{"id":546,"date":"2009-07-07T13:38:36","date_gmt":"2009-07-07T13:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html"},"modified":"2009-07-07T13:38:36","modified_gmt":"2009-07-07T13:38:36","slug":"47-national-religious-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html","title":{"rendered":"47 National Religious Leaders (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) Call for Urgent Priority to Health Care Reform–and why I signed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Explanatory Note from Rabbi Lerner: Why I Signed This Very Weak Statement
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On the one hand, I wanted
\nthe Network of Spiritual Progressives to be included in a list of some
\nof the most important religious forces in the U.S. I was honored that
\nwe had been invited to be among them.\u00a0 On the other hand, my requests
\nthat a stronger statement be floated or that the Religious Summit on
\nHealth Care being held today in Washington D.C. include an endorsement
\nof Single Payer (Medicare for Everyone–not just for people over 65)
\nor\u00a0 at least a strong public option that could negotiate lower
\ncosts for drugs from pharmaceuticals and could force insurance
\ncompanies to lower their costs in order to compete with the far more
\nefficient public sector possibilities (already demonstrated by
\nMedicare) <\/b>were met with explanations that the coalition would be
\nnarrower should the statement be stronger, and that in any event the
\n“realities” of “Inside the Beltway” consciousness already guaranteed
\nthat Single Payer was “off the table” and even “public option” might
\nseem Utopian (note the coded message to Congress from Rahm Emanuel
\nyesterday saying that the Obama Administration was willing to give up
\non a public option since that was only one possible way of achieving
\ncost savings, and that “enhanced competition” between insurance
\ncompanies might achieve the same goal). <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My counter argument was
\nthis: Obama loves to find “common ground” among the contending forces.
\nSo if the only voices he hears contending range from centrists who back
\nhis already compromised notions to right-wing forces who oppose any
\nhealth care reform to insurance companies, hospitals and other
\nhealth-care profiteers who seek to weaken any pressure on them to
\nprovide for the common good, of course the outcome will be a compromise
\ntoward the political Right. That’s why the Religious Community has a
\nresponsibility to be a Prophetic Voice, and to insist on the approach
\nthat is most consistent with actually giving “care” the priority over
\n“profits” for the health-care profiteers, and saying that that must be
\nthe principle guiding the health care debate. That would mean endorsing
\nCongressman John Conyers’\u00a0 <\/span>HR 676, The United States National Health<\/em> Insurance Act ,
\ninsisting that the media give attention to the ways that that kind of
\n“single-payer” plan would be both more cost efficient and provide
\nbetter care, and insisting that the discussion be shifted to the issue
\nof care rather than “what will fly in D.C.” which is simply code words
\nfor “what will those Congressional reps who are dependent on the
\ncontributions of the health care industry be willing to allow to get
\nthrough their committees.”\u00a0 In terms of how to have an impact, the only
\nway we can get something close to reasonable (by the criterion on
\nproviding the best care accessible to the greatest numbers) through the
\nCongress is if the White House fights for it, and the White House will
\nNOT fight for that unless they face the pressure for a “care-oriented”
\nproposal rather than a “mollify the health-profiteers” proposal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Why, you might ask, does it
\nhave to be “the religious community” that should take the lead in
\ncreating the more progressive alternative? Why isn’t that already
\nhappening from the liberal and progressive forces? The answer is
\nbecause Obama has organized those forces into a campaign for an already
\ncompromised position without any clear guiding principle other than “we
\nurgently need health care reform”–and that is precisely what is
\nreflected in the statement I signed below. In effect, Obama has cut the
\nground from under the progressive perspective by convincing them all to
\nbe “realistic”–and as a result, he faces no counter-pressure apart
\nfrom the pressures to his ri<\/span>ght.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So then why did I sign? I
\nsuccumbed to the same pressures that have “de-Prophet-ised” the
\nreligious world. “Wouldn’t it be better for the Network of Spiritual
\nProgressives to be represented on this list of liberal religious forces
\nthan for it to be absent?” I asked myself.<\/span> The
\nlure of “inclusion” and “access to the powerful” and “being part of the consensus” seemed attractive, while there seemed to be little to be
\ngained by simply not being on the list–no one would be asking “why
\nwasn’t the NSP part of the statement?” but instead they’d just assume
\n“the NSP isn’t important enough to be part of it. After all, there’s
\nnothing in the statement we disagree with, so why not keep our name as
\npart of the process? ” And this is precisely how the psycho-political
\ndynamics of “lowest common denominator consensus” works, driving
\nprophetic critique out of the discourse and replacing it with the bland
\ngeneralities that will disturb no one\u00a0 that is reflected in the
\nstatement below. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Unfortunately, my
\ndesire to explain to you the behind-the-scenes reasoning is precisely
\nruining our temporary status as “insiders.” The moment I talk like
\nthis, I break the cardinal rule of “inclusion” and “access to the
\npowerful,” <\/span><\/i>namely: <\/span>keep
\nyour prophetic ideas to yourself and never expose the way that
\nfundamental principles are being abandoned for the sake of having
\npower. <\/span><\/u>In fact, it is
\nprecisely the tendency in me to not play by that rule which has kept me
\nfrom being part of the insider-crowd all along. But that is the price
\nof taking seriously that our fundamental commitment is to the God of
\nthe universe (or, for our secular spiritual members, a commitment to
\nthe highest ethical values of the humanist tradition)–and hence our
\nresponsibility is to fight for the full picture of what we need in
\norder to alleviate unnecessary human suffering!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “But wait,” some of our critics will shout out, “don’t you realize that politics is ‘the art of the possible’<\/span> and that you are making the mistake of making ‘the best’ become the enemy of ‘the good-enough<\/span>‘?”\u00a0
\nThis is the standard line of the compromises, and it is based on the
\nfalse assumption that they, the realists, know what is possible. But
\nmy\u00a0 experience as a social change activist for the past 45 years of my
\nlife has taught me the opposite: that one never knows what is possible
\nuntil one struggles for one’s highest vision. And over and over again
\nwhen people struggle for their highest vision, what appeared to be
\nunrealistic and impossible becomes actual and achieved. It is actually
\nthe professional “realists” who don’t understand, or don’t want to
\nunderstand, this essential truth about politics, in part because
\nunderstanding it would push them into having to engage in struggles
\nthaat might alienate them from the forces that are currently powerful,
\nan alienation that would then make them feel that they had lost their
\none claim to “being important,” namely their access to the powerful!
\nBut there is another way to “be important,” namely to <\/span>align
\nyour life with the highest values and deepest truths you know, and
\nfight for them even when doing so risks putting you out of step with
\nwhatever the media, the corporate powers and their allies in
\ngovernment, and the manipulated consensus of public opinion tells you
\nis “realistic.” And that is why, despite signing this statement, I
\ndecided to tell you about why the religious community leaders are not
\nplaying prophetic politics in Washington today, and why, after saying
\nall this, we at the NSP are unlikely to be included in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

–Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun Magazine and Chair, The Network of Spiritual Progressives<\/p>\n

\nP.S.–If you want our voice to continue to speak this level of clarity, please Join the Network of Spiritual Progressives at www.spiritualprogressives.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/div>\n

(we need your financial support) and also check out our new blog at www.tikkun.org– it’s called Tikkun Daily
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

The Statement of the 47 Religious Leaders<\/i><\/p>\n

A MATTER OF HEALTH…A MATTER OF WHOLENESS <\/b><\/span>
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nToday health care reform has become an urgent priority, with many
\nAmericans fearful about the health care they now hold and more than 45
\nmillion lacking coverage altogether. Rising unemployment,
\nunderemployment and a decline in employment benefits have deprived many
\nmore of health care.\u00a0 The health of our neighbors and the wholeness of
\nthe nation now require that all segments of our society join in finding
\na solution to this national challenge.
\n\u00a0
\n“…Learn to do good, seek justice; rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:17\u00a0\u00a0
\n“…Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Matthew 22:39
\n“…Ye who believe! Stand up firmly for Allah, witness to justice…be just, that is next to piety.”\u00a0 Qur’an 5:8
\n\u00a0
\nOur diverse communities of faith -Jewish ,Christian and Muslim- are
\neach shaped and guided by our respective sacred texts which compel us
\nto speak out on behalf of the most vulnerable members of our society.
\nToday that means making comprehensive and compassionate health care
\nreform an urgent priority so that all of our neighbors, especially the
\npeople living in poverty, children, and the aged, can be assured of the
\nfullness of life that is central to the holy vision of a beloved and
\npeaceable community.
\n\u00a0
\nNo longer can we afford to squander the hopes and dreams of the
\nAmerican people through a much-too-costly system that contributes to
\neconomic despair.\u00a0 Families and individuals must be able to rely on
\naffordable care in times of illness or accident and preventative care
\nto safeguard health and well-being.\u00a0 Those who are ill need the
\nassurance that coverage will not be canceled by illness or employment
\ncircumstance. They should also be afforded the dignity of selecting
\ntheir own caregivers.
\n\u00a0
\nToday we pray, each in our own custom, for discernment, boldness,
\nclarity and leadership in each segment of our society so that we may
\nfind the resolve to achieve health reform worthy of this land.\u00a0 As we
\ntogether pursue this vision our direction is certain-it is toward the
\ncommon good.\u00a0 The prospect of high-quality, affordable health care for
\neveryone is a measure of our wholeness as a nation.
\n\u00a0
\nWe pray that our best minds and kindest hearts might be joined in this
\neffort so that all men, women and children will have the health care
\nthey need to live the lives for which they were created.\u00a0 We stand
\nready to give our support and energies to its achievement. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
See\u00a0signatories\u00a0
\n\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\nArchbishop Vicken Aykazian\u00a0
Armenian Apostolic Church\u00a0
President of the National Council of Churches\u00a0
\u00a0
Bishop Wayne Burkette
Moravian Church in America, Southern Province\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rev. Dr. Miriam Burnett
Medical Director
African Methodist Episcopal Church Health Commission
\u00a0
Rev. Jerry D. Campbell, Ph.D.
President
Claremont School of Theology
\u00a0
Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
\u00a0
Margurite Carter
National Board President
Church Women United
\u00a0
Dr. Iva E. Carruthers\u00a0
General Secretary
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference,Inc.
\u00a0
The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane
Episcopal Bishop of Washington\u00a0
District of Columbia
\u00a0
Bishop Ronald M. Cunningham
Ecumenical Officer
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
\u00a0
Amy Echeverria
Director
Columban Center for Advocacy & Outreach\u00a0
\u00a0
Matthew Ellis
Executive Director
National Episcopal Health Ministries
National Episcopal AIDS Coalition\u00a0
\u00a0
Bishop Christopher Epting
Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations
The Episcopal Church\u00a0
\u00a0
Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell\u00a0
Ecumenical Officer\u00a0
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.\u00a0
\u00a0
Rabbi Steve Gutow
President
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
\u00a0
Dr. Richard L. Hamm
Former General Minister & President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US & Canada
\u00a0
Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
\u00a0
Dr. Michael Kinnamon\u00a0
General Secretary\u00a0
National Council of Churches\u00a0
\u00a0
Dr. Ken Brooker Langston\u00a0
Director, Disciples Justice Action Network
Coordinator, Disciples Center for Public Witness
\u00a0
Elaine Lee\u00a0
Vice President at Large
Health Ministries Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
\u00a0
Rabbi Michael Lerner
Rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in San Francisco
Chair of the Interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives
\u00a0
Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner\u00a0
Connectional Presbyter
Presbytery of the Palisades (NJ)
\u00a0
Rev. Michael E. Livingston\u00a0
Executive Director, International Council Community Churches
Immediate Past President, National Council of Churches
\u00a0
Marie Lucey, OSF
Associate Director for Social Mission
Leadership Conference of Women Religious<\/p>\n

Felton Edwin May United Methodist Bishop Retired\u00a0
Executive Director\u00a0
Multi-Ethnic Center for Ministry\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0
Dr. David McAllister-Wilson
President
Wesley Theological Seminary
\u00a0
Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley\u00a0
General Secretary\u00a0
American Baptist Churches\u00a0
\u00a0
Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary
Church of the Brethren\u00a0
\u00a0
Harriett Jane Olson
Deputy General Secretary, Women’s Division
General Board of Global Ministries
The United Methodist Church
\u00a0
Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk\u00a0
Presbyterian Church USA
\u00a0
Rev. Dr. Tyrone Pitts\u00a0
General Secretary\u00a0
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
\u00a0
Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader
Ecumenical Officer
United Methodist Church<\/p>\n

Nancy Ratzan
President
National Council of Jewish Women
\u00a0
Rabbi David Saperstein\u00a0
Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel,\u00a0
The Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center\u00a0
\u00a0
The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
Episcopal Church
\u00a0
Dr. Robert Seymour
Minister Emeritus\u00a0
Binkley Memorial Baptist Church\u00a0
\u00a0
Ronald J. Sider
President
Evangelicals for Social Action
\u00a0
Rev. Dr. T. DeWitt Smith
President
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
\u00a0
Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed\u00a0
National Director\u00a0
Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances\u00a0
Islamic Society of North America\u00a0<\/p>\n

Russell M. Testa
Executive Director
Franciscan Action Network
\u00a0
Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ\u00a0
\u00a0
Daniel Vestal
Executive Coordinator\u00a0
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
\u00a0
Bishop George Walker, Jr.
Senior Bishop
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr. Sharon E. Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada
\u00a0
Dr. Robert Welsh
President, Council on Christian Unity
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada\u00a0
\u00a0
The Rev. David L. Wickmann
President
Moravian Church-Northern Province\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jim Winkler\u00a0
General Secretary\u00a0
General Board of Church and Society\u00a0
United Methodist Church\u00a0
\u00a0\u00a0
Bishop Gabino Zavala
Bishop President
Pax Christi, USA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Explanatory Note from Rabbi Lerner: Why I Signed This Very Weak Statement \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On the one hand, I wanted the Network of Spiritual Progressives to be included in a list of some of the most important religious forces in the U.S. I was honored that we had been invited to be among them.\u00a0 On the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,413,9],"tags":[416,417,418,419,414,415],"class_list":["post-546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-defining-progressive","category-health-care","category-religion-in-the-public-square","tag-health-care-debate","tag-healthcare-reform","tag-religion-and-health-care","tag-religion-in-politics","tag-spirituality","tag-spirituality-and-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n47 National Religious Leaders (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) Call for Urgent Priority to Health Care Reform-and why I signed - Progressive Revival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"47 National Religious Leaders (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) Call for Urgent Priority to Health Care Reform-and why I signed - Progressive Revival\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explanatory Note from Rabbi Lerner: Why I Signed This Very Weak Statement \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On the one hand, I wanted the Network of Spiritual Progressives to be included in a list of some of the most important religious forces in the U.S. I was honored that we had been invited to be among them.\u00a0 On the…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Progressive Revival\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-07-07T13:38:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Lerner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"47 National Religious Leaders (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) Call for Urgent Priority to Health Care Reform-and why I signed - Progressive Revival","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"47 National Religious Leaders (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) Call for Urgent Priority to Health Care Reform-and why I signed - Progressive Revival","og_description":"Explanatory Note from Rabbi Lerner: Why I Signed This Very Weak Statement \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On the one hand, I wanted the Network of Spiritual Progressives to be included in a list of some of the most important religious forces in the U.S. I was honored that we had been invited to be among them.\u00a0 On the…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html","og_site_name":"Progressive Revival","article_published_time":"2009-07-07T13:38:36+00:00","author":"Michael Lerner","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html","name":"47 National Religious Leaders (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) Call for Urgent Priority to Health Care Reform-and why I signed - Progressive Revival","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-07-07T13:38:36+00:00","dateModified":"2009-07-07T13:38:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/#\/schema\/person\/52c3432944575ee5e13094cdaebcf03a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/07\/47-national-religious-leaders.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"47 National Religious Leaders (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) Call for Urgent Priority to Health Care Reform–and why I signed"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/","name":"Progressive Revival","description":"Politics from the New Religious Progressives","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/#\/schema\/person\/52c3432944575ee5e13094cdaebcf03a","name":"Michael Lerner","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/d16\/d167b63732361e254877ef0d083e896ax96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/d16\/d167b63732361e254877ef0d083e896ax96.jpg","caption":"Michael Lerner"},"description":"Rabbi Michael Lerner was a student and disciple of Abraham Joshua Heschel when Lerner studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He earned a ph.d in philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley and a second ph.d in clinical psychology at the Wright Institute. He subsequently formed the Institute for Labor and Mental Health where he did research on the psychodynamics of American politics, and discovered the immense hunger for \"meaning and transcendent purpose for life and work\" that became the hallmark of what he calls \"a poltiics of meaning.\" Lerner founded and is Editor of Tikkun Magazine and Chair of The Network of Spriitual Progressives.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/author\/mlerner"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}