A black conservative social policy activist says she thinks George W. Bush's faith-based initiative is taking the wrong approach in trying to empower churches and faith-based groups to care for the needy.
This month President George W. Bush renewed his commitment to his faith-based initiative, which would allow churches and other religious groups to receive federal taxpayer funds to assist the poor and provide numerous social services.
But Star Parker, founder of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), feels the president's plan is off base.
She questions why so many conservatives who would normally oppose the big government approach of throwing U.S. citizens' hard-earned tax dollars at poverty and related social problems are failing to speak out against a plan to get churches involved in much the same approach.
"Most people on the right, in particular the Christian Church community, are saying nothing," Parker complains. "In fact, even worse than saying nothing, many of them are actually lining up to get a government grant. This is not the [government's] responsibility, to give out grants of other people's money and redistribute wealth to try to take care of the needs of the poor."
The CURE spokeswoman says Christians should be wary of taking government money. The moment churches start accepting federal funding, she contends, the government immediately starts putting restrictions on churches, such as prohibiting them sharing their faith with those who receive benefits through their faith-based programs. "One of the things that government will do," the activist warns, "is regulate [churches] and make sure that they don't do the first step [to help people] out of poverty, which is preach the gospel."
And, in the long run, Parker believes government social programs - even those administered by people in the Church - will never solve the problem of poverty. "Frankly it's hurting the situation, because most people are not thinking too deeply about it," she says. "They figure somebody else is doing it - that Uncle Sam is doing it. Most churches today don't even have an outreach directly to help people that are in a crisis."
According to the founder of CURE, what many churches do instead is allow their congregation members to be overtaxed, and then put their tax dollars into the government's hands. Then they "allow Washington to try to come up with some type of social program to try to help these folks," she says.
But Parker believes there is a better way for the federal government to help churches fulfill their spiritual mandate to address others' need. "If we are going to help people, then it has to be very local," she asserts. "So one of the things that the faith-based initiative should be looking at is tax credits and vouchers, as opposed to looking at direct grants."
