Toward a Shared, Sustainable Future: The Role of Religion, Values and Ethics Edited by Zhuo Xinping, Qiu Zhonghui, Philip L. Wickeri and Theresa Carino Published by The Amity Foundation 2018 ISBN 978-988-98832-3-2 Cover Design by Gu Jie 顾洁 Printed by Clear Cut Publishing & Printing Co. Hong Kong Table of Contents Foreword Qiu Zhonghui vii Introduction The Editors xi Acknowledgements The Editors xxi I Keynote Addresses: Religions and the Sustainable Development of a Human Community with a Shared Destiny Zhuo Xinping 3 Religions, Values, Ethics and Development: Perspectives from the Context of the Protestant Agency for Diaconia and Development in Germany Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel 11 Service Advocacy and the Harmonious Development of Philanthropy: A Case Study of the Amity Foundation Qiu Zhonghui 27 Partnership in Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD): a Global and Inclusive Partnership to Harness the Positive Impact of Religion in Development and Humanitarian Assistance Ulrich Nitschke and Bennet Gabriel 37 iv II Plenary papers Reformation-Education-Transformation: The Relevance of the Reformation Heritage for Christian Contribution to Social Development and Diaconia Dietrich Werner 49 Towards Gender Equality: The Contribution of Christian Higher Education in Asia Angela Wong Wai Ching 59 Faith in Finance: The Business of Religion and the Ecology of Development Martin Palmer 73 III Religious Values and Sustainable Development Perfection as a person: An Analysis of the Interactive Relationship between Religious Consciousness, Individual Cognition and Moral Consciousness Tang Xiaofeng 85 Reflecting on Key Assumptions implicit in the Present Acquisitive Culture: A Baha’i Perspective Kong Siew Huat 95 Dignity, Care and Compassion: The Role of Religious Values for Development Christoph Stückelberger 115 Why Finland’s Education is the Best in the World: The impact of Lutheranism on Values Paulos Huang 127 The Impact of Christian Charity or Diaconia on the Development of the Welfare State: The Case of Eliminating Poverty in Finland Miikka Ruokanen 137 Toward a Shared, Sustainable Future: The Role of Religion, Values and Ethics v IV Faith, Values and Ethics: The Experience and Practice of Christian Philanthropy in China Entrepreneurs’ Faith and Philanthropy: Sustainable Development and Emerging Christian Philanthropy in China Cao Nanlai 147 Faith, Values and Entrepreneurship in Contemporary China Cui Wantian 167 An Exploration of Christian Work Ethics and its Practical Values Feng Hao 185 Church-based Philanthropy in China: Observations from the field Duan Qi 195 Catholic Church-run Orphanages in Late Ming and Qing Dynasties: Experiences, Characteristics and Inspiration for Contemporary Charity Kang Zhijie 207 Love in Action: The Status Quo and Development of Churches’ Diaconal Mission Shen Zhanqing 225 V Women, Religion and Development Métis and the New Testament: Wisdom for Chinese Women from Mark 7.24 – 30 Zhang Jing 237 Religion and Development: The Role of Women Claudia He Yun 259 Contents vi Feminine and Affective Management of Faith-based Philanthropic Organizations: A case study of Tzu Chi Foundation in Nanjing Zhong Xin 267 Caring for the Elderly and Lepers: Women’s Silent Work in the Evangelical Church of Vietnam-S Le Ngoc Bich Ly 275 VI Inter-Faith Initiatives and Inter-Religious Approaches towards Development Experiences of Inter-faith Cooperation Forum in Asia: APAY’s Inter-faith Initiatives on Just-Peace Nam Boo Won 299 Empowerment towards Development: An Inter-Religious Approach Carlos Emilio Ham-Stanard 313 Religious Literacy and Religious Inclusion Kathleen Ferrier 323 Conference Summary Philip L. Wickeri 329 Editors and Contributors 333 Toward a Shared, Sustainable Future: The Role of Religion, Values and Ethics Foreword The 2016 conference on “Religions, Values, Ethics and Development,” co-organized in Nanjing by the Amity Foundation and the Institute for World Religions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, brought together people from different religions and also scholars of religions, government officials and practitioners from faith-based organizations who were convinced that religions can and must play a significant role for ensuring the achievement of sustainable development goals in a rapidly globalizing world. To address the huge challenges confronting the planet earth will require that we work together across religions, across national borders, transcending our cultural and religious differences. Time was set aside on December 13th to commemorate the 1937 Nanjing Massacre when 300,000 Chinese in Nanjing were massacred by invading Japanese troops. In remembering the Nanjing massacre representatives of the five major religions (Buddhism, Catholicism, Daoism, Islam and Protestant Christianity) offered prayers for peace and for those who had suffered and died. Its commemoration continues to remind us of the horrors of war and how it is imperative for us to take measures to ensure it will not be repeated again. Unfortunately, the last decade has seen an upsurge in violence, globally generated partly by those who use and abuse religion for political ends. Religions can become instruments for igniting conflict and generating a “culture of hate” within and between nations. Inter-faith initiatives to counter these are vital as religions can and have been used to justify violence. This requires us not only to understand more deeply our own faith but also those of others. It also requires us to see peace-making as an essential goal in religious and ethical efforts for social development. viii The launching of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 has brought greater attention to the invaluable role religions can play. They have traditionally played a significant role in responding to humanitarian needs and will continue to do so. At the conference, participants from different continents emphasized the positive contributions of religions, through the values they espouse, to the reduction of poverty, to disaster relief, to the advocacy of rights of vulnerable groups in a wide variety of contexts and communities. Of enormous concern have been the growing inequalities and the concomitant social and economic injustices that have arisen in the wake of rapid economic growth. Both social practitioners and scholars emphasized the positive role religions can play in ensuring that development is more inclusive and human centered. There were a number of “firsts” at this international conference. Of great pride to Amity is that it was the first time that a separate session was included to discuss the role of women in religion and development. The session that brought together women practitioners and scholars from China and other parts of Asia, highlighted the significant contributions of “women of faith” to development and how important it is to ensure women’s empowerment as stake holders and beneficiaries of development. Equally new for Amity was the holding of a special session to discuss inter-faith initiatives, in dialogue, in education and practical cooperation, and how this is essential in the cultivation of mutual understanding, peace and justice in Asia and globally. It was also the first time that research findings were shared on the emergent philanthropic scene in China, where religious or faith-based organizations, including faith-based entrepreneurs are beginning to make some impact on the development of a more giving and caring society. The gathering of participants, not only from outside China, but also from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, to discuss religions’ role in development was also a “first” in an international conference organized by Amity. All these “firsts” demonstrated how much China had changed in the last five years. They also emphasized once again that social, political and economic challenges cut across national boundaries, and that the urgent need for cross-cultural, inter-religious and cross-sectoral collaboration is essential. The exchange of views and perspectives among scholars, officials, members of the private sector and social practitioners on religion and development was mutually enriching and “mind-opening”. Government officials expressed the positive views they had accumulated in their Toward a Shared, Sustainable Future: The Role of Religion, Values and Ethics ix encounters with faith-based organizations and felt that the “green light” should be given for more FBO involvement in social service and development work. Reinforcing this, Chinese scholars shared their research findings on the invaluable contributions of religion both in the past and the present. There was clearly a meeting of minds between religious scholars and development practitioners that the social services provided by religions and the strong social values they transmit can help bring about positive social transformation, not only in China, but in the rest of the world. We are confident that positive changes will take place in the next decade and that religions will increasingly play vital roles in the shaping of a development agenda that will leave no one behind. In China, religious affiliation has risen dramatically over the last two decades and faith-based organizations have grown in their capacity to deliver better services in meeting growing social needs and new challenges. The sharing of resources, best practices and the development of mutual understanding cannot be over-emphasized, especially as China begins to assume, more and more, its share of responsibility for the common development of humankind