Many in the 1990s hailed the 21st Century as a new age of enlightenment. But instead, we see a world of poverty, conflict and a withering global economy. Faith has enormous potential as a force for good in these challenging times, but it is too often used as a force of fear and division. Jon Mroz, manager of EWI’s Countering Violent Extremism project reflects on the role of faith in international relations.

Many in the 1990s hailed the 21st Century as a new age of enlightenment. Social engineering, they suggested, would bring liberal democracy and free trade would bring economic development.These were the inevitable outcomes of humanity’s long journey to modernity.  The world would quickly adopt these ideas and their export would become permanent.

But the world we see today is not what the optimists of the 90s envisioned. Instead, we see a world of rising poverty, anti-democratic ethos, damaging sub-national and transnational conflicts and a withering global economy.  And, as is common in such uncertain times, many people around the world are turning to the one thing they know they can count on: their faith.

Faith has enormous potential as a force for good, especially in such challenging times. In every country across the planet, people of faith work together to help the homeless, care for the sick, tend to orphans, honor the elderly, work for justice and come to terms with people of different beliefs and principles. People of faith are the engineers of hope, prosperity, goodwill and charity. They are the gatekeepers of the kinder face of humanity.

But faith is too often used as a force of fear and division. Communities of faith sometimes find themselves at odds for reasons that have little to do with religion, and everything to do with fear. Meanwhile, the proliferation of media broadcasts these perceived divisions to every corner of the globe and contributes to hopelessness, despair and violent extremism. People of faith, myself included, sometimes run the risk of putting faith in fear instead of God  

Nevertheless, a role for the faithful in international relations and diplomacy has never been more necessary. All people of faith who want a better, more inclusive world must ensure that their stories rise above the stories of extremists in global discourse. What is needed, but lacking, is a global platform for the religious and the secular to come together to bridge divides and promote positive change.   

In order to provide this platform, the EastWest Institute is embarking on a journey to better understand how people of faith across the globe contribute to the world and each other.  This ambitious, two-year project will reach out to local communities around the globe, identify and compile best practices, and set the stage for greater collaboration between high-level government and faith leadership.

In today’s global community, the time has arrived when all of us, faithful and secular, must make a choice: We can either survive as one thriving, dynamic, multidimensional entity or we can slowly erode our future in conflict. 

The choice should be simple, but it is not. It requires effort. We must be willing to see ourselves as participants in global society. We must work together as collaborative and productive units of the same diverse organism by transcending our self-imposed boundaries. And we must work tirelessly to give a voice to those who find strength in the diversity of our faith, and refuse to let it divide us.

We can begin by paying attention to those who are already working together and by celebrating their achievements. We can begin by starting locally, working within our own communities to root out mistrust and extremism by developing new projects and opportunities that will provide hope to ourselves and others. We can begin by generating real collaboration and action among civil society and government to ensure welfare, peace and prosperity for those who need it most. 

This is not just a role for the faithful. Secular institutions and individuals have the same capacity and values-driven desire to make the world a safer and better place.  The faithful are in most cases exceedingly good at what they do and have much to teach us.

The social engineering professed by many in the 90s – I believe – was a failure. But a little soulful engineering might be exactly what the world needs today.

Jon Mroz is Manager of the EastWest Institute’s Countering Violent Extremism Project. The views expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily those of the EastWest Institute.