On Tuesday, June 27, Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy (CRDA), hosted a webinar on Dr. Richard Slimbach’s provocative and important article, “Asking Tough Questions About International Development.” Three international colleagues responded to Dr. Slimbach’s reflections:
- Ravi Jayarakan, President of Medical Ambassadors International, addressed questions on “Faith and Development.”
- Philip Powell, Co-director of the Justice Conference, UK, and Theology and Network Engagement Manager (UK) Tearfund. Philip responded to questions on “Faith and Political Economy.”
- Katie Toop, Senior Director of Transformational Development at World Concern responded to the third set of tough questions on “Faith and Field Partnerships.”
We invite you to add your comments below.
Abstract
The disaffection of young adults from traditional religious beliefs and institutions challenges Christian relief, development, and advocacy agencies to re-evaluate long-held assumptions on at least three topics: how the Christian faith informs development work, how it interprets the dominant political economic model, and how it structures partnerships with other development actors. The essay underscores the importance of making conversation on consequential issues across generational, gender, racial, socioeconomic, religious, and political differences. Three sets of “tough questions” are offered to facilitate open and respectful dialogue, potentially leading to more inclusive and collaborative models of faith-inspired community development work.
