Jim Towey resigns, Faith Based activities continue
Lorie Johnson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Wed Apr 19, 2006 at 02:05:00 PM EST
The director of the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives is resigning, according to this article.

"I would be shook up if I were part of a shakeup, but the reality is, this has been in the works for months," Towey said. "My career goal remains to get to Heaven."
But what does he leave behind, and how is it faring? The FBCI, as it is officially called, leaves its tentacles in nearly department of the government.  It has representatives in the Departments of Justice, Labor, Health, Education, and chillingly, Homeland Security.

It is funded generously, but there is not accounting for these funds, and little control over their distribution. While some faith-based organizations have gotten their hands slapped and funding taken away for using their government funds to promote religion, there are many others who continue to mix government and religion, and who use their newfound wealth to boost their religious activities.

Yet, with critics complaining that Bush has blurred the line between church and state, the Bush administration still faces the political reality that Congress never has fully supported the president's 2000 campaign promise to "rally the armies of compassion."

"The wall between church and state is still standing," Towey said Tuesday, with the implicit judgment that this is proper. "But faith-based groups have been welcomed into the public square."

Funny- faith has always been part of the fabric of community, and its expression has not been excluded from public places, unless that place is part of the established government, and even that limitation has some exceptions. Perhaps 'public square' is another codeword that hints that expressions of certain faiths be allowed to override and overrun any other secular or religious beliefs in a government venue.

FBCI still exists and is still growing rapidly, and is still encouraging people of Christian faith to apply for grants and other funding to replace the governmental support systems that are being gutted by the current administration. Their ultimate goal is to have no secular governmental community aid facilities at all, to instead make it the responsibility of religious establishments to administer to the needy.

It will be interesting to see who suceeds Towey, and what they will do with the direction of FBCI.




Display:
I have to wonder if James Towey told the people who hired him to do the FBCI job that his 'career goal' was to 'get to heaven'.

Were I the potential employer, my only answer would be, "Next!"

by Lorie Johnson on Wed Apr 19, 2006 at 02:07:12 PM EST

"There isn't a single chicken missing," said the fox upon exiting the henhouse, "I counted every last one and they were delicious !.....umm, errr....I mean....."

by Bruce Wilson on Wed Apr 19, 2006 at 04:02:10 PM EST
Parent


"For by grace have you been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." -- Ephesians 2:8-9.

by Mainstream Baptist on Wed Apr 19, 2006 at 02:20:29 PM EST

Via Blog from the Capital, the Interfaith Alliance has responded:

"Today, in response to the resignation of James Towey as director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, The Interfaith Alliance again called on President Bush to end his unconstitutional experiment in government funding of religion and to eliminate that White House office and similar offices in federal departments and agencies.

"Mr. President, for the sake of religious liberty, please stop mixing religion with politics in the appropriations process and stop violating the Constitution by sponsoring and funding favored religious groups," said the Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance."

by Carlos on Wed Apr 19, 2006 at 02:50:01 PM EST

I haven't had time to check, but I wonder what other voices from the American clerical community have been so outspoken.

by Bruce Wilson on Thu Apr 20, 2006 at 10:57:09 AM EST
Parent


Here is the praise heaped upon Jim Towey by Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in their daily email on 18 April 2006

Keeping the Faith

As we move toward the final two years of the Bush Administration, many expect some turnover of key aides, especially with a new chief of staff. However, I was surprised early this morning to learn that Jim Towey, who for the past four years has headed President Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has been tapped as the new President of St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. Jim has played a key role in building the President's army of compassion, which has helped transform lives all across the country. While Jim's commitment to the President was unquestioned, it was his commitment to the calling of helping those in need through the arms of the body of Christ that has been his passion. I have personally worked with Jim as he has advanced the President's faith-based initiatives. He and I communicated almost daily in the aftermath of last year's devastating hurricanes, as the faith-based community filled the void left by bickering bureaucrats. Jim is an example of how God uses the faithful and the humble in ways others can only dream of. All of us at FRC express our appreciation to Jim and pray God's favor on him, his wife Mary and their children in this new endeavor. We will miss his influence in the White House, but we trust that the White House will keep the faith with its faith-based outreach.



by JerrySloan on Thu Apr 20, 2006 at 01:18:33 AM EST

There's that term again. When I grew up the "public squrae" was the town nerd.

Most upsetting for me is the Constituional requirement that all spending needs to be authorized by Congress. This executive branch feels it can legistlate, spend at will and act as a judge as well. That's anti-Constitutional - despite Mr. Bush's comments, he actually took an oath to protect and defend this document, not the people of the United States, the Republican Party nor his own particular agenda.

by joelp on Thu Apr 20, 2006 at 01:47:32 PM EST



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