Progressive US Christians to mount challenge to religious right
-11/01/06
The first maj
Progressive US Christians to mount challenge to religious right
-11/01/06
The first major summit of progressive Christian leaders is to launch a Christian movement next month ‘capable of confronting the religious right on theological grounds’.
CrossLeft.org has revealed that San Francisco will be the venue for the national gathering of progressive Christian groups at the beginning of February.
The meeting follows interfaith conferences in Berkeley and Washington last year, and more recently, an attack on a ‘morally corrupt’ Budget by Jim Wallis of Sojourners in Washington DC.
The groups will meet to discuss their common agenda for fighting against poverty, racism, political corruption, and economic injustice.
The Rev. Jim Burklo, California pastor, TCPC Executive Council member and author of ‘Open Christianity’ who will be in attendance, argues that the Christian agenda need not be politically conservative.
ìWe look forward to this summit of leaders who are working together to change the dominant paradigm,î he said.
The summit will be the first to bring geographically dispersed progressive Christian groups together as peers under one umbrella and will allow progressive Christians to forge a common strategic plan nationwide.
Reverend Peter Laarman, Executive Director of Progressive Christians Uniting has suggested that the time is right to “create stronger synergies and clearer common messages” amongst Christians who want to stand up to the dominance of the religious right.
Leaders will discuss their plans for a progressive Christian presence in 2006 and beyond, planning to collaborate on a massive campaign of media events, conferences, and marches.
Kety Esquivel, Executive Director of CrossLeft, points to history: ìThe progressive Christians who preceded us — the abolitionists, the suffragists, the Civil rights movement ñ knew how to harness fellowship towards political change It’s time we come together to build a movement,î she said.
Participants will also discuss the online presence of progressive Christianity, and the need for progressive Christian think tanks, educational institutions, and political lobbies.
The movement is already looking around the world for models best practice to draw from. The UK Christian thinktank Ekklesia has been amongst those invited to participate in discussion about how the movement might be taken forward.
ìIn the struggle for the global future, the movement that organizes, builds institutions, networks, harnesses technology, and converts more hearts, wins,î says Joanna Guldi, Communications Director for CrossLeft.
“Progressives have a battle to fight for the soul of America, and the stakes are the culture of life against the culture of blind greed.”
Leaders from Sojourners, The Center for Progressive Christianity, Progressive Christians Uniting, CrossWalk America, the Christian Alliance for Progress, Clergy Strategic Alliances, LLC, Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing, the Faith and Public Life Resource Center, Protestants for the Common Good and Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq will all join bloggers and church leaders at Holy Innoccents Church in San Francisco for the meeting 4-5 Feb 2006.
Progressive US Christians to mount challenge to religious right
-11/01/06
The first major summit of progressive Christian leaders is to launch a Christian movement next month ‘capable of confronting the religious right on theological grounds’.
CrossLeft.org has revealed that San Francisco will be the venue for the national gathering of progressive Christian groups at the beginning of February.
The meeting follows interfaith conferences in Berkeley and Washington last year, and more recently, an attack on a ‘morally corrupt’ Budget by Jim Wallis of Sojourners in Washington DC.
The groups will meet to discuss their common agenda for fighting against poverty, racism, political corruption, and economic injustice.
The Rev. Jim Burklo, California pastor, TCPC Executive Council member and author of ‘Open Christianity’ who will be in attendance, argues that the Christian agenda need not be politically conservative.
‘We look forward to this summit of leaders who are working together to change the dominant paradigm,’ he said.
The summit will be the first to bring geographically dispersed progressive Christian groups together as peers under one umbrella and will allow progressive Christians to forge a common strategic plan nationwide.
Reverend Peter Laarman, Executive Director of Progressive Christians Uniting has suggested that the time is right to “create stronger synergies and clearer common messages” amongst Christians who want to stand up to the dominance of the religious right.
Leaders will discuss their plans for a progressive Christian presence in 2006 and beyond, planning to collaborate on a massive campaign of media events, conferences, and marches.
Kety Esquivel, Executive Director of CrossLeft, points to history: ‘The progressive Christians who preceded us — the abolitionists, the suffragists, the Civil rights movement – knew how to harness fellowship towards political change It’s time we come together to build a movement,’ she said.
Participants will also discuss the online presence of progressive Christianity, and the need for progressive Christian think tanks, educational institutions, and political lobbies.
The movement is already looking around the world for models best practice to draw from. The UK Christian thinktank Ekklesia has been amongst those invited to participate in discussion about how the movement might be taken forward.
‘In the struggle for the global future, the movement that organizes, builds institutions, networks, harnesses technology, and converts more hearts, wins,’ says Joanna Guldi, Communications Director for CrossLeft.
“Progressives have a battle to fight for the soul of America, and the stakes are the culture of life against the culture of blind greed.”
Leaders from Sojourners, The Center for Progressive Christianity, Progressive Christians Uniting, CrossWalk America, the Christian Alliance for Progress, Clergy Strategic Alliances, LLC, Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing, the Faith and Public Life Resource Center, Protestants for the Common Good and Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq will all join bloggers and church leaders at Holy Innoccents Church in San Francisco for the meeting 4-5 Feb 2006.