Christian Faith-based Organizations Research Articles

Bridging the Divides? How Christian Faith-Based Antitrafficking Organizations Construct Co-Ownership in Buddhist South-East Asia

Religious differences are often portrayed as a source of conflict and tension in development work. Such portrayals imply that faith-based organizations (FBOs) struggle to bridge religious divides and construct co-ownership when engaging in multi-religious contexts. This article nuances this view through a study of how Christian FBOs are working with antitrafficking programs in Buddhist South-East Asia. Drawing on interviews and observations in Thailand and Cambodia, the analysis demonstrates that differences in religion need not present an obstacle to the construction of co-ownership. In contrast, a shared religious ontology between FBOs and local stakeholders and beneficiaries facilitates a shared understanding of the problem of human trafficking and the solutions to address it. This indicates that religion can be a resource, rather than a problem, in establishing co-ownership with local actors in the antitrafficking work of the FBOs. However, in interactions with secular antitrafficking actors, finding common ground is more challenging: the secular-religious divide seems wider than the Christian–Buddhist divide. The article thus provides important insights for scholars, policymakers and practitioners by nuancing assumptions about the role of religion in development in multi-religious contexts. Western secularism may in fact present a more significant obstacle than an explicit religious identity when seeking to construct co-ownership with local communities in Buddhist South-East Asia.

COVID-19 and Christian Faith-Based Organizations in Great Britain: A Research and Resource Review of Organizational, Financial and Human Contributions and Impacts in the Context of a Wider “Christian Ecology”

The COVID-19 pandemic presented what, on both global and national levels, has arguably so far been the most extensive health, economic and social challenge of the 21st century. Responding to this challenge, it soon became clear that, while having a vital role in the contextual provision of necessary services, public authorities also needed to engage with organizations in the voluntary, community sector, including Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs). This article presents and discusses and analyzes a digest of research and resource evidence from the beginning of 2020–to the end of 2023 concerning the organizational, financial and human contributions of and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on, in particular, Christian FBOs in Great Britain. It goes on to analyze these contributions and impacts within the analytical framework of what it calls a wider “Christian ecology” as the context within which such FBOs live, to which they contribute, and, as argued by this review, apart from which they cannot be properly understood. Finally, in exploring some of the lessons to be learned from the evidence and analysis presented, the article identifies and considers some key opportunities and issues that arise at the interface between the work of (especially, but not only, Christian) FBOs and the structures and processes of the governmental powers-that-be.

“What We Say Is What You See”: Portrayal by Christian Faith-Based Organizations of Female Survivors of Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Cambodia

ABSTRACT The representation of trafficking survivors in marketing, research, and other materials can have a significant impact on the stigma placed on survivors and the services they receive. This study explores the representation of trafficking for sexual exploitation by several Christian Faith-based Organizations (CFBOs) in Cambodia. Major sources of information included interviews with Christian Faith-based Organization (CFBO) leaders and staff, and a review of publicly available secondary resources (aid agency websites, reports, advertisements, and other documents). This research examines how these organizations define their beneficiaries and communicate to their supporters using concepts, words, and images rooted in the agency’s particular perspective on Christianity. The paper explores CFBO discourse in that it includes the influence of CFBO metaphors and rhetoric on their framing of trafficking and exploitation issues and responses to it, and the impact of those portrayals on how their beneficiaries are viewed by their local communities both within the wider Cambodian context as well as internationally. Results revealed a sharp contrast between how trafficking survivors define themselves (i.e., how they make sense of their own lives in relation to trafficking and sexual exploitation) and how they are defined by society, their families, and CFBOs in relation to being trafficked and in the context of receiving CFBO assistance.

Faith standing out? Discovering the particularities of faith-based antitrafficking organizations in Thailand and Cambodia

ABSTRACT While there are some studies mapping non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) responses to human trafficking, insufficient attention has been devoted to antitrafficking responses of Faith-Based Organizations (FBO). To remedy this gap, this article surveys 59 antitrafficking organizations through the analysis of their websites, assessing their level of faith-infusion and mapping their antitrafficking strategies. To identify the distinctiveness of FBOs, these are compared to their secular NGO counterparts. The survey shows that compared to their secular NGO counterparts, FBOs tend to focus more on the post-trauma stages of interventions and that FBOs tend to have individual and church-based donor networks. To further explore these patterns, I draw on qualitative case studies of three Christian FBOs in Thailand and Cambodia. Together, the survey and the case studies suggest that FBOs approach antitrafficking in a distinct spiritualized way, in particular for FBOs with higher degrees of faith-infusion. Faith is seen as an added value but employed in varied ways in antitrafficking; from integrating spirituality in programmes to de-emphasizing religious identity in favour of the theory of change emphasizing collaboration. The former illustrates the resistance to the secular paradigm while the latter illustrates adaptations to the same.

Exploring why religious faith may distinguish faith‐based from non‐faith‐based NGOs: Theoretical insights from Cambodia

AbstractFaith‐based and non‐faith‐based non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) are significant service providers in the developing world, yet limited research has compared these organisations, especially in the context of Southeast Asia. This paper explores a theoretical concept related to why religious faith may distinguish Christian faith‐based organisations (FBOs) from non‐faith‐based NGOs. Qualitative data were analysed from 41 interviews across 13 Christian FBOs and 12 non‐faith‐based NGOs working with women and children in Cambodia who have been (or were at risk of being) sexually exploited, trafficked or involved in sex work. Faith was found to distinguish FBOs from non‐faith‐based NGOs in all four of the dimensions comparatively examined in the study: (1) goals and missions, (2) motivations, (3) approaches to care and (4) conceptions of success. It is argued that the contrasts between these two types of organisations, in terms of faith, are related to the combination of both the infusion of faith in FBOs and factors related to the development context in which these organisations worked, a theoretical concept posited as Context‐Infusion Convergence.

Contesting the Dynamics of Secular Development: An Ontology of Trinitarian Well-Being as Christian Rationale for Human Well-Being

Abstract Christianity has been instrumental in fashioning the contemporary Western paradigm of humanitarian aid and development. However, as a secular agenda increasingly defines this space, the question of what difference a religious cosmology makes to Christian faith-based development organisations (FBDO s) becomes significant. While faith convictions initiated early humanitarian efforts, Christian FBDO s have arguably acquiesced to secular pragmatic rationales for their work, rather than allow theology to have explanatory and regulatory influence. In many ways, therefore, FBDO s are devoid of the influence of “faith”, or more specifically, the influence of a robust theological foundation. To address this deficit, a critique of the philosophical moorings of Western international development is mounted, with consideration given to nascent trajectories of an alternate Christian rationale and praxis. In particular, the paper argues that the ontological foundation for the dynamics of human well-being is divine well-being. Employing a Trinitarian relational ontology, the dynamic characteristic inherent to the actualisation of divine well-being is identified as a triune kenosis (self-giving). Such an ontology of divine well-being provides the context to articulate principles for actualising human well-being as a reiteration of the divine archetype. From such a perspective, the Trinitarian doctrine of God provides the pivotal foundation for a Christian cosmology necessary to articulate an alternative paradigm for sustainable development.

Epistemic Violence and the Rise of the Pseudo‐Secular Islamic FBO in the Age of the ‘Religious Turn’ in Development*

AbstractOver the past two to three decades, there has been a significant shift within the development sector. Previously considered ‘taboo’, religiously inspired Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) have become increasingly welcomed and involved as partners and collaborators with international financial institutions and leading aid donors. However, while a place has been set at the table this has not been an equitable one. Rather, there is still the expectation that religiously driven organisations will engage with the normative Western secular aid discourse that regards impartiality as sacrosanct. As a result, this has seen those FBOs that have chosen to participate develop hybridised‐identities, wherein we argue they have become pseudo‐secular in nature. Drawing on the literature, we note this development amongst well‐established Christian FBOs, such as World Vision, and extend our analysis to Islamic FBOs, with a case study of Islamic Relief. In doing so, we also argue that the hegemonic nature of the secular ‘master narrative’ imposed by the Western aid sector represents an instance of ‘epistemic violence’, and that FBOs should be able speak in their own terms.

Exploring the Understanding of Followership in Christian Faith-Based Organisations

Emerging research on followership has overwhelmingly been focused on for-profit organisations. This research investigates the meaning of volunteer followership in a faith-based context by exploring four Christian denominational congregations and how they socially construct their role of being a follower. Using implicit followership theory, we explore their perceptions on ideal followership and how these shape the relationship to leaders. By conducting 25 semi-structured interviews we found that volunteer followers across the different denominations developed different understanding of followership and particularly valued relational attributes. We further found a dialectic relationship between individual personality, institutional norms and the social system which shape the way followership is constructed. Thus, we advance current understandings of the role of volunteer followers in faith-based organisations.

A Comparative Exploration of the Motivational Factors of Faith-Based and Secular NGOs and Their Actors in Cambodia

ABSTRACTSecular and faith-based NGOs are significant non-state service providers in the developing world, yet limited research has been conducted comparing their motivational factors. This paper considers the motivations driving the work of Christian faith-based organisations (FBOs) and secular NGOs working with women and children in Cambodia. The qualitative research design included 41 interviews, with respondents from thirteen FBOs and twelve secular NGOs. The paper makes two substantive arguments. First, faith-related motivations were expressions of the ways in which religious faith infused FBOs in the study. Second, the development context in which the organisations worked led to a clear distinction between FBOs and secular NGOs. The paper makes a theoretical contribution about the importance of considering the convergence of both the development context and the infusion of faith in FBOs when examining similarities and differences between these two types of organisations.

Perspectives on suicide and suicide prevention among members of Christian faith-based organizations.

This study investigated perspectives of suicide and suicide prevention among members of Christian faith-based organizations (FBOs). Seventy-three individuals responded to two open-ended questions soliciting their views on why people suicide and how suicide can be prevented. Content analyses revealed seven reasons for suicide categories (hopelessness, despair, combined stressors and maladaptive coping, perceived and actual disconnectedness from others, mental illness, lack of effective response from others, and lack of belief in Jesus as God) and eight suicide prevention categories (increase education and awareness, proactive engagement with those at risk, increase community resilience, communicate value and purpose, professional interventions, provide hope, policy initiatives, and unsure). Findings indicate that compassionate perspectives on suicide and constructive ideas about suicide prevention exist among Christian FBO members. This is important for future work involving active and systematic recruitment of Christian FBOs in suicide prevention initiatives.

Perspectives on Suicide Prevention Amongst Members of Christian Faith-Based Organizations.

The purpose of this study was to explore perspectives on suicide prevention held by members of Christian faith-based organizations (FBOs). Eight focus groups were facilitated, and five major themes were identified: perceptions of responsibility, connection to suicidal persons, equipping for suicide prevention, collaboration with professional services, and hope. Overall, Christian FBO members considered suicide prevention to be an important demonstration of their faith and values. They perceived themselves to be currently adding to suicide prevention efforts through spiritual practices and interpersonal skills, but regarded these as insufficient if considered stand-alone responses. They recognized the receipt of suicide prevention training and collaboration with professional services as necessary to be fittingly engaged as a resource for suicide prevention.

Feasibility evaluation of the HOLLY program: an ACT-based suicide prevention program for Christian faith-based organisations

ABSTRACT Objective This study is a feasibility evaluation of The HOLLY Program, a suicide prevention gatekeeper training (GKT) program that uses the core processes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and is tailored to Christian faith-based organisations (FBOs). Method: Thirteen participants received the program, and nine participants provided post-intervention data. Results Paired samples t-tests corrected for familywise error did not find any significant outcomes. However, there were marginally significant trends for improvements in self-efficacy, prevention behaviors, stigma, and engagement with values, which were supported by the qualitative and descriptive data. Across the sample, high levels of satisfaction with the program’s helpfulness, relevance, and practical content were reported. Qualitative data investigating perceptions of suicide motivation and suicide prevention found that participants recognised the psychological nature of suicide and provided sound, scientific suggestions for prevention. Conclusions While large-scale validation is required, proximate outcomes as presented in this study suggest that The HOLLY Program is viable and promising, and that members of Christian FBOs are willing and suitable recipients of GKT for suicide prevention.

Suicide prevention training for Christian faith-based organizations using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: a pilot controlled trial of The HOLLY Program

This study is a pilot controlled trial of The HOLLY Program, an ACT-based suicide prevention gatekeeper training (GKT) program for Christian faith-based organizations (FBOs). Seventy-two participants took part in the study. Mixed ANOVAs with repeated measures examined changes on suicide responding outcomes and ACT processes using pre-intervention and one-month post-intervention data. Based on intention-to-treat analyses, significant increases in self-efficacy and suicide prevention behaviors were found. Increased knowledge and decreased stigma were data trends. No training effects emerged for the ACT processes; however, qualitative analyses showed that participants adaptively used ACT processes when engaging in a self-selected gatekeeper behavior. Further, correlational analyses revealed that ACT processes were associated with decreased stigma and completion of a self-selected gatekeeper behavior. Most participants (86%) awarded maximum ratings to the program's capacity to meet their expectations and needs, whilst 94% stated they would definitely recommend it to others. Although preliminary, these findings indicate the effectiveness of an ACT-based GKT program for Christian FBO members.

Christian Case for Engaging North Korea

AbstractThe Trump Administration’s strategy to isolate North Korea includes a ban on Americans travelling there. The 2017 ban especially impacts nearly seventy Christian faith-based organizations (FBOs), which in the past two decades legally channelled hundreds of (mostly volunteer) workers and thousands of tourists to North Korea. Since the travel restriction, these faith-based workers and tourists have publicly joined the debate over the United States’ North Korea policy. They have acted as “norm entrepreneurs,” shaping an alternative, cognitive frame for engagement. This frame includes three claims: 1) foreign Christian workers and tourists are generally tolerated by the regime, so long as they obey existing laws and regulations; 2) these workers and tourists meaningfully contribute to socioeconomic development and religious freedom in North Korea; and, 3) the US government should not violate the rights of Americans to travel and practice their faith, as long as they engage in these activities in a safe and meaningful way. The faith-based frame for peaceful engagement resonates among American mainstream and evangelical Christian media; it links with America’s individualist and evangelical normative traditions of social change through grassroots, personal relationships. We narrate and assess this frame through interviews and other communications with over twenty workers and tourists (mostly US citizens) linked with FBOs.

Talking about time: temporality and motivation for international Christian humanitarian actors in South Sudan.

We investigate ways in which international evangelical Christian humanitarians talk about time as they engaged in humanitarian assistance and development work in South Sudan. Our focus on Christian development work is motivated by a desire to understand how and why people persevere in humanitarian work and reconcile seemingly impossible circumstances and to further elaborate sociological conceptions of time as experienced by people in their own lives. We argue that their faith commitments produce ways of understanding time and causality which make possible their attachment to risky and dangerous work. Our work is based on in-depth interviews with people who work or have recently worked for Christian faith-based organizations in South Sudan (n = 30). Drawing on Tavory and Eliasoph's () concepts of life narratives and life projects, we treat our participants as culturally competent actors who skilfully construct their stories through drawing on collectively shared faith-inflected ideas about temporality and causation. We argue that these ideas represent an important resource for getting through the risks, challenges and uncertainties of doing humanitarian work in complex crises.

Pastoral power in HIV prevention: Converging rationalities of care in Christian and medical practices in Papua New Guinea

In his conceptualisation of pastoral power, Michel Foucault argues that modern healthcare practices derive a specific power technique from pastors of the early Christian church. As experts in a position of authority, pastors practise the care of others through implicitly guiding them towards thoughts and actions that effect self-care, and towards a predefined realm of acceptable conduct, thus having a regulatory effect. This qualitative study of healthcare workers from two Christian faith-based organisations in Papua New Guinea examines the pastoral rationalities of HIV prevention practices which draw together globally circulated modern medical knowledge and Christian teachings in sexual morality for implicit social regulation. Community-based HIV awareness education, voluntary counselling and testing services, mobile outreach, and economic empowerment programs are standardised by promoting behavioural choice and individual responsibility for health. Through pastoral rationalities of care, healthcare practices become part of the social production of negative differences, and condemn those who become ill due to perceived immorality. This emphasis assumes that all individuals are equal in their ability to make behavioural choices, and downplays social inequality and structural drivers of HIV risk that are outside individual control. Given healthcare workers’ recognition of the structural drivers of HIV, yet the lack of language and practical strategies to address these issues, political commitment is needed to enhance structural competency among HIV prevention programs and healthcare workers.

Pharmaceutical stockouts: problems and remedies for faith-based health facilities in Africa

Background and aims: Faith-based organizations (FBOs) provide a substantial portion of the health care services in many countries but despite this coverage, many health facilities have struggled to maintain adequate stocks of supplies. The purpose of this study was to identify the types of supply chain systems used by African faith-based health facilities to acquire reproductive health commodities, the performance of the different supply chain system types, their associated challenges and possible corrective actions.Methodology: Through email surveys, phone interviews, and on-site visits, supply chains and challenges of faith-based health facilities in 13 African countries for 16 selected reproductive health (RH) commodities, including contraceptives were studied. Results: Of the 46 facilities surveyed, 55% faced stockouts of one or more products in the three months prior to the survey. Stockouts were less common for contraceptives than other RH products. Significant strengths of the FBO supply chain included creativity in finding other sources of commodities in the face of stockouts, staff designated to monitor quality of the commodities, high capacity for storage, low incidence of expired products, few instances of poor quality, and strong financial sustainability mechanisms, often including patient fees. Weaknesses included unreliable commodity sources and power supplies, long distances to depots, and problems maintaining the cold chain. Five supply chain types were identified. As a result of this study, FBOs in Cameroon have already taken steps to strengthen their supply chain systems and reduce stockouts by forming the Alliance of Christian Faith-Based Organizations for Family Planning (ACFBOFP) in Cameroon. This coalition is raising the profile and fortifying the voice of FBOs toward strengthening FBO commodity security in Cameroon. Conclusions: By studying the supply chains of faith-based health facilities, Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH) and its members have created new awareness among FBOs and international agencies of the importance and challenges of these systems and suggested actions toward improvement. This study can serve as a frame of reference as we move forward, anticipating an acceleration in interest to strengthen FBO supply chains to reach as many communities as possible with supplies and services. The alliance formed in Cameroon to strengthen commodity security may be a good model for other FBOs to consider.

Claiming Justice for Israel/Palestine: The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Campaign and Christian Organizations

The Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) against Israel seeks to embed the Palestinian struggle within the Global Justice Movement in order to mobilize support from transnational business and civil society actors. The article analyzes how two important Christian faith-based organizations respond to the BDS movement’s global justice frame: the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Drawing on recent research into justice in international relations, the analysis shows the process of normative interaction between diverging justice claims of the BDS campaign and these Christian organizations.

The social construction of success among leaders of faith-based and secular NGOs in Cambodia: Examining the role of faith

ABSTRACTAlthough faith-based organizations (FBOs) and secular nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) provide significant social work interventions, and are believed to bring about positive changes in their clients, the literature has not fully explored distinctions between the ways leaders of these organizations socially construct success. Using qualitative data from 41 interviews with leaders of Christian FBOs and secular NGOs in Cambodia, this article explores the ways in which leaders conceived of success, including what success was attributed to, and the extent to which faith was conceptualized as contributing to client change. While the study revealed the multidimensionality of socially constructed success, the “input” of faith in FBOs served as an important conceptual lens through which leaders viewed their work and client change, resulting in a faith-centric ideological environment which significantly accounted for differences in the ways success was perceived in these organizations. The study builds on the theoretical understanding of faith “infusing” FBOs, clarifying distinct differences—not always clearly evident in other locales—between FBOs and secular NGOs that are critical to conceptualizing the importance of faith to FBOs. The findings provide insight into the importance of considering both the organizational ideological context and the wider development context when seeking to compare FBOs and secular NGOs.

Circumventing 'free care' and 'shouting louder': using a health systems approach to study eye health system sustainability in government and mission facilities of north-west Tanzania.

BackgroundLittle is known about the contributions of faith-based organisations (FBOs) to health systems in Africa. In the specialist area of eye health, international and domestic Christian FBOs have been important contributors as service providers and donors, but they are also commonly critiqued as having developed eye health systems parallel to government structures which are unsustainable.MethodsIn this study, we use a health systems approach (quarterly interviews, a participatory sustainability analysis exercise and a social network analysis) to describe the strategies used by eye care practitioners in four hospitals of north-west Tanzania to navigate the government, church mission and donor rules that govern eye services delivery there.ResultsPractitioners in this region felt eye care was systemically neglected by government and therefore was ‘all under the NGOs’, but support from international donors was also precarious. Practitioners therefore adopted four main strategies to improve the sustainability of their services: (1) maintain ‘sustainability funds’ to retain financial autonomy over income; (2) avoid granting government user fee exemptions to elderly patients who are the majority of service users; (3) expand or contract outreach services as financial circumstances change; and (4) access peer support for problem-solving and advocacy. Mission-based eye teams had greater freedom to increase their income from user fees by not implementing government policies for ‘free care’. Teams in all hospitals, however, found similar strategies to manage their programmes even when their management structures were unique, suggesting the importance of informal rules shared through a peer network in governing eye care in this pluralistic health system.ConclusionsHealth systems research can generate new evidence on the social dynamics that cross public and private sectors within a local health system. In this area of Tanzania, Christian FBOs’ investments are important, not only in terms of the population health outcomes achieved by teams they support, but also in the diversity of organisational models they contribute to in the wider eye health system, which facilitates innovation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12961-016-0137-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.