“If We’re Not Counted, We Don’t Count”:

Ruth Faber, EU-CORD CEO shares this personal Christmas reflection

As the year draws to a close, the Christian season of Advent calls us into a time of reflection and anticipation. While modern celebrations often spotlight Christmas Day, the Christian spiritual tradition emphasises the journey—preparing one’s heart and mind to fully embrace the promise of Christmas.

In Advent, we are directed to the Old Testament prophets, voices crying out in turbulent times. These prophets were truth-tellers, challenging systems of injustice and pointing towards a hope beyond the brokenness of their world. Their messages, though vital, were seldom welcomed. They often resorted to radical actions to amplify their voices, making personal sacrifices to ensure the truth was heard above the noise.

The Role of the Prophetic Voice

The prophetic tradition has relevance far beyond scripture. Today, civil society organisations often find themselves in a similar role—uncomfortable but necessary truth-tellers. In the political landscapes of our times, we often serve as voices in the wilderness, calling out injustice, speaking truth to power, and advocating for systemic change.

But prophetic voices are under increasing pressure. Civic space in Europe is shrinking, meaning that the freedom for organisations, activists, and communities to speak up and act for social change is becoming more limited. Many organisations face scrutiny, particularly when their funding comes from government or institutional sources. Does receiving such funding compromise their ability to speak out? Should organisations be silenced for fear of being labelled hypocritical simply because they operate within these constraints?

Shrinking civic space is like fencing off the public park where discussions, debates, and movements for justice used to thrive—now, access is restricted, and those who challenge the status quo are often sidelined. Yet, these prophetic voices remain essential. Far from being a betrayal, their work, even when funded by governments, is a vital part of holding power to account and advocating for a more just and equitable society.

Wilderness Voices in a Pressured World

Isaiah speaks of a “voice crying in the wilderness,” a voice that brings life and urgency to a barren place. In today’s political and social wilderness, those voices are as critical as ever. CSOs, activists, and advocates are part of the fabric that sustains democratic and just societies. Attempting to suppress them does not erase the truth they carry; it only amplifies the urgency of their cries.

As Advent reminds us, the culmination of the prophets’ messages came in an unexpected way: through the voice of a child. The birth of Christ is a profound reminder of hope and the transformative power of listening to the small, the vulnerable, and the overlooked. It’s a call to embrace the prophetic voices around us, even when their messages are challenging or disruptive to our comfort.

A Season to Embrace the Prophetic

As we prepare for Christmas, let this season be a time of listening. Who are the voices crying in today’s wilderness? What truths do they speak, even when they are hard to hear? And how can we, as individuals, churches and organisations, support the role of the prophetic in society?

This Christmas, may we embrace the prophetic role—not only as listeners but as truth-tellers in our own right, working towards justice, hope, and renewal in the wilderness of our world.

Written by Matthijs van Pijkeren, Faith & Development advisor, Tearfund Netherlands

When thinking about religion and development, there are three points that need to be considered based upon research and our own practice. In the article ‘Unboxing Faith Based Actors (1)’ I spoke about the acknowledgement of the complexity and diversity of faith, religion and faith based actors and the willingness to understand each other. In this second part I want to zoom in on the narrative of Faith Based Actors and to point out they can be relevant in many themes.

A different narrative

When engaging in conversations with faith based actors (FBAs) it is necessary to understand that language matters. We need to acknowledge that FBAs sometimes use different words, use a different narrative, are motivated from their own faith. In other words, they might not be familiar with the language of ‘neutral’ or secular development actors. An example for this is the engagement of faith actors when it comes to climate change. When talking about the climate crisis, local or national faith actors might not know the Sustainable Development Goals or understand the Paris agreement. You can however engage with them on how their religion, religious scripture or religious practice refers to the environment, or creation, and how it refers to the responsibility of mankind to take good care of all creatures, great and small.

Intrinsic value

That is also why faith leaders, on local, national or global level should have an important role in tackling the climate crisis. Look for instance at the influence of the Laudate Si encyclical of Pope Francis, not only on the Roman Catholic Church, but far wider in linking the climate crisis with poverty and injustice. It can even be said that the ‘secular, modernist’ discourse of looking at our natural world needs correction by these faith based narratives that underline the intrinsic value of the natural world and natural resources.

Please note: there is a danger of instrumentalization. Faith actors can feel ‘used’ by secular actors for a western agenda. This in a time of polarization might alienate them from their own constituency, or prompt a defensive, ‘conservative’ response. However, religions and faith are not inherently conservative nor progressive. That is why taking the time for dialogue, conversations about each other’s values and finding a common narrative is so important.

Understand

This is also the approach of the JISRA programme (see `Unboxing Faith Based Actors (1)’) where we make a distinction between ‘intra-religious’, ‘inter-religious’ and extra-religious’ conversations. Intra-religious means working within religious communities challenging harmful norms and narratives based upon the own values and beliefs, empowering faith leaders to promote inclusivity. Inter-religious means working to foster dialogue and stimulate cooperation between religious communities from different faiths. And extra-religious means JISRA empowers religious actors to build bridges across religious divides to address topics together with secular, institutional or government stakeholders. In all of these conversations time is needed to understand each other.

(Different dialogues, JISRA)

Unboxing faith and religion

Faith and religion must be not be seen as just another aspect of the human experience, but as shaping the whole life. For many westerners, who have grown up in a highly individualistic, ‘rational’ society, it is easy to compartmentalize religion. To put it in a box. Even for many believers in western society, religion can be considered as something that you only practice on Sunday. However, for many people religion shapes their whole worldview, influencing what they think is important in life, family, work, economy, politics, identity. When engaging with faith based actors, some stakeholders tend to focus on a particular box, department or theme where religion is allowed to be of influence. E.g. Freedom of Religion and Belief, where it is obvious that religious groups are stakeholders. There is however an invitation to engage with faith based actors in many other areas, even when it doesn’t seem obvious. In our experience, involving faith leaders and actors in combatting Sexual and Gender Based Violence, in localisation of relief, in mental health and psychosocial care helps to get a more holistic approach that takes into account the whole human experience.

An invitation to dialogue

This then is the promise of engaging with Faith Based Actors. There are so many challenges in the world today that require global, national and local actors to work together and understand each other. Peace building in times of conflict, competition on natural resources, the climate crisis, the push to engage with local actors in humanitarian relief, the challenge of nationalistic/religious discourses to democratic values. In all of these, local, national and global faith actors are already active. They want to be taken seriously not despite their religion, but because of that identity. In all of these challenges, a dialogue on the values that drive people will be more than just interesting, it will be a necessity.

Written by Matthijs van Pijkeren, Faith & Development advisor, Tearfund Netherlands

A few years ago I spent a night in a village on the slopes of a volcano on Java island, Indonesia, as guest of Yusmita and Muljo. While the volcano slept, my assumptions on faith identities exploded. My assumption was that I was invited to a fairly homogeneous community of Muslims who had always been Muslim. And that religion was a sensitive topic to avoid.

When I sat with Muljo and his friend Kamayati on the couch, Muljo talked about growing up in a Buddhist family, becoming a Muslim and that he now belonged to a Muslim sect. His community had been attacked recently by other Muslims that regarded him as unfaithful. His friend Kamayati first was a Christian and was now a regular Muslim. But is there any fighting between the two of you, I asked? “Peace peace, no fighting!” Then their friend Daniel arrived. I asked him: and what is your religion? “I used to be a Muslim,” he shared. “But now I am the pastor of a Pentecostal Christian church just one village up the mountain.” With open mouth of amazement, I looked at the three of them, laughing at me: the three friends who worked together, lived together and talked about their respective faiths together. Is this a volcano bound to erupt? A sensitive subject better to avoid? No, they shared: “Religion is not about fighting.”

Natural network

Tearfund has 50 years of experience of working through local Christian organisations, churches and individuals in humanitarian relief, different development themes as well as advocacy. For us, working with faith based actors is part of our identity. This is our natural network with branches all over the globe. However, why should other actors such as embassies, governments, secular NGOs also take religion into account? Because engaging with Faith Based Actors helps with getting a more holistic perspective on the world.

Research on the role of religion

The last decades has seen a surge of academic interest on the role of religion in diplomacy, international politics, sustainable development. A recent article[1] gives a helpful overview of the common themes that have been researched and the way forward. Next to academic researches, there have been several publications that particularly try to bridge the gaps between faith based actors and other stakeholders. Tearfund Netherlands contributed for instance to a synthesis research that that was commissioned particularly in order to address assumptions that may be present in “western, secular” stakeholders when engaging with religion and faith based actors.[2]

The complexity and diversity of faith actors

Based upon research and our own practice, it is important to acknowledge the complexity of faith, religion and faith based actors, when thinking about development. Since 9-11 there is no denying that religion is important to a vast majority of people in the world. To such an extent that the ‘secular’ West, where broadly speaking religions are in decline, can be seen as the exception rather than the rule. However, that is only the starting point. In order to take religion into account in diplomacy, relief or sustainable development, it is necessary to be nuanced. To recognise that faith identities are fluid, complex, contextual and to an extent individual. Or to put in in another way: religion to a secular or western observer is often viewed as a static, one-dimensional identity but when you zoom in on a particular situation, context, country, it is much more dynamic, such as my encounter on the volcano showed.

Willingness to understand

It helps to be interested in this complexity, these nuances. When you ask individuals, groups or organisations about their faith or worldview, most of the time you touch upon a core part of their identity, their values. And even if those conversations might be difficult at the start, showing a willingness to understand each other is always rewarding.

An example of this is JISRA. The Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA) is a partnership of 50 civil society organisations (CSOs) based in 7 countries. This international, interreligious partnership is implementing a five-year programme, as part of the Power of Voices program financed by the Netherlands, to further peaceful and just societies where all enjoy Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB). The consortium supports religious actors to become agents of peace and inclusion, and strengthen their capacities to engage in advocacy work. In this we intentionally try to involve women and youth.

With 50 CSOs involved, part of whom identify as faith based or interreligious, you can imagine the diversity of motivations and experiences. What brings this alliance together though is a willingness to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to take the other seriously.

When acknowledging the diversity and complexity of faith in development, how can you foster a dialogue between faith actors and other stakeholders? And on what themes? In the  second part of this article, we’ll talk more unboxing Faith Actors.

[1] Wilkinson (2022) Re-framing Common Themes in Religions and Development Research, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, 20:4, 91-106, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2022.2139542

[2] Goris & Kapazoglou (2022). Working with Faith-Based Actors for Development: A Synthesis Report. The Broker. https://www.prismaweb.org/nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/PRISMA-SYNTHESIS-Report-final.pdf