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

Obedience to God Requires Decolonization

Maria Fernanda (Mafer) Madriz Bolaños — 2024-04-24

On January 17, 2024, the Accord Research Alliance Faculty Group organized a webinar to provide a space for discussion on the Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy (CRDA) journal’s special issue on decolonization published a few months before in November 2023. The webinar was moderated by Nina Kurlberg, one of two co-editors of the special issue, and started with remarks by two main discussants. The first response comes from Mafer Madriz, director of Compassion International’s partnership efforts focused on mobilizing and strengthening the capacity of local church partners. Madriz argues that the fact that everyone is created equal before God and bears the imago deo requires decolonization. Moreover, decolonization requires action at the local level, including efforts toward accompaniment and localized design, as described in several articles in CRDA’s special issue. But it must also include reorganization in global organizational offices and institutional structures, where a greater diversity of voices must be heard and respected, and where constructive change becomes increasingly determined by all participants, especially those from the majority world.

The full recording of the webinar is found at https://vimeo.com/903813593?share=copy,

and further online discussion on the topic can be accessed at https://groups.google.com/g/ara-faculty-group-forum. The special issue of the journal with all the articles is located at https://crdajournal.org/index.php/crda/issue/view/69.

"Decolonization in the World of Christian NGOs"

Charlotte Bray — 2024-04-24

On January 17, 2024, the Accord Research Alliance Faculty Group organized a webinar to provide a space for discussion on the Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy (CRDA) journal’s special issue on decolonization published a few months before in November 2023. The webinar was moderated by Nina Kurlberg, one of two co-editors of the special issue, and started with remarks by two main discussants. This second response is written by Charlotte Bray, who is currently studying anti-racism and power in international development from a Catholic theological perspective at the Lincoln Theological Institute at Manchester University. Believing that our theologies are central to our self-understandings and our actions, for both good and ill, Bray argues that historical Christianity bears much responsibility for the way the Global North skewed power toward themselves, a legacy for which we must account. Working from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching, a rich resource for putting our theology on a more constructive path, she argues that Christians must take advantage of opportunities to make amends and work toward reconciliation in a newly structured anti-racist, decolonized world.

The full recording of the webinar is found at https://vimeo.com/903813593?share=copy, and further online discussion on the topic can be accessed at https://groups.google.com/g/ara-faculty-group-forum. The special issue of the journal with all the articles is located at https://crdajournal.org/index.php/crda/issue/view/69.

Further Discussion on Decolonization

Nina Kurlberg — 2024-04-24

On January 17, 2024, the Accord Research Alliance Faculty Group organized a webinar to provide a space for discussion on the Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy (CRDA) journal’s special issue on decolonization published a few months before in November 2023. The webinar was moderated by Nina Kurlberg, one of two co-editors of the special issue, and started with remarks by two main discussants, Mafer Madriz, director of Compassion International’s partnership efforts focused on mobilizing and strengthening the capacity of local church partners, and Charlotte Bray, currently studying anti-racism and power in international development from a Catholic theological perspective at the Lincoln Theological Institute at Manchester University. These two responses were followed by a discussion that included insights from the authors of four of the journal articles: Bikita Mahdi and Thobekile Ncube, Rebecca Supriya Shaw, Clark Buys, and Emma Smith Cain. This third response is a collation of these insights, along with additional brief comments from Liz Muir and Alfred Sebahene.

Tough Questions on Faith and Development

Ravi Jayakaran — 2024-04-24

The following is a response by Ravi Jayakaran, president of Medical Ambassadors International, to the three questions Richard Slimbach poses on faith and development in his article “Asking Tough Questions About Transformational Development,” published in this journal in the summer of 2023 (Slimbach 2023). A follow up comment by Slimbach appears at the end. Both of these contributions were part of a webinar on June 27, 2023 discussing that article; the rest of the webinar content, consisting of two other responses and discussion around them, are published this issue as well. The full recording of the webinar can be found at

https://vimeo.com/844345288/e970fe8826?share=copy. The specific questions to which Ravi Jayakaran responds are:

How important is a Christian conversion experience to the formation of deep morality and optimal human development? And how valid is the claim that “transformed persons inevitably transform society?”
The “capabilities” approach asserts an alternative moral basis for human development than that typically associated with the “transformational” paradigm. In what ways do they contradict, complete, or even correct each other?
Why should religion be taken seriously by secular development practitioners?

Tough Questions on Faith and Political Economy

Philip Powell — 2024-04-24

The following is a response by Philip Powell (co-director of the Justice Conference, UK, and also Theology and Network Engagement Manager with Tearfund, UK) to the five questions Richard Slimbach poses on faith and political economy in his article “Asking Tough Questions About Transformational Development,” published in this journal in the summer of 2023 (Slimbach 2023). A follow up comment by Slimbach appears at the end. Both of these contributions were part of a webinar on June 27, 2023 discussing that article; the rest of the webinar content, consisting of two other responses and discussion around them, is published in this issue as well. The full recording of the webinar can be found at https://vimeo.com/844345288/e970fe8826?share=copy. The specific questions to which Philip Powell responds are:

In what ways have your family background, theological education, and ideological leanings shaped your perspectives on US foreign policy and the global US American military ‘footprint’?
Are policy advocacy, community organizing, and other actions that prioritize economic justice, environmental sustainability, and human rights legitimate areas of public engagement for Christian NGOs?
What does our theology say about the importance of environmental responsibility? Why must the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor be heard together? What keeps Christian organizations from tackling big environmental issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and resource (oil, gas, and mineral) depletion? What goals might Christian NGOs set for themselves in these areas?
Given the realities of global poverty, increasing income/wealth inequality, and excessive levels of consumption and material waste in the Global North, what is expected of Christian organizations committed to the welfare of the poor and dispossessed?
Our current economic system works to create immense wealth and to grow economies, but morally, how does it work? What does it do to people and planet, not just for them? Do the internal mechanisms of capitalism act to preserve and protect the earth’s ecological processes and biodiversity? Do they enable people to live in caring relation to animals, plants, and the world of nature? Do they encourage people to desire and delight in God? Do they strengthen the world’s cultural and religious traditions and identities that provide meaning, direction, and joy in life? In other words, in what ways does advanced capitalism nurture and/or hinder transformational development?

Tough Questions on Faith and Field Partnerships

Katie Toop — 2024-04-24

The following is a response by Katie Toop (senior director of transformational development with World Concern) to the three questions Richard Slimbach poses on faith and field partnerships in his article “Asking Tough Questions About Transformational Development,” published in this journal in the summer of 2023 (Slimbach 2023). A follow up comment by Slimbach appears at the end. Both of these contributions were part of a webinar on June 27, 2023 discussing that article; the rest of the webinar content, consisting of two other responses and discussion around them, is published in this issue as well. The full recording of the webinar can be found at https://vimeo.com/844345288/e970fe8826?share=copy. The specific questions to which Katie Toop responds are:

Does Danladi Musa (2012) accurately portray typical NGO-local church relations? How should Christian NGOs from the Global North relate to local churches in the Global South? What are the best ways to approach such partnerships? What are the major pitfalls?
Why do many Christian congregations and development agencies tend to shy away from partnerships with non-Christian faith communities, non-sectarian grassroots NGOs, municipal government agencies, and non-violent protest movements? How accurately does James Davison Hunter diagnose the problem, and what implications might it have for the work of Christian NGOs?
What missiological, theological, sociological principles (“theory of change”) are implicit within your organization’s external relationships (partnerships, networks, alliances, etc.)?

Further Discussion on Tough Questions About Transformational Development

David Bronkema — 2024-04-24

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.

Editor’s Introduction, with a Tribute to Chad Hayward

Roland Hoksbergen — 2024-04-24

A Brief History of the Accord Network and Synopsis of OneAccord23

Elijah Luikham — 2024-04-24

This report provides a brief history of the Accord Network, and especially the origins of the official Accord Network journal, Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy. This is followed by words of appreciation for the Accord Network's recently deceased executive director, Chad Hayward. Chad was a key player in the development of the Accord Network and the journal, but also in Accord's popular conference, held annually in North Carolina. This report includes a synopsis of last October's conference, OneAccord23.

Thirty Years Later

Stan LeQuire — 2024-04-24

In this personal retrospective, the author reflects on thirty years of growth of the evangelical creation care movement. The various factors contributing to the growth of the movement are highlighted: leadership, ownership, program development, global reach, and spiritual depth. The article concludes with personal spiritual reflections on leadership and hope.

Compelling, Consistent, and Credible

Catriona Dejean — 2024-04-24

In 2022 Tearfund worked with an independent evaluation and social value specialist State of Life to measure the impact of the participatory church and community transformation (CCT) process across four countries in Africa, using a holistic wellbeing survey and pioneering an application of the WELLBY (wellbeing-adjusted life year) social value methodology in Africa for the first time. The cross-national study of almost 8,000 community members generated robust evidence of the positive and sustained impact of the CCT process, offering valuable insights for development actors and reinforcing the role of local churches as catalysts for community transformation. The study provides valuable insights for the development sector, showcasing the potential of locally-owned and church-driven initiatives in bringing about transformative and lasting change.

Blood Entanglements: Evangelicals and Gangs in El Salvador

Andreas R. Daugaard — 2024-04-24