Obama Begins Outreach to Evangelical Groups

Knowing both the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, I don't think they are likely to be compromised or subverted by any charm offensive put on by the Obama Administration; and it is good they are seizing the opportunity to make their case.

From Congressional Quarterly
By Adriel Bettelheim

The Obama administration may have angered evangelical Christians by overturning President Bush's curbs on embryonic stem cell research and prohibitions on sending aid to groups that support abortion overseas.

But that doesn't mean the White House is shutting out its adversaries.

Joshua DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, on Tuesday will host representatives of evangelical groups, including the Family Research Council and Concerned Women of America in an effort to find some common ground, White House officials confirmed on Monday.

This is a not inconsequential gathering. Obama sees the office's mission extending beyond the Bush administration's often controversial faith-based program, to include reaching out to the Muslim world and reducing abortions. During his campaign, Obama spoke about having religious leaders serve as a kind of moral center for his administration and ponder initiatives in the area of immigration, health care and education.

One topic likely to come up: a Justice Department review of a Bush administration policy allowing recipients of faith-based funding to discriminate in providing services. Obama stopped short of rescinding the Bush policy when he created the faith-based office in early February, to the consternation of many on the political left, and instead ordered the review.