In keeping with a campaign promise to establish a real partnership between the White House and faith-based social service providers, "not a photo-op," President Barack Obama signed an executive order today revamping a White House office and naming an advisory council to help the administration develop and implement policy related to the provision of social services by faith-based and neighborhood organizations.
The executive order, while amending a Bush-era executive order with stronger constitutional language, failed to prohibit government-funded discrimination.

The panel, which is not to exceed 25 members, is composed of a diverse group of religious and secular leaders with experience in social services, including former Baptist Joint Committee General Counsel Melissa Rogers, BJC Board Member William Shaw and Rabbi David Saperstein, a fellow co-chair of religious liberty coalitions.

"This group represents a good example of the president's desire to hear many points of view," said J. Brent Walker, executive director of the BJC. "I am especially glad Melissa Rogers and others will be at the table to offer a strong defense of religious liberty and church-state separation."

Walker applauded Obama's focus on developing ways to cooperate with organizations helping those in need and doing it the right way. "Partnerships between government and faith-based organizations are a given," Walker said. "However, the rules of cooperation must be carefully crafted to protect religious liberty. I urge the president to ban religious hiring discrimination in government-funded programs. The BJC will continue to press for it."

Earlier in the day, speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, Obama reiterated that the "goal of this office will not be to favor one religious group over another - or even religious groups over secular groups."

"It will simply be to work on behalf of those organizations that want to work on behalf of our communities, and to do so without blurring the line that our founders wisely drew between church and state," he said.

Obama announced Joshua DuBois, his top religion adviser during the 2008 campaign, would lead the new White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

DuBois, a 26-year-old Pentecostal minister, "clearly has the background and interest in bringing diverse groups together for a common purpose," said K. Hollyn Hollman, general counsel for the BJC, who met with him during the Obama transition team efforts.

"Josh recognized the need to carefully consider various approaches to the more difficult aspects of the policy," Hollman said. "We were pleased that he listened to our suggestions for correcting some of the problems in the Bush administration's approach and that he expressed a real desire to get things right."