Religious leaders and politicians are touting the benefits of "faith-based" partnerships funded with government money. But these programs may violate the separation of church and state -- and compel Americans to support religious groups with their tax dollars.

Web Posted: June 30, 1998

$5 million experimental program in New Jersey would be the first state government effort to provide public funding for churches and other religious groups to engage in "community development" out reaches, according to Religion News Service. Last month, state officials reportedly huddled with clergy and lay leaders of area churches to brief them on the New Jersey Faith- Based Community Development Initiative, described as "a first-of-its-kind state program." The goal is to "blend" private and public money for use by "faith based communities" in a range of programs, including economic development schemes and housing construction.

    The initiative is the brainchild of Gov. Christie Whitman who announced the program during last year's gubernatorial campaign. In a prepared statement issued to coincide with the recent meeting announcing the FBCDI, Whitman declared "New Jersey's religious institutions are working to revitalize our neighborhoods. The State...recognizes that we can serve as partners with houses of worship and faith-based institutions."

    The initial phase of the program will take advantage of $60,000 from Chase Manhattan Bank and the Public Service Electric & Gas Company "to fund training for houses of worship with existing community development programs." Then a second phase kicks in with $5 million in state funds. A commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs, Jane Kenney, told RNS "We really want to get the information out. We are looking to both serve the people that don't have the knowledge of how to get a program going and work to support the work of faith-ba

CONSTITUTIONAL PROBLEMS MINIMIZED, IGNORED?

   While some of the clergy at the Initiative meeting reportedly expressed some concerns about the state-church entanglement issue, RNS suggested that those worries were over the question of whether the $5 million in public funds "would come with any strings attached."

Do "faith-based" partnerships using public money violate the separation of church and state, and compel us to financially support religion? Thomas Jefferson's ACT FOR ESTABLISHING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM declared that, in Virginia, "no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burdened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions of belief..."

    "Could programming, for example, funded by state money be accompanied by a religious message?" asked RNS rhetorically -- without giving much of an answer. William Alston, identified as the program manager, said that "some ground rules were still being finalized."

    "The level of scrutiny (of church-state issues) has been significant. The bottom line is that these organizations will open their services to all citizens," and promise not to discriminate.

    But as with the growing number of other public-funded programs which are "administered" by religious organizations, the line between delivering a service like drug/alcohol rehabilitation, medical care or housing and proselytizing a religious message has been a thin one. Churches often grab credit for "charitable' programs that are funded, in large part, by taxpayers. National Catholic Charities, for instance, now acknowledges that about 60% of its budget comes through a combination of public grants, and tacks on another 10%-12% for "administrative" expenses.

   Some separationists argue that any public funding of projects administered by religious groups violates the policy of strict neutrality government must exercise toward religion under the First Amendment. That hasn't stopped the proliferation of funding schemes, though, that each year pour huge amounts of money into religious coffers for various social programs. The only stipulation is that the programs be "open to all," and not discriminate in favor of one particular religion.

   Federal money reaches religious groups in two ways -- through direct grant programs, and by monies funneled back to cities and local municipalities through the Community Development Block Grant Program. No agency tracks the total of such grants to religious groups; in fact, for over a century, the Bureau of the Census has not been able to compile reliable statistics concerning the total amount of church wealth in the United States.

    One recent example of this "socialism for the churches" -- a program with remarkable similarity with the N.J. "faith-based" initiative -- is the Faith- Based Partnership administered nationwide by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In May, AANEWS reported on one HUD program in Detroit, Michigan, where federal officials were involved in meetings and seminars with representatives of nearly 300 different religious congregations to assist them in applying for up to $2.7 billion in tax money. One local minister told reporters that churches were "looking for ways we can contribute in helping (to) save our neighborhoods."

    Putting churches and other religious groups -- referred to as "faith-based communities" -- on the public payroll is a common interest shared by diverse sects and interest organizations, from the Christian Coalition to the more trendy-liberal Call to Renewal movement. Under the guise of "rebuilding family and community," for instance CTR is promoting various public funding schemes, including the "charitable choice" When pressed by reporters about the possible establishment clause violation in public funding of religious programs, one CTR spokesperson declared, "From the government side there have been all these objections to church-state cooperation," adding, "some people are just terribly nervous about churches..."

CLERGY READY FOR THE CASH!

    Back in the Garden State, though, the RNS article suggests that pastors are generally eager to begin dipping into the public treasury. Rev. Francisco Pozo praised the Faith-Based Community Development Initiative, gushing "The idea is wonderful... I hope to see some action." Rev. Vaughn Foster of the Grace Baptist Church in Trenton agreed, declaring "It's wonderful to have a vision." For the initiative and vision, though, taxpayers will be paying $5 million, and probably more as the program spreads.

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