John McCain campaigned on law and order issues in Indiana.

Los Angeles Times

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Stepping into the thorny territory of church-state relations, Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday called for more federal dollars devoted to faith-based organizations that work with the poor.

Obama, a former community organizer, toured the Eastside Community Ministry, an arm of Central Presbyterian Church, which operates a food bank and provides other services for the poor.

“As I’ve said many times, I believe that change comes not from the top down, but from the bottom up, and few are closer to the people than our churches, synagogues, temples and mosques,” the likely Democratic presidential nominee said.

“The challenges we face today -- from saving our planet to ending poverty -- are simply too big for government to solve alone,” he said. “We need all hands on deck.”

On Monday, Obama began a week of focusing on values by speaking about patriotism. Tuesday, he explored his relationship to religion, an area that created problems during the primary after his former pastor made disparaging comments about the United States.

“I didn’t grow up in a particularly religious household,” Obama said. “But my experience in Chicago showed me how faith and values could be an anchor in my life.

”And in time, I came to see my faith as being both a personal commitment to Christ and a commitment to my community; that while I could sit in church and pray all I want, I wouldn’t be fulfilling God’s will unless I went out and did the Lord’s work,“ he said.

Obama’s outlined proposals including a new Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and $500 million a year to fund summer teaching programs. Obama’s proposals would also allow religious charities that receive federal funding to consider religion in employment decisions, and that could create some problems for those who support a sharper divide between church and state. The Illinois senator said he was aware of the issues but insisted his plans would satisfy both ends of the political spectrum.

“Make no mistake, as someone who used to teach constitutional law, I believe deeply in the separation of church and state, but I don’t believe this partnership will endanger that idea -- so long as we follow a few basic principles,” Obama said.

While Obama focused on religion, his likely Republican opponent campaigned on law-and-order issues in Indianapolis before embarking on a trip to Latin America.

John McCain took a tough stand in a speech at the National Sheriffs’ Association’s 68th annual conference, where he insisted that his criminal justice policies would also make available resources needed for law enforcement.

“In all of criminal justice policy, we must put the interests of law-abiding citizens first -- and above all the rights of victims,” McCain said. “We must give active support to officers of the peace across America, by providing the tools you need to meet new dangers.”

McCain also emphasized the need to appoint judges with “a proven record of excellence in the law, and a proven commitment to judicial restraint. They will be the kind of judges who believe in giving everyone in a criminal court their due: justice for the guilty and the innocent, compassion for the victims, and respect for the men and women of law enforcement.”