Took part in a conference call this week with the Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives in D.C. This government organization was started by George W. Bush and has been continued by President Obama. The program is being run by Joshua Dubois, a friend who worked as a liaison to the religious community for Barack Obama when he was a senator.
Among other things, the CFBCI hopes to level the playing field by helping faith-based organizations who work with the poor and marginalized get access to federal funding. There are no “faith-based dollars” but the CFBCI will work with organizations to help them understand how federal funding works and how to apply.
In addition, the CFBCI has announced their four areas of focus, and I thought you might find them interesting:
1. Work to integrate faith-based organizations in the economic recovery.
2. Promote responsible fatherhood and healthy families.
3. Reduce the need for abortions.
4. Foster inner-religious dialogue between people of different faith backgrounds.
I’ll be meeting with the CFBCI about twice a month, when I’m able to sit on on the conference call, and I’ll keep you informed of their progress. It all sounds really good to me and I’m honored to be one of the people they’ve asked for input. I assure you I’m a small fish on the phone. Perhaps the smallest.
I’m sure many will have questions about the program, so let me try to answer a couple before they come.
1. Why should government be involved in helping people at all? Shouldn’t the church do that?
A: Perhaps, but I don’t think so. We are running an enormous government deficit right now (we ran a surplus during the Clinton years, but counter to many Republicans, Bush increased the deficit enormously) and we do have to pare down our government spending (Obama has increased it further with the stimulus package) so an argument could be made that we don’t have the money to spend in the first place. However, if we did have the money, is it right?
I tend to see people as people and don’t really differentiate between the government and anybody else. If the government can help, why not. They are people and we are people. It’s not like they are robots. As for whether or not the work should be done by the church, it isn’t, so somebody has to do it. The church could solve all problems of poverty, and when it does, I think the government could go back to building roads and putting up stop signs. That said, though, it is difficult for me to imagine how the church is going to help provide healthcare. So if we are involved in the church and think the government shouldn’t be doing this work, the way to make them stop is to make the work go away by doing it ourselves.
2. Why would Barack Obama want to reduce abortions when he is a pro-choice President?
A: President Obama does believe abortion is a dark and tragic reality. He understands the desire for pro-life people to end abortion. As a pragmatist, and in order to reach out, and also to care for mothers who face the difficulty of an unwanted pregnancy, President Obama wants to understand the factors that lead to unintended pregnancy and help mothers keep their children. Studies show that economic well-being and health-care availability help a mother decide to keep her child. President Obama, in part through the CFBCI, wants to reduce abortions through the careful provision of these needs, creating a culture of life.
(As a side note, I asked the Office of Public Liaison whether the President intended to sign the Freedom of Choice act that he promised to sign during the campaign. This was a major battle-cry from the religious right. The OPL stated that there was no current movement on the bill and the President has not and will not sign it anytime soon. This does not mean he will not sign it in the future, only that the bill is not moving through congress at this time.)
That said, this is a complicated issue that, at least during the campaign, created more heat than light. Please use other blogs for sounding boards on this issue. Many pro-lifers tried to take over my blog during the election thus driving away open conversation. I’m sorry but that isn’t the purpose of this blog and I’d like to be able to use it to communicate information on a variety of subjects. You should also know I don’t believe we can create a utopia, and don’t believe we will have a perfect system of government until Jesus returns. Until then, we are only trying to make things better. Thanks so much for your understanding before you leave heated comments.
Before everyone goes completely crazy- I’m just going to say thanks for this post. There is no point in arguing over this, although people will get upset. But the main thing is that there won’t be a perfect system until Jesus returns.
thanks for being a voice for us, don. you’re no small fish to me!
I look forward to your updates on these meetings. The “make the work go away” movement sounds like a good one to me.
Don,
Thanks for the post and the good information. I am pleased to see that President Obama has kept the opportunities open for faith-based programs that our meeting needs in our communities. I would like to see something in our community concerning the second initiative mentioned, “promoting fatherhood and healthy families.” Our small community here on the Long Beach (WA) peninsula has many families that are unhealthy and struggling because of poor choices and lack of fathers involved. I don’t know what this would look like, but I will definitely keep this in mind. If you know of any programs working along this line in smallish communities and could forward any info my direction that would be much appreciated.
By the way, I agree with you about the church’s ability to do far more with the poor and marginalized than we are doing right now. We can’t blame the government for stepping in when we aren’t accomplishing our task. Preach gospel and meet needs, they are both in Scripture and neither one should be ignored.
Don,
I can’t say I disagree with CFBCI, but I don’t like the idea of mixing government with religion. As unpopular as “W” is as our former president, I think he has damaged the image of the church even more than our government. Tony Campolo said something along the line of:
Mixing religion and government is like mixing ice cream and manure. Sure, if you get some ice cream in the manure it’s not a big deal. But getting the manure in the ice cream pretty much ruins it.
I’m not worried about what CFBCI will do for our government. I’m concerned how it will effect our church’s and parachurches (not to mention, our Christian authors).
Don,
I had understood the 95/10 plan was well supported, but here it is now dead. Do you know any more about this?
Thanks.
Jason, for the record: disagreeing with someone’s political viewpoint is not “going crazy”. I’m on record here as disagreeing with Don about politics, and his post centers on exactly why. If someone wants to post their opposition to the mindset that govt should be doing this stuff, then they are not out of line in doing so.
Having said that, I’m not going to be one of those who posts something like that in this thread. Been there, done that. As it is, we (US citizens) have adopted the idea that this is govt’s role, whether I like it or not. With that in mind, I love this program that Don has mentioned. It still can be used to stimulate churches into doing what they should be doing anyway. Many already are fulfilling their mission to help those in need, but many are not. So thanks for posting this, Don.
Don,
Thanks for this post. I am glad to see that President Obama wants to “reduce the need for abortions” but there is an element to reducing that need that government alone cannot accomplish. The church needs to be involved, but not in the ways that we usually think.
I blogged along these lines and wanted to invite you over to read these thoughts:
http://fixingthechurch.com/2009/03/11/how-abortion-distracts-the-church/
Best regards,
The Apostate
And I agree… that when The Church steps up and provides a home for every woman with a “crisis” pregnancy and supports her beyond what she could have ever fathomed was possible, there won’t be much of a need for government intervention over abortion. I long for the day when WE all really step up.
Don, I totally want to give you a hug. I know I don’t know you and that probably sounds totally creepy, but I mean it in the least suggestive way possible. (I’m very happily married!) I just really appreciate your willingness to have an earnest, open dialouge about tough stuff. And even more, your willingness to be a part of trying to make things better. You’re so right – there is going to be no utopia on this side of heaven. The fact of the matter is that life is very, very complicated and there are a million shades of grey. May each of us humbly examine our own hearts as we seek His face and may God grant us all wisdom as we navigate these sometimes murkey waters.
Great post, Don. I’m also very glad to see that Obama is taking the faith-based initiatives seriously and that someone who seems to have a good grasp of both the issues at hand as well as the Gospel is being involved in the conversation.
I am not opposed to the government helping out in a philosophical abstract sense. However, practically speaking, the government strikes me as fairly impotent to affect real change. The government does not just have money to help, rather they are glorified wealth redistributers that take money from me (which I would put into a holistic program that meets felt needs and spiritual needs) and place it in the hands of someone who comes from a fundamentally different worldview and thus cannot do what I would like to see done. My other qualm with government intervention is that they are inherently limited by their size and turnover. The church and parachurch can focus on more intentional localized assistance having a much better feel for actual needs of the community and thus be more efficient in both time and money.
It’s not an easy issue and I know there is no cut and dry solution. I try to balance my youthful idealism with experience-based realism. Either way, I’m just glad that something is being done. It has far too long been an “us vs. them” approach when it comes to evangelicals in the political arena and it is high time that we all work together to advance the Kingdom of God. Whether red state or blue state, it’s all God’s Kingdom.
“…Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
I’m happy for you…and for us to have you keeping us informed. Thanks much, Don. Also, I’m grieved to hear about the former onslaught of heated posts. I pray it goes better this time. — Father, help us learn to prioritize your character within our convictions.
For a dialogue between people of two faiths, your readers may enjoy, Is Belief in God Good, Bad, or Irrelevant?: A professor and a punk rocker discuss science, religion, naturalism & Christianity. The prof is Preston Jones from John Brown University. The rocker is Greg Graffin from Bad Religion.
I honestly praise Jesus that people like you exist. I felt like such a freak of nature in the church until I read Blue Like Jazz.
I’m with Megan. Life is complicated. Murkey waters indeed. Better to navigate them on our knees in prayer.
I don’t think anyone is FOR abortion. What if we just wrapped these women in Jesus’ love from day one? Then maybe it’s not an issue.
Don, I’m a big fan of you, I’m a big fan of President Obama, and I’m a big fan of the CFBCI.
I struggle, and struggle, and struggle because I am surrounded by people who vote ‘right’ simply on the issue of abortion. That’s fine because people can vote however they want for whatever reasons they want. But, in my opinion, a vote against an entire party simply because of one issue is hard for me to understand.
Sarah (comment #13) says it beautifully:
“I don’t think anyone is FOR abortion. What if we just wrapped these women in Jesus’ love from day one? Then maybe it’s not an issue.”
I don’t think that President Obama would put it so eloquently, but I think that is exactly what he is striving to do.
Let’s look at the ways, as a society, that we can love on these women so that abortion doesn’t feel like it’s their only option. What a great mission.
Don,
Thank you for this post and for sharing your open heart and mind with all of us over the years. You are a brilliant writer and the kind of Christian I wish I knew more of. I am looking forward to the release of your new book. I hope you do make it to space!
Amy
Thanks for the post, Don. I wonder, has the conversation to this point identified any potential factors pertinent to reducing the number of abortions, and how we might go about doing so?
GREAT article!
much agreed. glad to hear an update on the state of FOCA.
any word on how we can interact in this 30 Life Conversation he’s offered?
Thanks for giving your time to this-
Please keep us updated! I’m definitely interested in this as I’m working for a small up and coming non-profit based in Texas but working globally as well.
Thanks for this info!
I love the work you are doing Don and I love this faith based intiative. I’m a pastor of a small church near Philadelphia, how does one have access to these funds to create positive change in the community? How can I get involved in the dialogue?
Hi Don,
Speaking of promoting responsible fatherhood…do you happen to watch Bones on Fox? The last episode aired dealt with that subject. It was nice to see a network show actually admit the problem – and then the great man-to-man speech at the end about taking responsibility for your kids.
Made me think of you and your mentor program. If you ever needed an endorsement, David Boreanaz (star of Bones) might be up for it…in interviews, he has often stated that his great relationship with his dad is how he became successful.
Thanks for being patient with all of us, and for keeping up this blog…
What an honor to be invited to sit in on such important discussions!
How exciting to see the issue of FATHERHOOD so blatant in THE PRESIDENT’S agenda!!!
I am without words.
Don,
This is so great. Thank you!
And this is a 2nd vote for sarah’s (#13) comment: how perfect. Thank you! What a great insight; I have believed this for many years. Thanks, guys.
thanks Don, I applaud your work and it has inspired me in so many ways. I pray for the church to step up but know that it starts small and so that means I must step up too.
Don,
Thanks for your post. As I read through your letter, as well as look at my dwindling paycheck, I can’t help but continue to hear the words of a wise old sage resounding in my ear saying:
“Government is not the solution to our problem, Government IS the problem.”
Thoughts?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Thank you for this! And though a small fish, keep it up. Thank you for the Belmont Foundation, and the support group for single moms:) THANK YOU.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….just sitting here wondering if the phrase “reduce the NEED for abortions” is bothering anyone else. “Need” implies “necessity” to me. Are we validating the fact that abortions have now become necessary???? Help me out on this one!
very nice post, i actually love this web site, keep on it
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