God, Government, and the Good Samaritan: The Promise and Peril of the President's Faith-Based Initiative

Upon assuming office in January 2001, President George W. Bush immediately launched a national debate about the importance of religion in American public life. In establishing a White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, the President pledged to elevate the role of religious groups in confronting the nation's most difficult social problems.

God, Government and the Good Samaritan describes how the initiative could overturn the secular assumptions of government welfare while forging a new partnership between church and state. It explains why the President's plan has generated not only great criticism, but also great risks.

In a searching assessment of the faith-based initiative, God, Government and the Good Samaritan explores the promise of the President's agenda, frankly faces its dangers, and recommends a bold course for reform.