Federal budget item No. 1: values

By EditorUpdated on . Posted on

Federal budget proposals generally toss about words such as deficits, subsidies, discretionary spending and annual appropriations. When House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., unveiled his fiscal year 2013 budget plan, another word emerged: values. In an effort to rein in the expanding deficit, Ryan’s proposed budget reduced antipoverty programs and included tax breaks for the country’s wealthiest. 

 

Liberal social and religious groups traditionally have fought government cuts that affect the most vulnerable in society. What made the debate different in 2012 is that groups criticized Ryan for saying the budget was inspired by his Catholic faith. Faculty members and priests at Georgetown University wrote Ryan a letter, saying his budget seemed to reflect the values of Ayn Rand, not Jesus Christ.

Clashes in the face of deep budget cuts can force Americans to move beyond choosing among values, says Harlan Beckley, director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. Instead, Americans need to expand their definition of values in order to work together to keep social programs alive. That, he said, requires an understanding that values are not narrowly defined in categories of family, social justice or civil liberties.

Why it Matters

The federal budget reflects the government’s priorities at a given time. In an age when citizens, parents, teachers, religious people, legislators and judges are talking about the role of values in their everyday decisions and everyday life, what role do values play – or should they play – in the federal budget?

Questions for reporters

  • Ask public officials, religious leaders, voters and advocates: What values does government spending reflect? What values should it reflect? Can they give concrete examples about how government values translate into real effects in people’s lives?
  • How are proposed budget cuts expected to affect your community?
  • Are religious leaders in your community concerned by the proposed cuts? Are they taking any action?
  • Where do congressional leaders in your state and district stand on the proposed cuts? Are they using the language of values?
  • How do religious leaders think the cuts will directly affect their organizations and congregations?

National sources

  • Richard Cizik

    The Rev. Richard Cizik is president of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good. He seeks to bring evangelical Christians, researchers and policymakers together to work on issues such as climate change, economic justice and national security.

  • William Beach

    William Beach, director of the Center for Data Analysis at the conservative Heritage Foundation, says an ethical budget calls for effective spending. Contact James Weidman.

  • Helene Slessarev-Jamir

    Helene Slessarev-Jamir is a professor of urban studies at Claremont School of Theology in California. She is an expert on anti-poverty policies and is writing a book on faith-based social justice work.

  • Sojourners

    Sojourners magazine is a progressive evangelical magazine in Washington, D.C. Its commitment is to faith in action for social justice. Jim Wallis is CEO and editor in chief of Sojourners.

  • Simone Campbell

    Sister Simone Campbell is executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobby in Washington, D.C. She has organized several “Nuns on the Bus” trips, raising awareness of issues like immigration reform and economic justice. Contact her through Lee Morrow.

  • Clare J. Chapman

    Clare J. Chapman is interim general secretary of the National Council of Churches, which is made up of 35 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox member denominations. The group has opposed tax cuts at the expense of programs that help the poor.

  • Mark J. Pelavin

    Mark J. Pelavin is associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. The group has previously criticized federal budgets for not reflecting the value of compassion.

  • Rick Jacobs

    Rabbi Rick Jacobs is president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the central body of Reform Judaism in North America.

  • Jim FitzGerald

    Jim FitzGerald is executive director of Call to Action USA, a Catholic social action group that pushes for equality and justice.

  • C. Welton Gaddy

    The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy is president of the Interfaith Alliance and author of numerous books, including First Freedom First: A Citizen’s Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State. Gaddy serves as pastor for preaching and worship at Northminster Baptist Church in Monroe, La. The alliance is based in Washington, D.C.

    Contact: 202-238-3300, 202) 466-0567.

  • Robert Parham

    Robert Parham is founder and executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics in Nashville, Tenn., a group that promotes proactive and positive messages about the Christian community.

Background

Government information

News articles

Statements from religious groups

Statements and reports from organizations and think tanks

Regional sources

In the Northeast

  • Thomas J. Massaro

    The Rev. Thomas J. Massaro is dean of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif. He wrote the book Catholic Social Teaching and United States Welfare Reform. He also co-wrote the article “Compassion in Action: A Letter to President Bush on Social Policy” for the journal America (2001).

  • Mary Hobgood

    Mary Hobgood is an associate professor of religious studies at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass. She wrote the books Catholic Social Teaching and Economic Theory: Paradigms in Conflict (Temple University Press, l991) and Dismantling Privilege: An Ethics of Accountability (Pilgrim Press, 2000).

  • Jo Renee Formicola

    Jo Renee Formicola is a professor of political science at Seton Hall University in New Jersey and author of Pope John Paul: Prophetic Politician (Georgetown University Press, 2002). She can discuss the impact of John Paul’s papacy on world affairs. She is co-author, with Mary C. Segers and Paul Weber, of Faith Based Initiatives and the Bush Administration: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

  • Mary Segers

    Mary Segers is professor of political science at Rutgers University, Newark campus. Her specialties include religion and politics. She co-wrote the book Faith-Based Initiatives and the Bush Administration: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003).

  • Traci West

    The Rev. Traci West is professor of ethics and African-American studies at Drew University in Madison, N.J. Among her specialties are welfare policy and justice issues in church and society. She wrote the entry “Agenda for the Churches: Uprooting a National Policy of Morally Stigmatizing Poor Single Black Moms” for the book Welfare Policy: (Feminist Critiques).

  • Robert Wuthnow

    Robert Wuthnow is director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. He wrote the book Poor Richard’s Principle: Recovering the American Dream Through the Moral Dimension of Work, Business and Money and was the editor of the 2006 Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion. He is also the author of  After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion and Red State Religion: Faith and Politics in America’s Heartland. He can speak about hot-button issues including abortion, the separation of church and state and gun control.

  • Fred Glennon

    Fred Glennon is professor of religious studies at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. He wrote the essay “Renewing the Welfare Covenant: Covenant and Responsible Poverty Policy” for the book Living Responsibly in Community (Rowman & Littlefield, 1997).

  • David Fagelson

    David Fagelson is associate professor of justice, law and society for the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. He wrote the article “Rights and Duties: The Ethical Obligation to Serve the Poor” for the journal Law & Inequality (1999).

  • Marshall J. Breger

    Marshall J. Breger is a law professor at the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. His research focuses on public policy from a Jewish perspective. He edited the book Public Policy and Social Issues: Jewish Sources and Perspectives (Praeger, 2003).

In the South

  • Kenneth Wald

    Kenneth Wald is a professor of political science at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he also teaches on American Jewish culture and society. He wrote the book Religion and Politics in the United States.

  • Harlan Beckley

    Harlan Beckley is director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. He edited the book Economic Justice: Selections from Distributive Justice and a Living Wage (Westminster John Knox Press, 1996).

  • Elizabeth Bounds

    Elizabeth Bounds is associate director of the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University in Atlanta. She co-wrote the book Welfare Policy: (Feminist Critiques) (Pilgrim Press, 1999).

  • John P. Bartkowski

    John P. Bartkowski is a professor of sociology at Mississippi State University. He has conducted research on religion and families and can speak about how teens’ religiosity affects their involvement in risky behaviors, such as using drugs, and their social relationships, particularly dating patterns. Bartkowski is working on a book about Mormon teen religiosity and another on evangelical parenting. He co-wrote the book Charitable Choices: Religion, Race, and Poverty in the Post-Welfare Era (New York University Press, 2003).

  • Helen A. Regis

    Helen A. Regis is assistant professor of geography and anthropology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She co-wrote the book Charitable Choices: Religion, Race, and Poverty in the Post-Welfare Era (New York University Press, 2003).

  • James Matthew Wilson

    James Matthew Wilson is assistant professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He wrote the article “Blessed are the Poor: American Protestantism and Attitudes Toward Poverty and Welfare” for the Southeastern Political Review (1999) and the paper “Moral Visions and the New American Politics” for the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility at Southern Methodist University (2003).

  • Theodore Walker Jr.

    Theodore Walker Jr. is associate professor of ethics and society at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He wrote the book Empower the People: Social Ethics for the African-American Church, about African-American resources for a more inclusive liberation theology.

     

  • Mark A. Chaves

    Mark A. Chaves is professor of sociology at Duke University in Durham, N.C. He is an expert on religious organizations in the United States and leads the National Congregations Study.

  • Timur Kuran

    Timur Kuran is professor of economics and political science and Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University in Durham, N.C. He has researched economic issues involving Islam, and his books include Islam and Mammon: The Economic Predicaments of Islamism (Princeton University Press, 2004).

    He wrote the essay “Islamic Redistribution Through Zakat: Historical Record and Modern Realities” for the book Poverty and Charity in Middle Eastern Contexts (State University of New York Press, 2003).

In the Midwest

  • Warren R. Copeland

    Warren R. Copeland is professor of religion at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He wrote the book And the Poor Get Welfare: The Ethics of Poverty in the United States (Abingdon Press, 1994).

  • Andrew D. Walsh

    Andrew D. Walsh is assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo. He wrote the book Religion, Economics, and Public Policy: Ironies, Tragedies, and Absurdities of the Contemporary Culture Wars (Praeger, 2000). Contact him via his website.

    Contact: 573-288-6376.

  • David Sikkink

    David Sikkink is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He wrote the article “Who Gives to the Poor? The Role of Religious Tradition and Political Location on the Personal Generosity of Americans Toward the Poor” for the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (1998).

  • Royal W.F. Rhodes

    Royal W.F. Rhodes is professor of religious studies at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. He co-wrote the book Eclipse of Justice: Ethics, Economics, and the Lost Traditions of American Catholicism (Orbis Books, 1992).

In the West

  • Richard L. Wood

    Richard L. Wood is director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He wrote the book Faith in Action: Religion, Race, and Democratic Organizing in America (University of Chicago Press, 2002) and contributed the essay “Religion, Faith-Based Organizing, and the Struggle for Justice” for the book Handbook of the Sociology of Religion (Cambridge University Press, 2001).

  • Pamela K. Brubaker

    Pamela K. Brubaker is professor emeritus of religion at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. She wrote the article “Making Women and Children Matter: Feminist Ethics Confronts Welfare Policy” for the Journal of Poverty (1999) and the book Women Don’t Count: The Challenge of Women’s Poverty to Christian Ethics (Scholars Press, 1994). [email protected]

  • John G. West Jr.

    John G. West Jr. is a senior fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. He co-edited the book The Theology of Welfare (University Press of America, 2000).

    Contact: 206 292 0401 ext. 110.

  • Glen H. Stassen

    Glen H. Stassen is the Lewis Smeades Professor of Christian Ethics at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. He is an expert on religion and social justice and specializes in war, peace and ethics. He wrote Just Peacemaking: Ten Practices for Abolishing War.

Related source guides