Lifting Up The Poor: A Dialogue On Religion, Poverty & Welfare Reform (the Pew Forum Dialogues On Religion And Public Life)

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People who participate in debates about poverty - and its causes and cures - often speak from religious conviction. But those underlying commitments brought to bear on specific policy choices. Two scholars and policy advocates bring their faith traditions, policy experience, academic expertise and political commitments together in this informed discussion of a vexing public issue. Mary Jo Bane writes of her experiences running social service agencies, work that has been informed by "Catholic social teaching and the catholic sensibility that is shaped every day by prayer and worship". Drawing from the various Christian traditions, Lawrence Mead's essay discusses the role of nurturing Christian virtues and personal responsibility as a means of combating poverty. Quoting Shelley, Mead describes theologians as the "unacknowledged leglisators of mankind". Bane emphasizes the social justice claims of her tradition,and Mead draws from virtue theory. But both assert that an engagement with religious tradition is indispensable to an honest and searching debate about poverty.

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LIFTING UP THE POOR The Pew Forum Dialogues on Religion and Public Life E. J. Dionne Jr., Jean Bethke Elshtain, Kayla M. Drogosz Series Editors This book series is a joint project of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Brookings Institution. The Pew Forum (www.pewforum.org) seeks to promote a deeper understanding of how religion shapes the ideas and institutions of American society. At a time of heightened interest in religion’s public role and responsibilities, the Forum bridges the worlds of scholarship, public policy, and journalism by creating a platform for research and discussion of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. The Forum explores how religious institutions and individuals contribute to civic life while honoring America’s traditions of religious liberty and pluralism. Based in Washington, D.C., the Forum is co-chaired by E. J. Dionne Jr., senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Jean Bethke Elshtain, Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social Ethics at the University of Chicago. Melissa Rogers serves as executive director and Sandra Stencel as associate director. The Forum is supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts through a grant to Georgetown University. The Pew Forum Dialogues on Religion and Public Life are short volumes that bring together the voices of scholars, journalists, and policy leaders engaged simultaneously in the religious and policy realms. The core idea behind the dialogues is a simple one: There are many authentically expert voices addressing important public questions who speak not only from their knowledge of the policy issues at stake, but also from a set of moral concerns, often shaped by their religious commitments. Our goal is to find these voices and invite them to join in dialogue. LIFTING UP THE POOR A DIALOGUE ON RELIGION, POVERTY & WELFARE REFORM Mary Jo Bane Lawrence M. Mead brookings institution press Washington, D.C. about brookings The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to research, education, and publication on important issues of domestic and foreign policy. Its principal purpose is to bring knowledge to bear on current and emerging policy problems. The Institution maintains a position of neutrality on issues of public policy. Interpretations or conclusions in Brookings publications should be understood to be solely those of the authors. Copyright © 2003 the brookings institution georgetown university All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the Brookings Institution Press, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 (fax: 202/797-6195 or e-mail: