The Times, for instance, noted a recent gathering of clergy in Augusta George organized by Mayor Bob Young and attended by Stephen Goldsmith, a key Bush advisor and the president's point man on getting faith-based programs energized inside the federal bureaucracy. The white ministers, meanwhile, drove off to their churches in the blossoming precincts known as the Hill, past the golf course where the Masters tournament is played, and began phoning one another to share their alarm about the dangers that could lie ahead for churches that accept money from the government, and for a nation that puts churches on the government payroll. The differences, though, may be even more profound that the Times describes. Religious right leaders such as Rev. Jerry Falwell and televangelist Pat Robertson have both expressed objections to government regulation of churches which accept government funds, and the possibility that fringe religious sects could benefit from public money. Others object to the prospect of organizations like the Church of Scientology, which runs drug and alcohol program based on the teachings of founder L. Ron Hubbard, or Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church being included in the Bush proposal.
Black clergy seem more enthused about the faith-based initiative than their white counterparts.
Rivers is even more adamant about suggesting that a good portion of opposition to faith-based funding is rooted in racism, not legitimate concerns over entanglement. We reject the assumption that we can't manage money. Public statements by both white and black Christian leaders suggest that many welcome the opportunity to advance their religious agenda, so long as government interference is minimal. Not all, though, agree with the statement of Rev. Larry Fryer, director of a community center in Augusta which provides social services for the poor. These children are hungry.