February 17, 2003
Bush urges broadcasters to 'rally armies of compassion'
___By Kevin Eckststrom
___Religion News Service
___NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS)--President Bush appealed to religious broadcasters Feb. 10 to help "rally the armies of compassion" to aid the poor and the disadvantaged and overcome "artificial divisions" of race and economics.
___Speaking to the National Religious Br
oadcasters convention in Nashville, Bush urged support for his stalled "faith-based initiative" that would help religious charities access government funds.
___"I ask our religious broadcasters, those who reach into every corner of America, to rally the armies of compassion so that we can change America one heart, one soul at a time," Bush said.
___Two years after Bush introduced his plan to help private groups gain access to federal dollars, Congress has failed to pass the measure. Last week, a scaled-back compromise crafted by Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., passed the Senate Finance Committee.
___A stronger bill that would allow religious groups to discriminate in hiring and directly receive government dollars passed the House in 2001 but died when Senate Democrats blocked it last year. Bush, frustrated by the delay, has implemented many elements of his plan by executive order.
___With a Republican-controlled Congress, Bush has tried to revive the measure. He told the broadcasters, "Government must not and will not endorse a religious creed or directly fund religious worship." However, he added, "The days of discriminating against religious groups just because they are religious are coming to an end."
___Using deeply religious language, Bush noted, "11 a.m. on Sunday has been called the most segregated hour in America" and called for urban and suburban churches to partner in helping the disadvantaged and overcoming racism.
___"The poor and suffering are the responsibility of the whole church, even when they are not members of any church," Bush said.
___He also turned his sights toward Iraq, saying Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has scorned the international community and remains a threat that must be disarmed, with or without United Nations approval.
___Bush's war rhetoric met a friendlier audience in the 1,550-member NRB than most other church groups, especially more liberal mainline Protestants, who have strongly denounced the prospect of war.
___Glenn Plummer, chairman and CEO of the broadcasters' group, said Bush "electrified" the audience but the president's remarks on Iraq were not meant for a friendly audience alone.
___"He understood the platform he was speaking to," Plummer said. "He wasn't just talking to a room full of evangelicals."
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