[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 7 (Monday, February 17, 2003)]
[Pages 179-184]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, 
Tennessee

February 10, 2003

    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 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.

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    Before I came in this hall, I had the opportunity to have what they 
call a roundtable discussion 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, 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? [Applause] Thank you for coming. 
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, 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 roadmap 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]--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 Paulson Brummett.
    It's good to see Michael W. I like a man whose 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.
    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

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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 a 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.
    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.''
    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. 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.''
    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.
    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.
    If a charity's 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. I need to 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 
its religious character.
    What I'm saying is, the days of discriminating against religious 
groups just because

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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. 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.
    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.
    Now, 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 our 
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 an 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. 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 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.
    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.

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    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. 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.'' 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.
    There is no question that we can rid this Nation of hopelessness and 
despair, because the greatest strength of America is the character of 
the American people. 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. And 
probably what makes him even angrier is we're not going to change. 
[Laughter]
    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 
believed that Saddam Hussein could 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.
    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 hadn'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

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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. It's his choice to make as to how he will be 
disarmed. He can either do so--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.
    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. 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. 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.
    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. 
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.
    There's an old saying, ``Let us not pray for tasks equal to our 
strength. Let us pray for strength equal to our tasks.'' 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.

Note: The President spoke at 11:07 a.m. in the Presidential Ballroom at 
the Opryland Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Glenn R. Plummer, 
executive committee chairman, National Religious Broadcasters; Anthony 
T. Evans, founder and president, The Urban Alternative; former Senator 
Phil Gramm of Texas; entertainers Ray Stevens, Michael W. Smith, and 
Sara Paulson Brummett; and President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.