Last month, President Obama at a University of Maryland town hall meeting endorsed the status quo as to faith-based hiring by religious organizations receiving federal grant monies. (See
prior posting.) Groups such as the Interfaith Alliance and the Secular Coalition for America criticized Obama's statement, urging a policy of non-discrimination in hiring by all faith-based grantees. (
Huffington Post.) On Monday, Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships,
posted a statement on the White House website that was apparently intended to be a response to these criticisms. The statement reads in part:
There has been some talk lately about the Administration’s commitment to the separation of church and state. President Obama strongly believes that while faith-based organizations play an integral role in providing social services, their interactions with government must be grounded in sound law and policy, and must respect the Constitution....
We established an Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and charged a taskforce of church/state experts with addressing key issues related to faith-based partnerships with government....
The bottom line is this: while critical issues remain, President Obama and we in the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships are committed to ensuring that we lead with our values: of constitutional separation of church and state, respect for faith-based and secular service providers alike, and commitment to doing the most good for individuals and families in need.
