Abstract
For many individuals, faith is put into practice through religious giving. In the book Religion in Philanthropic Organizations: Family, Friend, Foe? editor Thomas J. Davis, professor of religious studies and philanthropic studies at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, and 10 other authors examine the practice of religious philanthropy. Davis defines religious philanthropy as “religiously motivated actions that aim to alleviate social ills at a societal level” (p. xi). Historically, an individual religious organization would collect and distribute money in ways that reflected its particular religious tradition. Now, giving is no longer dominated by religious charity or outlined by faith tradition but rather has become professionally managed or administered through faith-based organizations. Davis describes the evolution of this shift by examining “the real complexities of the relationship between religion and philanthropy in the religious philanthropic world” (p. xix). The book builds upon this central theme through chapters that reflect the diverse views of charitable giving among Abrahamic religious traditions.
Six of the chapters represent organized giving from a Christian worldview through a diverse array of parochial or communal lenses. Each chapter highlights how specific organizations have sought to live out their faith through diakonia, how churches and Christian believers unite to minister to those in need (p. 2). Chapter 1, authored by Elizabeth Ferris, traces the changes in “participation, accountability, and evaluation” within the World Council of Churches (WCC) that have emerged “as a result of increased international competition and professionalization in the nonprofit field” (p. 24). Diane Winston, author of Chapter 3, discusses the Salvation Army’s careful balance between secular and religious influences as the organization has grown and evolved throughout the years. David King, in his chapter (Chapter 4), goes on to describe the journey of Bob Pierce, who has struggled to keep World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse “evangelical based” (p. 87) organizations. The structure of Catholic Social Services, one of the largest nonprofit social service providers in the country, serving over nine million unduplicated clients [a single person] (p. 94), is described in Fred Krammer’s chapter (Chapter 5). In Chapter 6, contributed by Allan Austin, the concept of “faith in practice” resonates in his description of the Quakers and how their involvement in racial activism and philanthropy has been informed by their social justice values. The final chapter dedicated to Christian service and philanthropy is Chapter 8, and is written by Susan McDonic. McDonic describes World Vision’s impact as the “largest Christian development organization” in the world, with development efforts only surpassed by those of the United Nations (p. 168). McDonic goes on to thoughtfully explain how different political, social, economic, and cultural contexts require varying approaches to philanthropic giving. In sum, these six chapters illustrate how Christian giving in America, and beyond, has evolved to include both religious and secular giving—giving within local houses of worship and giving to professionally managed faith-based organizations. The chapters also discuss the challenges of juggling the demands of both religious and secular giving, challenges that are not only experienced within Christianity but that are also felt within Judaism and Islam, the foci of the book’s remaining chapters.
Authors Shaul Kelner (Chapter 2), Arnold Dashefsky (Chapter 9), and Bernard Lazerwitz (Chapter 9) focus on giving within Judaism. Kelner describes the Federated System, an international network of “locally based fundraising and fund-allocating community chests” (p. 30) that operate separately from local synagogues. Together, the Federated System and synagogues are responsible for distributing the majority of charitable funds, generated from these two entities, within the Jewish community. Although these two institutions are vital, they “exist as two autonomous institutional spheres”: one secular and the other religious (p. 41). This dichotomous secular-religious structure has given rise to the “civil religion thesis,” as a way of mitigating the tensions between two forms of Jewish religious philanthropic expression (p. 42). In their chapter, Dashefsky and Lazerwitz report on common Jewish individual giving practices as elucidated by the National Jewish Population Surveys (NJPS). The NJPS research reports that Jewish individuals give in greater amounts than other traditions but not in greater proportions. The conclusion drawn is that giving is continued through tradition, a concept referred to as “continuity”, a hallmark of religious giving within Judaism. But there are growing concerns that this sense of continuity is being compromised due to the shrinking base of Jewish donors, changing demographics in American Jewry, and a growing sense of individualism, which has resulted in people pulling away from communal giving norms.
In the final chapter of the book (Chapter 9), Shariq Siddiqui emphasizes the importance of almsgiving, zakat, as one of Islam’s five pillars. For Muslims who can practice this form of charitable giving, zakat represents how inequality among followers of Islam is remedied and how economic hardships are resolved. Sadaqah signifies voluntary charity in Islam and exemplifies any act of giving. Muslims who donate physical (e.g., land, property, or tangible gifts) or financial (e.g., monetary currency) assets for charitable purposes, under the context of sadaqah, are investing in a religious endowment under Islamic law, referred to as waqf. These concepts, and Siddiqui’s explanation, allow the reader to understand how deeply rooted giving is in Islamic culture and law. His chapter then moves on to describe the fear that has resonated in the Islamic community since the September 11, 2001 attacks, and how these events have impacted Muslim American philanthropy. specifically, how Muslim Americans are “more willing to forgo the benefits of tax deduction . . . and recognition by making donations in the form of cash” to organizations (p. 212). Despite the shift in giving forms (i.e., money rather than physical property), Muslims continue to put their faith into practice through giving as required by the Qur’an.
Looking across giving in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, it is clear that the changing social landscape has fundamentally altered faith-based organizational structures and individual religious practices. In spite of these changes, philanthropy continues to be an important expression of religious faith. And, as Sheila Kennedy explains in Chapter 7, government funding plays a critical role in supplementing individual donations for the accomplishment of faith-based organizations’ charitable work goals. But Kennedy also highlights that government funds come at a cost — in the form of reporting strictures and other obligations connected to the receipt of public dollars.
Overall, Religion in Philanthropic Organizations: Family, Friend, Foe? provides a useful review of the various Abrahamic religions and their approaches to philanthropy. However, what gives this edited volume special value is that it brings to light the tension between secular and religious giving and the implications that this tension has for faith practitioners and society-at-large. The book documents the professionalization trend within religious philanthropy, a trend that both inspires and terrifies. On one hand, professionalization leads to predictable funding streams and enables charitable endeavors of unprecedented scope. On the other hand, professionalization may secularize religious giving causing it to lose much of the heartfelt appeal it has for individual donors. Articulating this hope–fear intersect from the very outset, the book’s subtitle—Family, Friend, Foe?—compels the reader, before even opening the book, to unflinchingly confront settled notions of what giving means. After reading the book, one walks away with a greater understanding of the challenges surrounding faith-based motivators that make giving in both religious and secular spheres so important to philanthropy in America.