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Religious roots and Christian critics

In this article, I discuss the role of religion in relation to domestic welfare and international aid policies. Drawing on material from the Norwegian context – contributions given by Bishop Eivind Berggrav (1884–1959) and theologian Tor Aukrust (1921–2007), as well as discussions among Christian organisations following the establishment of Norwegian Church Aid in 1947 – I show that religion has not only been an obstacle to or an instrument for domestic or international development, but an integral and critical part of this. These findings challenge the dominant interpretation of the role of religion in explaining and understanding Norwegian and Nordic development policies.