ABSTRACT
One of the interesting aspects of contemporary politics in the United States, United Kingdom and internationally is the role of faith communities in community development, regeneration and the creation of different dimensions of social capital. In the last Presidential election in the United States it became clear that Barack Obama was able to use the resources of faith-based community organising to reach out to faith communities that had previously been seen as largely supportive of Conservative Republicanism. In the UK there is a debate about the role of faith communities in the development of the ‘Big Society’ (Bretherton, 2010; Blond, 2010). The role of faith communities’ in community development and regeneration activities in inner cities has led to growing interfaith activity for bridging social capital for community cohesion and a growing recognition of the role of faith communities for developing civil engagement and democratic citizenship.
