Trouble in amen corner

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Washington Times May 1, 2001

Trouble's brewing in the amen corner

by Wes Pruden

The faith-based initiative is running into trouble, and for the right reasons.

President Bush can probably save it, but not without some changes that its most devout purveyors will probably resist.

The most effective skepticism comes not from the left, where disdain for religious faith is sometimes cloaked in high-minded piety, but from conservatives who recognize a threat to the Great Commission when they smell it.

Many of these conservatives are among the signers of a letter to President Bush, setting out their opposition to the faith-based initiative in its present form.

They argue that the charitable-choice provisions of the initiative "would entangle religion and government in an unprecedented and perilous way. The flow of government dollars and the accountability for how those funds are used will inevitably undermine the independence and integrity of houses of worship."

The letter, dispatched last week, was sponsored by an ad hoc coalition organized by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which rarely has nice things to say or think about conservative evangelical Christianity, and signers include the usual suspects of the neurotic left -- representatives of Planned Parenthood, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, People for the American Way, the ACLU and assorted goofballs -- Wiccan "priestesses," feminist "goddesses" and a Nebraska preacher who lost his frock for presiding over a fraudulent Methodist "wedding" ceremony for two homosexual men.

But the signers also include a lot of clergymen who arenīt skeptics of the faith, prominently including evangelical pastors in such well-known hotbeds of theological deviancy and steaming cauldrons of left-wing politics as Milledgeville, Ga.; Culpeper, Va.; Ashdown, Ark.; Aiken, S.C.; and Broken Bow, Okla. This is a protest that canīt be dismissed as inconsequential, unimportant to George W.īs core constituency, or merely the complaint of soreheads. John DiIulio, the director of the faith-based initiative who regards criticism of it as something like secular heresy, will scoff at his peril. More importantly, so will his boss.

These clerical critics answer to a higher power. "I want to reach people for Christ," says the Rev. Ted Fuson, pastor of the Culpeper Baptist Church, "but I do not want to get into the position where, if I had a school or ministry that feeds the homeless, I could not pray with those folks or ask them about their relationship with the Lord."

Mr. Fuson has a clear understanding of how loud money talks. "The folks that send the money tend to tell you what to do with it and rightfully so, if you are taking tax dollars." Baptists, more than any other religious denomination, hold fast to a consistent tradition of antagonism toward anything and everything that smells of linking church and state. The very phrase -- "separation of church and state" -- that has become a mantra of American democracy first appeared not in the Constitution but in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. It was upon this rock that American constitutional law was built, founding political doctrine held so dearly that it could only be threatened by well-meaning people scenting federal handouts for a good cause.

Some of the presidentīs friends scent trouble for the initiative -- and ultimately for the president himself -- from another source. Kate OīBierne, writing in the Wall Street Journal, warns of the law of unintended consequences. "Dependency grows with time," she writes. "A church group may accept a grant with every intention of walking away at a later date if necessary. But will this intention be remembered after a few years, when the grant is built into the budget? . . . Worse, federal grants will affect which churches grow and which shrink. Churches that get grants will be able to provide more services than those that do not, and it is not unknown for people to join churches that gave them job training, counseling, or pre-school. Do we really want federal funding to affect Americaīs religious dynamics in this manner?" This president has a compassionate heart, and unlike a certain predecessor whose name has been banished from this space (at least for today) he sees difficult problems as something more than mere opportunities for political exploitation. Because he is a man of faith, he recognizes the unique power of faith to change lives, and he has seen firsthand the phenomenal success of churches to accomplish miracles that government bureaucracies can only dream of.

But thereīs always a risk in letting compassion overpower the natural skepticism of a conservative mind, of forgetting where that road of good intentions, even if paved with federal dollars, inevitably leads.

---------------------

Wesley Pruden is editor in chief of The Times.



-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), May 01, 2001

Answers

I would think that Machiavellian Lefties would want the "faith based" initiative just so they could get their tentacles into the churches.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), May 01, 2001.

Lars

I was expecting an article on the Masters........ya know, Amen Corner at Augusta National?? Got me.....

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), May 01, 2001.


Deano, I'd love to stand on the 12th hole with a large bucket of balls just to see how many I'd dunk in Rae's creek and IF any shots would hit and stick on that green.

Any Augusta National members here?

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), May 01, 2001.


An unintentional "gotcha" Deano. I don't follow golf, never heard of Amen Corner at the Master's. Must be a tough hole?

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), May 01, 2001.

Rich

Our CEO (Joe Ford) is the head dude at AN. Will I ever get to go?? Probably not....... My dad did make it up there for a couple practice rounds last year but that's as close as I've ever gotten.

Lars

It's actually 4 consecutive holes on the back nine at AN. 12 thru 15 I believe.

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), May 01, 2001.



Did I misread? Rich, are YOU a member of the Augusta National? It's my understanding that that club is one of the most exclusive in the world, with only the richest of the rich-- like the CEOs of companies like Coca Cola and GE-- having memberships. And, the memberships are few and far between as it is.

Even getting tickets to the annual tournament is an exclusive business in itself. The way it works: tickets are sent out each year to those who are on the list. In order to get on "the list," you must write to ask permission. Then, your name goes on the waiting list to be put on the real list. My understanding is that one has to wait for years-- on the waiting list. To get OFF the list is rather easy. Don't buy the tickets one year, you're off. OR, create even the smallest disruption during the tournament, the security people record your badge number (which corresponds to your number on "the list") then, you're not only banned for the rest of the tournament, but also you're not eligible to purchase tickets the following year. In other words, you're off "the list."

Since I grew up in Augusta, I must tell you that I went nearly every year to the tournament-- since about sixth grade. No-- I wasn't the least bit interested in golf. The reason I went was to "be seen" there, which is important in Augusta, and just mill around, enjoying the refreshments and looking out for celebrities. [Not fair, is it?] My last time on the green was in 1979, which is the year I left town. I have since been exiled in the West.

-- Miss Ann Thrope (Augusta@native.com), May 02, 2001.


Miss Ann, I am indeed a member of that august club (oh look, a pun). Bobby Jones and I shared many a lemonade, walking and talking as we strolled up and down Magnolia Lane (this was prior to his illness).

One glass, two straws. He was funny like that. I never minded much really. Except when he'd place his arm around my waist and give me the occasional pat on the fanny. Don't go in for that sort of thing you know.

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), May 02, 2001.


Rich

Dude! Now THAT is something!! A personal friend of Mr Jones....WOW!!

If ya happento run into Mr Ford, please tell him one of his lowly employees down in Jax, FL would really appreciate a round on the hallowed grounds of Augusta.

Miss Ann? If ya get an extra ticket one year......hey, it doean't hurt to ask.

All I have is a hat so far.....

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), May 02, 2001.


Deano, allow me to buy you a cup of strong coffee.

I was fibbing, man. I do that sometimes. Relieves the boredom. It's only when I begin to believe the stories I weave that there's a problem.

Sorry. :)

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), May 02, 2001.


Rich

Ya had me going there dude.......hook, line and sinker....

Hate when that happens!!

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), May 02, 2001.



AHEM! [Back to the original subject of the thread...]

When I first heard about the faith-based initiatives, I was worried about the separation of church and state angle. I got even more worried when Pat Robertson spoke out against the programs. [Who woulda thunk that Pat Robertson and I would ever agree on anything?]

As I read more, I learned that some of these programs had been receiving State tax dollars for 20-30 years now. Some of them are Christian, but Scientologist, Hari Krishna, Islam, and Jewish organizations have had great success also in providing soup kitchens, work-training programs, after-school programs, etc. These organizations WERE prohibited in many instances from "preaching". In fact, I read one article wherein a middle-aged man at a shelter for the homeless remarked on how the food served never included meat. It was only then that he learned that the shelter was a program of the Hari Krishna [and one of these days I'm going to learn how to spell that correctly.]

I can understand that religious organizations don't want government to dictate what they can and can't do, and they seem to understand that money comes with strings attached. Some were of the understanding that the faith-based programs would only apply to Christian organizations and were angered at the thought that Islam, etc. organizations could receive funding, as well.

I'm taking a "wait and see" attitude on this one. It could be that the "voucher" system will provide an equitable solution. It's really just another form of welfare, but individuals in need would be provided a voucher and it would be up to the individual to use the voucher at a local program of their choice. In this way, the funds don't go DIRECTLY to the program, and they'd be able to do things pretty much any way they want, but the individual could choose whether he wanted to suffer through a hell-fire and brimstone sermon before a hot meal was received, or get the meat-free meal from the Krishnas.

Like any other social service, it always did come with a huge "buyer beware" warning. Some organizations embezzled funds. Some organizations took wayward teens and literally tried to BEAT Christianity into them. Anyone looking into a program for a loved one should research it as thoroughly as we research day-care programs for our kids or nursing homes for our parents. They're NOT all alike and some provide a living hell while others are very loving and nurturing environments.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), May 02, 2001.


Rich-- I wasn't fooled. You're WAY too young to be Bobby Jones' pal, now aren't you? About 36, I would guess? Right? BTW, I'm related to Bobby Jones' wife in the complicated and incestuous fashion, typical of Southern roots. [I can't decide if I'm living in exile in the West or if I've actually been fortunate enough to *escape* from the South. For instance, out here in this relatively, rough'n tumble environment, I can put the silver tea service in storage and can even go out in public in jeans and on a bad hair day.]

Anita-- I'm taking a wait and see attitude on this initiative myself, while retaining my position as staunch defender of the separation of Church and State. I'm certain it's some sort of "dumbya like a fox" maneuver that would upset me if I read about it too closely. Actually, I'm shutting my eyes and holding my breath until 2004.

-- Miss Ann Thrope (thoughts@gullible.com), May 02, 2001.


MAT,

Thank you for quoting the title of my recent thread.

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), May 03, 2001.


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