Christianity and international development

Religion has made a forceful entry in development studies in recent years. Largely neglected and assumed to disappear as societies modernized, its presence in the lives of the majority of people in the non-Western world and its social and political influence is abiding. Greater literacy about religion is therefore needed in the social sciences, and in development studies more specifically.The paper provides a brief overview of Christianity for an audience of social scientists who work in the areas of poverty, well being, inequality and justice. Part I introduces the fundamentals of Christianity and their implications for social and political engagement. Part II outlines a Christian perspective international development.