Faith-based organizations have a long history of humanitarian assistance and the provision of service to the poor. This history had its roots as far back as Hebrew scripture and monasteries in the medieval period when people sought refuge. This tradition has been evident since those early beginnings in both the United States and Europe. In the immediate post-World War II period, there was a dramatic increase in the number of secular and Christian organizations, created in response to growing humanitarian needs. One 1953 analysis found that fully 90% of postwar relief was provided by religious organizations.1 There are 2 characteristics that set faith-based humanitarian organizations apart from secular humanitarian organizations: (1) they are motivated by their faith and (2) they have a constituency that is far broader than humanitarian concerns. To be a believer implies a duty to respond to the needs of the poor and the marginalized.

The faith-based response eventually gave way to the rise of education, science, and technology as the answers to problems of living being experienced by people. However, this "modern" age witnessed the dramatic escalation of violence, stress, divorce, addiction, and mental illness.2 Now, in this "postmodern" age, there is a renewed expression of need for faith and spiritual answers to life's problems that is changing the face of recovery support services. In some ways, things have come full circle, and faith-based organizations are once again being looked to for assistance in addressing the difficult problems plaguing communities.

This issue has been developed to share some of the many faces of the faith-based service experience, and to underscore the importance of faith and spiritual response to today's issues. A similar sentiment was echoed by Barack Obama during his bid for the presidency when he said, "We know that faith and values can be a source of strength in our own lives. That's what it's been to me. And that's what it is to so many Americans. But it can also be something more. It can be the foundation of a new project of American renewal. And that's the kind of effort I intend to lead as president of the United States."3

Currently, the nation is engaged in a major struggle to shore up its economy and to reign in out-of-control cost for healthcare and corrections, while at the same time seeking viable answers to problems of escalating unemployment, an improved education system, and clean energy. While some of these issues are technical in nature, most have direct social impacts that have seriously outpaced the capacity of available community resources designed to address these issues. The history of humanitarian assistance and service has witnessed the morphing of faith-based services, giving way to "professional and/or medical" providers to address some of the most intractable problems facing communities. Now, we are witness to the return of the faith-based organization as an essential element of a service strategy that requires both the professional and the faith components to effectively deal with the problems presented in 21st-century America.

The articles featured in this issue represent a sample of the diverse faith-based strategies that make up the holistic character of these services that support and complete strategies to involve communities in reinventing and restoring themselves.

Rev. Carmen Warner-Robbins, MSN, RN, MDiv, FAAN

Executive Director/Founder Welcome Home Ministries, San Diego, California

Mickey L. Parsons, PhD, MHA, RN, FAAN

Associate Professor & Coordinator Graduate Admission Program, University of Texas, Health Science Center San Antonio, Texas

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