2nd Opinion: Faith, foreign policy & Christians

“Once considered a private matter by Western policymakers, religion is now playing an increasingly influential role—both positive and negative—in the public sphere.” This is the opening sentence of a major foreign policy report, “Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy,” produced by the Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs.

Historically, U.S. government leaders and foreign affairs professionals have considered the light of the faithful firmly under a bushel—at least when they made decisions about public policy. But as global connections are more interrelated and policies cross boundaries of culture and belief, the old paradigm of ignoring religion in the international context is changing. The title of the report says “imperative”; foreign policy leaders are looking to the religious community. What will we say? In Acts 1:8, we are comissioned to go as witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. As Texas Baptists look forward to our HOPE 1:8 initiative, we see that God has provided a listening audience of powerful international leaders wanting to engage.

Both sides are learning. The public policy folks often are strong on persuasion and information. The religious leaders almost always try to convey the diversity of religious interests and voices. There is no religious monolith in the 21st century. For three years, I have been participating in the Council on Foreign Relations dialogue between religious leaders and leading policy makers. The meetings are focused on certain countries, the exchange is robust and the reading list link is growing as scholars add their important voices.

Philanthropic and religious gifts and private investment are major economic forces in the world, contributing more than twice as much as government assistance. The Hudson Institute’s Index of Global Philanthropy & Remittances calculates the combined value of nongovernmental aid. Philanthropic giving, private investment and remittances around the world total $355 billion. This is 75 percent of all resources sent to the developing world. U.S. citizens, through volunteer time and money—much in mission giving—contributed $37 billion overseas. That’s more than any single government donor. The report also showed giving from the religious community is the most resilient form of giving in economically hard times.

A recent consultation at Wheaton College focused on “Government Foreign Assistance and God’s Mission in the World.” Three questions guided the consultation of evangelicals: How do we understand the biblical and theological grounding for the government’s role in addressing global poverty? Why, should and how can churches engage in the larger discussion of government responses to global poverty? How do we understand the church’s global poverty advocacy role in the context of God’s mission in the world?

Are you asking yourself: What does this have to do with me—Baptist Church, County Seat, Texas? More than you think. Baptist bodies like the Baptist World Alliance and the global engagement of pastors and missions teams like Bob Roberts at NorthWood Church in Keller bring a policy and faith dialogue close to home.

Do you send or support missions in other countries? Is a veteran in your congregation returning from Iraq or Afghanistan? Are your church members relocating around the globe for school, work or for short-term missions? What if the worldwide definition of religious liberty changed to be only anti-defamation—no disparaging remarks—with no protection of free speech, especially for Baptist minorities? The report of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs asserts important patterns from the intersection of religion and foreign policy:

• The influence of religious groups is changing virtually all of society—politics, culture, business and science.

• Patterns of religious identification are changing worldwide. For example, African nations have become more than 80 percent religiously converted since 1980, according to the Pew Forum.

• Religion is being transformed by globalism.

• Religion plays a role that government cannot and will not.

• Religion is being used to escalate tensions in many areas of worldwide conflict.

• The significance of religious freedom as a universal human right and the source of social stability is growing.

“For God so loved the world” still is our call. The conference table of the 21st century has a chair marked for us.

–-Suzii Paynter is executive director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission.