13 Progressive Faith Leaders to Watch in 2013

[cbayer]

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/news/2013/02/27/54730/13-progressive-faith-leaders-to-watch-in-2013/


Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK and a Roman Catholic nun, addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 5, 2012.

By Jack Jenkins, Eleni Towns, and Catherine Woodiwiss | February 27, 2013

2012 was a pivotal year for the progressive faith movement. While political and theological conservatives suffered a series of strategic defeats at both the state and federal level, religious progressives across the country organized to meet the challenges of poverty, climate change, and voter disenfranchisement, among other issues.

In the midst of this political shift, innovative progressive faith leaders and activists from a variety of religious backgrounds rose to prominence in 2012. As we look at this year—where debates over gun-violence prevention, immigration, marriage equality, and climate change are heating up—the Center for American Progress’s Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative has compiled a list of the 13 progressive faith leaders who we expect will take the lead on these and other issues in 2013.

1. Sister Simone Campbell—executive director of NETWORK, as well as a Roman Catholic nun, lawyer, and poet—made headlines in 2012 when she catapulted NETWORK, a Catholic social justice lobby, into the national spotlight. After Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) attempted to tie his Catholic faith to slashing social services in his House budget proposal, Campbell challenged his claim and took NETWORK’s message of economic justice on the road. She led the multistate “Nuns on the Bus” tour that decried Rep. Ryan’s “immoral” budget cuts and visited faith-based charities relying on government support to help the poor and vulnerable. Campbell reiterated this call for economic justice during an impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention, inspiring a nationally televised audience and garnering a standing ovation from convention attendees. Campbell’s voice on economic justice and the critical protection of social services has inspired a chorus of support and is changing the national conversation on economic inequality. Be on the lookout for her trailblazing advocacy again this year.

2. Richard Cizik—president of the New Evangelical Partnerships for Common Good and former vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals—made waves in 2012 for leading a groundbreaking effort to strengthen support among evangelicals for family planning. The partnership encouraged church leaders to address the issue within their congregations, issuing a document titled “Call to Christian Common Ground on Family Planning, and Maternal, and Children’s Health.” The document affirmed the use of contraceptives as a “responsible and morally acceptable” means to ensure the health of a woman and her children; addressed the financial struggles women face in accessing health insurance and reproductive health services; and highlighted the positive impact of providing federal funding for health clinics that offer essential services to women and their children. Given the fierce opposition of many conservatives to providing access to contraceptive coverage in employee insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, Cizik’s efforts to showcase evangelical leaders standing up for the morality of contraception will be crucial to reproductive-justice advocates in 2013. Keep an eye out for Cizik’s leadership as this debate continues.

more at link

[hrmjustin]

1. I have met met Father Hall.

5. Very Rev. Gary R. Hall—an Episcopal priest and dean of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.—is becoming a leader of faith-led support for gun-violence prevention. In the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Hall declared in a sermon that, “The gun lobby is no match for the cross lobby” and has joined with other faith leaders to keep attention on the issue and to urge lawmakers to pass sensible, effective legislation. As an advocate for social justice, Hall is taking up other challenging issues as well: He recently championed the National Cathedral’s decision to begin performing same-sex marriages and instituted the use of the Episcopal Church’s new rite for same-sex blessings at National Cathedral services. As the debates over gun-violence prevention and marriage equality continue, expect Hall to keep lifting his voice in support of the gay and transgender equality, gun-violence prevention, and other pressing issues.


He is already making waves at the Cathedral and I love it.

[cbayer]

2. Great choice for the cathedral. It is delightful to see progressive people of faith taking it back.