THE JOURNAL FOR PEOPLE OF FAITH AND SOCIALISM Motivated by our different religious traditions, we believe that attitudes, The (Not-So) Hidden Agenda priorities, and institutions can be changed to reflect a of Charitable Choice just and democratic use of CATHLIN BAKER the universes bounty; we Our current presidential election will go down in history for its overwhelming focus believe in the value of work on religion. As the major candidates have tried to out-Christian each other, many of us that contributes to the wonder how it all relates to politics. They have gambled that wearing the Christian label gets votes, common good; and in the and as part of that strategy, they have embraced a healing influence of respect provision of the Personal Responsibility and Work for the differences as well as Reconciliation Act of 1996 (welfare reform) known as Charitable Choice. Both George W. and Al claim the commonness of human that the contributions of faith-based organizations experience. (FBOs) have been ignored for too long and that Chari- table Choice is the answer to our countrys social problems. But before religious organizations accept SPRING 2000 that rhetoric, they should seriously examine its im- plications Specifically, the Charitable Choice provision requires Inside. states, if they contract with non-profit organizations 2. .Editors Notes for social service delivery, to include religious organizations as eligible contractees. Many faith-based 501(c)(3) organizations, particularly in urban and rural impover- 2. R&S Commission at Conference ished areas, have received government funding for decades, whether for emergency food service, child care, youth programs, or housing. The difference in this legislation 3. Letters is that religious congregations, such as churches, synagogues, and mosques, no longer have to establish a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in order to receive funds. 6 . Global Anti-capitalism Gone are the prohibitions regarding government funding of pervasively sectarian or- ganizations. Churches and other religious congregations that provide welfare services 7 . .Environmental Justice on behalf of the government can display religious symbols, use religious language, and use religious criteria in hiring and firing employees. Funds flow directly into the 9 . .The Future of the Protestant Left church budget; however, they must be used exclusively for the provision of social services and not for religious activities. 12. .Plowshares vs. Depleted Uranium Since 1996, Senator John Ashcroft (RMissouri) and such organizations as the Chris- tian Coalition, the Family Research Council, and the Christian Legal Society have 13. .Holy War against War on Drugs promoted the expansion of the Charitable Choice provision from welfare services to other public services, such as after-school programs, food aid, juvenile justice, sub- 15. .Healing the Wounds of Slavery stance abuse, and fatherhood initiatives (i.e., child-support enforcement). Some pre- dict that education is the next sector to be permeated by Charitable Choice provi- 19. .Unity on the Religious Left? contd on page 3 2 RELIGIOUS SOCIALISM SPRING 2000 editors notes Welcome to the Spring issue, which is probably arriving close to the dog days of summer, just in time for vacation reading. We apologize for the delay, and are happy to report that the Summer issue is being mailed within a few days of this one, putting us back on track. The underlying theme of this issue is coalition building. As democratic socialists and as people Religious Socialism of faith, we are committed to coalition work and coalition politics. Our socialist vision in- 1 Maolis Road forms our approach, but as the articles in this issue make clear, our class, race, and gender Nahant, MA biases can prevent us from building effective coalitions. As we formulate responses to the 01908 Charitable Choice provision of welfare reform, reach out to secular and religious leftists, [email protected] www.dsausa.org/rs forge alliances against global capitalism, highlight environmental injustice, oppose the war machine, expose the horrors of the war on drugs, or struggle with the legacy of slavery, we have to be open to the experiences and perceptions of those with whom we should be in Religious Socialism (ISSN 0278-7784) is coalition. We invite you to read these articles and respond, sending us examples from your published four times per year by the Re- ligion and Socialism Commission of the own areas of activism, challenging us to think more deeply. Democratic Socialists of America, and is produced by the Democratic Socialists of We welcome letters to the editor and reserve the right to edit for space. M.P. America Fund. Subscriptions at the basic rate are $10.00 per year. ©2000 Religion & Socialism Commission, Democratic Socialists of America the editors The Religion & Socialism Commission Co-Chairs: Rod Ryon, Juanita Webster Secretary: Maxine Phillips Treasurer: John Cort Executive Committee: Rev. Judith Deutsch Rev. John Endler Rev. Norm Faramelli Mark Finkel Andrew Hammer Andrew Hammer Maxine Phillips John Cort Norm Faramelli Tharen Robson Winter Issue Spring Issue Summer Issue Fall Issue Member, International League of Re- ligious Socialists ILRS (Socialist In- Socialist Scholars Meet Religion ternational) and Socialism Commission RS Contributing Editors: ROD RYON ought to prod people-of-faith-socialists to stay Jack Clark, Rev. Judith Deutsch, in dialogue with them. Then the 25 to 30 Harvey Cox, Michael Eric Dyson, Rev. Marcia L. Dyson, David It almost didnt happen. In the fall, the Reli- people (mostly Christians, Jews, and the pro- OBrien, Cornel West gion and Socialism Commission raised and then fessedly non-religious) engaged in a lively dropped the subject of having a session at the discussion, chaired by Juanita, about the Socialist Scholars Conference. Co-chairs Rod big issuesinstitutional religions short- Ryon and Juanita Webster decided to work on comings, being misunderstood by the secu- Articles in this issue express opinions it anyway, since the Commission had not spon- lar left, the role of people of faith. of the writers and not of DSA or the Reli- sored a session in at least five years. Despite gion & Socialism Commission or Reli- several setbacks and the illness of one of the The Commission also had a table at the con- gious Socialism. two panelists, Contemporary Religion and the ference that attracted many passers-by. The ses- Contributions to the Democratic Social- Secular Left drew much more than the ex- sion and dialogue at the table each fed the ists of America Fund are tax deductible. pected handful. Although tucked in the middle other. At the end, we thought, Well be back. of the three-day conference in late March-early Writers may submit manuscripts via April, the topic seemed to touch a chord: how postal mail, e-mail, or on a 3.5 computer Rod Ryon is co-chair of the Religion and disk formatted to text files and a hard do people of faith defining themselves as so- copy. Photos are encouraged. cialists relate to the secular left and to religious Socialism Commission. He invites readers organizations. Rod argued that the sheer num- of RS to send suggestions for future panels UNION MADE bers of the religiously affiliated in our culture at the Socialist Scholars Conference. PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER RELIGIOUS SOCIALISM SPRING 2000 3 Pitfalls of Charitable Choice contd from cover page sions, thereby smoothing the way for voucher programs and religious education, predominantly Christian education. Gen- erally speaking, this is the same coalition that created welfare reform as we know it, with its emphasis on personal responsi- bility and assertions about how single-parent families and out- During my time of waiting in the hospital for the death of my of-wedlock births are the root causes of poverty. beloved wife, Marcella, last December, I read the following quote from Reinhold Niebuhr, who was my professor of Chris- Even though there has been little public outcry about Chari- tian Ethics many years ago at Union Theological Seminary. I table Choice, many national denominational bodies, as well want to dedicate it to Marcellas memory and also share it with as secular advocacy groups, have strongly opposed the legisla- readers of Religious Socialism. tion. These groups have been primarily concerned about the erosion of the separation of church and state. They include Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime, there- American Baptist Churches, USA and the Baptist Joint Com- fore we must be saved by hope. Nothing that is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any context of history, therefore mittee; Central Conference of American Rabbis; Friends Com- we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can mittee on National Legislation; General Board of Church and be accomplished alone, therefore we must be saved by love. Society, United Methodist Church; Presbyterian Church, USA; Unitarian Universalist Association, Washington Office; United Bob Aldrich Church of Christ, Office for Church in Society; American Civil Las Vegas, NV Liberties Union; and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Ed. Note: We send our warmest sympathy and prayers to Bob Aldrich, a longtime reader and contributor to Religious Socialism. A Split with the Grassroots On the national policy level, conservatives have largely backed RS co-editor John Cort recently wrote about the Religion and Charitable Choice and liberals and progressives have expressed Socialism Commission in the millennium issue of Democratic deep concern about the provision. This is fairly predictable. Left, the newsletter of Democratic Socialists of America. He However, at the grassroots level, it is a different story, one that spoke of socialism as being a hard sell in these days. The reveals a confusing set of alliances. A 1998 study of more than article brought in several subscriptions and letters, from which 1,200 congregations by sociologist Mark Chaves of the Uni- some excerpts appear below.