Calvin to Host Former White House Director

February 7, 2005 == MEDIA ADVISORY

The Paul Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin
College will sponsor a lecture by John Dilulio, former director of the White
House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives on Wednesday, February 23, 3:30 p.m. in
the Meeter Center Lecture Hall at Calvin.

Dilulio will reflect on "Forging a Faithful Consensus: The Future of
Public-Private Partnerships Involving Community-Serving Religious
Organizations."

Dilulio was the first Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush.

Corwin Smidt, director of the Henry Institute, says Dilulio's talk will have
special relevance in West Michigan.

"DiIulio is a noted public figure and scholar, as well as an engaging
speaker," says Smidt. "The topic of his address is one that has particular
relevance for the West Michigan community, given the region's history with
regard to faith-based, social service efforts as well as the relatively large
number of such endeavors found here."

Calvin political science professor Doug Koopman wrote a book on President
Bush's faith-based efforts (Of Little Faith: The Politics of George W. Bush's
Faith-Based Initiatives) and he believes Dilulio deserved a better hearing than
he got from the White House.

"DiIulio did most of the right things," says Koopman, "and had mostly correct
political instincts, too. Had the White House followed his recommendations on
strategy -- administrative changes first, and legislation much later --
faith-based initiatives would probably have stronger bipartisan support today,
and have a greater role in executive branch decision making. It's unfortunate
that John, a highly regarded political and social scientist, was not trusted
more by some of the more influential political strategists in the White House,
while he served as the director."

Dilulio currently is the Frederic Fox Leadership Professor at the University
of Pennsylvania.

He has authored and edited a number of publications, including: "What's God
Got to Do With the American Experiment?" "Medicaid and Devolution: A View From
the States," and "Deregulating the Public Service: Can Government Be
Improved?"

Contact Henry Institute director Corwin Smidt at 616-526-6233
For more on Dilulio see
http://www.ssc.upenn.edu/polisci/faculty/bios/diiuli.html
For more on Koopman's book see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2003_04/little_faith.htm

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Received on Mon Feb 7 10:00:00 2005