ABSTRACT
The term “faith-based organization” sprung into the public lexicon in the mid-1990s and has gained increasing attention since then. It is a term of art that came into prominence during the welfare reform debates of 1996 and was a focal point for former President Bush's domestic policy agenda. Relatively little was known about the involvement of faith-based organizations in the delivery of social services when the initial legislation, called Charitable Choice, was introduced. But over the years, a growing number of studies have explored the capacity and service delivery modes of faith-based groups and their relationship with government. This entry provides an overview of that literature and the controversies that surround this policy approach.
