NCBCP Headlines
New White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships: Does it silence or support the Black church?
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner
Insight News
Mar 30, 2009
The February 5 announcement by President Barack Obama of the White House Office of Faith Based Initiative and Neighborhood Partnerships offers potential hope for real change, especially for the Black Church.
Despite President Obama’s incredible national and global popularity, Black Church leaders may do well to ask a critical question. Will President Obama’s Faith Based Office seek to silence outspoken Black Church leaders through the enticement of social service grants? Or, will the President fund high quality service programs of even those Black clergy leaders who may at times disagree publicly with policy positions of his Administration.
A few clues into the scope of changes in President Obama’s Faith Based Initiative have already been revealed. A first area of change is in the broadening of the mission to include four key policy areas: (1) Reducing poverty as part of the economic recovery; (2) Reducing the need for abortion; (3) Supporting fathers who stand by their families; (4) Encouraging and fostering interfaith dialogue around the world.
