Religious Non-Governmental Organizations An Explor

Copyright2003InternationalSocietyforThird-SectorResearchandtheJohnsHopkinsUniversity1ReligiousNon-GovernmentalOrganizations:AnExploratoryAnalysisJuliaBergerHarvardUniversitySeptember2003Thispaperrepresentsthefirstsystematicattemptatananalysisofreligiousnon-governmentalorganizations(RNGOs).Largelyignoredasanorganizationalfield,RNGOsconstituteanewbreedofreligiousactorsshapingglobalpolicy–anorganizationalhybridofreligiousbeliefsandsocialactivismatlocal,nationalandinternationallevels.ThispaperproposesadefinitionofRNGOs,tracestheemergenceofRNGOsfromanhistoricalperspectiveandsituatesthemintheircurrentreligiousandsocio-politicalcontexts.Drawingoninterviewsanddocumentarydatafromasampleof263UnitedNations-affiliatedRNGOs,theauthorproposesananalyticalframeworktoexaminethereligious,organizational,strategicandservicedimensionsoftheseorganizations.RNGOs’uniquecontributionstothere-definitionofajustsocietyaswellasthesocio-politicalchallengesarisingfromtheirreligiousidentityarediscussed.INTRODUCTIONOverthelast20years,non-governmentalorganizations(NGOs)havebecomeincreasinglyactiveininternationaldiscourseanddecision-makingaboutissuesofglobalscope.Theintroductionoftheterm“non-governmentalorganization”inArticle71oftheUnitedNationsChartercreatedapoliticalspaceforself-appointedrepresentativesofpublicintereststointeractandorganizeforthepromotionofcommongoals.Throughoutthelastdecade,NGOactivityhasintensifiedbothquantitativelyandqualitatively.OrganizationssuchasAmnestyInternational,Oxfam,Greenpeace,theWorldCouncilofChurches,SokaGakkaiInternational,andtheWorldJewishCongress,haveeffectivelyinjectedtheirvoicesintopolicydiscussionsonissuesincludinghumanrights,sustainabledevelopment,theenvironment,peacebuilding,andgovernance.Somehaveprovidedextensivereliefandsocialservicesinregionsoftheworld,whereduetolackofgovernmentalwillorcapacity,noalternativesexisted.TheEconomist(January29,2000)estimatesthatNGOstodaydisbursemoremoneythantheWorldBank.AmongtheestimatedseveralmillionNGOsinexistencetoday,anincreasinglyvisiblenumberoforganizationsaredefiningthemselvesinreligiousterms–referringtothemselvesas“religious”,“spiritual”,or“faith-based”NGOs.Boththeterm“NGO”and“religious”lendthemselvestomuchconceptualambiguityand,assuch,needtobedefinedattheoutset.ThispaperdrawsonarecentlyadvanceddefinitionofNGOs(Martens,2002)indefining“religiousNGOs”asformalorganizationswhoseidentityandmissionareself-consciouslyderivedfromtheteachingsofoneormorereligiousorspiritualtraditionsandwhichoperatesonanonprofit,independent,voluntarybasistopromoteandrealizecollectivelyarticulatedideasaboutthepublicgoodatthenationalorinternationallevel.Althoughthemodernmentalityrelegatesreligiontotherealmofprivatelife,religiousNGOs(RNGOs)representauniquehybridofreligiousbeliefsandsocio-politicalactivismatalllevelsofsociety.Differingfromcongregationalanddenominationalstructures,whichtendtofocusonthedevelopmentoftheirmembership,RNGOsseektofulfillexplicitlypublicmissions.Copyright2003InternationalSocietyforThird-SectorResearchandtheJohnsHopkinsUniversity2Pushingforchangefrombothliberalandconservativeplatforms,RNGOshaveexecutedthesuccessfulJubilee2000campaigntorelieveThirdWorlddebt,playedanimportantroleintheestablishmentoftheRomeStatuteforanInternationalCriminalCourt,lobbiedgovernmentsonissuesrangingfromforeignpolicytoseparationofChurchandState,andhavebeenamajorforceinshapingdiscourseatUnitedNationsconferences.Amongthelargestsuchorganizations,theSalvationArmy,WorldVision,andCatholicReliefServicesenjoycombinedannualrevenuesofoverUS$1.6billionandclaimanoutreachofnearly150million(SalvationArmy,2001;CatholicReliefServices,2001;WorldVision,2001).Thepresenceofreligiousactorsinpoliticalandpubliclifeisnotnew.Despitepost-Enlightenmenteffortstoexcisereligionfrompubliclifeingeneral,andgovernmentinparticular,recenthistoryprovidesnumerousexamplesofreligiouslyinspiredpublicandpoliticalaction.Amongthese,theLiberationTheologymovement,theRomanCatholicChurch’ssupportofPoland’sSolidaritymovement,theJubilee2000campaign,andtheroleofthechurchesintheabolitionofApartheidinSouthAfrica,arebutafew.Despitethereligiousrootsofmanyofpresentdayconflicts,religiousgroupsandactorshavealsoplayedpivotalrolesinthepreventionandresolutionofinternationalconflictssuchastheMoralRearmamentMovementinthepost-WorldWarIIFranco-GermanreconciliationandtheCatholicChurchinRhodesia’stransitiontoanindependentZimbabwe(JohnsonandSampson,1994).TheWorldConferenceonReligionandPeace(sometimesreferredtoasthe“UNofreligions”),assertsthat“Religiouscommunitiesare,withoutquestion,thelargestandbest-organizedcivilinstitutionsintheworldtoday,claimingtheallegianceofbillionsofbelieversandbridgingthedividesofrace,classandnationality.Theyareuniquelyequippedtomeetthechallengesofourtime:resolvingconflicts,caringforthesickandneedy,promotingpeacefulco-existenceamongallpeoples”(WorldConferenceonReligionandPeace,2001).Withinthedynamicmatrixofcomplexorganizationalnetworksthatisglobalcivilsociety,theemergenceofnationalandinternationalRNGOschallengesthenotionthattheemergingg