The politics of religion in the United States Federal context: the faith-based initiative

Abstract

Religion in the United States is a complicated, yet often under analyzed and misunderstood, phenomenon. Although it boasts one of the high rates of personal belief in the world, the U.S. is also frequently presented as one of the best examples of institutional separation of church and state available. Despite this, however, recent decades have witnessed the increasing presence of religion and faith in the public sphere and in the political realm. Understanding this reality, along with the simultaneous permeation of the public sphere and the concurrent emphasis on religiosity and religious belief requires analyzing a number of intertwined and overlapping factors. This dissertation seeks to analyze the underlying issues that have contributed to the current atmosphere of neutrality and accommodation towards increased religiosity in the political and public spheres. This is done through a historical analysis of religion in the U.S., a consideration of the role of federalism in allowing for increased religion in politics and public policy, and the in-depth analysis of a recent federal policy, the Faith-Based Initiative, which indicates the new role religion has been able to play in federal, and state, policy. Despite the decline of religion predictions offered by the secularization thesis, religious belief and practice have played, and continue to play, crucial roles in American political life since the founding of the nation. By considering the historical development of the nation, the degree to which religion was a factor in this development, and the current reality of religion in general, and state-religion relations specifically, this dissertation presents the context for a more in-depth case study analysis of recent federal policies involving religion. Not only have public political attitudes vis-à-vis interaction between religious organizations and government evolved in recent decades, but shifts in judicial opinion have also helped to solidify the development of a new, more accommodating stance towards state-religion relations. Beginning with an analysis of America’s position in general secularization studies, this dissertation then looks carefully at the current position of religion in both the political and judicial realms, and the manner in which this has influenced legislation nationwide. Using both primary and secondary sources, including Congressional records, Court documents and decisions, government reports and websites, scholarly analysis, and media accounts, the dissertation argues that it is the culmination of these historical and institutional factors that allowed for the rise of two important federal level policies; first the Charitable Choice Amendment of 1996, and second, in 2001, its successor, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative. Together these two programs aimed to enhance the availability of relations between the government and religious social service organizations. The Faith-Based Initiative, its development and implementation by the George W. Bush Administration, its programs, and the challenges the Initiative faced politically, socially, and legally are all examined in detail in order to best present a picture of how the politics of religion function in the federal United States.