Clarkson's book is a plea for stronger stands against war and for inclusion of the LGBT community, a clear separation of church and state, and stem cell research. The book does not address out criminal justice issues and the war on drugs.

Religion aims to sooth souls troubled by death, help parents pass on moral precepts to their children, create a sense of fellowship through worship, and provide pastoral guidance. To succeed, the religious left should aim for a revival that would lead to its own mega churches, where black, white, and brown, gay and straight, woman and men, native-born and immigrant can worship and share their tribulations.

It will take a generation of preachers to amplify the voices of the religious left. This could be the lasting contribution of an Obama presidency, thousands of voices singing about the love between brothers and sisters and generating a new surge of idealism and compassion.

If peace activists, gay and civil rights leaders, feminists, drug reformers, and other progressives can work with a people driven by a genuine religious fervor, we will be a much stronger force.

I'm not convinced that "the religious left should aim for a revival that would lead to its own mega churches."  Certainly, there are some very large Progressive churches, like Riverside Church in NYC, Glide Memorial in SF and Trinity UCC in Chicago.  But the mega-church model carries some ideology about structure from Rick Warren and other conservative leaders.  We need more healthy Progressive churches, of whatever size.

by Rusty Pipes on Thu Sep 25, 2008 at 07:23:50 PM EST