Religion and Sustainable Development: Exploring the Role of Faith-Based Communities

Abstract

Sustainable development, framed globally through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has traditionally been analyzed through secular institutional lenses — states, markets, and civil society organizations. Yet an estimated majority of the world's population identifies with a religious tradition, and faith-based communities constitute some of the most extensive, trusted, and enduring social networks in many societies. This paper reviews social science literature on the role of religion and faith-based organizations (FBOs) in sustainable development, addressing service delivery, social capital formation, environmental stewardship, and moral and political advocacy. Drawing on social capital theory, the de-secularization thesis in development studies, and eco-theological scholarship, the paper examines both the demonstrated contributions of faith communities to development outcomes and the critiques leveled against faith-based development practice, including concerns about exclusion, paternalism, and the instrumentalization of religion. The paper concludes with an integrative framework for understanding faith-development linkages and a research agenda for future empirical inquiry.