A plan to allow faith-based welfare organizations to compete for federal grants will be difficult to implement in a way that preserves separation of church and state, says Dr. Clarence Hodges, religious liberty and public affairs director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.  On January 29 United States President George Bush unveiled the details of his initiative to fund religious charities, saying that faith-based programs and community groups “have proven their power to save and change lives.”   

“This is a matter that must be watched very closely,” says Hodges.  “President Bush has made it very clear that these federal grants will not fund religious enterprises, but only those social services that are clearly humanitarian in nature.  While we would prefer to keep the separation between church and state as clear as possible, this is an item we can live with if the proper safeguards are maintained.”

Hodges says the Adventist Church in North America has long advocated the principle of separation of church and state as the best way to ensure a healthy independence for religious groups and to prevent the possibility of religion-based discrimination in the distribution of state funds.