Religious Dispatches from the Left -- Join Us Tuesday Night in New York City

My regular readers know that the Religious Institute has been calling for progressive religious leaders to understand and articulate sexual justice as part of a progressive religious agenda. We were delighted when Fred Clarkson asked Tim Palmer and I to write a chapter for his new book of essays, "Dispatches from the Religious Left." It's just out, and on Tuesday, October 14th, I will be part of a panel in New York City at the historic Marble Collegiate Church launching the book. There will be a full gospel choir, and I am honored to be among these wonderful speakers. If you're in New York City, it's free and I hope you will join us.

Dispatches from the Religious Left: The Future of Faith and Politics in America
A Book Launch Celebration

Chris Hedges, Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis, Frederick Clarkson, Rev. Debra Haffner, Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou
with music by Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir

October 14, 2008
Doors open at 6:30pm

Middle Collegiate Church
2nd Avenue between 6th and 7th Street50 East 7th Street, New York, New York 10003

On October 14, 2008 at 6:30pm , Middle Collegiate Church, 50 E. 7th Street, will host the book launch celebration of Dispatches from the Religious Left: The Future of Faith and Politics in America-a ground-breaking collection of 19 essays by 22 leading progressive religious figures that seeks to launch a national conversation about how to create and sustain a far more politically dynamic Religious Left in America.

Opening with the soul stirrring multicultural and multiracial 40 voice Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir, this riveting evening of discussion will celebrate the revival of the religious left in America.

Moderated by Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis, author, The Power of Stories (Abingdon Press, 2008) and Senior Minister, Middle Collegiate Church

The panel will feature Dispatches contributors:
Chris Hedges, award winning journalist and the best-selling author of I Don't Believe in Atheists; Rev. Dr. Debra Haffner, Director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing; Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, Associate Minister for Missions, Social Justice and Community Action at Middle Collegiate Church and author of the forthcoming Gods, Gays, and Guns: Religion and the Future of Democracy (Ig, 2009) . Frederick Clarkson, Dispatches editor and author of American Theocracy.

Don't miss this important opportunity to learn about the emerging religious left, and discover how liberal and progressive religious voices can begin to influence the religious and political direction of this country! Let us celebrate. Books will be on sell after the event. As Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell writes in her introduction, "Finally, the Religious Left has found its voice."