Churches to Receive Katrina Funds
NPR has the story.
While I believe strongly in the separation of church and state, I think that reimbursing churches and faith-based charities for their work in the hurricane relief effort is a positive move on the part of the Bush administration. Of course, FEMA needs to make sure that the money is distributed fairly and needs to be careful about giving money to churches that have used the situation as an opportunity to proselytize. (Inviting evacuees to participate in prayer and worship is OK, as long as participation is not required or expected.)
A few other concerns: 1) I could be wrong, but as far as I can tell, when it comes to giving out federal funds, this administration starts and ends with its friends and associates. And as much as Bush likes to talk about accountability, the administration doesn't seem to hold the biggest recipients of its generosity (World Com, Bechtel, Halliburton, and so forth) accountable for much of anything.
2) While helping churches help everyone else is good on the part of the government, it is not sufficient. I still feel strongly that the government, apart from anything that churches are doing, has a responsibility to protect and assist its most vulnerable citizens.
3) Of course, whenever church and state do business, there is always the danger that certain churches will improperly affect government policy and vice versa. Government agencies and religious bodies need to be very careful when they start working with each other.
At any rate, this story shows that churches and charities cannot solve major problems on their own. To be successful they must have the assistance and support of government funds and policies. Realizing the vision of the Old Testament prophets and of Jesus himself will, in our day, require money both from taxes and from the offering plate.
While I believe strongly in the separation of church and state, I think that reimbursing churches and faith-based charities for their work in the hurricane relief effort is a positive move on the part of the Bush administration. Of course, FEMA needs to make sure that the money is distributed fairly and needs to be careful about giving money to churches that have used the situation as an opportunity to proselytize. (Inviting evacuees to participate in prayer and worship is OK, as long as participation is not required or expected.)
A few other concerns: 1) I could be wrong, but as far as I can tell, when it comes to giving out federal funds, this administration starts and ends with its friends and associates. And as much as Bush likes to talk about accountability, the administration doesn't seem to hold the biggest recipients of its generosity (World Com, Bechtel, Halliburton, and so forth) accountable for much of anything.
2) While helping churches help everyone else is good on the part of the government, it is not sufficient. I still feel strongly that the government, apart from anything that churches are doing, has a responsibility to protect and assist its most vulnerable citizens.
3) Of course, whenever church and state do business, there is always the danger that certain churches will improperly affect government policy and vice versa. Government agencies and religious bodies need to be very careful when they start working with each other.
At any rate, this story shows that churches and charities cannot solve major problems on their own. To be successful they must have the assistance and support of government funds and policies. Realizing the vision of the Old Testament prophets and of Jesus himself will, in our day, require money both from taxes and from the offering plate.
posted by Tinley | 7:10 PM
1 Comments:
I think that this is a horrible idea. The government is acting like a crack dealer -- handing out cash in the hopes that the church will become addicted, and thus easier to control. What happens when 20% of a church budget is subsidized by the state? Imagine the leverage that financial domination will give the state! If I led a church, I wouldn't touch this money with a ten-foot pole.
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