COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Representatives of one of the nation’s largest religious organizations has made it clear that President Bush’s plan to give federal money to church social service programs won’t work if it comes with strings attached.

Bush spoke of a need to take advantage of faith-based services in his recent State of the Union address. Officials of Focus on the Family said federal rules requiring church groups to hire non-believers or people of other faiths would scuttle the plan.

“Due to the dependence we have on Christ to minister, it is imperative that we hire individuals with traditional biblical views, especially of God’s design for sexuality,” said Mike Haley, who runs a Focus on the Family program that tries to “convert” gays to become straight.

Haley and other representatives of the group spoke before a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources.

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), and Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) said it is likely any religious organization that takes federal money to support social service programs will face some review. Hefley noted that more than 100 religious organizations are based in Colorado Springs; across from City Hall, the site of the hearing, a banner of an auditorium read: “Tonight Right to Life Meeting 7 p.m.”

Tom Minnery, vice president of public policy for Focus on the Family, said some states already require faith-based groups that take federal money to hire outside their faiths.

“It’s absurd to believe that a Jewish organization would be required to hire a Catholic,” he said.

Minnery said the Bush policy would not require such breaches of faith. But he said he was concerned that federal funding for faith-based groups will end up needing congressional approval.

“We do not want to have a stream of funding that will subject us perhaps to later strings,” he said.

Officials at the meeting said there was no doubt religious faith can help solve social problems. Haley said one of those problems is homosexuality.

He said “converted” gays are less likely to return to their former sexual practices if Christianity is one of their reasons for changing. “The added forgiveness of Jesus Christ helps,” said Haley, who said he used to be gay.

Ed Anderson, senior vice president for Compassion International, one of the world’s largest Christian child development organizations, also said faith-based social assistance programs are effective.

But he also said his organization does not accept federal money, even though other faith-based organizations are using the funding.