2013 Presentations (Communicative Events)

Some Thoughts About Regulating Religious Charity

Chopko, Mark E.

Religious organizations appeal to members of the community all the time for financial and other support. The rationale that, by contributing financial and other resources, the community has a residual interest in how the charity itself is organized and operates will, if pushed to its maximum reach, undoubtedly fuel disputes for generations. Although I suspect that however these disputes get framed, the solutions are invariably political and practical, there is a real issue about the kinds and types of regulation to which religious charity can and should be subjected. This essay describes the background, the law, and the practical challenges that result from these contemporary clashes over the regulation of religious charity by the state.