Social Integration: Deconstructing the Theology of Social Development Article Swipe
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· 2025
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/25166026251345285
· OA: W4411116205
The fragmentation of social inclusion, integration and trust is the result of an array of historical influences, including the erosion of common theological and epistemological frameworks which have historically functioned to maintain social harmony, and the rise of autocracies amid postmodernism and its assertion of multiple truths. The influence of Calvinism in the Christian West, which paved the way for individualism and capitalism, is explored as an example. Contemporary research on trust and social inclusion rarely considers the theological roots of contemporary mistrust and takes for granted the economic dominance of capitalism. Discussions of social inclusion and trust should include considerations of legacy theological assumptions, the way differences are conceptualised and valorised, and the conflation of equality and equity. The article suggests that mistrust in the institutions of civil society is unsurprising when significant parts of a population are considered undeserving, are demonised for political purposes, or are emerging from colonial hegemony. Ways forward include articulating the implicit theological content of contemporary social policies, prioritising human dignity, and actively participating in the decolonisation project, whether as a formerly colonised or colonising nation.
