The historic Middle Collegiate Church, in the heart of NYC's East Village dates back to 1628 -- and today is as contemporary, dynamic, and progressive a congregation as there is in the country.  The event will kick-off with the church's famous gospel choir -- followed by conversation with Dispatches contributors, including former New York Times war correspondent and best-selling author Chris Hedges; Rev. Debra Haffner, Director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing; Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, Associate Minister for Missions, Social Justice and Community Action at Middle Collegiate Church --  and book editor Frederick Clarkson. The event will be moderated by the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church.

(There will be a video of the event posted later on the church web site.)

Dispatches got a nice first notice from Nathan Riley at Gay City News titled: "The Religious Left's Clear Eyed Vision."  As Riley clearly sees -- you can't read this book and not see a powerful, LGTB friendly progressive religious movement that is well underway, politically savvy, and launching itself in part with this book -- although the book is about much more than that.

For some other takes on the book, check out this recent post at the political blog Open Left; or this mini profile and interview with Dispatches editor Frederick Clarkson (that would be me).

Other prominent contributors to the book include Dr. Marshall Ganz, former top organizer at the United Farm Workers and organizing consultant to national political campaigns who teaches organizing at Harvard's Kennedy School; Rev. Barry Lynn executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Dr. Jean Hardisty, founder of Political Research Associates, and Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change.

Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause, former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, and former ten term member of Congress (D-PA) said:

"If he were alive today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would remind us that we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Consider Dispatches from the Religious Left your briefing book on how and why it is important to be a "courageous leader" in these challenging times."

If you happen to be in New York on Tuesday night, October 14th and would like to find out why Bob Edgar is saying such things, you owe it to yourself to come early -- and get a good seat. (Doors open at 6:30!)

Here are a couple of quotes from the book:

Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United writes:

Federal laws regarding the role of religion in politics must be respected. Advocates of a progressive view of church and state must be careful not to repeat the mistakes of the Religious Right. Partisan politics has no place in any pulpit. People do not attend worship services to get a list of endorsed candidates. Biased voter guides
that attack one candidate and praise another are an abomination. They have no place in our pews. Pastors can discuss issues. They need to refrain from endorsing or opposing candidates from the pulpit or using church resources to help or harm a candidate.

An overriding principle ties together the progressive view on church and state: It is perfectly appropriate, and indeed necessary, for laws to have a secular rationale. This means our nation is legally a secular state. We must not fear this. In fact, we must embrace it. Without the secular state, we are hopelessly at sea. Why? Secularism, despite what the Religious Right would have you believe, is not a corrosive force. It is not an anti-religious force. Secularism mandates neutrality, not hostility, toward faith. A secular government is one that recognizes that it has no religious functions.

Governments that bulldoze churches, ban private worship and arrest clergy are not promoting secularism. They are promoting
hostility toward religion. A secular state allows many religions to flourish. It extends preference toward none but welcomes all. It neither aids nor hinders religion.

Talk to Action contributor Chip Berlet opens his essay:

When I speak in public about my criticisms of the Religious Right, I often identify myself as someone who is trying to help build a Religious Left. A common response to this statement is, "Oh great, that's all we need. Now we'll have twice as many problems." I hope that is not the case, as I don't think additional problems are the likely outcome of attempts to remobilize a Religious Left in the United States.

On the contrary, I have faith that the resurgence of an authentic, politically dynamic Religious Left will be part of a new broad progressive coalition that will help fulfill the long delayed promise of American democracy for all people, especially those who have
historically been oppressed, marginalized, and abandoned by our society.

Throughout our history as a nation, Religious Left activists have been fierce advocates for justice and equality and opponents of unfair concentrations of privilege and power. In addition, they have joined with secularists and civil libertarian religious conservatives to defend our Constitutional tradition of separation of church and state.