Shalom Makers: Development in the Way of Christ (A More Human(e) Way) Part II
I. Introduction
Some of the bestselling books in the West today include Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion and Christopher Hitchens’ god is not GREAT: How Religion Poisons Everything. Public debate about life and faith is alive and well in popular culture, but it also extends into the world of poverty and development. This debate centers on the role that faith should play in development work. It is an argument that does not only occur between Christians and non-Christians, but even among Christians themselves.
Having entered the world of development as the co-founder of the Solis Foundation, I’ve had numerous conversations about whether or not the organization should be explicitly and intentionally Christian. Organizations like World Vision and Habitat for Humanity have chosen to identify themselves as such, while some other organizations I know (that I will leave nameless here), although started by Christians, have chosen not to. In talking with people employed with these later groups, I discovered the primary reason that they are not explicitly Christian is because it would hinder their ability to provide aid in certain locations. While these latter groups are not explicitly Christian, some of them seek to intentionalize the integration of their faith in their approach to development, while the other groups seem to take a more haphazard approach. The thesis of this paper is that, while there are philosophical, ethical, and practical reasons why nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) separate humanitarian aid from faith, a more holistic and human(e) approach to poverty and development occurs when an organization intentionally integrates its Christian faith in a Christ-like way.
Nice intro. Waiting with anticipation for more…
While it has little to do with the purpose of your post, I’m curious if you know how and why World Vision operates the way they do? Let me explain: I first came into contact with World Vision in Bukoba, Tanzania, as my wife and I were surveying East Africa in an attempt to move a mission team to where God was leading. They are, as you said, explicitly Christian — everyone there spoke quite openly with me about their faith, and they even invited my wife and I to attend a morning devotional, where I was asked to teach.
But they also intentionally refrained from evangelism and spiritual conversations while in the field. They ended up inviting our team to join them in their work, as a follow-up to the development they do, because, they said, it was against the organization’s rules for them to be openly evangelistic while working in the villages. They were hoping someone would come behind the good work they were doing to further share the gospel message. [We did not end up accepting their invitation, though we did end up moving to one of the two towns they suggested to us.]
I am not really very familiar at all with World Vision, and I don’t know if this is a world-wide rule, or specific to Africa, or even that area of Tanzania. But I was curious as to whether or not you knew, or had any ideas?
I’m looking forward to the rest of your presentation. Thanks for putting forth all the time and effort.
[...] you missed the introduction, read it [...]
James,
My understanding is the World Vision is extremely careful on how they share their faith and partnerships with churches are pretty key in this. They don’t want to take unfair advantage of the asymmetry of power, yet at the same time they desire be intentional in integrating their faith into all they do. That sounds like what you experienced as well, in regard to your invitation. But I’m guessing that context probably shapes their approach. I say this as a student of Bryant Myers one of the VP’s of World Vision and my understanding of his work. Glad you will be joining me for this series of posts.
Hey JR,
I’m new to your site. This seems like a great topic, and its timely for me. I’m looking to spend the remainder of my MDiv studies focusing on issues of development and mission.
My question for you after reading your intro is how you define authentic Xtian development or distinguish its various forms. I can see a spectrum starting from the lone Xtian working from their own values and strategies in a non-Xtian organization all the way to a Xtian organization with exclusively Xtian employees and partners. Do all these have the same amount of legitimacy or cultural currency? Are they faithful equals?
As an example, I’m wondering what kind of theological shift needs to happen for a local development organization run through congregations to hire non-xtians as staff members or as partners.
Joe,
That is really cool that the remainder of your focus is on development, I would love to read any essays or reports you write so that I might learn from you. In regard to how I would define authentic Xtian development, the series of post if you had a chance to look at the outline, will define this more. I don’t want to give a sound bite for what is to come, rather I would encourage you to read on and for us to dialogue more specifically as the series develops.
In regard to your last question, that is a great question. What I would say is that this series of posts will define what I mean when I talk about fully integrating our faith into our way of development, and that if these are understood, then the question in regard to hiring may be clearer. It’s a good question, and while not the primary scope of the paper, the series of post lays out a frame of reference that enables an organization to approach that question and others with wisdom and grace. That’s the best I can say at this point, but let keep up the dialogue as the series develops.