"SYRACUSE, NY — Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America — and it’s making him nervous.
The child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated in the liberal arts, Brooks has written a book that concludes religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income. ..."
There have been indications of this trend in the PC(USA). In many ways it is not surprising, since those who are orthodox in their theology can be expected to put their faith into practice. For the orthodox, giving to the needy has never ceased to be the responsibility of the Church. We live, however, in a country where the Church has outsourced charitable giving and social programs to the government -- or perhaps more accurately, allowed the government to take over what had been their historical calling. Many, including some within our own denomination, are uncomfortable with the Church involving themselves too heavily in social programs, especially the "faith-based initiatives." Yet the need continues to mount and the governmental programs at all levels are not able to keep up with it, thus the continuing need for the Church to be involved.
Brooks, a professor of public administration at Syracuse University, has written a book being published later this month, called Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism . Amazon.com lists it for release on November 27, 2006, and it is available for pre-order.
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