President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships has made public their votes on “non-consensus reform report issues.” Churches accepting money from the government (actually getting some of our money back from the government) would come with strings attached.
All one has to do is see how the questions were structured on the survey to see how Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships will influence those churches who participate. Make no mistake about it, Moravians will be encouraged to participate. ( Read your Moravian Magazine for Jan/Feb 2010.) We will be expected to embrace and support the ecumenical movement’s focus on community service through support of the councils of churches.
As a faith based adviser, the Obama council is making it clear that Churches should focus on Distribution of Social Services absent any faith message to those they serve.
National council of Churches President and Moravian Peg Chemberlan votes that religious symbols should be covered or offices used that have no symbols where government funded services are given to clients. If it is not possible to do this, and the client expresses an objection to being served in that environment where a religious message is present, another provider must be made available.
Now lets think about this for a moment. What would Jesus do? If the sick or needy comes to him and does not demonstrate faith in Him did he say well I can’t help you but there is another provider I can send you to that does not require you to believe.
Do we rally want our church to pass the test of the federal government that we do not convey our witness to a visitor?
Final Vote Tallies on Non-Consensus Reform Report Issues
Posted by Melissa Rogers on February 08, 2010 at 04:26 PM EST
Friends, please find below an update from the chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Melissa Rogers:
Final Vote Tallies on Non-Consensus Reform Report Issues
We would like to announce the final tallies of the Advisory Council votes on the non-consensus Reform Report issues. Those tallies are listed below, with the votes favoring each option listed under the relevant answer.
Please note that subsequent to the post on February 4, Council member Diane Baillargeon changed her votes from abstentions on both questions to the answers reflected below.
Please contact us if you have any questions about these issues. Thank you for your interest in the work of the Advisory Council.
1. Should the government allow nongovernmental providers of federally funded social services to provide those services in rooms that contain religious art, scripture, messages, or symbols?
a. No. Amend existing regulations, guidance, and an executive order to permit nongovernmental organizations to offer federally funded programming only in areas devoid of religious art, scripture, messages, or symbols.
2 votes – Fred Davie and Nancy Ratzan
b.Amend existing regulations, guidance, and an executive order to allow federally funded programming in areas with these religious items only when there is no available space in the organizations’ offices without these items and when removing or covering such displays would be infeasible (e.g., where it would take great effort to remove or cover a religious icon mounted high on a wall or remove or cover a large statute). If these measures are not feasible and beneficiaries object to the presence of such symbols, beneficiaries must have access to an alternative provider to which they do not object. (See Reform Report Recommendation 10: Assure the Religious Liberty Rights of the Clients and Beneficiaries of Federally Funded Programs by Strengthening Appropriate Protections, pages 27-29.)
7 votes – Anju Bhargava, Peg Chemberlin, Harry Knox, Eboo Patel, David Saperstein, Bill Shaw, and Sharon Watkins
c. Yes. Neither require nor encourage the removal of religious symbols where services subsidized by federal grant or contact funds are provided, but instead encourage all providers to be sensitive to, and to accommodate where feasible, those beneficiaries who may object to the presence of religious symbols. If these voluntary measures do not meet the objections of the beneficiaries, those beneficiaries must have access to an alternative provider to which they do not object. (See Reform Report Recommendation 10: Assure the Religious Liberty Rights of the Clients and Beneficiaries of Federally Funded Programs by Strengthening Appropriate Protections, pages 27-29 of the Reform Report.)
16 votes – Diane Baillargeon, Charles Blake, Noel Castellanos, Arturo Chavez, Nathan Diament, Joel Hunter, Vashti McKenzie, Dalia Mogahed, Otis Moss, Frank Page, Anthony Picarello, Melissa Rogers, Richard Stearns, Larry Snyder, Judy Vredenburgh, and Jim Wallis
2. Should the government require houses of worship to form separate corporations to receive direct federal social service funds?
a. Yes, the government should require houses of worship that wish to receive direct federal social service funds to establish separate corporations as a necessary means for achieving church-state separation and protecting religious autonomy, while also urging states to reduce any unnecessary administrative costs and burdens associated with attaining this status.
13 votes — Diane Baillargeon, Anju Bhargava, Charles Blake, Fred Davie, Harry Knox, Vashti McKenzie, Otis Moss, Nancy Ratzan, Melissa Rogers, David Saperstein, Bill Shaw, Jim Wallis, and Sharon Watkins
b. No, the government should not require separate incorporation, because it is not always the best means to achieve these goals, and because it may be prohibitively costly and onerous, particularly for smaller organizations, resulting in the disruption and deterrence of effective and constitutionally permissible relationships.
12 votes – Noel Castellanos, Arturo Chavez, Peg Chemberlin, Nathan Diament, Joel Hunter, Dalia Mogahed, Frank Page, Eboo Patel, Anthony Picarello, Larry Snyder, Richard Stearns, and Judy Vredenburgh
Melissa Rogers is the chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships