Abstract
Faith-based Organisations (FBOs) have been at the forefront of a growing interest of the intersection between religion and development. Their value has been recognised as both pragmatic (such as reaching the poorest at the grassroots level and encouraging civil society and advocacy) and, perhaps more contentiously, also ‘spiritual’ in nature because of advantages arising from faith itself (such as hope, meaning, purpose and transcendental power). For many FBOs, religion is far more than an ‘essential component of identity … it is a source of well-being’. In this manner, FBOs challenge the modernist assumptions of traditional development theory, which view the spiritual and physical domains as separate. In fact, for some FBOs, ‘spiritual faith provides the fuel for action’. This paper reports on an aspect of the empirical findings of a South African study and explores both the way in which Christian FBOs understand their Christian identity and the way in which they articulate this through their use of scripture as a motivating or an envisioning tool.
Highlights
Does faith matter? Exploring the emerging value and tensions ascribed to faith identity in South African faith-based organisations
This paper reports on an aspect of the empirical findings of a South African study and explores both the way in which Christian Faith-based Organisations (FBOs) understand their Christian identity and the way in which they articulate this through their use of scripture as a motivating or an envisioning tool
Research with regard to Faith-based Organisations (FBOs)2 has been on the increase, its agenda has been modest in comparison with research of other secular, Non-government Organisations (NGOs) or multi-lateral agencies, and there remains a ‘significant gap in our knowledge of FBOs on the ground’ (Ohlsen 2008:393; Tadros 2011:67)
Summary
Does faith matter? Exploring the emerging value and tensions ascribed to faith identity in South African faith-based organisations. Faith-based Organisations (FBOs) have been at the forefront of a growing interest of the intersection between religion and development. Their value has been recognised as both pragmatic (such as reaching the poorest at the grassroots level and encouraging civil society and advocacy) and, perhaps more contentiously, ‘spiritual’ in nature because of advantages arising from faith itself (such as hope, meaning, purpose and transcendental power). Faith-based organisations remained, despite the role played by colonial era missionaries in establishing philanthropic organisations and the role of NGOs, of which most FBOs in South Africa form a part, of utmost importance in providing alternative social services to the majority black population during the apartheid era. It is in addition to their current role in addressing a range of socio-economic challenges within our country, often working at the coalface of poverty and inequality in South Africa by serving the poorest and the most vulnerable members of our society (Patel 2012:610, 616; Xaba 2016:5)
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