ABSTRACT
Christian faith-based aid and development organizations (FBDOs) need to attend to and work at the intersections of marginalization: environment, sex, gender, sexuality, ability, age, race, nationality, politics, religion, and so forth. Most importantly, development institutions and practitioners should shift from a focus on development projects to walking alongside the poorest and amplifying the voices of the poorest to the powerful. Practitioners need to become facilitators and mediators. These shifts come from Christian understandings of empowerment, justice, and being on the side of the marginalized. Jesus walked with the marginalized and brought good news that humans could live life abundantly. Christian FBDOs should work toward empowerment of the marginalized and accompany the marginalized. In the North, FBDOs should advocate for changes to structures of domination, articulating changes toward empowerment, and a holistic understanding of justice. In sum, FBDOs need to address intersections of marginalization, stop the focus on economic growth, and let the poorest decide how to improve their own lives.
