Allen Hunt's Blog

Astonishing! Barack Obama has embraced President Bush's idea of the faith-based initiative. Astonishing! See this article for typical responses.
Bush considers these initiatives his greatest legacy.
Obama says the government needs help in solving the nation's problems and these partnerships help accomplish that.
Bush and Obama are both wrong.
There is no such thing as a government-funded faith based initiative. To receive funding, the recipients must pledge not to "proselytize" the persons they serve and agree not to "discriminate" against non-believers or people from other religions in their hiring of workers to administer the funds and programs.
What this means is a faith-based initiative is gutted of its faith. Faith is the reason why these people and programs are serving people in shelters, AIDS clinics, and after-school programs. The workers are motivated by their faith. Faith is WHY they are there.
Their faith gives them the compassion they are sharing. To tell them they cannot share their faith or allow faith to play an overt part in the program turns the initiative into social work.
Nothing wrong with social work, but social work does not cure the soul.
What you get when you take the faith out of a faith-based initiative is just another government program.
So it makes sense when Obama says he only wants funds given to those ministries (without the faith) who are getting the job done. Just like all those other government programs that get the job done, huh?
Obama and Bush are both wrong.
Let the Church be the Church. Let the Church offer compassion, hope and faith. And leave the government out of it.