I am happy to be blogging for the Center for Political Studies.  I used to blog at a different site, but that is now a matter of history.  I will probably re-post a few of those entries later on.

Since I am here, I may as well point you to a story in The Washington Post.  The gist is that federal funds are now flowing into faith-based programs that provide social services.  One of the hallmarks of the Bush Presidency has been his desire to incorporate religious groups into this stream.  The results are staggering.  Roughly $157,000,000 has been transferred to organizations that perform crisis-pregnancy counseling, Head Start, daycare, drug rehabiliations, and dozens of other services under the banner of faith.

I must admit that I have mixed feelings on this.  I do believe Christians should not be discriminated against when these funds are disbursed.  In my mind, the government has no constitutional hurdle to overcome here as long as the funds are widely available to all groups--religious or not.  However, by accepting these funds, religious organizations run a significant risk.  Not so much in changing themselves, but by removing God's people from the process.

Why do we, as Christians, do good works?  They don't justify us, but they are part of our process of sanctification.  As Martin Luther put it, "Works don't make a man good, but a good man does good works."  By opening their coffers to federal funds, these programs now do not function through donations (of time, money, help), but through federal funds.  This means that the people of God are removed from the process.  Their blood sweat and tears are no longer required, but only government funds.  Can we work to be like Christ through sanctification if the government is picking up the tab?