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If religious conservatives have been skittish about charitable choice until now (at the time of Weblog's writing, CT's poll on charitable choice was only barely running in favor of the faith-based initiative), expect naysayers to grow in numbers and volume. Marvin Olasky, one of the original architects behind Bush's faith-based initiative, is already launching an attack. "This new dispensation," he writes in the latest issue of World, "may make the world safer for theological liberals, but it tells theological conservatives, 'Get lost.' … What's needed above all is for President Bush to make the case for compassionate conservatism by showing America what groups like Teen Challenge do and why it's unfair and unwise to discriminate against them."

More on Bush's faith-based initiative (news):

• Changes open door for bill on charities of churches | Religious organizations must provide opt-out options for religious observances and cannot discriminate by race or sex (The New York Times)
• Few recruits for the 'armies of compassion' | Faith-based groups prove slow to sign up for government-funded charity work. (The Christian Science Monitor)
• Faith plan tweaked to address Constitutional issues | Religious organizations will not be allowed to seek damages if the awarding of a federal grant results in a legal dispute. (The Washington Times)
• Apostle preaches faith-based initiatives | White House official surveys local efforts and rallies support for social-service strategy (The Indianapolis Star)
• Bush wins backing for faith-based plan | Teen's changed life shows its power, he says; mayors, Rosa Parks like the idea (Detroit Free Press)
• GOP okays change to faith-funds bill | Charities that want to run social service programs with government money will have to let participants opt out of any religious aspects of their programs (Associated Press)
• For N.Y. minister, a faith-based 'no' to U.S. aid | Opposition helps explain why Bush's proposal to expand the definition of which religious programs can receive federal support is stalled on Capitol Hill (The Washington Post)
• Bush argues case for church-based social services | U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is largely Democratic, endorses faith-based initiative (The Washington Post)
• Bush seeks support of mayors for his faith-based initiative | He emphasizes the social services he says would benefit. Key parts of plan, now in Congress, appear to be in jeopardy (Los Angeles Times)

More on the faith-based initiative (opinion):

• Compromise or compassion? | Frankly, I'm amazed at the number of Christians who've raised questions about President Bush's plan for faith-based solutions. (Charles Colson, Breakpoint)
• Where faith gets the job done | John Street has made Philadelphia the foremost laboratory for what President Bush calls "faith-based initiatives" (George Will, The Washington Post)
• Serving America: What role for religious faith? | As the Bush administration seeks to harness the energy of faith in an expanded social-service effort, it will be important that the line between soul work and social work be clearly defined (Editorial, Star Tribune, Minneapolis)
• Faith-based reparations? | The last thing the black community needs is another government handout, laced with paternalism and religion, in the form of "secular" good works undertaken by religious entities (Michael Myers, The New York Post)
• Godphobes and the faithful | Given all the lamentation against suffering and deprivation that we hear in the public discourse, surely it is better to try this new approach than simply to reject it and let the suffering around us suffer more. (R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., syndicated columnist)

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June (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45