Religion & Social Welfare
Ongoing debates regarding welfare reform and poverty touch on a sensitive area of public discourse: how Americans should care for the needy. The creation of the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives by former President George W. Bush in 2001 and the continuation and revision of the initiative through President Barack Obama's White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships have brought the work of religious organizations to the forefront of this discussion. But policymakers and religious communities alike are still divided about the participation of faith-based organizations in the delivery of federally funded social services. The Pew Forum offers a variety of resources that examine the relationships among religious organizations, social service providers and the government, including reports, polling data and event transcripts.
| President Obama's Faith-Based Office and Advisory Council | ||
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On Feb. 5, 2009, President Barack Obama established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the 25-member President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The Pew Forum offers a look at the work of the faith-based office with profiles of the advisory council and its members. Go to the profiles » |
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August 2009 Media Coverage of the Faith-Based Initiative An analysis of newspaper coverage of the initiative. |
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June 2009 The Bush Faith-Based Initiative and What Lies Ahead The Roundtable's summative report of the Bush faith-based initiative. |
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June 2009 Government Partnerships With Faith-Based Organizations An event discussing the history and future of the faith-based initiative. |
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January 2009 Faith-Based Hiring and the Obama Administration A Q&A with Ira C. Lupu on the legal aspects of faith-based hiring. |
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June 2009 The Roundtable on Religion & Social Welfare Policy An archive of research on the initiative from 2001-2008. |
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January 2009 Faith-Based Aid Favored - With Reservations Public opinion on faith-based aid and faith-based hiring. |
Resources on:
Social Welfare
Image credits: Social welfare protest: Jason Reed/Reuters/Corbis; Obama: Pete Souza, Executive Office of the President of the United States; Bush: AP; White House: James Steidl/IStockPhoto
Pew Forum Resources on Religion & Social Welfare
