In times not too long ago, trust was an uncontested notion. Of course, there was more or less trust, there was also betrayal of trust, but a real institutional crisis of confidence was something beyond any horizon. In God we trust, meaning that there were structures on which we could definitely rely. Actually however, as is widely recognized, we are living a credibility crisis. We trusted the banks, we trusted politicians, we trusted the church, we trusted our system of checks and balances, but none seems up to standards when it comes to trust. In particular the aspect of checks and balances can be considered extremely important. If ever confidence was betrayed, there was up to now a system allowing us to intervene. Such an intervention had as a consequence any betrayal of societal confidence could only have limited consequences.

Actually, the situation has radically changed. Not only trust and confidence are slipping out, not only are we confronted with new phenomena such as fake news and all other kinds of betrayal of confidence, the system of checks and balances itself seems to be seriously damaged. If we look for instance at the famous trias politica — the idea that none of the three main institutional powers (executive, legislative, justice) has an unlimited power, that each of them is controlled by another one, finally that each of them is independent of the other — then rightly this system of checks and balances seems to be under attack. Even though Montesquieu could not foresee modern aspects such as fake news, the rise of populism and the influence of international companies, his system remained in our modern era a pivotal and essential element when it came to building societal trust.    

Now, Montesquieu’s system was rooted in a narrative. His narrative was the idea that freedom, at a personal and societal level, was extremely important and that it had to be protected against despotism and tyranny. In that sense his efforts can be compared to that of Foucault, who brilliantly analysed structures of power. In Montesquieu’s view then, all power should therefore be limited power, meaning it should be counterbalanced by another power. Such a system creates trust.  

Personal freedom, the equilibrium we need between our own interests and those of others have longtime been elements of the Christian narrative too. Therefore, what interests us is to know whether theology and religious studies can contribute to a narrative that would allow us to rebuild systems of trust in our society. Caveat, by saying this, we do not intend to have any missionary goal. What we strive for is analysing what could be the role of theology and religious studies in this huge crisis that actually undermines any sense of being a community. What can we say about failing narratives, about new narratives, about the importance of trust, the way confidence is lived? In short, let us really think in these times about contributing to our society.

Kind regards,

Matthias Smalbrugge
President EARS