Religious Discourse And Social Development: Conceptual Debate On The Role Of Faith-Based Organizations

Musafir Musafir

Abstract


This paper examines the complexity of the role of Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in religious-state relations, challenging the binary narrative that portrays FBOs simply as "opposition" or "partners" of the state. Through a multidisciplinary literature review, the research reveals three key dynamics: (1) Contestation as an arena for authority and public space, particularly in secular-assertive (France/Turkey) or authoritarian (Zimbabwe/New Order Indonesia) countries; (2) Collaboration in a complementary, integrative, and adversarial-collaborative model that navigates the dilemma of dual accountability; (3) The role of Brokerage-Translation, where FBOs bridge sacred-secular values through reframing, filtering, and hybridization mechanisms (e.g., the transformation of zakat in Egypt, the concept of Islamic family planning by NU). Theoretically, the researcher rejects functionalist reductionism and Western epistemological bias that perpetuate the religious-secular dichotomy. Instead, researchers propose a hybrid perspective—viewing FBOs as liminal actors who manage tension through semantic adjustment in an "in-between space." This position is strengthened by Habermas's post-secular framework for recognizing religion as a public force while acknowledging the risks of neoliberal co-optation. Implicitly, the study of FBOs should transition from a rigid approach to a micro-contextual analysis that captures value negotiations in the process of policy translation.


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/bfde.v6i2.104419

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