Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy: The Journal of the Accord Network

“Outside Agencies Do Not Bring Development”

2023-11-02T11:47:00-07:00

Contemporary calls to “decolonize aid” have historical roots. In this article, the authors focus on Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) as a case study of how one Christian humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding agency has grappled for at least five decades with how to carry out its mission in a way that abdicates colonial power and fosters mutually transformative partnerships with churches and other organizations in the Global South. Exploring how MCC has thought about the power it wields offers insights and lessons for other international aid agencies, both Christian and non-Christian, about the complexities and opportunities involved in attempts to decolonize aid. External and internal pressures to show impact, demonstrate relevance, and ensure compliance with standardized policies and procedures have all generated tensions within MCC’s efforts to decolonize its work: other international aid agencies, the authors suggest, will encounter similar tensions as they work at decolonizing aid.

Tearfund’s Decolonisation Journey– from Jubilee to the Present

2023-11-03T05:04:06-07:00

In this article, we explore what decolonisation means to the faith-based organisation Tearfund, outlining several of the organisation’s practical efforts to intentionally “reset” and decolonise its corporate culture, organisational structures, and ways of working. The theological motivation behind this organisational journey was set in motion during its Jubilee year in 2017, which sparked a renewed focus on restoring relationships, including those affected by colonialism and/or racism. The article traces an arc from 2017 to 2023, outlining organisational initiatives that aim to shift power and maximise inclusion. The purpose of so doing is to assess how the organisation’s ongoing shift from being a British charity towards becoming an authentically inclusive, global organisation has fared.

Along the Road of Decolonization

2023-11-03T06:04:06-07:00

Decolonizing development is necessary to address the colonial legacies that contribute to injustices faced by Guatemala’s Indigenous populations. Through collaborative reflection, staff members from two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) share a case study of their ongoing processes of decolonization through 17+ years of shared relief and development work among Indigenous Tz’utujil communities in Guatemala. The authors argue that implementation of a localization model has fostered an environment of mutuality and learning in which decolonization processes could take place, effectively addressing and continuing to address colonial legacies within each organization and between these two institutions. Grounded in the practical experiences of an international NGO from the Global North and a locally rooted NGO from the Global South, this article contributes to the ongoing discussions on decolonizing development.

Book Review of Holy Anarchy: Dismantling Domination, Embodying Community, Loving Strangeness by Graham Adams

2023-11-03T09:35:48-07:00

Book Review of Holy Anarchy: Dismantling Domination, Embodying Community, Loving Strangeness by Graham Adam

Book Review of A Liberation for the Earth: Climate, Race and Cross by A.M. Ranawana

2023-11-03T09:43:46-07:00

Book Review of A Liberation for the Earth: Climate, Race and Cross by A.M. Ranawana

Book Review of Christ Among the Classes: The Rich, the Poor and the Mission of the Church by Al Tizon

2023-11-03T09:48:31-07:00

Book Review of Christ Among the Classes: The Rich, the Poor and the Mission of the Church by Al Tizon

Abundant Community Theology

2023-11-03T06:34:29-07:00

In 2018, Tearfund embarked on an exploration of "Economic and Environmental Sustainability" (EES) theology, seeking to adopt unconventional research methods shaped by Latin American decolonial thought. The approach sought to amplify marginalised voices, embrace non-English perspectives, and acknowledge the significance of oral traditions. The journey unfolded through regional "missional listening," collective discernment, and intercultural synthesis. Challenges included the significant time and financial investment, holding space for diverse ideas, and transitioning from collating global perspectives to articulating Tearfund's perspectives on the subject matter. The resulting "Abundant Community Theology" offers an alternative anthropology rooted in interconnectedness, challenging the historical legacy of dominion theology. This report reflects on the importance and value of the consultative, collaborative journey and the nuanced role of language in fostering ongoing conversations for social and environmental justice.

From Development to Repair

2023-11-03T08:08:14-07:00

This article discusses the multidimensionality of poverty, how it is shaped and maintained through colonial logics, and how this understanding requires a holistic process of reparations. Reparations is a key part of decolonizing development. Anti-racism with integral intentions can be an expression of reparation as we actively dismantle hierarchies entrenched by racism (such as coloniality, apartheid, and caste systems). Drawing from a research project on race, ethnicity, and poverty conducted by Christian Aid, the authors reflect on what faith-based international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) must do in order to make these recognitions and move toward repair through working towards eradicating poverty.

Mammon and Empire

2023-11-03T08:40:39-07:00

International development organizations assume that poverty is the core problem to be solved. This article makes the case that wealth is the ultimate problem, and poverty is the consequence. The pursuit of wealth, as defined by market-based societies, is driven by the spirit of Mammon, which is also the spirit of Empire. Faithfulness to the gospel requires wealthy churches, which send missionaries and development workers to poorer regions of the world, to confront Mammon—in themselves and in the world—and to do mission according to the upside-down economics of the kingdom of God. Insofar as they do, they also undermine the power of Empire.

Decolonizing Global Development Theory and Practice through “Centering” the Work of Robtel Neajai Pailey

2023-11-03T08:53:34-07:00

This essay discusses the contributions of Robtel Neajai Pailey, a Liberian scholar and activist, to the decolonization movement within global development. Some of Pailey’s scholarship centers on directly critiquing the “White Gaze” of development. She points to how development practice and scholarship remain beholden to Western, White knowledge and power dynamics. For this reason, Pailey urges both scholars and practitioners to reverse the White gaze of development. Pailey does this with her scholarship on Liberia. She also offers ideas for practitioners. The essay concludes with how Christian scholars and practitioners might engage with the decolonialization movement.

Decolonizing Data and Recovering the Person in Christian Relief and Development Organizations

2023-11-03T08:18:59-07:00

The purpose of this paper is to prompt Western Christian organizations—funded and led by people whose histories are intertwined with colonialism—to examine the impact of their “gaze” on people in the Majority World. Today, because of the vast scale of the Christian humanitarian and relief industry, Christ-centered development assistance must avoid perpetuating entrenched asymmetries of power and authoritative knowledge production between the Global North and Global South. To safeguard the rights of those living in poverty requires a conscious effort to decolonize Christian development data collection by recognizing the dangerous potential for Western Christian organizations to impose inequitable measures of data extraction and acquisition on the Global South.

Critical Enabling Factors for Decolonisation in Christian Development Organisations

2023-11-03T08:31:25-07:00

The rise of the “Black Lives Matter” movement in 2020 brought to the fore issues such as racism, oppression, and colonisation within international development practice. In spite of organisations citing commitments to decolonisation, day-to-day tools and ways of working are arguably not always fit for such purposes. Against this backdrop, this article outlines four critical enabling factors (CEFs) for decolonisation relevant for Christian Development Organisations (CDOs): lament, epistemic justice, diverse and inclusive representation, and the embrace of non-neutrality. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but represents a starting point for organisations that want to embark on the journey towards decolonising their practice.

Decolonising Practice

2023-11-03T07:54:16-07:00