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This article argues that thoughtfully approaching contemporary social policy requires critical reflection on the past and specifically examines the historical evolution of theory. It is contended that theory plays a vital role in social welfare by providing helpful representational images, fostering explanations of the evolution of social welfare, and supplying a basis for the formulation of policies and programs. This article discusses a normative theory known as religious traditionalism and considers its relevance to social welfare. A version of religious traditionalism derived from Christian social thought has been important in recent times in shaping social welfare policies in the United States. The article chronicles the historical development of religious traditionalism and its social welfare implications. It examines how secular and religious writers have used Biblical concepts at different times to formulate commentaries on social welfare issues. In particular, it discusses the work of scholars and religious thinkers such as Edmund Burke, the Popes, and the leaders of the Social Gospel movement. It then assesses the contributions of two contemporary American writers, Marvin Olasky and John DiIulio. Attention is drawn to the disjointedness between the contemporary iteration of religious traditionalism and its historical precedents. Interventions grounded in comprehensive Christian social thought, it is argued, would be a departure from recent faith-based policy.
Key Words: religious traditionalism, charitable choice, conservatism, faith-based interventions, social policy
TO ILLUSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY IN CONCEPTUALIZING social policy, I examine the theoretical perspective known as religious traditionalism, to be defined in the next paragraph, and examine its relevance to social welfare in the United States. In particular, I discuss the popularization of Christian social welfare thinking as exemplified in the works of Marvin Olasky and John Dilulio, both of whom have written on social welfare issues and contributed to policy developments such as the compassionate conservativism approach espoused by President George W Bush and the charitable choice provision of welfare reform.
I define religious traditionalism as a normative theoretical approach that invites religious perspectives into the public square, particularly religious perspectives that are perceived to be rooted in well-established historical traditions. Of course, the construct of tradition is open to interpretation, but advocates of religious traditionalism nevertheless believe that their interpretation is legitimated by historically institutionalized practices and by...