Re: Obama to unveil a revamped office of Faith-Based Initiatives

[Msblue]

(CNN) â€" President Obama will unveil a revamped office of Faith-Based Initiatives Thursday, and a new approach to the controversial program established by former President George Bush.

The office, tasked with steering federal funds to charitable organizations tied to churches and faith-based organizations, will be headed by Josh DuBois â€" a 26 year-old Pentecostal minister who was in charge of religious outreach for the Obama campaign.

According to a White House official, the basic structure of the office will remain the same as it was under Bush, but Obama is introducing a new component: an advisory council of 25 leaders â€" secular and religious â€" who will help inform the Office and provide advice on other policy issues.

According to a person familiar with the makeup of the council, some of the 25 members include:

â€"Rabbi David Saperstein, head of the DC Religious Action Center of Reform Judiasm
â€"Judith Vredenburgh, CEO of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America
â€"Bishop Vashti McKenzie, first female Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
â€"The Rev. Joel Hunter, the senior pastor of Northland church in Orlando, Florida
â€"The Rev. Frank Page, the conservative past president of the Southern Baptist Convention

The official announcement of the revamped office is set to take place Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/04/obama-to-unveil-new-faith-based-office/

[Will]

What the hell? Not only is this not being shut down, they're putting someone my age in charge of it? That's deeply disconcerting.

[joeactor]

You may want to read Obama's comments from the "National Prayer Breakfast":

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/po ... rayer.html

One excerpt from page 2 of the above article:

The goal of this office will not be to favor one religious group over another â€" or even religious groups over secular groups. It will simply be to work on behalf of those organizations that want to work on behalf of our communities, and to do so without blurring the line that our founders wisely drew between church and state. This work is important, because whether it's a secular group advising families facing foreclosure or faith-based groups providing job-training to those who need work, few are closer to what's happening on our streets and in our neighborhoods than these organizations. People trust them. Communities rely on them. And we will help them.

It's a start,
JoeActor

[SSY]

What do those laubable aims have to do with faith? I am afraid I don't see it myself, maybe he should change the name?

"Office for giving out money in order to help people help people, prefferably without the helpers pushing their beliefs and agendas on those that need their help" Sounds much better IMHO

[jrosebud]

Obama:

“Now, make no mistake, as someone who used to teach constitutional law, I believe deeply in the separation of church and state, but I don’t believe this partnership will endanger that idea â€" so long as we follow a few basic principles. First, if you get a federal grant, you can’t use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them â€" or against the people you hire â€" on the basis of their religion. Second, federal dollars that go directly to churches, temples, and mosques can only be used on secular programs. And we’ll also ensure that taxpayer dollars only go to those programs that actually work.”

*claps*

[jrosebud]

What do those laubable aims have to do with faith? I am afraid I don't see it myself, maybe he should change the name?

"Office for giving out money in order to help people help people, prefferably without the helpers pushing their beliefs and agendas on those that need their help" Sounds much better IMHO

he is changing the name: faith-based and neighborhood partnerships.  nice political spin that includes the religious in secular endeavors.