Faith groups are rallying against the new GOP-led tax reform proposal currently making its way through the U.S. Senate, with some enduring arrest as they urge lawmakers to abandon a bill they say will primarily benefit the wealthy at the expense of vulnerable and low-income families.
On Wednesday, a group of more than 2,400 faith leaders hailing from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, and other faith traditions signed onto a letter addressed to Senate leadership decrying the...
religious-left
Meet the spiritual shepherd of Black Lives Matter
This is the third in a series of profiles examining leaders of what is often called the Religious Left, detailing their origins, beliefs, and tactics. Find the first two here. When Rev. Traci Blackmon took the stage in mid-October at the Prophetic Resistance Summit in Indianapolis, Indiana, she was technically slated to give a “keynote address,” a phrase that brings to mind Powerpoint presentations and break-out sessions. But what she actually delivered to 350-odd clergy was, wel...
Meet the ‘prophets of the resistance’: Faith leaders battle white supremacy and Trump
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA — Bishop Dwayne Royster wasn’t even halfway through his speech, but members of the crowd were already on their feet. With one hand doggedly clutching the wooden pulpit at the front of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, he suddenly threw his other arm in the air as he kicked his message into high gear, working the impromptu congregation into a spiritual frenzy—and a political one.
“We’re not the ‘nice’ faith people!” he bellowed...
Faith groups overwhelmingly condemn Trump’s decision to phase out DACA
When Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that President Donald Trump’s administration would phase-out a program that offers work permits to undocumented immigrants who were bought to the United States as children, he called the move “compassionate.”
Some evangelical groups either supported the president’s decision or mirrored the approach of the National Association of Evangelicals, which did not criticize Trump but released a statement demanding Congress pass legislation...
Thousands of faith leaders descend on Washington to condemn racism and Trump
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thousands of faith leaders rallied in opposition to racism on Monday, marching through the streets of the nation’s capital to commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. — and preach moral opposition to President Donald Trump.
The protest was organized by Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, which called on 1,000 faith leaders to join him in pushing back against racism and Trump while celebrating the 54th anniversary of Rev. Dr...
The black queer Buddhist teacher who is smashing stereotypes and leading an awakening on the left
This is the second in a series of profiles examining leaders of what is often called the Religious Left, detailing their origins, beliefs, and tactics. Find the first here.
Rev. angel Kyodo williams doesn’t like stereotypes.
That’s not entirely surprising, since she also seems to enjoy shattering them. She’s a black queer woman in an American Buddhist tradition often steered by white men; a Buddhist operating in activist circles of mostly Christians and Jews; a...
Faith groups launch major push to stop GOP health care repeal
Demonstrators said Thursday they are acting as the ‘eyes of God.’Faith leaders CREDIT: Biljana Milenkovic/Twitter. Used with permission.
The halls of power are crowded with collars, stoles, and yarmulkes this week, as groups from across the religious spectrum descend on Capitol Hill to make the religious case against the GOP-led effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
As Republican se...
Conservative media sure seems nervous about the Religious Left
For years they dismissed them. Now they can’t stop talking about them.Rev. William Barber II, a key leader of the Religious Left. CREDIT: AP/Chuck Burton
For years, conservatives ignored them. Some dismissed them. Others chided their prayerful efforts as ineffectual or destined for failure.
But this year, right-wing media outlets can’t seem to stop talking about major players in the Religious Le...