Evangelicals’ Uneasy History With The Government Trough

 By Warren Cole Smith - Posted at MinistryWatch:

Published February 8, 2025

"Donald Trump has reengaged the fight Bush abandoned, to reduce the size of government, though he is going about it in strange ways. A key initiative is his attempt to eliminate USAID – the United States Agency for International Development – which funds many Christian groups, though USAID’s entire budget — $40 billion — is less than one percent of the overall size of the federal budget. Still, you have to start somewhere, and USAID has been a troubled agency for decades."

Conservatives, Christian conservatives in particular, have always had a troubled and inconsistent relationship with the idea of government funding flowing to non-profits and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Take, for example, the current debate over the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. Many conservatives, including Christian conservatives, are troubled by the federal government’s involvement in education, believing education should be either a private or – at a minimum – a local activity.

That said, the school choice movement, which includes a lot of Christian conservatives, has championed vouchers and tax credits. Today, around 15 states (and the District of Columbia) have government funded voucher programs. An organization called EdChoice said in 2023 that “78 bills in 27 states relating to education savings accounts, vouchers, refundable tax credits, and tax-credit scholarships” were under consideration.

An important reason Christians oppose government funding for non-profits is the fact that many non-profits are engaged in activities that Christians actively oppose, such as abortion. But even in these areas, government funding has proved stubbornly durable. Take Planned Parenthood, for example. Planned Parenthood started getting federal funds in 1970, three years before Roe v. Wade effectively legalized abortion, during the tenure of Republican President Richard Nixon. That funding stream never ended, and it has grown over the years. Donald Trump famously promised to “defund Planned Parenthood” when he was elected in 2016, but – in fact – funding for Planned Parenthood grew during his tenure.

Republican George W. Bush gave up the fight to rein in spending and limit grants to non-profits. He championed what some called “big government conservatism.” One of his first acts as president was to establish – in January 2001 — the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI). That office had a noble goal. Since federal money in the billions was going to NGOs, Christian groups should not be punished or penalized in the process. The OFBCI attempted to “level the playing field” by mandating that federal money could flow to Christian groups. There would be no “religious test.”

Many evangelicals welcomed this change. Bush’s initiatives were sometimes characterized as “charitable choice” or “compassionate conservatism.” It took a few years to get the money flowing, but between fiscal years 2003 and 2005, grants to faith-based organizations grew 21 percent, reaching $2.2 billion.

Donald Trump has reengaged the fight Bush abandoned, to reduce the size of government, though he is going about it in strange ways. A key initiative is his attempt to eliminate USAID – the United States Agency for International Development – which funds many Christian groups, though USAID’s entire budget — $40 billion — is less than one percent of the overall size of the federal budget. Still, you have to start somewhere, and USAID has been a troubled agency for decades.

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