From Promise To Policy

A Discussion of The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life will present a press briefing on President Bush’s newly established Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives on Tuesday, January 30, 2001 from 2:30p.m. to 4:00p.m. at The National Press Club.

A discussion among political and religious leaders with differing views on the role of faith-based organizations in the delivery of social services will be moderated by Forum co-chair E.J. Dionne, Jr. Participants will include Richard Foltin of the American Jewish Committee, Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) (invited), Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Jim Wallis of Call to Renewal. John DiIulio, head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has been invited and may attend if his schedule permits.

This press briefing will be the first in a series of Forum events that examine the practical and political impact of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the legal principles implicated by its work.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life seeks to promote a deeper understanding of how religion shapes the ideas and institutions of American society. The Forum bridges the worlds of scholarship, public policy and journalism by creating a platform for research and discussion of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. The Forum is co-chaired by E.J. Dionne, Jr. of the Brookings Institution, and Jean Bethke Elshtain of the University of Chicago, and Melissa Rogers serves as the Executive Director. The Forum is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts through a grant to Georgetown University.