"Faith-Based" Initiative

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"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson: Statute of Religious Freedom, 1779

This page contains links only from 2004 or earlier.

• Text of the executive orders and announcements
• Constitutional disclaimers
• Official statements about the initiative
• Organizations opposed to the "Faith-Based" Initiative
• Maybe it's not such a good idea
• White House Campaign
• Congressional Actions
• Miscellaneous News
• Commentary

The Executive Orders

• Text of the "Faith-Based" Initiative
• Official announcement of the "Faith-Based" Initiative
  30 January 2001
• Establishment of White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
  Executive Order, 29 January 2001
  Establishes a White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives that will have lead responsibility to:
  1. Establish policies, priorities, and objectives to enlist, equip, enable, empower, and expand the work of faith-based and other community organizations to the extent permitted by law.
  2. Ensure that policy decisions and programs are consistent with the President's stated goals with respect to faith-based and other community initiatives.
  3. Integrate the agenda affecting faith-based and other community organizations across the Federal Government.
  4. Coordinate public education to mobilize public support for faith-based and community nonprofit initiatives.
  5. Eliminate unnecessary legislative, regulatory, and other bureaucratic barriers that impede effective faith-based and other community efforts to solve social problems.
  6. Ensure that the efforts of faith-based and other community organizations meet high standards of excellence and accountability.
• Agency Responsibilities with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
  Executive Order 13198, 29 January 2001
  Establishes a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives within each of the Departments of Justice, Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, to:
  1. Coordinate efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the provision of social services.
  2. Incorporate faith-based and other community organizations in department programs and initiatives to the greatest extent possible.
  3. Increase the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in Federal as well as State and local initiatives.

Constitutional Disclaimers

• Secular helping agencies must be available in the same areas as faith-based helping agencies, so that people who need help do not have to accept the religious aspect in order to get the help.
• No government funds can be used for proselytizing or other inherently religious activities.
• Government should be neutral, providing funds based on the program results and not on the specific program structure (religious vs. nonreligious).
• Funding for faith-based and secular helping agencies is provided from the same source. There is no "set-aside" strictly for religious organizations.

Unanswered questions:

• Will the religious organizations be required to comply with all federal laws and regulations, specifically with laws prohibiting discrimination?
• Although federal money cannot be used directly for religious elements of the programs, will it have the effect of promoting those religious elements because it will free up money from other sources which can then be used for religious materials and activities?

Official Statements About the Initiative

• Remarks by the President in Submission of Faith-Based Services Proposal
  Remarks at Fishing School, Washington DC, 30 January 2001
• From Q&A session in the White House, 29 January 2001

  Q On your faith-based initiative, could you address the concern that some people have that this is an erosion of church and state, and that this will somehow be an office of evangelicals in the White House?

  A Right. I appreciate that question, because I, in the state of Texas, had heard a lot of discussion about a faith-based initiative eroding the important bridge between church and state. And I am convinced that our plan is constitutional, because we intend -- we will not fund a church or a synagogue or a mosque or any religion, but instead, will be funding programs that affect people in a positive way.

  The charitable choice provision that had been debated in the welfare reform package fully explored the constitutional questions involved with funding people and/or faith-based programs. And I am confident that our program not only is constitutional, but more importantly, our program is going to change America for the better, that we're going to help people, and we're going to help people help themselves, and we're going to rally the great compassion of America.

  And I look forward to implementing this program. I look forward to working with members of Congress to put the required package together.

• Press briefing by Steve Goldsmith, Rev. Mark Scott, and White House official John Bridgeland
  30 January 2001

Organizations Opposed to the "Faith-Based" Initiative

• External site: American Civil Liberties Union
• External site: Americans United for Separation of Church and State
• Battle Lines Grow on Plan to Assist Religious Groups
  Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 12 April 2001

Maybe it's not such a good idea

• Group Sues Christian Program at Iowa Prison
  Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 13 February 2003
• Many States Leaving Church-Based Social Programs Unregulated
  Pam Belluck, New York Times, 27 July 2001
• Poll shows Americans opposed to allowing government-funded religious programs to discriminate in hiring
  Peter Steinfels, New York Times, 9 June 2001
• Testimony shows faith-based aid is more faith than aid
  Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 25 May 2001
• Bush's Plan to Aid Religious Groups Is Faulted
  Elizabeth Becker, New York Times, 27 April 2001
• Church-Based Projects Lack Data on Results
  Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 24 April 2001
• 'All we need to tell the poor is: Come on, fellas, shape up'
  Edward Helmore, The Guardian, 22 April 2001
• 5 Guilty in Bilking Based on a Ministry
  Reuters (in the New York Times), 14 March 2001
• Christian Coalition bias case growing
  Mary Jacoby, St. Petersburg Times, 8 March 2001

White House Campaign

• Charity Is Told It Must Abide by Antidiscrimination Laws
  Frank Bruni and Elizabeth Becker, New York Times, 11 July 2001
• Bush pushes legislation for 'faith-based' groups
  CNN, 9 July 2001
• Bush uses Independence Day celebration to campaign for funding religious programs
  David E. Sanger, New York Times, 5 July 2001
• Nudging Church-State Line, Bush Invites Religious Groups to Seek Federal Aid
  Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 30 January 2001
• Bush rallies support for 'faith-based' services package
  CNN, 30 January 2001
• Bush Fleshes Out Details of Proposal to Expand Aid to Religious Organizations
  Marc Lacey with Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 31 January 2001

Congressional Actions

• Congress will revive faith-based initiative
  Dan Freedman, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 29 December 2001
• GOP moderates rebuke Bush by opposing faith-based bill
  Jake Tapper, Salon, 19 July 2001
• Senate Delays Legislation on Aid to Church Charities
  Elizabeth Becker, New York Times, 24 May 2001

Miscellaneous News

• Bush Names Advocate for Aging to Head Faith-Based Initiative
  David Stout, New York Times, 1 February 2002
• Judge in Wisconsin Voids a Religion-Based Initiative
  Laurie Goodstein, New York Times , 10 January 2002
• Bush Is Said to Scale Back His Religion-Based Initiative
  Elizabeth Becker, New York Times, 13 October 2001
• Report Finds Bias Against Religious Groups in Funding Decisions
  Elizabeth Becker, New York Times, 17 August 2001
• A Clerical, and Racial, Gap Over Federal Help
  Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 24 March 2001
• Bush's Call to Churches Is Discussed With Skepticism
  Amy Waldman, New York Times, 23 March 2001
• Bush's Christian Guru Marvin Olasky Aims to Reshape America
  Doug Saunders, Common Dreams (reprinted from Toronto Globe & Mail), 13 January 2001
• Churches Confused by Bush Plan
  Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 January 2001

Commentary

• Encouraging private donations for private charity is better than providing government funds
  Robert A. Sirico, New York Times, 2 July 2001
• Faith in Our Founders
  Forrest Church, New York Times, 25 December 2000
• Bringing faith to the West Wing
  Bruce Shapiro, Salon, 1 February 2001
• Jesus Wants Me for President
  Martin Kettle, The Guardian, 2 February 2001
• Opponents believe the Christian revolution will destroy the US, Bush believes it will transform it.
  Ed Vulliamy, Observer (UK), 4 February 2001

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