The Religious Right’s War on Christianity

The Acton Institute’s Jordan Ballor highlights how the religious right’s beloved “faith-based” initiative could force religious groups to abandon their mission to witness for Christ. Altering the religious nature of these programs destroys the very features which makes them effective in changing hearts and minds. Also, as Acton’s Ballor points out, Christian organizations are supposed to view providing “social services” as a means to the end of spreading the good news of Christ, the “faith-based” initiative turns the provision of social services into a means of spreading the “good news” about the messianic welfare-warfare state. Several years ago Ron Paul warned about the dangers to liberty and Christianity this program posed:

“Accepting federal funds will corrupt religious institutions in a fundamental manner. Religious institutions provide charity services because they are commanded to by their faith. However, when religious organizations accept federal funding promoting the faith may take a back seat to fulfilling the secular goals of politicians and bureaucrats.

Some supporters of this measure have attempted to invoke the legacy of the founding fathers in support of this legislation. Of course, the founders recognized the importance of religion in a free society, but not as an adjunct of the state. Instead, the founders hoped a religious people would resist any attempts by the state to encroach on the proper social authority of the church. The Founding Fathers would have been horrified by any proposal to put churches on the federal dole, as this threatens liberty by subordinating churches to the state.”

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8:32 pm on March 21, 2006