On Wednesday, the National Religious Hispanic Partnership and AMEN, a national association of Hispanic ministers, announced their endorsement of the White House faith-based initiative. But the National Association of Evangelicals stated its opposition to governmental differentiation between programs of varying emphasis. As long as there's a secular alternative, I don't think you run into church-state problems. The churchstate problems occur when you prefer one religious point of view over another. On Wednesday, more than one White House official agreed with the organization.
Government needs better networks of social service providers, religious and secular.
Faith-based and community initiatives must be promoted in the interests of improving government performance and enhancing public trust. At the NAE's closing banquet Wednesday, Tim Goeglein, deputy director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, read a letter from President Bush commending the group for supporting charitable choice. DiIulio said his office will not disburse grants but rather will work to make sure religious groups have equal access to federal programs. The office will release more detailed information on its interpretation of charitable choice later this month. Church-state separationists worry the efforts will commingle government and religion in unconstitutional ways.