c. 1997 Religion News Service
RICHMOND, Va. _ Bishop Vinton Anderson, one of the nation’s leading African-American church leaders and a president of the World Council of Churches, says government is wrong to suggest churches should do more for the poor as the government enacts welfare reform.
“The state expects the church to pick up a great deal of the load” carried for years by government, Anderson, a bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, told the Virginia Conference of the 3.5 million-member denomination Thursday (May 8).
Anderson, who is also one of eight World Council of Churches presidents, presides over 360 AME congregations in Maryland, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., in addition to Virginia.
He said African American churches, despite their deep fonts of spiritual comfort and compassion for the poor, do not have deep pockets.
“Our great fear is that the churches do not have the infrastructure to deal with welfare reform,”he said.”Then the church will get a black eye. We will be seen as failing to do something when we are not equipped to do it.”There may be social workers and doctors in the churches, but they are wage earners themselves and can only give volunteer time to help others.” Anderson joins a growing chorus of church leaders expressing concern about the cutbacks in government programs for the poor and the litany from lawmakers that churches and other nonprofit groups can pick up the slack.
On April 26, some 60 religious leaders gathered in Philadelphia on the eve of the President’ Summit on America’s Future to pledge they would do what they could to aid the poor. But they also warned that action by the nation’s religious communities would not be enough.”The faith community should lead by example,”evangelical leader Jim Wallis, a convenor of the meeting, said at the time.”But both government and business at all levels must also assume their responsibilities.” On July 1, new welfare regulations go into effect, cutting some programs and requiring most welfare recipients to get a job within two years. The new rules also limit recipients to a maximum of five years on the rolls.
Anderson rejected the assertion made by what he said were some conservative intellectuals that the care of the poor is a function of religion and not the state.
He acknowledged welfare is an institution begun by the churches to help the poor at the congregations’ doors, but said it had to be handed to the government as burdens mushroomed in the Depression years of the 1930s. Now, he said, churches are concerned”the burden will fall back on us.” The government, he said to loud applause from the audience of 3,000, had no business insisting that religious groups pick up the mess left by the reforms.
“If there’s going to be separation of church and state, then the state should stay out of the church’s business,” Anderson said. “The state needs to leave us alone. We have enough to do.”
The bishop said churches already are operating at maximum capacity providing low-income housing, meal programs, thrift shops, day care centers, youth programs and adult mentors for the young.
“Our churches are there and attempting to be on the cutting edge,”he said.”The church can remain a voice for the people and be willing to confront the government and hold public officials accountable to be sure they have a value system that honors all humankind.
“We are doing what we can, where we can. Jesus said, `The poor will be with you always.’ We do all we can to provide food, clothing and housing for people. But more than that, we have to give people an inner security.”
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