| In God We Trust?: Faith-Based Organizations and the Quest to Solve America's Social Ills Contributor(s): Solomon, Lewis D. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0739106309 ISBN-13: 9780739106303 Publisher: Lexington Books OUR PRICE: $127.71 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: June 2003 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Philanthropy & Charity - Political Science | Public Policy - Social Policy - Social Science | Reference |
| Dewey: 361.75 |
| LCCN: 2003000962 |
| Series: Religion, Politics, and Society in the New Millennium |
| Physical Information: 0.81" H x 6" W x 9" (1.36 lbs) 304 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This pioneering book charts how President George W. Bush's "compassionate conservatism" creates a new path for American Social Policy. There is a growing interest in testing the proposition that faith-based organizations (FBOs) could do even greater good, especially if government supports an expanded role. The organizations represent a potentially valuable, but controversial, resource because they offer to fight a very different war against America's social ills. This work offers three conclusions. First, FBOs are effective in dealing with chronic social problems because they spark personal transformation. Second, financing them through the Tax Code or vouchers is preferable to direct federal funding. The fear that public funding means government take-over of religion serves as perhaps the greatest impediment to a more expansive role for FBOs. Third, although predicting the U.S. Supreme Court's resolution of church-state issues is fraught with difficulties, the emerging "equal treatment" of religion by the High Court suggests a more permissive attitude toward the federal funding of religous charities. The tax and voucher alternatives seem certain to pass constitutional muster. In God We Trust? is among the first works to assess President Bush's policy efforts to meet America's social ills by turning more tasks over to FBOs. In addition to demonstrating the constitutionality of the federal efforts to fund FBOs, the book analytically summarizes the existing empirical evidence dealing with the effectiveness of faith-based organizations. |