Further Discussion on Tough Questions About Transformational Development

Abstract

On June 27, 2023, the Accord Research Alliance Faculty Group organized a webinar to provide a space for discussion on Richard Slimbach’s article “Asking Tough Questions About Transformational Development,” published in this journal in the summer of 2023 (Slimbach 2023). The webinar was moderated by David Bronkema, co-editor of the journal, and started with remarks by three main discussants: Ravi Jayakaran (president of Medical Ambassadors International) who tackled Slimbach’s questions around faith and development; Philip Powell (co-director of the Justice Conference, UK, and also Theology and Network Engagement Manager with Tearfund, UK) who responded to questions involving faith and political economy; and Katie Toop (senior director of transformational development with World Concern), who addressed the questions of faith and field partnerships.  These three responses, published separately in this issue of the journal along with Slimbach’s comments on them, were followed by a moderated discussion between the author and the three respondents, which is reproduced below in a lightly edited version. The specific and detailed questions posed by Richard Slimbach are found in the original article, and the full recording of the webinar can be found at https://vimeo.com/844345288/e970fe8826?share=copy.