May 14, 2001
SBC leader warms to charitable choice
___WASHINGTON (ABP)--Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Richard Land said he is more assured about charitable choice plans after attending a Republican summit to tout President George W. Bush's new initiative to fund faith-based programs.
___In an ERLC news release, Land said he attended the April 24-25 summit, which was spearheaded by GOP congressional backers of charitable choice. He said he left the meeting "more assured of the White House's commitment to protecting religious liberty in the program and with a heightened recognition the controversial proposal could dramatically change social services in the United States."
___Land previously had been quoted saying he would not touch the direct federal grants with a "10-foot pole."
___But whereas in February, Land was quoted in ERLC news releases saying the plan "must meet" certain guidelines, including sending the money through vouchers to beneficiaries, now Land's news release calls for the "program to be 'voucherized' as much as possible."
___If the government attempts to censor the message of a group, Land had said, then that ministry "should never, under any circumstances, accept the money."
___Land still is not endorsing charitable choice, but he now says he is more assured after hearing White House officials reiterate that "any direct grant money to faith-based ministries must have voluntary participation in the faith aspect of the help and must be separately funded, which is, of course, one of the things we think is necessary for it to pass constitutional muster."
___Land called the summit a success. "As the day progressed, you could feel an almost palpable sense among the participants that they had the possibility of being empowered by their government through the faith-based initiatives program to provide real help to real people in the ZIP codes where they live without having to go to the liberal elites' social-welfare plantation to get the resources."
___The Baptist General Convention of Texas approved Cooperative Program budget removed all funding for the ERLC this year due to concerns that the Southern Baptist Convention agency had become engaged in partisan politics.
___Bob Reccord, president of the SBC's North American Mission Board, also was present for the Republican summit.
___Last January, Reccord also was skeptical of the charitable-choice plan. In a written statement, Reccord said: "Faith-based ministries need to proceed with caution. There can be a tendency over time for the government to attempt to control that which it subsidizes."
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