International Development and Local Faith Actors: Ideological and Cultural Encounters

This book explores the interplay and dialogue between faith communities and the humanitarian-development community. Faith and religion are key influencers of thought and practice in many communities around the world and development practitioners would not be able to change behaviours for improved health and social relations without the understanding and influence of those with authority in communities, such as religious leaders. Equally, religious leaders feel responsibilities to their communities, but do not necessarily have the technical knowledge and resources at hand to provide the information or services needed to promote the well-being of all in their scope of influence. The book demonstrates that partnerships between humanitarian-development practitioners and religious communities can be mutually beneficial exchanges, but that there are also frequently pitfalls along the way and opportunities for lessons to be learned by each party.

Delving into how humanitarians and faith communities engage with one another, the book focuses on building knowledge about how they interact as peers with different yet complementary roles in community development. The authors draw on the Channels of Hope methodology, a tool which seeks to engage faith leaders in addressing social norms and enact social change, as well as other related research in the sector to demonstrate the many ways in which humanitarian and development policy makers and practitioners could achieve more systematic engagement with faith groups. This book is an important contribution to the growing body of literature on faith and development, and will be useful both to researchers, and to practitioners working with faith communities.

Julia Berger, Nava Kavelin (2020). From principles to praxis: The worldwide Baha'i community's approach to social and economic development. International Development and Local Faith Actors: Ideological and Cultural Encounters. Kathryn Kraft
Olivia J. Wilkinson: 31-44, https://www.routledge.com/International-Development-and-Local-Faith-Actors-Ideological-and-Cultural/Kraft-Wilkinson/p/book/9780367249724

The Bahá’í community’s efforts to contribute to society’s material, social, and spiritual well-being date back to the inception of the Bahá’í Faith in the mid-19th century and are carried out in the context of a much larger enterprise—namely the continuous material and spiritual advancement of human civilisation as a whole. This chapter examines the theological and conceptual foundations that have guided and animated these efforts—the principle of the oneness of humanity, conceptions of history and the nature of progress, coherence between spiritual and material dimensions of human life, conceptions of power, and knowledge. The chapter examines the ways in which the Bahá’í community has striven to embody its convictions in its development goals, methods, and approaches. The insights shed light on the manner in which religious teachings are translated into action in the arena of development, and how organisations strive to be faithful to their mission while remaining relevant across changing social and cultural contexts