Faith-Based Compassion

Guest blogger Morbo at The CarpetBagger Report brings us this:

Proponents of so-called “faith-based” initiatives insist that religious organizations provide social services more efficiently than secular or government-based providers. To them, religion is always a good thing and taxpayers should have no fear of paying for its promulgation.

A recent Associated Press story from Charlotte, N.C., dramatically underscores what’s wrong with those claims.

The Central Church of God abruptly withdrew its support from a local food pantry because Roman Catholics were involved in the effort.

“As a Christian church, we feel it is our responsibility to follow closely the (principles) and commands of Scripture,” [church minister of evangelism Shannon Burton wrote in a letter].

“To do this best, we feel we should abstain from any ministry that partners with or promotes Catholicism, or for that matter, any other denomination promoting a works-based salvation.”

Burton’s church also withdrew its support from a local Rescue Mission after it learned that three Muslims had helped serve a meal there. It also pulled funding from interfaith efforts that provide emergency financial aid to those in need and assistance to the elderly. The Central Church of God has 6,000 members, so it’s probably safe to conclude that its financial contributions to these efforts were substantial.