June 2007 No. 24Table of ContentsPolitics and Religion |
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Capitol Steps rarely covers stories or trends related to religion, but today seems to be worthy of an exception. Most United Ways fund programs provided by faith-based human service groups; they have since their beginnings in the 1880s. But United Ways are not governmental bodies.
Remember the flap that occurred last year when the IN House of Representatives had to quash their traditional prayer at the start of each session day. A judge ruled that the prayers tended to favor one religion over others—thus “promoting a religion”—and his decision is now under appeal. So, last year in the meantime—prior to the rap of each day’s opening gavel—many legislators gathered at the rear of the chamber to voice share in a prayer. There were no prayers this year.
There are several issues facing the state that challenge Hoosiers to debate over what Thomas Jefferson called “the wall of separation” between religion and government based on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that reads:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; …
With the death of Rev. Jerry Falwell last month, analysts are debating whether this is a time of change in national politics regarding the influence of religious groups in the ballot box and the Oval Office.
Since the early days of colonial America and even after the First Amendment, Congress has had chaplains, and local and state governments have employed clergy as well. That practice is now being challenged in IN.
The state’s Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA) recently hired a chaplain, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) filed a complaint in federal court questioning this government action. FSSA created a new $60,000/year job and hired a Fort Wayne Baptist minister to fill it. He is to advise FSSA staff on spiritual needs and to develop a network of volunteer ministers to work with the office.
An FSSA spokesman said Secretary Roob saw the benefits of a chaplaincy program for “frontline” healthcare staff at an Indianapolis public hospital, and he wanted to bring the same for FSSA’s social service workers. FSSA doesn’t see this new position as “ground-breaking.” There are equivalents in other public agencies, such as police, fire, and corrections.
FFRF claims that FSSA’s chaplain is “unusual, if not unique.” FFRF is not aware of any other state with a spiritual adviser in such an agency. FFRF asserts that the chaplaincy advances religion and serves no secular purpose. Foremost, job applicants for the position must meet an unconstitutional religious test—be ordained or licensed by a religious group. Unlike people confined in prison or in hospitals, FSSA staff can freely seek out their own “religious counseling.”
FSSA says their chaplain is offering a “passive” service to its staff—staff seek him out, not vice versa—and he is recruiting others from different faiths to be available to them as well. Also, a “secular” option is offered through FSSA’s “employee assistance program.” Finally, requiring credentials from some religious group is a test of the person’s professionalism, not a “religious test.” FSSA doesn’t want someone who just walks in “off the street” to fill this job.
The Roundtable on Religion & Social Welfare Policy interviewed FSSA’s chaplain, Rev. Michael Latham. It is at www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/interviews.
The outcome of this suit may hinge on rulings of the US Supreme Court on other suits brought by FFRF that will decide if taxpayers have “standing” to object to this kind of government practice. In the meantime, FFRF says “We’re not going to sit on our hands and do nothing.” See http://ffrf.org for details on the pending lawsuits.
President Bush—who ran on a “compassionate conservatism” platform in 2000—created the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (WHFB&CSI) on January 29, 2001, a week after his inauguration. It was subsequently followed by a series of like offices in 11 federal departments, including Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development, Labor, and Homeland Security. Bush reported that $2.1+ Billion was awarded to faith-based groups in FFY05.
Bush was a proponent of the “Charitable Choice” provisions of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act that allowed religious groups to compete for social service contracts but with strictures on staff and facilities to avoid “promotion” of a religion.
The chiefs of the WHFB&CSI have included aides to Bush (when he was governor of Texas) and to his brother Jeb (when he was governor of Florida). Currently it is Jay Hein, former head of the Indianapolis-based Sagamore Institute for Policy Research.
The US Gov’t Accountability Office reported in mid-2006 that the federal government had spent $24M on administering FB&CSI programs since 2002. GAO found $500M in “new” money went to provide training and technical assistance for faith-based groups to get and run such grant programs.
Critics said many such programs were not “voluntary” for beneficiaries nor kept separate in time and location from the organization’s “religious” activities and facilities. Last fall, a former deputy director of the WHFB&CSI published a book—Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, by David Kuo—that heated up the controversy over the real purpose and impact of the administration’s support to religious service providers. You can read all about this story at www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article_print.cfm?id=5288
In addition, The New York Times wrote that there were 900 “earmarks” for religious groups, totaling $318M+ from 1989 to 2007, with half of them granted during the 2004 presidential election season compared to 60 during the 1997-98 Congressional sessions. See www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci for details on the White House’s view on FB&CSI.
Within a month after his inauguration, Governor Daniels created the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) to encompass and expand the existing IN Commission on Community Services and Volunteerism (ICCSV). It now coordinates with local volunteer centers and community service groups such as United Ways. It also works with the Office of Service-Learning and connects to other programs such as Senior Corps.
IN’s OFBCI continues the ICCSV that runs the federally-funded AmeriCorps and other activities. Its members are primarily philanthropic and educational leaders. OFBCI also has an IN Faith Based Advisory Council made up of leaders of various faiths around the state. Here are highlights from Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civil Life:
| Measurement | 1989 |
2006 |
| Volunteers in Indiana | 1,520,000 |
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| Volunteers as % state population | 22.7% |
31.5% |
| Total IN volunteer hours | 242,800,000 |
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| % IN volunteering in religion | 41.5% |
38.5% |
| % IN volunteering in social or community service | 6.9% |
13.3% |
| % IN volunteering in fund raising | 31% |
The full 150 page report includes volunteering profiles by age with national, regional, and state comparisons. http://www.in.gov/ofbci/2258.htm has all the details about IN’s OFBCI.
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