Read a Sept. 29, 2008, Christianity Today story titled “Christian Financial World Sees Silver Lining in Banking Mess.” It details how some Christian banks and credit unions — though not all — have staved off insolvency.

Read an essay about Obama’s faith-based initiative in the February edition of First Things, written by John J. DiIulio Jr., a University of Pennsylvania professor who was the first director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Read a Feb. 25, 2009, post at the blog of Catholic News Service about Joshua DuBois’ address that day to the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, D.C.

Read a Feb. 20, 2009, Washington Post story which reports that faith-based charities “are facing unprecedented cutbacks from one of their biggest funders: the government.”

Read a Feb. 6, 2009, article at U.S. News & World Report about whether or not religious-based groups should be able to hire based on religion using government money.

Read a Feb. 6, 2009, Religion News Service story (posted at Crosswalk), about the complications in the adoption of Obama’s faith-based program.

Read a Feb. 6, 2009, news story at Christianity Today about the Obama plan. The piece quotes Doug Koopman, co-author of a book on Bush’s faith-based office, among others.

The Rev. Clive Calver is senior pastor at Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, Conn., and former president of World Relief.

A July 2001 Gallup Poll analysis discussed several polls on the topic and showed the variance in public approval, which appeared to shift depending on whether respondents associated the initiative with Bush, and what charities they believed would benefit.