Federal Dollars for Religious Social Services

I'm reading a fascinating and disturbing book entitled "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism" by Michelle Goldberg. As a secular Jew, she doesn't quite "get" all aspects of evangelicalism, but overall the book is excellent if scary.

I'm currently on the chapter discussing Bush's "faith-based initiatives." These innocuous sounding plans allow religious organizations to get public funds to do good work.

The issue is this. Certain well established religious organizations such as Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services set up secular branches to work with the government. Both the Catholic and Lutheran churches have plenty of religious social work they do as well under different umbrellas, but those agencies are the ones that recieve the bulk of government funds.

Many other groups do not make this distinction. They offer social services and prosyletization all at once. That's fine, except when you are taking government money. Then you get into issues with the separation of church and state.

Don't get me wrong. We are guaranteed freedom OF religion, not FROM religion. But, when the government starts giving certain groups money, groups who aren't soley interested in social good, but conversion as well, you're getting into dangerous territory. If Christians can do it, so can Muslims, Buddhists, Scientologists, etc. Unless you believe that America was founded as a Christian nation then, well, I'm sorry, the facts just don't support that.

Now, I'm saying no government money for these programs. Does that mean I think these programs should go away? Of course not! These are the places Christian charity should be going. To help people and their souls. But, its also helping people no matter what!

Are there radical secularists in this country that make life hell for any group wanting to do good in Christ's name? Yes. Are there fundamentalist groups that give the secularists good grounds for their concerns? Sadly yes.

Christ didn't work through the government. He didn't speak much about it at all really. I find the idea of so many Christians loathing the government, but wanting to twist it and use it when it benefits them disturbing. Its a very, well, un-Christlike thing to do. There was no duplicity in Christ. At least not in His aims or means.