Somava Saha

Wherever we turn, faith is deeply bound in our narratives, policies and experience of the world. Faith can heal, strengthen and lead to great good–yet when faith becomes corrupted by power, it can also become a poison that creates generational harm.

As we welcome a new Pope and grapple with the rise of white Christian nationalism, Hindu nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism around the world–to name only a few–and the resulting impact on policies and politics toward marginalized communities, do we have the courage to examine our own faith institutions in their role in both creating harm and their potential for good?

Whose voices and which faith traditions have been marginalized in favor of dominant ones? How do our own faith communities act at the local level? Where might worldviews grounded in nondominant faiths be reconnected and reclaimed to advance the healing of the world? Can we reconnect to that which we experience as sacred–wherever we might find it–as part of creating generational change?

Many partners in our network have already begun to do this work and ask key questions. This special issue of WE RISE and WIN Together brings to you their voices, experiences and stories–and invites you to join the conversation.

Faith is deeply bound in our narratives, policies and experience of the world. It can heal, strengthen and lead to great good–yet when corrupted by power, faith turns into poison that creates generational harm.

This month, we saw a new Pope installed and almost immediately, public discourse shifted to his citizenship, whether he was American enough, and his political stance. Ironically, few were interested in how his faith and experience might shape his leadership. After all, he was now becoming the head of an institution.

Faith, like any other institution, wields power that can be used for profound good or corrupted to justify oppression. The doctrine of separating the church and state has marred the examination of how deeply faith shapes our worldviews, politics and subsequently, the structures and policies we build. Yet throughout history and across the globe, faith institutions in partnership with political powers have developed and legitimized concepts like caste, manifest destiny, divine mandate, and jihad. These ideologies justify false hierarchies of human value: racism and classism, colonization and conquest, past and present day slavery, and the subjugation of women, and the denial of civil rights for people on grounds of gender and sexual identities.

In the US- a nation grounded on separation of church and state and fleeing religious oppression-we now witness a remarriage between faith and politics. Forged during the Jerry Falwell-Ronald Reagan era, this alliance laid the groundwork for the rise of white Christian nationalism. The movement has helped advancepolitics and policies thatstrip the poor and marginalized of resources to benefit the rich and powerful through cuts to Medicaid, the forced removal of workers and the separation of families from one another.

Do we have the courage to examine our own faith institutions honestly-holding space for both accounting and accountability especially where intent falls short of impact? for the difference between intent and impact? If we cannot confront how power can corrupt institutions of faith, we cannot begin to safely reclaim a role for faith in healing the world. And without reclaiming spirit as a leading cause of life, can we truly reground ourselves for the generational work ahead- work that must be reconnected to the sacred–wherever we find it?

Many partners in our network have already begun to do this work and ask key questions. This special issue of WE RISE and WIN Together brings to you their voices, experiences and stories–and invites you to join the conversation.