Progressive Revival

The current criticism of Progressive Revival by Street Prophets at Daily Kos highlights the tension in both religion and politics over who is “progressive enough” in this campaign season. They write that the Revivalists are not “an expression of the Religious left….Tthe people I recognize are really political centrists, and if you count social issues,…

After some major bumps along the way, there is finally a very encouraging sign in terms of the relationship between the historic Obama Presidential campaign and the six million strong American Muslim community.   The Obama campaign has had a complex relationship with Muslims.   Muslims have loved Obama, but for long time the campaign hasn’t seemed…

I just had the huge pleasure of spending three days with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Aspen Institute in Aspen, Colorado, with old friends and luminaries in the Tibet world. A sand mandala (sacred celestial mansion diagram) of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of universal compassion, was created and dissolved. Juniper incense offerings were made,…

There is a new faith movement afoot in the public square, and this new blog is certainly one indicator.  This movement seeks wisdom from the idea of the common good – central to in my Catholic tradition, and many other faith traditions. The first-ever national Convention for the Common Good – now the Campaign for…

As Barack Obama gets closer to his choice of a running-mate, speculation today is focusing on Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, whose allies are letting it be known that he’s being fully vetted as a short-lister.  Kaine’s political strengths and weaknesses are pretty well known.  He’s a very successful politician in a state that hasn’t gone…

Only a few election cycles ago, the trend in the Muslim American community (at least the 2/3rds of it that come from an immigrant background) was to vote Republican.  The argument was that the combination of socially conservative personal values and free-market economic views (many immigrants came to the US as entrepreneurs) made Muslims and…

Over the last quarter century, religious has almost become synonymous with Republican and right wing. Religion has been limited to abortion,  homosexuality and stem cell research.  But that is changing. People of faith are reviving the movements that helped to make America a more just nation–care for the immigrant, the children and those who labor.…

Yet another church shooting, this time at a Unitarian congregation in Knoxville, and yet another chance to ask: Where is the religious community’s voice on gun control? The numbers are staggering: 30,000 Americans die each year from gun violence, but gun control has not emerged as a significant agenda item for faith-based organizations, even though…

One of my mentors once told me that the measure of a religion in a pluralistic society is the breadth and depth of benefits it brings to its non-adherents. It’s a fascinating thought that has kept sparking new thoughts in my mind for many years. I suppose the converse of the axiom would be something…

There are clearly major problems to be considered at this time in US electoral history. the economy, foreign policy, and the blurring of lines between combatants and non-combatants, for instance. But it’s just possible that there are obstacles in the system itself that make those issues difficult to deal with. For instance: When did party politics begin…

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