New Study Praises Ohio's Implementation of Faith-Based Initiative

Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion last week (press release) published Ohio Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives: A Case Study. Written by William Wubbenhorst and Dr. Byron Johnson, the study praises Ohio's experience, saying that it has "received far-reaching and bipartisan support and has by all accounts been responsible for achieving many positive outcomes." The report says that Ohio's efforts were guided by three important principles: "a) The importance of protecting the faith identity of faith-based organizations; b) Assuring the appropriate safeguards against proselytizing when using public funds, both through clear communication of church/state boundaries and the development of indirect funding mechanisms; and c) Developing a process for assessing the outcomes and assuring a level of accountability of publicly-funded services."