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! Lawsuit Targeting Faith-Based Prison Program Becomes
"Hein Fatality"

A lawsuit charging New Mexico and a for-profit company with improperly promoting
Christianity in a state prison has been dropped, in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court
decision limiting citizens' ability to sue government over alleged violations of church-state
separation. Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group opposed to the
government endorsement of religion, decided to forgo the 20-month lawsuit after a federal judge
indicated he was inclined to dismiss it on grounds that the group had no right to sue. In a separate
challenge involving a federal program, the U.S. Supreme Court last month determined in Hein v.
FFRF that taxpayers may sue government officials over alleged church-state violations only
when a legislative body – not the President or executive branch – has specifically authorized the
program challenged in the lawsuit.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Claire Hughes.

Click here for the Roundtable's Resource Page on Faith-Based Prison Programs.

Click here for the Roundtable's Resource Page on Hein v FFRF.

New! Congress Debates Role of Abstinence in Sex-Ed Programs

Federal funding for sexual abstinence education continues to generate debate and reversals in
Congress as legislators try to settle disagreements over the controversial policy. In recent weeks,
one domestic funding stream destined for doom was saved for three more months. Congress also
took preliminary steps to eliminate a mandate for abstinence-only teaching in international
HIV/AIDS prevention programs. And dollar amounts for a third abstinence funding stream keep
bouncing up and down between the House and Senate. The indecisive and shifting patterns on
Capitol Hill indicate the unsettled status and future of a course that some say is ineffective and
driven by ideology and others contend is the only sure-proof way to reduce unwanted
pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases in the United States and globally.

In the midst of the flux, First Lady Laura Bush visited four African countries in late June where
she promoted a comprehensive approach to HIV/AIDS prevention and said she was fine with
Congress waiving a requirement that one-third of U.S. global HIV/AIDS prevention funding be
spent on abstinence-until-marriage programs. Her remarks stand in contrast to those of President
George W. Bush, who said he would veto legislation that weakens current federal laws that
emphasize abstinence-only programs.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Anne Farris.

Click here for a transcript of a discussion on abstinence programs from the Roundtable's
2006 conference.

New! Legal Analysis of Case Against Christian Home for Troubled Teens

Last month, Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint in federal court charging state
and county officials in North Dakota acted illegally when they placed teens at one of three homes
operated by the Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch, a Lutheran Social Service Agency. The ranch,
according to the complaint, provides residential services in a heavily Christian environment, in
which spiritual development as a Christian is emphasized and non-Christian worship is forbidden.
The complaint asserts that state funds are paid to the ranch for each child placed there
by public authorities, and that this state financial support of the religious experience of the teenagers
placed at the ranch violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

In their analysis, the Roundtable's co-directors of legal research say the case raises significant
questions about the financing of faith-based services and could provide an early gauge of how
lower courts will interpret the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hein v. FFRF, which limited
taxpayers' right to sue the government over alleged church-state violations.

Click here to read the legal analysis by Ira C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle.

Click here for the Roundtable's Resource Page on Hein v. FFRF.

Click here for the Roundtable's Resource Page on Indirect Financing of Faith-Based Social Services.

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. Department of Health and Human Services
and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Potential applicants should be aware that some grant programs may 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

A time and a place to stop running; Fugitives have option to surrender in Akron this week
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6735

Free clinic continues with donations
The News Daily (Georgia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6737

U.S. Supreme Court OKs Advocacy And Faith Funding
The Non-Profit Times (New Jersey)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6738

Teen campers go to work in Hoosick Falls
WNYT-TV (New York)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6736

Chapman heeds call to make difference: Plans are in motion to set up
Faith Teen Center, a residential program for teens who need help.
The Paducah Sun (Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6731

The greatest wedding gift: Premarital education helps couples to marry with eyes wide open
The Cincinnati Enquirer

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6722

Sun-scorched Phoenix takes more heart for its homeless
Christian Science Monitor

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6723

Novel program seeks to reduce recidivism for serious felons
The Associated Press State & Local Wire

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6724

Illegal immigrants find refuge in holy places
USA Today

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6728

Inmates study to become pastors on the inside
The Associated Press State & Local Wire

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6725

A calling behind bars; Columbia International University offers ministry degree to inmates
The State (South Carolina)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6726

South Florida marriages: Federal grant aims to keep them together
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6727

Women struggling to keep healing house open
The Garden Island (Hawaii)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6729

Faith-based partnerships touted: HHS head: It's about 'building bridges'
Concord Monitor (New Hampshire)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6721

Creating community through the fellowship of sport
The Catholic Key (Missouri)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6730

Churches encouraged to aid seniors
El Paso Times (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6700

Aldermen explore ways to support faith-based groups
Pascagoula Mississippi Press (Mississippi)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6701

Baptist Homes lawsuit dead?
The Louisville Courier-Journal (Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6702

Flood relief is entering new phase
Sherman Denison Herald Democrat (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6708

Convention-goers devote stay to building a house: Mennonites To Truck Home To Katrina Family
The San Jose Mercury News (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6709

Homeless vets need more aid
Medill Reports (Washington, DC)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6710

Students Take to the Road for Social Justice: Trip Is Part of Year-Long
Program to Inspire Activism Among Black and Jewish Youths
Washington Post (Washington, DC)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6711

W.Va. diocese seeks to help mentally ill parishioners
The Associated Press State & Local Wire

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6712

Group To Use $1 Mil Grant To Help Ex-Cons Find Jobs
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6713

State's faith-based services get boost
Nashua Telegraph (New Hampshire)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6714

State officials brace for loss of funding for abstinence-only programs
Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6715

Thugz Off Drugz secures stable housing
The McMinnville News Register (Oregon)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6716

Catholic group to start faith-based counseling service
The Charleston Gazette (South Carolina)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6717

On Balance, Religious Conservatives Fared Well Under Roberts, Alito
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6703

Faith Groups Oppose New Rules on Religious Worker Visas
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6704

Marriage class law has counselor in its corner: But the penalty for
not taking the course has critics crying 'nanny state'
Houston Chronicle (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6720

Linda Greenhouse, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York
Times, on the current Supreme Court
NPR, SHOW: Fresh Air

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6705

Congress Extends Life of Near-Death Abstinence Program
Christian Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6706

Baptist Immigration Ministry Not Deterred by Bill's Defeat
Christian Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6707

Faith-based group aims to reach thousands in social justice drive: AMOS seeks to
hold dialogues in the Des Moines area and Ames on health care, education and immigration.
The Des Moines Register (Iowa)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6718

Faith Based Gang Initiative Group Renews Battle Efforts
ABC News

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6719

Weekly Opinion Roundup - 7/10/2007
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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