Faith, Politics, and Power : The Politics of Faith-Based Initiatives

There is often more than meets the eye where politics, religion and money are concerned. This is certainly the case with the Faith-Based Initiative. Section 104, a small provision of the 1996 Welfare Reform bill called "Charitable Choice," was the beginning of what we now know as the Faith-Based Initiative. In its original form, the Initiative was intended to ensure that small religious groups were not discriminated against in the awarding of government funding to provide social services. While this was the beginning of the story for the initiative, it is not the end. Instead Charitable Choice served as the launching pad for growing implementation of Faith-Based Initiatives. These new policies and practices exist despite the fact that all levels of government already contract with religious organizations to provide social services. Nevertheless, government actors have been implementing the Initiative in myriad ways, creating new policies where none appear necessary. Using data from multiple sources this book examines how and why states have been creating these policies and practices. The data reveal three key aspects of faith-based policy implementation by states: appointment of state actors known as Faith-Based Liaisons, passage of legislation, and development of state Faith-Based Policy conferences. These practices created a system in which neither the greatest hopes of its supporters, nor the greatest fears of its opponents have been realized. Supporters had hoped the Faith-Based Initiative would be about solving problems of poverty and an over-burdened welfare system, while opponents feared rampant proselytizing with government funds. Instead, these initiatives by and large did not offer substantial new fiscal support to those in need. In the place of this hope and fear, and despite the good intentions of many, these initiatives became powerful political symbols in the fight to reshape church/state relationships and distribution of political power. "During the 2000 presidential campaign, George W. Bush made faith-based social services one of the centerpieces of his domestic agenda. These "faith-based initiatives," supporters argued, would reduce poverty, ease the strain on an overburdened welfare system, and prove more effective than government programs. Opponents feared rampant proselytizing with government funds. Instead, these practices created a system in which neither the greatest hopes of its supporters, nor the greatest fears of its opponents, have been realized." "Faith, Politics, and Power offers a systematic examination of where and how these programs were implemented. Rebecca Sager argues that faith-based initiatives were never aimed at helping the poor, but rather at expanding the reach of the Republican Party. She takes us inside faith-based policy conferences, which often were thinly disguised political rallies, and shows that the initiatives were implemented primarily in those states with the strongest evangelical and Republican movements. These programs offered an important symbolic victory to evangelical supporters of the Republican Party and helped blur the lines between church and state. They also allowed Republicans to reach out to African American churches and religious leaders in the hope of winning new allies to the conservative cause." "Despite the good intentions of many, these initiatives, which live on in the Obama administration, have become powerful political symbols in the fight to reshape church-state relationships and distribution of political power."--Jacket Contents......Page 12 Abbreviations......Page 14 1. An Introduction to the Faith-Based Initiatives......Page 18 2. The Historical Role of Religion in Government Social Services and the Development of the Faith-Based Initiatives......Page 44 3. Faith-Based Liaisons: Finding Faith in the Faith-Based Initiatives......Page 66 4. Making the Initiatives the Law of the Land......Page 108 5. Calling All the Faithful: Faith-Based Conferences and Liaison Choices as Symbolic Politics......Page 130 6. Here, There, but Not Quite Everywhere: Why Are There Faith-Based Initiatives?......Page 148 7. Religion, Policy, and Politics: Institutionalizing Religion within State Government......Page 180 8. Conclusion: What Is Success?......Page 204 Appendix A: Data and Methods......Page 208 Appendix B: Faith-Based Liaison Interview Schedule......Page 216 Appendix C: Raw Data Collected from Faith-Based Liaisons (2004–2005)......Page 220 Notes......Page 236 References......Page 242 B......Page 256 C......Page 257 F......Page 258 G......Page 259 M......Page 260 P......Page 261 S......Page 262 W......Page 263 Y......Page 264 This Title Explores How There Is Often More Than Meets The Eye Where Politics And Money Are Concerned. Faith-based Initiatives Are No Exception. The Book Looks At How, Despite The Good Intentions Of Some, Faith-based Policies Did Not Create New Significant Programmes To Help Those In Need. An Introduction To The Faith-based Initiatives -- The Historical Role Of Religion In Government Social Services And The Development Of The Faith-based Initiatives -- Faith-based Liaisons : Finding Faith In The Faith-based Initiatives -- Making The Initiatives The Law Of The Land -- Calling All The Faithful : Faith-based Conferences And Liaison Choices As Symbolic Politics -- Here, There, But Not Quite Everywhere : Why Are There Faith-based Initiatives? -- Religion, Policy, And Politics : Institutionalizing Religion Within State Government -- Conclusion: What Is Success? Rebecca Sager. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. During the 2000 presidential campaign, George W. Bush made faith-based social services one of the centerpieces of his domestic agenda. These'faith-based initiatives,'supporters argued, would reduce poverty, ease the strain on an overburdened welfare system, and prove more effective than government programs. Opponents feared rampant proselytizing with government funds. Instead, these practices created a system in which neither the greatest hopes of its supporters, nor the greatest fears of its opponents, have been realized. The product of five years of in-depth research, Rebecca Sager's Faith, Politics, and Power offers a systematic examination of where and how these programs were implemented, arguing that faith-based initiatives strayed from supporters'original aim of helping the poor, and instead were used as tools to gain political power by the Republican Party and the conservative evangelical movement. There is often more than meets the eye where politics and money are concerned. Faith-Based Initiatives are no exception. Despite the good intentions of some, faith-based policies did not create new significant programs to help those in need. Instead these initiatives were powerful political symbols used to reshape church/state relationships and distribution of political power.