On this basis, the relationship between religion and development must be considered organically in any context. 4 the relationship between religion and development is not constant, but depends on several factors, such as religious tradition and social context.
Objectives and research questions
11 Through an empirical examination of one specific faith-based development initiative, this study aims to explore the ways in which religion has been present and influenced. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) refer to organizations whose teachings and principals inspire or guide their activities (Clarke & Jennings 2008:6).
Outline of the project
13 is therefore considered as input and suggestions for the general discussion, not normative statements regarding all FBOs. 1. In Chapter 5, summaries will be given along the way, meaning each category will have a brief summary before moving on to the next category.
Background, context and actors
- Cameroon
- Northern Cameroon- historical background and present challenges
- Religion in northern Cameroon
- Development in northern Cameroon
- Key actors
- The Norwegian Missionary Society (NMS) 14
- The Eglise Evanglique Lutheriénne au Cameroun (EELC)
- NMS, EELC and development
- The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)
- The PLS project
- Phase 1 25
- Phase 2 29
- Religion and health
- HIV/AIDS
- HIV/AIDS
- HIV/AIDS in northern Cameroon
- HIV/AIDS and religion
- Chapter summary
The training and follow-up of facilitators was the main part of the project. The Mobile Caravan (MC) is therefore one of the central awareness initiatives in this phase.
Definitions, existing theory and literature
- The Christian Mission- evangelism and diaconia
- Definitions of religion
- Religion as tradition
- Secularization theory
- Development
- A brief history
- Development as a value-based process
- Religion and Development
- Relevant historic perspectives
- A renewed interest
- An instrumental relationship
- Religion in development
- Integral development
- Chapter summary
The publication of 'Voices of the poor' by the World Bank in 2000 added an extra dimension to the development discussion. Some relevant historical contributions have been given, followed by three of the most notable contributions on how to view the relationship between religion and religion.
Methods and material
- General aim and approach
- Qualitative research
- Research Methods
- Semi-structured interviews and participant observation
- Comparison and clarification
- Sampling
- Circumstances and limitations
- Time scope and range of study
- Language and translation
- Informant bias
- The interviews
- The observations
- Thematic- analysis
- Ethical considerations and confidentiality
- Chapter summary
59 the project57, the coordinator for MC, as well as the administrative manager of the project. Among the leaders of the EELC, I considered the national bishop and the general secretary to be the most important interviewees.58. With the help of the people mentioned, as well as the leaders of the church and the NMS workers in Nagoundéré, I was able to conduct all the interviews I wanted.
For these reasons, especially the role of SG representatives has been somewhat underestimated in the analysis. To interpret social incidents we need interpretive tools and an understanding of the social reality in question. That being said, I was also considered one of the team by some on the team.
Presentation of findings and discussion
Evangelism
- The Mobile Caravan (MC)
- The Home- based Care Volunteers (HCV) and the Support- Group (SG)
- The gospel as hope, consolation and a last resort
- Discussion
- Summary
MC is actually an organism that fights against HIV/AIDS and uses the opportunity to bring the gospel” (MC member 2). All SG informants showed similar deep gratitude towards PLS, which is illustrated in the following statement by one of the Muslim women: “I want to say that it is. Considering the positive potentials, they argued that the gospel message is an important part of the project, which brings comfort and hope.
There are parts of the Gospel which are present in the Qur'an and they feel comfortable listening to it. Regardless of the reasons, MC members' embrace of evangelism as a goal suggests that evangelism occurs in PLS. However, most examples of evangelism in my material came from MC, which does not have a special psychosocial mandate.
Prayer
- Prayer as comfort and unity
- Prayer as division
- Prayer as marker of identity
- Discussion
- Summary
Kalnimé said that they would often avoid praying in the name of Jesus, not to provoke the Muslims. Although the Catholics did not seem to provoke anyone by praying in the name of Jesus, the Protestant churches chose not to. Prayer was central to all the practices I examined, although not in the same way or to the same extent.
In SG, prayer was the first thing that happened when they met and was as central to Muslims as it was to Christians. For them it was not part of their ordre de jour as it was in SG. A possible reason for the difference between the practice of prayer in the MC and the HCV/SG is the reason for the prayer.
Motivations
- Evangelism
- Diaconia
- Discussion
- Summary
Others, however, know that the main role of the church is to preach the gospel. The representative of the NMS, Erik Bischler, argued that the gospel in terms of the conversion of souls could theoretically be the fundamental goal of the church. Although present, oral preaching of the Gospel was not an everyday practice according to most of my informants.
Hamidou: The projects of the church do not make this difference – to say that development is one part, and the gospel is one part. This diaconate is twofold in nature and is considered both a silent witness to the gospel, but also as part of the gospel in itself. It is a response to the diaconal mission and calling of the church, which makes it difficult or.
Institution
- Institution- far reach and authority
- Institution- credibility and social capital
- Discussion
- Summary
NMS staff member Sandra Bischler also highlighted the structure of the church, particularly commenting on its layout. This point of the church hierarchy was also made by the director of PLS. Moreover, the social capital of certain individuals working in the church can facilitate the church's path in other matters.
An example of this is the close relationship between the director of the Protestant hospital of Ngaoundéré and Lamido. Precisely by being the director of the hospital, he was able to nurture relationships" (Mr. Gbetnkom Ntieche). So, when commenting on the notion of religious authority and power, this obviously has its reasons not only in the institution of the EELC.
Morals
- Contraceptives
- Moral discourse?
- Morals, diversity and dialogue
- Discussion
- Summary
The role of the HCVs in the PLS appears to be strictly an advisory role, with a moral discourse appearing absent. The MC coordinator also made the point that moral precepts were not entirely shared by the members of the Christian community themselves. NMS representative Sandra Bischler made a similar point, emphasizing that the PLS had defied the advice of church leadership by deciding to distribute.
78 Although not part of the PLS, in this context it is important to list some other areas where the EELC challenged existing social norms. This is probably a problem within the EELC as well, but the central position of Femmes Pour Christ. While church leadership initially opposed condom distribution within PLS, the project itself was inspired to include it.
Identity
- Christian Identity
- Christian identity as credibility
- Christian identity as obstacle
- Discussion
- Summary
Christian identity was essential, both for the PLS workers and the leaders of the EELC. Thus the participation in social and development initiatives and the emphasis on a Christian identity contributed favorably to the public image of the church. However, when confronted, most of my informants acknowledged that some groups may feel threatened by the Christian identity of the church.
This is an interesting idea, suggesting that the Christian identity of the church is already a given, both for insiders and outsiders. The examples of Christian identity as an obstacle suggest that the idea that the church is always welcomed and enjoys credibility needs to be nuanced. What if the Christian identity conflicts with the goals or rules of conduct of the project donor.
Holistic Mission
- Holistic Mission- connected concepts
- Holistic mission- contingent concepts
- Discussion
- Summary
The affirmation of the deep connections between religion and development does not translate into the fact that all parts of religion are fruitful in the development process. Instead, they propose the notion of holistic mission as a relevant way of understanding the church's mission, and therefore also. Thus, it seemed as if the church's Christian identity did not matter as long as everyone was treated equally.
Based on my material, it seems that this holistic nature of the mission of church work is somewhat inevitable. Through the statements of EELC/PLS leaders, we see that it is an academic concept that marks a preferred way of working. Second, the holistic mission is also how most EELC devotees see their work.
Religion and development revisited
Religion’s influence on development
This appears to influence development by providing spiritual capital and linking development to a spiritual reality that is central to Cameroonian society (2.1.2). The impact of the religious institution on development is in particular its potential to facilitate development through wide structural reach and various channels that have a great impact. 85 Ter Haar identified four categories of religious resources that could be explored for development purposes (Ter Haar 2011:8-9).
In the course of the analysis, however, I have pointed to a number of religious resources and stated that they play an important role. At this point it seems pertinent to point out that the religious resources identified in my own categories are compatible with Ter Haar's. We have also seen that various ideas and precepts within both religion and development mutually influence each other, most notably the religious moral influence on PLS's focus, and the inclusion of contraceptives that oppose prevailing attitudes among EELC leaders.
The relationship between religion and development
It has also been stated that details of the surrounding context, such as the relationship between Christians and Muslims, are important variables. This implies that religion's position in culture and society as well as interreligious relations are crucial for understanding the relationship between religion and development. These notions suggest that religious tradition as well as religious and societal context are crucial to understanding the relationship between religion and development.
This suggests that an integrated or organic understanding of religion and development is fruitful both for understanding and analyzing the relationship (van Wensveen 2011:90). Moreover, it has been stated that the relationship varies depending on religious tradition and societal context. The relationship between religion and development will vary depending on these factors, requiring individual treatment in each situation.
Suggestions for further research
List of interviews
EELC- leaders
PLS- leaders
Volunteers (HCV)
Mobile- Caravan- members (MC)
Support-Group- members (SG)
NMS- workers
Informational document for leaders
Le but de l'étude est de rechercher le rôle de la religion dans certaines initiatives religieuses concrètes afin de le mettre en évidence. Pour y parvenir, je souhaite interviewer une vingtaine de personnes liées aux projets que j'ai choisis (les dirigeants de l'organisation, les employés et bénévoles des initiatives, et ceux qui en bénéficient). Les questions que je poserai porteront sur le projet dans lequel vous êtes impliqué, vos pensées et votre attitude à l'égard du projet, ainsi que votre attitude personnelle envers l'aspect religieux du projet et votre jugement sur cet aspect.
Ces informations pourront apparaître dans la thèse, qui sera le produit fini de cette recherche. Si vous vous retirez de l'entretien, toutes les données que vous fournissez seront immédiatement supprimées. L'étude a été notifiée et recommandée par l'Agence officielle norvégienne de protection de la vie privée (Norsk Samfunnsvitenskapelig datatjeneste, NSD).
Informational- document for non-leaders
Interview-guide
Y a-t-il des règles, des règles de conduite ? sur ce que vous pouvez faire ou ne pas faire/dire ou ne pas dire). Quels sont les avantages d’être une église dans ce projet particulier ? en général/dans ce projet particulier). Pour vous, est-il important que le projet ait un profil religieux/se déroule dans une église ?
S’il existait un tel projet dans une organisation non religieuse, voudriez-vous en faire partie/être impliqué ? Pensez-vous personnellement qu’il est important que l’Évangile soit communiqué à travers votre travail (directement ou indirectement) ? Est-il important pour vous personnellement que l'Évangile soit communiqué en dehors du travail (par exemple dans les résultats du projet) ?
