Voices of the Religious Left
Published on 24. May 2000
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-56639-757-5 (ISBN)
Description
What has happened to the religious left? If there is a religious left, why don't we hear more about it? The academics and activists who write this rich volume, edited by Rebecca Alpert, argue passionately on topics that concern all of us. Quoting from the Bible, the Torah, the Qur'an, the teachings of Buddha, as well as Native American folklore, they make the voices of the religious left heard -- teaching lessons of peace and liberation. As this invaluable sourcebook shows, the religious left is committed to issues of human rights and dignity. Answering questions of identity and ideology, the essays included here stem from the \u0022culture wars\u0022 that have divided orthodox and liberal believers. Responding to the needs of and raised by marginalized social groups, the writers discuss economic issues and religious politics as they champion equal rights, and promote the teaching of progressive vision. Containing insightful perspectives of adherents to many faiths, Voices of the Religious Left makes it clear that there is a group dedicated to instilling the values of justice and freedom. They are far from silent. All of the essays in this collection \u0022...represent the power of the written word as a vehicle for advocacy and social change.
..It is my hope that the readers of these essays will themselves feel compelled to think more about the importance of taking a stand on issues from religious perspectives, and to act on something that compels them.\u0022 --Rabbi Rebecca Alpert
..It is my hope that the readers of these essays will themselves feel compelled to think more about the importance of taking a stand on issues from religious perspectives, and to act on something that compels them.\u0022 --Rabbi Rebecca Alpert
Reviews / Votes
"...chock-full of politically engaged, theologically and textually grounded essays... Many of the essays also provide serious spiritual ammunition... Voices illuminates the ways some people have taken their sense of religious duty out into a broken world and infused their in-the-trenches tikkun olam with a relationship to the bigger picture. The magic here is both in the details and in the sweeping sense that we are all, in fact, working toward the same goals from, as somebody once said, a thousand points of light. Until we can get there, Voices of the Religious Left offers indispensable, high-octane edification and inspiration-just what we'll need along the way." -Danya Rutttenberg, LILITH "Alpert's collection is of genuine service for understanding and engaging with contemporary perspectives of 'the religious left'..." -Nova Religio "This book does a fine job of showing how the religious left can be part of religious belief, including for those who, for the most part, adhere to fairly traditional religious beliefs." -Journal of Church and StateMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Philadelphia PA
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 253 mm
Width: 179 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
544 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-56639-757-5 (9781566397575)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Rebecca T. Alpert is Assistant Professor of Religion and Women's Studies, Temple University. She is the author of Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition, and the co-author of Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach.
Content
CONTENTS Introduction -- Rebecca T. Alpert Part One: Making Progressive Religious Theology / Warrant for Progressive Religious Thought and Action "Renewing the Heart of Faith," Jim Wallis "Womanist Theology: Black Women's Voices," Delores Williams "Theology as Public Responsibility," Richard A. McCormick and Richard P. McBrien "Reflections from a Latin American Theologian," Gustavo Gutierrez "Canaanites, Cowboys, and Indians: Deliverance, Conquest, and Liberation Theology Today," Robert Allan Warrior "Re-imagining God: Reflections in Mirrors, Motheroot, and Memory," Rita Nakashima Brock "Martin Luther King and the Future of America," Vincent Harding Part Two: Focusing on the Issues 1. Though suffering is limitless, I vow to end it "The Skewing of America: Disparities in Wealth and Income," Ron Pasquariello "Poverty, Women, and Reproduction: Welfare Reform and Social Justice," Catholics for a Free Choice (policy statement) "Jews, Money, and Responsibility," Lawrence Fush and Jeffrey Dedro "Options of the Poor: Preference or Platitude?" Thomas J. Paprocki 2. The Earth is the Lord's "The Greening of Buddhist Practice," Kenneth Kraft "The Theological Basis of Animal Rights," Andrew Linzey "From Compassion to Jubilee" 3. My Brother's Keeper "Aparteid as Idolatry," James H. Evans "Passover and the Palestinians," Arthur Waskow "The Martyr's Living Witness," Daniel Berrigan "Back to the Dust: How I Rediscovered the Power of Scriptures," Barbara Holmes "Catholics and Colonialism: The Church's Failure in Rwanda," Todd Salzman 4. Proclaim Liberty "Full Circle of Liberation: An American Indian Theology of Place," George Tinker "The Upward Mobility of the Gospel," Helen Prejean "Between Frick and Steel," Mumia Abu-Jamal "Release the Prisoners," Elizer Valentin-Castonon "Free Speech in Pauline Political Theory," David Fredrickson 5. Neither Male nor Female "The Worth of a Woman," Laila Al-Marayati "Violence Against Women: The Theological Dimension," Mary Pellauer "Coming to Terms with Leviticus," Rebecca Alpert "Homosexuality: Challenging the Church to Grow," John McNeill "Searching Scripture for a Model of the Family," Rosemary Radford Ruether "The New York Times Ad: A Case Study in Religious Feminism," Mary Hunt and Frances Kissling "Anti-abortion / Prochoice: Taking Both Sides," Helen Tworkov Part Three: Building Bridges; Know one another "Difference is No Excuse for Hatred," Diana Eck "American Christians, Jews, and Muslims Working Together for Middle East Peace," Ronald Young "Reconsidering Christopher Columbus and the Recovery of a Biblica Theology Mission," Wi Jo Kang "The Church's False Witness Against the Jews," Carl Evans "Arena for Interaction," Lee Ranck