HuffPost: Jim Wallis Endorses Obama's Faith-based Initiative Plan

By BlackJack

In the faith communities, one man I have long admired is Jim Wallis. The Editor-in-Chief of Sojourners, and one of the few sensible and open-minded public leaders in the evangelical Christian movement, Mr. Wallis had a seat at the table in the early days of G.W. Bush's Faith-based Initiatives. After speaking out critically in the build-up to the Iraq War he was no longer welcome in the White House, but has continued to be vocal in his criticism of the Bush Administrations failed policies -- both domestic and foreign.

In today's Huffington Post, Mr. Wallis writes of his disappointment with the failure of the current administrations faith-based projects -- and his approval of Barack Obama's plan for a reorganization of the department as the Senator outlined yesterday.

Mr. Wallis writes "I was an early supporter of (Bush's) initiative because I believed that partnerships between the faith community and government in alleviating poverty were both necessary and appropriate within the framework of the Constitution. For two years I was in regular conversation with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives... But my relationship with the White House ended after my public criticism of President Bush's path to war in Iraq. Yet I continued to support the idea and promise of the faith-based initiative. But I was disappointed with the corresponding lack of policy commitment to reduce poverty by the Bush administration, and the eventual politicizing of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives along partisan lines. Instead of a partnership, this initiative became a substitute for necessary public policies attacking the causes and consequences of poverty within the United States."

"Obama affirmed the idea of a faith-based initiative on the solid foundations of both real partnership and the necessary commitment of government to sound public policy to reduce poverty. It was good to see that the failures of the Bush faith-based initiative have not deterred Obama from proposing a robust vision of his own."

Democrats have long feared the partnership of faith groups and the government would cross a constitutional line. As feared, the Bush administration used the department as a political tool to strengthen it's ties to the evangelical community and to reward that sectors leadership for political favors. Mr. Wallis saw the corruption happening from his position within the community and spoke out -- to deaf ears within the White House.

His endorsement of Senator Obama's new plan carries great weight and should cause Democratic critics of the plan to take the time to fully understand the implications and benefits of continuing a governmental partnership with faith-based organizations. Purely secular efforts to alleviate poverty and to provide community services can't possibly be as effective as a plan that includes the many thousands of faith-based groups and their memberships.

Read Jim Wallis' article on Huffington Post