Keep the Faith: How American Diplomacy Got Religion, and How to Keep It

Birdsall, Judd

doi:10.1080/15570274.2016.1184438

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…The willingness of policy makers and the academy to consider the involvement of faith-based actors in the public sphere opens the possibilities for umbrella organisations such as the CfCI, which has emerged from an online petition into developing a network of partner organisations, to be involved with secular bodies, including governments, in diplomacy and peacemaking. Such a move has been a long process and owes much to the work of Douglas Johnston (1994, 2016) and Daniel Philpott (2003. Beginning with the seminal edited volume, Religion the Missing Dimension of Statecraft, Johnston and his fellow contributors made the case for an increased involvement of religious actors in diplomacy in a world where religion remained a significant part of culture and identity (Johnston and Sampson 1994).…”

Section: Faith-based Diplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The US foreign policy establishment, under the Obama administration, appeared to have taken on board the value of faith-based diplomacy (Birdsall 2016). Secretary of State John Kerry's launching of the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives at the State Department in August 2013 affirmed the principles of faith-based diplomacy and his intention to work with faith communities around the world:…”

Section: Faith-based Diplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Golden Rule: Interfaith Peacemaking and the Charter for Compassion

Marsden

2018

The Review of Faith & International Affairs

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In 2008 the organisers of Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) Talks honoured religious historian Karen Armstrong with the opportunity to change the world through launching her vision in a TED Talk. Armstrong's vison was for a (re)turn to compassion as the guiding principle underpinning the global order. Working with leading thinkers within the three Abrahamic faiths, Armstrong launched the 'Charter for Compassion', envisioning a world where 'everyone is committed to living by the principle of compassion'. The Charter has been signed by over two million people from around the world and partnered with hundreds of interfaith organisations and cities seeking to put into practice the 'Golden Rule', common to the main faith traditions, of doing unto others as you would be done by.While few would argue that compassion is sorely needed in contemporary society, this article explores the efficacy of the Charter, setting it in the context of a post-secular international society, in which religious and interreligious initiatives emerge as primary, rather than peripheral, actors in developing sustainable peace making through bottom up approaches. I argue that the Charter's claim that 'any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate' is a flawed but wellintentioned construction, which can encourage meaningful inter-religious dialogue and peace building efforts. The Charter itself emerges as a rhetorical device encouraging compassion rather than a practical tool to mobilise and facilitate peacemaking.This article begins by conceptualising the increasing salience of a post-secular international environment for secular audiences desirous of peaceful resolution of conflict. Second, the role of faithbased diplomacy in engaging religious actors in peacemaking is considered as a precursor to, thirdly, examining Armstrong's advocacy of the Golden Rule and religious peacemaking. Fourth, this article explores peace initiatives inspired by signatories of the Charter for Compassion before concluding that Armstrong's initiative remains largely aspirational, affirming principles of compassion rather than developing practical peacemaking efforts based on the Charter.

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Section: Faith-based Diplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Faith-based Diplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%