Religion and Public Administration – The Unacknowledged Common (and Competitive) Ground

Abstract

When the soul is neglected … it appears symptomatically in obsessions, addictions, violence, and loss of meaning. – Thomas Moore

Traditional public administration is a function of governance. Tasks should be carried out effectively, and in a way that enhances the sense of community. For social services, meeting the demands of both body and spirit are important. Toward the end of the twentieth century the demands for efficiency, lowest cost provider, and separation of church and state curtailed the public administrator's ability to meet other than needs of the body. Contracting out, often through faith-based organizations, challenges public administrators to meet clients’ needs of the spirit.

Keywords:

• religion,
• governance,
• spirituality,
• community,
• rationality

Notes

13. Data supplied by Lakeshore Mental Health Institute, September 2005

17. Interview with “Jim” by J. Keith Miller on Wrestling with Angels: An Intimate Look at the Tough Questions of Life, Tape 2. Trinity Television; distributed by Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, 1993

18. Justin Humphries, personal statement, October 2003

19. Ginger Butler, personal statement, October 2003

20. Eric Harkness, personal statement, October 2003