Tony Blair Faith Foundation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith & Globalisation

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/

In an increasingly globalised world, political, economic, and social influences are widely recognised and often well documented. By contrast, the impact of religious faith on such a world is generally far less widely recognised and understood. Yet faith motivates billions of believers around the world in their thoughts, words and actions. The impact of religious faith is therefore likely to be profound, especially in a world where different spheres are increasingly interconnected. It is the Foundation’s belief that intelligent and sustained reflection on the crucial issues of faith and globalization can lead to the deeper understanding, and the kind of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, that will be vital in the 21st century.

As a way of considering these essential questions, the Foundation is working to build a global conversation on them between an elite group of universities around the world over the next eighteen months. The initiative was launched at Yale University in September 2008 with a thirteen week course on faith and globalisation, which Yale will adapt and repeat this year and next. We are now developing the initiative more widely. The National University of Singapore and Durham University in the UK are now each developing their own versions of the course. We are in conversation with a number of other universities, with more to follow. The courses will explore a variety of topics and issues, each from a different global perspective — in the classroom, in formal lectures and informal conversation, and through research, speeches, conferences, and the internet.

Faith’s global impact extends to various sectors of society–business, law, medicine, politics, education, and journalism. Survey perspectives on faith’s role in globalisation from religious leaders, business professionals, media reporters, political leaders, and academicians.

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/2009/06/tony-blair-talks-about-his-phi.html

On Monday June 22nd,Tony Blair took part in The Business of Giving Series at 92 Y in New York. This series is hosted by Matthew Bishop, New York Bureau Chief of The Economist and author of Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World and features leading philanthropists talking about their efforts to try and make the world a better place.

Mr Blair spoke candidly about the various strands of his philanthropic work and commitments – which range from interfaith work- through the establishment of his interfaith charity The Tony Blair Faith Foundation- His role as Quartet Representative in the Middle East, providing governance and capacity building to African Nations through his Africa Governance Initiative and his Climate Change work.

He highlighted the fact that none of these challenges can be surmounted alone and independence no longer exists: we are now ‘Interdependent’. No one nation is strong enough to deal with these challenges alone – “not even America .” However, he warned that if the worlds’ nations are to work together effectively they must focus on their common values and a shared sense of purpose: the pursuit of Justice.

“That’s the only way a global community works: through justice, fairness, solidarity, treating people as equals, as partners, whatever their colour creed or nation.

So that’s what I do, and if the power nowadays is less, in time at least, I hope the influence can be more.”

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is setting out to achieve greater interfaith understanding through practical programmes: by encouraging different faiths to work together to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals, with an initial focus on malaria; to increase religious literacy by connecting classrooms across the world; and by nurturing a deeper intellectual understanding of the dynamics of faith and globalization.

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/projects/faiths-act/faiths-act-together/

Eight years ago, the world’s governments set eight goals to tackle the scandal of global poverty before 2015. One of these includes the target of eliminating deaths from malaria. But neither this, nor any of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), can be achieved without the momentum of a global movement behind it.

Faith groups are already playing a major role in delivering progress on the ground. But if faith communities work together, they can both increase pressure on Governments in the developed world to meet their commitments and, in turn, use their un-paralleled reach in the developing world to ensure increased funding delivers real improvements in people’s lives. Faith communities can do so much more together than they can achieve apart.

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tony looks like a pastor at his pulpit in the first picture..faith and globalisation eh?..as reinhardt would say “this unit needs monitoring”

401

~ by seeker401 on July 4, 2009.