In the late 1980s, George Michael sang the classic words, “I must have faith, faith, faith.” But there’s something deeper in the lyrics than perhaps the old Wham! planned singer.

After a decade of teaching atheists and three times as long listening to people who have lost their sense of Christianity, one thing is clear: people don’t quite understand to lose faith like moving it to another object.

Those who view the invitation to trust Jesus as a threat to their self-determination are not operating out of sheer reason; they simply placed their trust elsewhere – whether in political ideology, romance or the “inner voice”. And these new objects of trust are rarely scrutinized as Jesus is. If they were, many who thought they had left a rocking boat for solid ground would find that they had entered stormy seas. (It should be noted that many of those who walk away end up scrutinizing their later faith and backtracking only to meet the real Jesus. In fact, I was raised by two such people.)

Faith when the faithful betray you

Many of my friends who have strayed from the Christian faith blame the example of other so-called Christians. A friend was sexually abused by a young trusted leader at a late night event. Another discovered that a trusted leader and Christian media personality had siphoned off millions of dollars from the ministry she worked for. Others left when their church leaders met honest questions with threats of eternal damnation and exorcisms to drive out the demons of doubt.

It is no small feat when people who claim to represent Christ break trust and commit injustices in his name.

It is no small feat when people who claim to represent Christ break trust and commit injustices in his name. For many, this broken trust is devastating beyond recovery. I certainly experienced several ministries that made me think, If those in charge were faithful representatives of Jesus, I wouldn’t want anything to do with him.. But we are experienced in separating babies from the bathwater in other areas. Would it be reasonable to never watch a movie again because Harvey Weinstein is a sexual predator? Break your copy of the Beatles So be it album because Phil Spector was convicted of murder? Yet, in matters of faith, it is understandable that we have trouble not rejecting God because of the hypocrites acting in his name.

To anyone who has been burned by Christians, I kindly offer a simple idea: those who represent (or misrepresent) Christ are not Christ. You probably know this, but it bears repeating. The Jesus who willingly entered a world of pain – who successfully endured the heat of temptation, the sting of public humiliation, the wrath of the religious elite, anxiety to the point of crying blood, nerves screaming as thorns pierced his temples, a broken crossbar hoisted across his already whipped back, railroad spikes in his wrists and ankles, a spear under his ribcage, asphyxiation on a Roman cross…this Jesus is not the one who hurt you. This Jesus is the one who loves you beyond your understanding. This Jesus, the real one, will never defraud you, abuse you, defraud you, deceive you or dehumanize you.

Nobody else

Faith in Jesus is very different from putting your faith in those who have hurt you in his name. Every worldview has wolves. This is why Christianity is fundamentally a call to personal surrender to Jesus Christ, not intellectual consent to a man-made worldview. You can roam the earth, sit at the feet of the gurus, read the best philosophers and listen to the most enlightening podcasts, but you won’t find anyone as challenging, exciting, unpredictable, substantial and insightful as him.

You’re going to put your faith somewhere. Why not entrust it to someone, the only one, who will never let you down?