Religious Soft Diplomacy and the United Nations

In our increasingly plural and interconnected world, employing the complex and nuanced vocation of religious diplomacy is increasingly critical to the resolution of global challenges and charting a future course for the human community. The editors and contributors in this volume make a compelling case for expanding the diversity of discourse.

The engagement of religious diplomacy within the United Nations systems has become increasingly important for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The editors argue that effective religious diplomacy must reflect the great diversity of religious and spiritual expressions within human communities. The editors argue that this can best be achieved through a worldview shift within the United Nations systems. Religious engagement in the United Nations systems has been understandably constrained by limited and formal organizational structures and conventions. However, the existing patterns of engagement mitigate against the very goals they seek to achieve. The editors argue that expanded, yet measured, religious inclusion will strengthen social cohesion in the global community. Contributors demonstrate how communities become stronger when marginalized minority voices are included in public discourse. The editors further argue that governance has a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for this interaction. The editors propose that the United Nations adopt the posture of "loyal opposition", that is inherent in parliamentary democracies, to serve as a guideline for expanded religious engagement. The contributors advance this proposal with illustrations from multiple contexts that address a diverse array of social problems from perspectives rooted in theory and practice.

Prologue

Alvaro Albacete

Introduction

James Christie and Sherrie Steiner

PART I BEYOND DUALISM FOR RELIGION AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Chapter 1: Religion at the United Nations: Challenges or Opportunities?

Azza Karam

Chapter 2: The Case for New Avenues of Engagement

Sherrie M. Steiner

PART II LOYAL OPPOSITION FROM POLITICAL TO RELIGIOUS

Chapter 3: The Legacy of Westminster in Democracy and the Loyal Opposition

Keith Best

Chapter 4: Loyal Opposition beyond Westminster

Sherrie Steiner

Chapter 5: Freedom of Religion or Belief as Essential to a Humane World

Ganoune Diop

Chapter 6: Cosmopiety and‘Controversy for the Sake of Heaven’

Paul Morris

PART III DIVERSITY OF VOICES AND ISSUES

Chapter 7: Loyal Opposition as a Gospel Imperative

James T. Christie

Chapter 8: Insights into Loyalty from Living in Two Worlds

Rachel Blaney

Chapter 9: Speaking Truth to Power

Peter Noteboom

Chapter 10: Women’s Rights as Human Rights in Islam

Adis Duderija

Chapter 11: Definitions of Dissent – The Canadian Culture Wars

William A. Blaikie

Chapter 12: Religious Engagement with the G20

Brian Adams

Chapter13: Evangelicals Securing a Seat at the UN Table

Christine MacMillan

Chapter 14: Swords, Ploughshares, and Reimagining UN Engagement

Cesar Jaramillo

Chapter 15: Pacific Spirituality and Changing the Climate Change Story

Upolu Lumā Vaai

Chapter 16: Rising in the Face of Erasure to Experience Joy

Leah Gazan

Chapter 17: Religious Leader Engagement with Peacebuilding & Development

Steven Moore

PART IV QUO VADIS

Chapter 18: Interreligious Diplomacy and Loyal Opposition

Sherrie Steiner

Chapter 19: From Pandemic to Planetary Community

James Christie and Sherrie Steiner