This is the fifth and final in a series of roundtable discussions exploring the role of religious congregations and the government in alleviating social problems. This conference will focus on the role of faith-based efforts in child care.
In recent years, a new dialogue has queried the proper roles of faith-based organizations in addressing social concerns and the relationship of government with these efforts. The new dialogue is less ideologically polarized than past discussions, which creates an opening for new departures and an opportunity to heal old breaches. Sacred Places, Civic Purposes, a Brookings Institution Project supported by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts, hopes to provide shape and direction for that dialogue by convening social scientists, policy makers, advocates and practitioners in the worlds of faith and public life.