There was a time, not so long ago, that religious progressives were told by Beltway Insiders to, well, shut-up about matters of sexual and reproductive justice. A faux religious left had been manufactured that would handle this, thank you very much. But as it turned out, many of us would not be silenced. Time went on, and progressives at the historic Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) began to find their voices for reproductive justice as never before, focusing less on Washington-based "God talk" and more on living out their values via organizing and empowerment in the great tradition of religious social justice that was so integral to progressive advances in the 20th century.
The Christian Right has, of course, been very effective in the electoral arena for decades. And this year is unlikely to be an exception. It is long past time that religious progressives who support reproductive rights, LGTB civil rights, and separation of church and state get better organized. This was one of the main arguments of my 2008 book, Dispatches from the Religious Left.
And now it seems it is starting to happen.
I can't speak to everything that RCRC is doing, but voter participation has clearly been integrated into their organizing capacity. One result this election eve, is a new short video featuring progressive religious leaders you may never have heard of -- who but deserve a hearing.
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