An update from the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, an independent research
project of the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The public policy research arm of the State
University of New York.

New! Legal Analysis of Lawsuit Challenging Indiana Social Services Chaplain

A year-old chaplain’s position at an Indiana social services agency has become the latest legal target of
Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group opposed to the government endorsement of
religion. The lawsuit raises highly significant constitutional issues, according to the Roundtable’s legal
experts. Those questions include the permissible scope of state-created chaplaincies and the right of state
taxpayers to bring suits to enforce the Establishment Clause. The Establishment Clause is the part of the
First Amendment that states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

The first question for the court to determine is whether FFRF has a right to sue over the chaplaincy, and
that answer may be postponed until the U.S. Supreme Court issues its own decision in a case involving
citizens’ rights to bring Establishment Clause lawsuits. If the court determines that FFRF may sue, then the
Roundtable’s legal experts believe the Indiana FSSA may face a difficult task in defending the chaplain’s
position as constitutional.

Click here to read the legal analysis by Ira C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle, Co-directors of Legal Research.

New! An Interview with Rev. Michael L. Latham, Indiana Family and Social
Services Chaplain

Rev. Michael Latham is the chaplain for the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration and pastor of
Renaissance Baptist Church in Fort Wayne. He has been preaching more than 26 years, and has been the
president of the Fort Wayne-Allen County chapter of the NAACP since 1999. He also serves on the Faith-
Based Advisory Committee for the State of Indiana, the Indiana Juvenile Justice Task Force and as
chaplain for the Allen County Jail and Fort Wayne Police Department. He is a member of the Fort Wayne
Area Seekers Pastors Group, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and Concerned Ministers
of Fort Wayne.

Rev. Latham spoke to the Roundtable about his position at the Indiana FSSA, which has been challenged
by FFRF.

Click here to read the interview.

New! Businesses Urged to Join Faith Groups and Government in Community Investment

The Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, launched a
corporate community investment program to bring together citizens, nonprofits, and government leaders to
work toward more effective corporate investments in communities. The program will highlight community
investment programs that work, help companies identify government and non-profit partners, and support
business involvement in communities. The program was announced at a BCLC conference in Washington,
D.C. Stephen C. Jordan, BCLC vice president and executive director, said the group established the
program after businesses expressed the importance of local community development as part of their
portfolios of growth and investment. Among the conference speakers was Jay Hein, director of the White
House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, who emphasized the role of religious and secular
non-profits in helping businesses recruit and keep workers in a tightening job market.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Washington Correspondent Anne Farris.

New! President Praises Charity, Service and Faith-Based Efforts in Address to Graduates

President George W. Bush’s commencement speech at St. Vincent College - a Benedictine school now
headed by the former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives -
overflowed with praise for volunteerism, service, and the work of religious organizations. As expected, the
President made no reference to politics, to Iraq - though he commended graduates entering military service
- or to the 100 or so protesters voicing opposition to the war on a highway near the Pennsylvania school
during his speech. His scheduled appearance had caused several weeks of protests by faculty and students
dismayed at the selection of speaker, saying the President’s policies on the war, the environment and the
economy went against Catholic teachings.

Inside the converted gymnasium where the graduation ceremony was held May 11, the attitude toward the
President was strictly reverent. College President H. James Towey and Chancellor Douglas R. Nowicki
welcomed President Bush with references to his support of religious groups. Rev. Nowicki, archabbot of St.
Vincent Archabbey, praised President Bush for championing freedom of religious exercise. Towey lauded
Bush for his support of efforts in keeping with Catholic doctrine, including opposition to abortion,
initiatives to bolster marriage and family life, and aid to people in Africa who rank among the world’s
poorest. Towey also praised the very effort he once led for the President.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Claire Hughes.

Click here to read a roundup of articles on the speech.

Religious Groups Get More Federal Earmarks

In recent years, faith-based organizations have received an increasing number of earmarks - federal grants
that bypass the competitive bidding process - according to a report by the New York Times on Sunday.
Some of the aid went to support programs aimed at helping the needy. But other money went for pet
projects, like financing new buildings or acquiring land. Along with the growth in earmarks to religious
organizations, the newspaper found, were increases in the number of faith-based groups that hired
Washington lobbyists. Some observers and religious advocates quoted in the article described the trend as
troublesome, saying accepting earmarks could damage faith-based organizations’ credibility. A lobbyist
with several religious clients, however, described the earmark process as transparent and more likely to
result in success than competing for grants.

Click here to read the New York Times article.

The Roundtable has previously examined the awarding of federal grants to faith-based groups through the
competitive bidding process. Between 2002 and 2004, the Roundtable found, the share of federal grants to
faith-based organizations increased slightly, but the dollar amount received by religious groups declined as
overall spending decreased on the federal programs considered, which were those that highlighted the
eligibility of faith-based groups.

Click here to read the report, "Getting a Piece of the Pie: Federal Grants to Faith-Based Organizations.

Weekly Digest of Federal Grants with Faith-Based and Community
Organization Eligibility

The grant opportunities this week for community and faith-based organizations are through programs
administered by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development,
Justice, Labor, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Potential applicants should be aware that some grant programs require specific technical expertise, or
experience with particular foreign countries.

Click here for the grant digest, compiled by Roundtable Correspondent Allison Sarnoff
with Lisa Montiel.

Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

Leap From Faith: Charity thrives on zealous pursuit of church-state separation
The Chronicle of Philanthropy

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6454

Churches fill need for English classes:
Experts expect the demand for language lessons to grow.
Des Moines Register (Iowa)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6456

Mentors needed for 250 children
The Carthage Press (Missouri)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6457

Commission OKs center permit
The Eureka Reporter (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6458

Faith-based Warriors Finally Get Their Due
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6455

Caring for the incarcerated
The Forum (North Dakota)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6440

Church aids neighborhood
Visalia Times-Delta (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6441

Federal program helps to keep released inmates out of prison
Press of Atlantic City (New Jersey)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6442

Religious Groups Reap Federal Aid for Pet Projects
New York Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6438

Ex-prisoner frees inmates' spirits: Man brings lessons of his troubled past to bear on prison ministry
Bakersfield Californian (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6443

Program Focusing On Unwed, Homeless Moms
Mansfield News Journal (Ohio)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6444

Shelter 'Mawmaw': Surrogate mother at Children's Home says Decatur job is God's call, her joy
The Decatur Daily (Alabama)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6445

Catholic Charities head seeks federal support
Catholic Explorer (Illinois)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6446

Help inmates and ex-offenders so they stay straight on outside
The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6447

Haiti mission deeply affects Westbury Christian teacher; Ben
Johnson shares tales of compassion, aid with his students
The Houston Chronicle (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6448

Sheriff defiant over church-state challenge
Standard-Times (Massachusetts)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6450

Jail Hiring Muslim Chaplain After Uproar
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6451

House OKs bill giving schools option of Bible classes
The Dallas Morning News (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6437

Grant promotes healthy marriages
Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald (Virginia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6449

Faith groups could play important role when crises hit
Chicago Daily Herald (Illinois)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6439

Giving shelter from the storm of deportation; The New Sanctuary Movement
is offering illegal immigrants the protection of its churches, nationwide and in L.A.
Los Angeles Times (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6430

Congregations to Give Haven to Immigrants
New York Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6431

Homes destroyed by Rita to be toured by SETERF
Hardin County Index (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6433

Rescue mission looking to expand
Frederick News Post (Maryland)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6434

Faith-based food pantry helps keep people alive
Troy Record (New York)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6435

City increasing police patrols to combat shootings
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Pennsylvania)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6436

Christians Weigh in on Immigration Debate
Lou Dobbs Tonight - CNN

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6432

Weekly Opinion Roundup - 5/15/2007
The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy promotes informed debate on the issue of publicly funded faith-based social service. Supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Roundtable provides independent, non-partisan research on the scope and scale of faith-based social services, their effectiveness, how public resources are being used in providing such services, and the legal and regulatory issues involved. The Roundtable's comprehensive web site makes this research and related information easily available. It can be accessed by clicking here:

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