THE CLOSET CONSERVATIVE:

Faith-based initiatives quietly lunge forward: Proposals on drug-program funding and religious buildings raise civil libertarians' ire. (Linda Feldmann, February 06, 2003, Christian Science Monitor)

When the Senate failed last year to act on President Bush's signature "faith-based initiative," the White House did not give up.

Bit by bit, through executive orders and changes in agency regulations, the administration has been carrying out the initiative anyway. Its goal is to allow religious groups to compete more easily for federal funds to address under-served social needs, such as helping the homeless and the drug-addicted. Seven government departments now have faith-based offices, which steer religious groups toward billions of dollars in grant money.

Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee was set to approve legislation that would allow people who do not itemize on their taxes to deduct a portion of their charitable giving, a move that would benefit religious organizations. But among the president's faith-based plans, this item isn't especially controversial.

The most controversial proposal to date has come out of the Department of Housing and Urban Development: HUD has proposed a change in its rules to allow taxpayer money to be used for the construction, acquisition, or rehabilitation of houses of worship. Under the plan, the government would subsidize those portions of a building that would be used for social services, such as food pantries, counseling, or homeless shelters.

We don't much believe in coincidences. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 6, 2003 8:07 PM