Here is a quick rundown of some notable coverage of and reactions to the President's Executive Order reforming and clarifying the administration's policies regarding government's partnerships with faith-based organizations. See the Baptist Joint Committee's statement, including Brent Walker's remarks, here.
Associated Baptist Press' Rob Marus writes that the "order sidesteps controversies."
The Interfaith Alliance's Welton Gaddy said of the changes, that they:
provide long-awaited improvements that bring this office in closer conformity to the Constitution, but prompt serious concerns in some areas about the chosen direction. Today’s action ensures greater transparency in decision-making regarding the use of federal money for religion-based initiatives but fails to require recipients of federal funds to form separate entities to assure no mixing of federal tax dollars and religious tithes and offerings.
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State finds the order to be "disappointing," adding that it "fails to correct significant constitutional problems and leaves important civil rights issues unresolved."
Rabbi David Saperstein finds that the order "strikes the right balance," but "leaves unresolved issues."
Adelle Banks at Christianity Today reports on the increasing transparency that the order allows, and quotes Faith-Based Office Director Joshua Dubois saying the new set of council members should be named soon.
