Progressive & Religious

How Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist Leaders are Moving Beyond Partisan Politics and Transforming American Public Life

Robert P. Jones

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Year: 2008
• eBook ISBN: 9780742565500
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Theology & Religion

In recent years, Americans have become frustrated with the troubled relationship between religion and politics: an exclusive claim on faith and values from the right and a radical divorce of faith from politics on the left. Now a new generation of religious leaders is re-envisioning religion in public life, leading grassroots movements to go beyond partisan politics to work for a more just and inclusive society. Progressive & Religious tells the dynamic stories of these leaders.

Through nearly 100 in-depth interviews with Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist leaders, this book explains how they are tapping the deep connections between religion and social justice to work on issues like poverty and worker's rights, the environment, health care, pluralism, and human rights. Interviewees include David Saperstein, Michael Lerner, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Feisal Abdul Rauf, Eboo Patel, Kecia Ali, Lama Surya Das, Robert Thurman, and E. J. Dionne.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction Moving beyond the Culture Wars: Finding Progressive Religion in America
• Chapter 1 Lifting the Line of History: How Progressive Jews Are Healing the World
• Chapter 2 More Truth Breaking Out: How Progressive Christians Are Seeking the Reign of God on Earth
• Chapter 3 Knowing One Another: How Progressive Muslims Are Fostering Justice, Beauty, and Pluralism
• Chapter 4 Just Sitting Down: How Progressive Buddhists Are Being Peace and Embodying Justice
• Conclusion Progressive & Religious: The New Face of Religion in American Public Life
• Interviewees
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author