Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Progressive & Religious Reads: Six for the Summer
Summer is well under way, and we are fortunate to have a number of great books out that will feed the mind and the soul and make great additions to the beach bag or day pack. We've picked a handful of our recent favorites below (listed in alphabetical order by author).
In the same spirit as Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work The People's History of the United States, Butler Bass's A People's History of Christianity brings to life the movements, personalities, and spiritual disciplines that have always informed and ignited Christian worship and social activism.
Currently: $14.98 Buy Now at Amazon
David Gushee argues convincingly that there is in U.S. politics an evangelical center of voters who do not identify with the politics and religion of either the right or the left. He suggests that the evangelical center is poised for growth; this book could be its manifesto.
Patal is the founder of the Interfaith Youth Core, an organization that unites young people of different religions to perform community service and explore their common values. Patel argues that such work is essential, manifesting the faith line that will define the 21st century.
The only fiction book on our list, but a beautiful companion piece to her prize-winning novel Gilead. Home is a moving and healing book about families, family secrets, and the passing of the generations, about love and death and faith. In the tradition of George Eliot, Robinson has earned the reputation of being not only one of our generation's best writers but also one of our most insightful theologians.
Currently: $17.04 Buy Now at Amazon
This groundbreaking anthology features over 35 articles on a wide range of social justice topics by leading and emerging Jewish intellectuals, activists, and communal leaders. It provides a set of intellectual and spiritual resources to encourage a sophisticated conversation about Judaism, social justice, and environmental responsibility.
For members of the PRR community, Rowman & Littlefield has issued a special sales code. To buy the book at this sale price, click here, and enter promotion code "4S9JONE50" at checkout.Feel free to forward this along to friends and colleagues.
List Price: $24.95
Labels: book review, book salon, progressive religion, progressive religious voices
Monday, April 13, 2009
Continue reading the full article from The Oregonian here.Religious Progressives find new acceptance
by George Rede
Judging from recent headlines, you might think conservatives have a lock on religion. Whether the topic is same-sex marriage, stem cell research or President Barack Obama’s invitation to speak at Notre Dame’s commencement, the same sources from the religious right get top billing.
What’s going on? Robert P. Jones, a professor and ordained minister, has an idea.
Last month at Portland’s Lewis & Clark College, Jones talked about his new book, “Progressive & Religious: How Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist Leaders Are Moving Beyond the Culture Wars and Transforming American Public Life” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008).
In the book, Jones cuts through the assumption that religion in America — and religious politics — are the domain of the religious right. (Think Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority; Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition; James Dobson and Focus on the Family. Recall their efforts to legislate morality on issues of abortion, sex education and gay rights.)
In reporting these hot-button issues, Jones found, the mainstream media fell into the trap of presenting a distorted picture, virtually defining religion and the public square in conservative terms. Jones’ research shows that for every progressive voice cited in the news media, three conservative religious voices were quoted.
That doesn’t match reality. After all, 14 percent of Americans define themselves as religious progressives versus 15 percent who self-identify as religious conservatives, according to the 2009 American Religious Identification Survey.
Jones spent three years crisscrossing the country doing 96 interviews with progressive religious leaders representing Christianity (both mainline and evangelical Protestant), Judaism (Reform) and Islam. From those interviews, several themes emerged: an emphasis on social justice, a fundamental belief in humanity, a vision for America as a more generous country, an active role in community organizing — plus a conviction that “truth” isn’t the exclusive realm of religious conservatives…
You can also read a longer piece on Progressive & Religious by George Rede, Sunday Opinion Editor for the Oregonian, here.
Progressive & Religious is 50% off in April. Rowman & Littlefield has made my book available at the best price so far ($12.48 for hardcover, expires 4/27). To buy the book at this sale price, click here, and enter promotion code “4S9PROG50″ at checkout.
Labels: book review, progressive and religious
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wanted to flag for everyone in the Progressive & Religious community a new book and another important contribution by Diana Butler Bass.Gifted historian Diana Butler Bass has a knack for bringing back into focus ignored or forgotten parts of the story of Christianity. Just over two years ago, she gave us Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith, the story of much-ignored mainline Protestant congregations that were defying stereotypes and thriving by combining traditional worship practices with social engagement.
In her latest book, she gives us an accessible and much-needed reminder of the dynamic--and often contested--nature of lived Christianity as expressed both in the lives of its people and its institutions. In our times, when churches are wrestling with a variety of issues that challenge the orthodoxies of the past, the reminder that the traditions we take for granted today represent the outcomes of struggles from the past is invaluable. This modest but powerful insight, brought home through lively examples, has the potential to humanize current debates. It moves the question from, "What was the winning argument from the past?" to "What does faithfulness for our time require?" While seminary courses delve into the material covered here, Bass makes it accessible. The importance of these insights and the accessibility of this book make it a major contribution.
Labels: book review, Christian, church
