WASHINGTON, DC, USA, April 6, 2009 (with RNS): The White House today announced ten more members of the council that will advise the president on faith-based and other key issues, such as fatherhood and poverty. The additions bring the council’s ranks to 24 religious and secular leaders. The office is meant primarily to support faith-based groups, including by helping them get government funding or access to legal guidance about church-state boundaries. Under President Obama, it has laid out several priorities including interfaith relations, abortion reduction and improving the environment.
Several new members come from groups representing minorities, including Anju Bhargava, a Hindu, founder of Asian Indian Women of America. In picking a diverse council, Obama fulfilled a campaign pledge to listen to an array of religious voices, said the Rev. Jennifer Butler, executive director of Faith in Public Life, a progressive think tank in Washington. The council includes noted conservatives, like the Rev. Frank Page, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and high-profile liberals, like Fred Davie, the openly gay senior adviser for the non-profit Public/Private Ventures. “There’s always a temptation to just get people on board who agree with you on everything,” she said. “But Obama is sticking to his word that he wants to bring diverse Americans together to talk about even some of the most controversial issues of the day.”
The council had its first real meeting today. The meeting will continue through tomorrow and is meant to be an overview of the office and its priorities.