For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 10, 2003
President's Remarks at Religious Broadcasters' Convention
Opryland Hotel
Nashville, Tennessee
11:07 A.M. CST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much for that warm welcome. I'm
honored to be here. I want to thank Glenn Plummer for his kind
introduction. I want to thank those who put on the convention for
letting some of my fellow Texans in the hall. (Laughter.) I see
Evans, I see Gramm. It's good to see friendly faces. It's good to see
people with whom I've spent a lot of quality time. Thanks for --
thanks for letting me come.
And I'm honored to be with so many of you all who have dedicated
your lives to sharing the good news. (Applause.) Before I came in
this hall I had the opportunity to have what they call a roundtable
with members of the faith community here in Nashville, Tennessee;
people who are changing Nashville through their love and compassion and
decency.
I met folks from the Campus for Human Development. It's an
extraordinary testament to social entrepreneurship based upon faith.
And I want to thank all the roundtable participants for sharing with me
your stories. I particularly want to thank the four folks who have
recovered from homelessness and addiction to alcohol and drugs, for
your courage to share your story with the President. It's so
inspirational to see your courage, as well as to see the great works of
our Lord in your heart.
I also landed today and met an extraordinary woman from Nashville
named Sherry Jean Williams. She is sitting right over here -- Sherry
Jean, you mind standing up just for a second? Thank you for coming.
(Applause.) You'll hear me talk about the armies of compassion in
America -- she is a soldier in the armies of compassion. Sherry Jean
mentors children whose mom or dad may be in prison. She volunteers to
help grandparents who are raising their children. She is one of
millions of people who are helping people in need.
My call to our fellow Americans is, while one person can't do
everything, one person can do something to make our society a more
compassionate and decent place. And I want to thank you -- (applause)
-- I want to thank you, Sherry Jean, for representing all the decent
people, whether they be foster moms or dads -- and by the way, being a
foster parent is an incredibly important part of our society -- or
whether being a mentor, or whether being somebody volunteering their
time for after-school programs to help save lives, particularly lives
of our children.
It's also great to be here in Opryland. It's an unbelievable
complex. (Laughter.) You need a road map to get around here.
(Laughter.) Either that, or a good Secret Service driver. (Laughter.)
But I'm honored to be back, and I appreciate the warm hospitality.
Opryland has a way of bringing out hidden talents of politicians.
You may recall, in 1974, Richard Nixon came to Opryland and played the
piano and serenaded his wife. In 1998, Ashcroft, the great Attorney
General of the United States, came and sang a duet with Ray Stevens.
(Laughter.) So I was just thinking -- (laughter and applause.) But
that's as far as it got. (Laughter.) I think I'll leave the talent to
my great friend, Michael W. Smith and Sara Paul Brummett. (Applause.)
It's good to see Michael W. I like a man who's middle name who's
middle name is W. (Laughter.) He and Debbie joined Laura and me at
the White House a couple of nights ago. It was good to be in his
presence. And one of the remarkable things about the evening is
Michael agreed to play the piano for us. He had to sing for his
dinner. Thankfully, he did. (Laughter.) But what a joy.
For more than 80 years, America's religious broadcasters have been
sharing the gospel on the airways. You bring words of truth, and
comfort, and encouragement into millions of homes. Broadcasting is
more than a job for you. It is a great commission. You serve with all
your heart and soul and America is grateful. Each one of you knows
that the power of faith can transform a life. People of faith and
goodness and idealism also have the power to transform our
neighborhoods and our nation. I've set a great goal for America. We
must apply the great compassion of our people to the deepest problems
of this country.
This country is blessed with virtually millions of good-hearted
volunteers who work daily miracles in the lives of their fellow
citizens. And today I ask our religious broadcasters, those who reach
into every corner of America, to rally the armies of compassion so that
we can change America one heart, one soul at a time. (Applause.)
The American people have deep and diverse religious beliefs, truly
one of the great strengths of our country. And the faith of our
citizens is seeing us through some demanding times. We're being
challenged. We're meeting those challenges because of our faith.
After we were attacked on September the 11th, we carried our grief
to the Lord Almighty in prayer. Last week, our nation lost seven brave
Americans -- brave souls, six Americans and one Israeli citizen, aboard
the space shuttle Columbia. Laura and I went to Houston. We were so
honored to meet the families. There's no question in my mind they are
finding strength and comfort because of your prayers and because of the
Almighty God.
In times of tragedy, faith assures us that death and suffering are
not the final word; that love and hope are eternal. Religious faith
not only comforts, it challenges. Faith teaches that every person is
equal in God's sight, and must be treated with equal dignity here on
earth.
This idea of human dignity forces us to constantly examine our own
country and our own hearts. And this ideal has inspired some of the
great reforms in American history. People of faith led the struggle
against slavery. People of faith fought against child labor. People
of faith worked for women's equality. And people of faith worked for
civil rights.
And in America today, people of faith are doing the work of
compassion. So many good people are serving their neighbors because
they love their God. The spirit of service is vital because the need
in America is great. There are pockets of despair and loneliness and
hopelessness in America. We do not accept as a fact of life that some
Americans must endure permanent poverty or bigotry or childhood without
love and guidance. Our work as Americans is not complete until we
build a single nation of justice and a nation of opportunity.
Government, of course, must be involved and will be involved. We
just reformed our welfare in America and we've helped a lot of people.
Yet, even as we work to improve the welfare laws, we know that welfare
policy will not solve the deepest problems of the spirit. (Applause.)
I first heard an interesting reminder of that fact from Tony
Evans. He doesn't remember, but I do. We were in Greenville, Texas.
He tells a story about the guy who owns the house and there's a crack
running up the wall in the house. So he hires the best painter he can
find, and the guy covers the crack and everything is fine. Until the
crack reappears.
And so he hires another painter and he covers the crack. And Tony
Evans reminded me and the audience, he said, you don't fix the crack on
the wall until you first fix the foundation. (Applause.)
This economy of ours is growing okay; it can be better. As a
matter of fact, we've got plans in place to encourage job growth, ways
to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit of the country, encourage small
business expansion so that people can find work. Yet, there are some
needs that prosperity can never meet.
We've arrested and we convict criminals; yet building more prisons
will not substitute for responsibility and order in our souls.
(Applause.) The role of government is limited, because government
cannot put hope in people's hearts, or a sense of purpose in people's
lives. That happens when someone puts an arm around a neighbor and
says, God loves you, I love you, and you can count on us both.
(Applause.)
And it is that spirit which defines some of the most effective
social programs in America. It is that spirit of love and compassion
which makes healing lives work. Yet, for too long, some in government
thought there was no room for faith-based groups to provide social
services. I have a different point of view. I believe government
should welcome faith-based groups as allies in the great work of
renewing America. (Applause.)
I welcome faith. I welcome faith to help solve the nation's
deepest problems. I understand there's a -- that government must not
and will not endorse a religious creed, or directly fund religious
worship. That's obviously not a role of government, and that's not
what we're talking about here.
But governments can and should support effective social services
provided by religious people, so long as they work and as long as those
services go to anyone in need, regardless of their faith. And when
government gives that support, it is equally important that faith-based
institutions should not be forced to change the character or compromise
their prophetic role. (Applause.)
I think the charities helping the needy, it should not matter if
there is a rabbi on the board, or a cross on the wall, or crescent on
the wall, or religious commitment in the charter. And he'd ask, does
it work? If an earthquake or hurricane damages a Christian, or Jewish,
or Muslim school, that school should not be denied federal disaster
assistance because of it's religious character. (Applause.)
What I'm saying is, the days of discriminating against religious
groups just because they're religious are coming to an end.
(Applause.) Thank you. I have issued an executive order banning
discrimination against faith-based charities and social service grants
by federal agencies. (Applause.) I continue to work with members of
Congress of both political parties to enact faith-based legislation to
encourage more charitable giving, so we're more likely able to rally
the armies of compassion. We created faith-based offices in key
Cabinet departments to ensure that faith-based groups get equal
treatment and fair access to government funds. (Applause.)
I recognize some people around our country asking, what does this
faith-based initiative mean? And is it a threat to my very program?
And so we're holding meetings across the country to help faith-based
groups to understand how they can qualify for government grants without
compromising their mission. We're on an education campaign. We're
reaching out to find the social entrepreneurs who exist all across this
nation.
I went to Congress at my State of the Union and spoke about two
needs I want to share with you today. I have concerns -- I know you
do, as well -- about children whose mom or dad may be in prison.
Imagine what life must be like for those children. Imagine how they
wonder about their future, whether or not this great country holds out
hope for them. I know by calling upon the compassionate hearts of our
fellow citizens we can help save those lives by mentoring programs, by
putting the child in touch with somebody like Sherry Jean Williams, who
realizes somebody does care about them during these tough and difficult
times.
I asked Congress to support a mentoring proposal which will bring
caring adults into the lives of more than a million children,
disadvantaged children, including the children whose mom or dad may be
in prison. There's no question in my mind that if this nation puts
their mind to it, we can surround those little ones with love and
provide a better hope for them.
As well, I am concerned about those who are addicted to drugs, who
fight for their very lives and survival against addiction. I believe
that we can take a approach that focuses on the addict, give that
person a voucher to be redeemed at any program that he or she chooses.
Especially those programs that have got the capacity to change heart
and, therefore, change habit. (Applause.) Congress needs to hear this
call and work with us to facilitate the mentoring and the healing of
those who hurt.
America's religious broadcasters can really play an important role
in this work, and I want to discuss what I think that role can be, and
make a few suggestions today. (Laughter.) Christian media outlets
like yours reach 141 million people every year. That's a huge
audience, and it's a responsibility that I know you take seriously.
This nation has got a lot of wealthy and caring congregations, and
we've got a lot of churches in low-income areas that need help, too.
Your voices reach them all; you can communicate with them, rich and
poor, alike; suburban church and urban church, alike. And you can help
bring them together to serve those who hurt, so we can achieve a more
just and generous society.
It's been said that 11:00 a.m. on Sunday is the most segregated
hour in America. We all have a responsibility to break down the
barriers that divide us. In Scripture, God commands us to reach out to
those who are different, to reconcile with each other, to lay down our
lives in service to others. And He promises that the fruits of faith
and fellowship, service and reconciliation will far surpass the
struggles we go through to achieve them.
Suburban churches are often just a short drive away from brothers
and sisters who are facing great need, and doing God's work. There's
an opportunity here to end artificial divisions and join together in
fellowship and service. There's also an obligation. The poor and
suffering are the responsibility of the whole church, even when they're
not members of any church. (Applause.)
When a suburban church and an urban church become full partners,
great things can happen. Both churches benefit. The Chicago Christ
Church of Oak Brook, and Lawndale Community Church are working together
to serve the sick in Lawndale's health care clinic for the poor. In
Boston, Wellesley Congregational Church and the historic Charles Street
AME Church are creating a new center to boost the reading and computer
skills of Roxbury residents.
Right here on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, in Franklin,
Tennessee, a conversion between an associate pastor of Christ Community
Church and the pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church began a
fellowship that now includes nearly 60 pastors and church members of
all different races and denominations. I know that to be a fact
because I heard them both talk today. (Applause.) Their churches work
together to support a medical clinic for poor children.
A legal office that gives free advice; a New Hope Academy, a
faith-based school where children from different backgrounds study
together, learn the classics together. The inspiration for the church
told me that her hope was to provide a vision for the children -- a
vision that was positive and optimistic and clear. She said, it's one
thing to teach a child to read, but she wants the literate child to see
a better day.
At first, Pastor Denny Denson of the First Missionary Baptist --
Denny is with us, by the way -- was a little wary about how these very
different churches would work together. And here's what he says. He
says: there's some walls still there -- but they're down low enough
that we can just step over them. (Applause.) And then he said this,
he said: we are committed to each other to the end. And the Nashville
area is better off for it.
In all these partnerships lives are lifted up. We see unity and
racial reconciliation. We see faith renewed by its works.
So today I ask you to challenge your listeners to love somebody
just like they'd like to be loved themselves; to remind them that one
person can make a difference in somebody's life; to encourage them, to
mentor; to encourage them to start a ministry, which will find the
children of those who are incarcerated and love them. I ask you to
challenge your listeners to encourage your congregations to work
together for the good of this nation, to work hard to break down the
barriers that have divided the children of God for too long.
(Applause.)
There is no question that we can rid this nation of hopelessness
and despair, because the greatest of America is the character of the
American people. (Applause.) We are a compassionate country, and we
are generous toward our fellow citizens. And we are a courageous
country, ready when necessary to defend the peace.
And today, the peace is threatened. We face a continuing threat of
terrorist networks that hate the very thought of people being able to
live in freedom. They hate the thought of the fact that in this great
country, we can worship the Almighty God the way we see fit.
(Applause.) And what probably makes him even angrier is we're not
going to change. (Laughter and applause.)
We face an outlaw regime in Iraq that hates our country. A regime
that aids and harbors terrorists and is armed with weapons of mass
murder. Before September the 11th, 2001, there's a lot of good folks
who believe that Saddam Hussein can be contained. Before September the
11th, 2001, we thought oceans would protect us forever; that if we saw
a gathering threat somewhere else in the world, we could respond to it
if we chose -- so chose to do so. But that all changed on that fateful
day.
Chemical agents, lethal viruses, and shadowy terrorist networks are
not easily contained. Secretly, without fingerprints, Saddam Hussein
could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help them
develop their own. Saddam Hussein is a threat. He's a threat to the
United States of America. He's a threat to some of our closest friends
and allies. We don't accept this threat. (Applause.)
As a matter of fact, the world saw this as a threat 12 years ago.
Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein was told to disarm -- for a reason:
he's a dangerous man. And he hadn't disarmed. We've tried economic
sanctions; he hasn't changed. Over the years, we've tried limited
strikes against military facilities. It didn't work. We've offered
Iraq the path of voluntary disarmament and inspections. The Iraqi
regime is rejecting it.
Saddam Hussein has broken every promise to disarm. He has shown
complete contempt for the international community. Last fall the
international community spoke, with united voice. It said: this is
your last chance, Mr. Saddam Hussein, to do what you said you would do,
which is, in the name of peace, disarm; destroy your weapons of mass
destruction. The role of the inspectors is not to play hide-and-seek,
in a country the size of California, with 104 people. The role of
inspectors is to verify whether or not Mr. Saddam Hussein is keeping
his word; whether or not he's showing up with his weapons and
destroying them. The weapons, by the way, he says he doesn't have.
My attitude is that we owe it to future generations of Americans
and citizens in freedom-loving countries to see to it that Mr. Saddam
Hussein is disarmed. (Applause.) It's his choice to make as to how he
will be disarmed. He can either do so -- which it doesn't look like
he's going to -- for the sake of peace, we will lead a coalition of
willing countries and disarm Saddam Hussein. (Applause.)
If war is forced upon us -- and I say "forced upon us," because use
of the military is not my first choice. I hug the mothers and the
widows of those who may have lost their life in the name of peace and
freedom. I take my responsibilities incredibly seriously about the
commitment of troops. But should we need to use troops, for the sake
of future generations of Americans, American troops will act in the
honorable traditions of our military and in the highest moral
traditions of our country.
We will try in every way we can to spare innocent life. The people
of Iraq are not our enemies. (Applause.)
The true enemy of the Iraqi people, Saddam Hussein, has a different
strategy. In violation of the Geneva Conventions, Saddam Hussein is
positioning his military forces within civilian populations in order to
shield his military and blame coalition forces for civilian casualties
that he has caused. Saddam Hussein regards the Iraqi people as human
shields, entirely expendable when their suffering serves his purposes.
America views the Iraqi people as human beings who have suffered
long enough under this tyrant. (Applause.) And the Iraqi people can
be certain of this: the United States is committed to helping them
build a better future. If conflict occurs, we'll bring Iraq food and
medicine and supplies and, most importantly, freedom. (Applause.)
As I said in my State of the Union, liberty is not America's gift
to the world. Liberty is God's gift to every human being in the
world. (Applause.) America has great challenges; challenges at home
and challenges abroad. We're called to extend the promise of this
country into the lives of every citizen who lives here. We're called
to defend our nation and to lead the world to peace, and we will meet
both challenges with courage and with confidence. (Applause.)
There's an old saying, "Let us not pray for tasks equal to our
strength. Let us pray for strength equal to our tasks." (Applause.)
And that is our prayer today, for the strength in every task we face.
I want to thank each of you for your prayers. I want to thank you
for your faithfulness. I want to thank you for your good work. And I
want to thank you for loving your country.
May God bless you all, and may God bless America. (Applause.)
END 11:45 A.M. CST
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