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Abstract
Scholarly works on human development have often borrowed secular orientations thereby causing religion to be viewed with much speculations and doubts in development discourse. However, Clarke and Jennings (2008) have argued that having any reservation towards the inclusion of religion in development policies and agenda affecting nations is more like secluding a viable proportion of the world population from engaging appropriately in development issues facing the world today. The theses supporting inclusion of religion in development scholarship demonstrates the challenges of secularism and modernization, which relegated religion to the background in the historical formation of civil society engagement in socio-economic development in world nations. The paper specifically argues against the secularization theory, which encouraged seclusion of religion from global civil society scholarship. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to project the relevance of religion in development scholarship, by firstly identifying the factors that encouraged its exclusion and emergence in development theses, and secondly, discussing the theoretical framework for establishing a relationship between religion and development. This paper will further argue for the importance of engaging religion in development agenda, especially where religion could be utilized as a form of social capital in facilitating much needed engagement of the civil society in development. Key Word: Religion Integration, Development, Secularism, Neoliberalism, Social Capital, Initiatives, Policies