ABSTRACT
Even though for ages, faith actors have been active in feeding the hungry and caring for the poor, their formal recognition and inclusion in global development has only significantly gained momentum since the post-World War II era, and, more specifically, with the end of the Cold War. The rise of faith actors and faith-based organisations (FBOs) in development was influenced by several factors, including an increasing “NGO-isation” of development since the 1950s, a crisis in development theory and praxis as exemplified by the “lost decade” in development in the 1980s, and a shift within FBOs and faith actors to include advocacy and political lobbying in their religious self-understanding. This chapter sketches out major milestones in the increasing inclusion of faith actors in global development.
