only get noticed as it departs. A Dutch proverb, attributed to politician Johan Thorbecke, observed that “trust arrives on foot and leaves on horseback”. Yet in a time of uncertainty, we need to be able to trust the church, and those who lead it, more than ever. In a paper for the Church of England’s General Synod last summer, Professor Veronica Hope-Hailey noted that “Individual leaders need to know the right thing to do to maintain trust in challenging circumstances: something that goes beyond rulebooks and codes of conduct and into a deep and genuine personal sense of responsibility and obligation to others.” She suggests knowing what you stand for, personal integrity, and a shared sense of knowing what is the right thing to do, even when there is no certainty, all contribute. Trust is relational.

With data now appearing about the possibility of A Quiet Revival in the UK, there seems to be increasing positive interest in the church, not just negative headlines. In this context, what now is our call?

We must trust God – He who calls us is faithful and trustworthy, and He will do it. But we must also endeavour to be trustworthy -pistós in the Greek- and faithful, persevering as we try to practice what we (literally!) preach. In an age of anxiety and uncertainty, this may feel more counter-cultural than ever. But as many are put off the institution of church per se, local church leaders and congregations who are living out the gospel with integrity, modelling what it is to trust in God and showing themselves to be worthy of trust, demonstrate that faith isn’t about institutions. It’s about trust.

At times, like King Charles and Prince Harry, our own trust might feel faltering, or difficult. We are each of us wayward, sinful, prodigal sons. But we have a Father who forgives when we repent– we have only to trust in him.