The panel discussed the challenges facing faith-based social programs. Is faith the only thing strong enough to counter the urban decay that continues to plague American cities? Not by itself, a group of distinguished religious leaders said last night during a panel discussion on "The Importance of Faith-Based Initiatives." The Steinberg Symposium discussion -- which was moderated by Princeton University Professor John DiIulio Jr., a nationally renowned expert on criminal justice and public policy -- drew more than 100 people to the University Museum's Harrison Auditorium. The event was designed to examine faith-based social programs, as well as practical means for implementing them. Each member of the panel -- which included four religious leaders and a Penn Social Work professor -- gave a 10-minute talk, sharing their goals, perspectives and experiences in faith-based social work. Though men of faith, the panel members emphasized the importance of taking a practical approach to dealing with social problems. "Beneath the radar screen of our ideology is a thing called planet Earth," said Reverend Eugene Rivers III, who runs youth outreach programming through the Ella J. Baker House in Boston, Mass. Reverend Eugene Williams -- a minister for the Los Angeles, Calif.-based Metropolitan Churches -- talked about the need for social programs, emphasizing that "African American youth are extremely vulnerable." The fortunes of the African American community are dependent on the interests of the dominant political establishment, he explained, adding that only when it is beneficial to politicians are the needs of the community given priority. Reverend Dean Trulear of Public/Private Ventures Philadelphia, a social outreach organization, said the characteristics of a successful faith-based social initiative include focused leadership, effective targeting of at-risk youth and collaborative teamwork. Finally, Penn Social Work Professor Ram Cnaan, who introduced himself as "a non-religious person," explained that he conducts studies of faith-based social initiatives out of academic interest. He concluded that "the religious community is the social safety net of this society." The panelists demonstrated their first-hand knowledge of urban social crisis with a number of personal anecdotes. Rivers, for example, told of his experiences in trying to convince college students to venture into the inner city to interact with at-risk youth. As moderator, DiIulio kept the event informal, often cracking jokes to laughter and applause. Commenting that Williams and Rivers share the same first name and hometown, for example, DiIulio remarked that "all good things that happen in youth outreach come from guys from Philly named Eugene." After the panelists finished speaking, DiIulio opened the floor for a question-and-answer session. Fielding a question about practical approaches to collaborative social efforts, Rivers explained that "there need to be strategic partnerships that revolve around the needs of the poor." But he added that good intentions are useless by themselves, saying, "I don't need Tarzan in the jungle. I do need concrete forms of assistance." Audience response was overwhelmingly positive. 1996 Princeton graduate Ricshawn Adkins, a former student of DiIulio, praised "the honest and true struggles of the ministers" to bring substantive change to the inner city, calling the discussion "excellent."