Obama Outlines Priorities and Changes for New Faith-Based White House Office
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
President Obama has signed an executive order establishing a new White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The press briefing from the White House is mum on the most divisive issue surrounding the office—whether religious organizations will be allowed to consider religious background in hiring for federally-funded positions, as they were under George W. Bush—but does outline the office's four key priorities:
The Office's top priority will be making community groups an integral part of our economic recovery and poverty a burden fewer have to bear when recovery is complete.
It will be one voice among several in the administration that will look at how we support women and children, address teenage pregnancy, and reduce the need for abortion.
The Office will strive to support fathers who stand by their families, which involves working to get young men off the streets and into well-paying jobs, and encouraging responsible fatherhood.
Finally, beyond American shores this Office will work with the National Security Council to foster interfaith dialogue with leaders and scholars around the world.
Three of these priorities are especially newsworthy.
Outlining a goal to "reduce the need for abortion" signals that the faith-based office will be integral to carrying out a new strategy that Democrats have spent lots of time talking about but have yet to translate into policy: reducing the number of abortions by providing assistance to women and families, a break with the traditional antiabortion rights position of fighting abortion by curtailing abortion rights.
The office's goal of "encouraging responsible fatherhood" represents a commitment to Bush-era policies that are more associated with the political right. This should make Bill Cosby happy.
The plan for the office to partner with the National Security Council to foster interfaith dialogue around the world represents an important new expansion of the office's duties from the Bush years, when it was focused primarily on domestic social problems. With Obama granting his first TV interview as president to an Arabic language news network and vowing to speak from the capital of a predominantly Muslim nation sometime soon, watch for this effort to be focused on engaging the Muslim world.
- Read more by Dan Gilgoff.
- Read more about the Obama administration.
Tags: religion | Obama administration
Tools: 
Share
|
| Comments (4) | Print
Reader Comments
Accountability and preparedness
I agree with Mr Murphy of NY. Our country needs to encourage the strengthening of marriage relationships, providing couples tools from the very beginning BEFORE the trouble starts. Churches can require this prior to marriage.
Our families do not have the tools to endure and our children are suffering from divorce, and subsequent relationship problems down the line. Further, Stepfamilies also need premarital education and tools to prevent 2nd and subsequent divorces, marriages need strengthening and families just need to learn how to have FUN - fostering healthy bonds and feelings of belonging and love within the family dynamics. The executive functioning of families is faltering and many Americans are unsure how to parent and to stay engaged in their children's lives providing safety, boundaries and positive, healthy affection. KIDS NEED LEADERS IN THEIR FAMILIES - NOT FRIENDS (The friendship can develop later on in the child's adulthood).
Responsibility..
May I state the act of procreation is for married couples to engage. Sexual activity needs very much to be discouraged outside of marriage.
We live in a society in the United States where some 60 percent of our marriages are ending in divorce instead of death. Furthermore, 50 percent of our children are being reared in single parent households.
May I suggest a greater emphisis upon natural family planning and Pre-Cana Marriage preparation??
We have to start someplace.
WHAT?????
I'm floored that church and state are even mingling in the same room, but whatever. My main issue is that is this something that he should really be concentrating on when there are a bazillion other broken features that need fixing??? I have ideas of how that should happen ... we all do. And, we should all speak up as to what our ideas and wishes are. We should help Congress prioritize how OUR money is spent. This website asks what you would like to see Congress and Obama tackle first in his first 100 days in office. Definitely check it out:
http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com/email/email4.cfm?id=200
You have a voice. USE IT!
advertisement
