This activity is occurring at a time when religious conservatives have gained influence politically and embraced issues that traditionally were championed by the religious left. Evangelicals have made statements on global warming and are working on worldwide AIDS and poverty. While Evangelicals for Social Action has long been active on social justice issues, a much wider group of evangelicals appears to be gaining traction and visibility on a variety of social causes. In addition, issues such as immigration and poverty have drawn religious groups into partnerships across conservative-liberal lines.
Why It Matters
Terms such as values, morality and Christianity have come to be popularly identified with a Republican partisan view in contemporary American politics. More voices, and more prominent voices, are objecting to this association. With Democrats now in control of both houses of Congress, liberal religious voices are pushing for action on issues they care about.
National Sources
ORGANIZATIONS
• Michael Lerner is a rabbi who is editor of
Tikkun magazine and national
co-chairman of the
Network of Spiritual Progressives.
His most recent book, The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from
the Religious Right, was a best seller. Contact 510-528-6250,
rabbilerner@tikkun.org.
• Jim Wallis is founder and editor of
Sojourners and author of The Great
Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America
(2008). Contact through Tim King, 202-745-4636 or
tking@sojo.net
and
media@sojo.net.
•
George Lakoff is
co-founder and senior fellow at the
Rockridge Institute,
which is “dedicated to strengthening our democracy by providing intellectual
support to the progressive community.” It has sponsored conferences for
spiritual progressives. He is also a professor of linguistics at the
University of California-Berkeley and author of Don’t Think of an
Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate – The Essential Guide for
Progressives. Contact
lakoff@rockridgeinstitute.org.
•
Tim Carpenter is
national director of
Progressive Democrats of America,
a co-sponsor of the Conference on Spiritual Activism. It provides links to
chapters across the
country. It’s based in Phoenix, Ariz. Contact 877-368-9221,
tim@pdamerica.org.
• Ron Sider is president and founder of
Evangelicals for Social Action, which has
been promoting social justice issues among evangelicals for more than 30
years. Contact 610-645-9390,
ronsider@esa-online.org.
• Ahmed Nassef is chairman of the board of directors of the
Progressive Muslim Union of North America
and editor of MWU!, an online magazine. The Progressive Muslim Union posts
its
statement of principles.
Contact 646-485-1163,
anassef@pmuna.org.
• Alexia Kelley is executive director of the
Catholic Alliance for the Common Good,
founded in 2005. Based in Washington, D.C., it is “dedicated to defending
and promoting the fullness of the Catholic social tradition in the American
public square” and networks Catholic organizations, community leaders,
scholars and individual throughout the county. Contact 202-822-5105.
• Iva Caruthers is general secretary of the
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference,
founded in 2003 to network the African-American faith community to address
the needs of those it serves. It includes progressive faith leaders from
around the country and is based in Chicago. Contact 773-548-6675.
• Kendra Brodin is administrative director of the
Plymouth Center for Progressive Christian Faith
in Minneapolis. It is sponsoring “Voting Justice, Voting Hope: A National
Symposium on Faith and Politics” April 11-13, 2008. Contact 612-817-9938,
kendrab@plymouth.org.
• Philip E. Jenks is director of interpretation for
Faithful America, an
interfaith advocacy project of the National Council of Churches that is
based in Washington, D.C. Contact 212-870-2228,
pjenks@councilofchurches.org.
• The Rev. Jennifer Butler is executive director of
Faith in Public Life,
which provides organizing and communications resources on issues of justice
and “the common good.” Contact through communications director Katie Barge,
202-481-8147,
press@faithinpubliclife.org.
• William McKinney is president and professor of American religion at
Pacific School of Religion
in Berkeley, Calif. It encourages progressive Christianity through a Web
site, the
Progressive Christian Witness,
and other programs. Contact 510-849-8223,
wmckinney@psr.edu.
• The Rev. Timothy F. Simpson is interim president of the
Christian Alliance for Progress,
which says its mission is to “reclaim Christianity and transform American
politics.” It’s based in Jacksonville, Fla. Contact 888-381-0108.
• Stephen Swecker is editor of
The Progressive Christian magazine. He
lives in North Berwick, Maine. Contact 207-676-9700,
editor@tpcmagazine.org.
• The Rev. Mark Farr is board president of the
Institute for Progressive Christianity.
It sponsors a Web site promoting activism called
CrossLeft. Contact through the
Web site.
INDIVIDUALS
• Robert Jensen is a an associate professor of journalism at the University
of Texas-Austin, where he teaches media law, ethics and politics. He is the
author of the 2009 book, All My Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive Path
to the Prophetic Voice, which recounts his return to church and his
commitment to progressive social activism. Contact 512-471-1990,
rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu.
• Robin Meyers is pastor of Mayflower
Congregational Church in Oklahoma City, Okla., and author of Why the
Christian Right Is Wrong: A Minister’s Manifesto for Taking Back Your Faith,
Your Flag, Your Future (Jossey-Bass, 2006). Meyers gave a
2004 speech
criticizing religious conservatives as un-Christian that became an Internet
phenomenon. Contact 405-842-8897,
rmeyers@okcu.edu.
• Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun, lecturer and writer, has been
especially active on peace issues. She was a guest on an
April 16 Meet the Press panel
about faith and politics. Contact her through
Benetvision,
814-459-5994 or 814-459-0314,
matobin@verizon.net.
•
Tony Campolo has long
been active on social justice issues. He is a professor emeritus at Eastern
University in St. Davids, Pa. Contact 610-341-1722, or through his executive
assistant, James Warren,
jwarren@eastern.edu.
•
Jan G. Linn is author
of Big Christianity: What’s Right with the Religious Left
(Westminster John Knox, 2006) and a co-pastor of Spirit of Joy Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) in Minneapolis. A former college and seminary
professor, Linn calls himself a “recovering fundamentalist” who wants to
reclaim the idea of Christianity as generous, or liberal, and tolerant.
Contact 952-985-0424,
Jan@JanGLinn.com.
• John C. Danforth, a Republican, is a former U.S. senator and U.N.
ambassador. He is also an Episcopal priest. His book Faith and Politics:
How the “Moral Values” Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward
Together (Viking) will be released in September 2006. In the June 17,
2005, New York Times op-ed piece “Onward,
Modern Christian Soldiers,” Danforth called
on Christian moderates to speak out in the debate on religion and politics.
Contact 314-259-2980,
jcdanforth@bryancave.com.
• Leigh Eric Schmidt is a professor of religion at Princeton University and
author of Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality from
Emerson to Oprah (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005), which links American
interest in mysticism and spirituality with political liberalism. He traced
that connection at the 2005 Pew forum “Spirit
Wars: American Religion in Progressive Politics.”
Contact 609-258-5285,
leschmid@princeton.edu.
• Michael N. Nagler founded the Peace and Conflict Studies program at the
University of California, Berkeley, where he is an emeritus professor. He is
the author most recently of The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A
Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families and Our World (Inner
Ocean, 2004), and he is a follower of the Indian meditation teacher Eknath
Easwaran. Contact
mnagler@sbcglobal.net.
• Randall Balmer is an evangelical professor of American religious history
at Barnard College and Columbia University. In Thy Kingdom Come: How the
Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America (Basic, in
press), he blasts “a right-wing takeover” that he says has poisoned public
discourse and distorted faith. Contact 212-854-3292,
rb281@columbia.edu.
Background
• See Beliefnet’s
guide to leaders of the Religious Left.
•
The Religious Left: It Is Fruitful and Has Multiplied
by Steven Waldman was published by Slate on April 5, 2006, and
analyzes factions and priorities among groups on the Religious Left.
• Read the
Rockridge Institute’s report
on its May 2005 online conference of spiritual progressives.
ARTICLES
• Read a
June 4, 2007, Miami Herald story
about the “religious left.”
• Read a
June 3, 2007, Chicago Tribune story,
“Will poverty make a political comeback?”
• Read a
2006 article on
spiritual progressives from Yes! Magazine.
• Read an
essay on spiritual progressives
by Rabbi Michael Lerner in the April 6, 2006, The Nation.
• Read
coverage of the 2005
Network of Spiritual Progressives conference.
• Read former U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth’s June 17, 2005, New York Times
op-ed piece, “Onward
Moderate Christian Soldiers,”
posted by Speaking of Faith.
Regional sources
•
Dan Wakefield is a
veteran writer and Unitarian in Boston whose newest book is The
Hijacking of Jesus: How the Religious Right Distorts Christianity and
Promotes Prejudice and Hate (Nation Books, 2006). Read an
excerpt in the April
24, 2006, issue of The Nation. Contact him through book publicist
Anne Sullivan,
anne.sullivan@avalonpub.com.
•
Ian Markham, dean of
Hartford Seminary and professor of theology and ethics, is co-editor of
Why Liberal Churches are Growing (T. & T. Clark Publishers, 2006).
Contact 860-509-9553,
markham@hartsem.edu.
IN THE EAST
•
Interfaith Impact of New York
is a statewide coalition of congregations and individuals from mainline
Protestant, Reform Jewish, Unitarian Universalist and other faith traditions
that work for compassion and justice in New York state public policies.
Contact executive director Robb Smith, 518-463-5652.
•
Spiritual Progressives of the Hudson Valley
aims to “put values back into progressive politics.” Contact 845-758-4119,
info@spiritualprogressiveshv.org.
IN THE SOUTHEAST
•
Faith and the City
was created to nurture community and shared responsibility in Atlanta. It is
made up of the executive leadership of
Candler School of Theology,
Columbia Theological Seminary, and the
Interdenominational Theological Center,
all in Atlanta, and also works with the Center for Ethics in Public Policy
and the Professions at Emory University. Contact co-chairs James T. Laney
and Andrew Young, 404-523-5554.
IN THE SOUTH
• The Rev. Rebekah Jordan is executive director of the
Mid-South Interfaith Network for Economic Justice,
which partners with people of faith to work toward improved wages, benefits
and working conditions. It’s based in Memphis, Tenn. Contact 901-332-3570.
IN THE MIDWEST
• Formed in November 2005,
We Believe Ohio
includes 100 racially and theologically diverse clergy interested in social
justice. Media contact is Eric McFadden, 614-551-8907,
admin@webelieveohio.org.
• Greg Boyd is senior pastor of
Woodland Hills Church
in St. Paul, Minn., and author of The Myth of a Christian Nation: How
the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church, in which he
says American Christians should seek to build the kingdom of God instead of
building political power. Contact 651-287-2079,
gboyd@whchurch.org.
IN THE SOUTHWEST
• The
Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance,
formed in November 2005, is concerned with social justice and the 2006
election. Contact 214-333-7577.
• Kathy Miller is president of the
Texas
Freedom Network, a
nonpartisan, grassroots organization whose mission is to advance “a
mainstream agenda of religious freedom and individual liberties to counter
the religious right.” Founded in 1995, it is a network of more than 23,000
religious and community leaders. It includes the Texas Faith Network, made
up of 600 religious leaders across the state. Contact 512-322-0545.
IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• Kety Esquivel is
the founder of
CrossLeft, a web-based clearinghouse begun
in the San Francisco area in 2005 for grassroots activism by progressive
Christians. Contact
kety@crossleft.org.
• Daniel Sokatch is executive director of the
Progressive Jewish Alliance, founded in “to
assert an authentic progressive Jewish presence in the campaigns for social
justice in Southern California, home to the nation’s second largest city and
second largest Jewish community.” Contact 323-761-8350,
dsokatch@pjalliance.org.
• Peter Laarman of Los Angeles is executive director of
Progressive Christians Uniting
and an ordained United Church of Christ minister. He is editor of the
just-published Getting on Message: Challenging the Christian Right from
the Heart of the Gospel (Beacon Press, 2006) and knows a lot of other
groups active on this subject. Contact 213-989-1630.
• Fred Plumer, a retired minister, is head of
The
Center for Progressive Christianity, a
web-based network of progressive faith communities. It is based in Gig
Harbor, Wash. Contact 253-303-0022,
fplumer@tcpc.org.
•Jim Burklo is pastor of Sausalito Presbyterian Church and author of
Open Christianity: Home by Another Road, a primer on the progressive
Christian movement. Read his
blog. Contact
415-332-3790,
jtburklo@yahoo.com.
