The Religious Left - by Robert Wuthnow (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book describes the progressive religious advocacy hubs, organizations, and networks that oppose the Religious Right; it examines the key issues that these groups address, including immigrant rights, gun reform, reproductive rights, and economic justice, and discusses their strengths and limitations"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

An incisive examination of progressive faith-based activism and its impact on American public life

While the Religious Right often dominates headlines, the Religious Left has been a persistent and influential force in shaping public policy across a wide spectrum of issues--from immigration and climate change to gun reform, marriage equality, and criminal justice. Despite its lower visibility, its contributions have been substantial, though not always successful.

In The Religious Left, Robert Wuthnow offers a compelling analysis of progressive religious activism over the past 25 years. Drawing on policy documents, denominational reports, and public testimony, he highlights the work of key leaders and organizations operating largely behind the scenes. The book places contemporary efforts in historical context, tracing their roots to the Social Gospel movement of the nineteenth century and examining how strategies and priorities have evolved.

Through in-depth case studies of nine major issues, Wuthnow assesses the strengths and limitations of the Religious Left's approach to advocacy. He offers thoughtful recommendations for faith leaders and congregations seeking to engage more effectively in progressive activism--especially at a time when democracy itself is embattled.

Review Quotes

"Rigorous... a sweeping overview of the religious left over the past 25 years."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Uniquely equipped, and ready as always to explain contemporary trends through judicious study of the recent past, esteemed sociologist Robert Wuthnow uses the pages of this highly accessible, illuminating book to remind us that matters of faith continue to animate the entire spectrum of American civic life. In a moment when the literature--like the political climate as a whole--seems consumed by the workings of the religious right, he carefully unveils the manifold ways that the religious left has also stamped its influence on this century's political landscape, with noted failings, vulnerabilities, and successes along the way. A window onto our fraught times, when Washington seems free to weaponize religion according to its whims, Wuthnow's treatise is also an inspiring glimpse at how people of faith can and do continue to speak truth to power."--Darren Dochuk, author of Anointed With Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America

"Written by one of the keenest observers of American religion, this book provides an illuminating roadmap of the religious left's involvement in nearly every major social issue in recent years. With astute attention to organizational strategy, the book makes a case for the continuing significance of faith-based progressive advocacy in an often-inhospitable social environment."--Brian Steensland, Indiana University Indianapolis

"Those of us who miss the Religious Left have looked for it in the wrong places, mistaken its metamorphosis for extinction, and become fixated on the movement that eclipsed it on the nightly news. Wuthnow's superb new book sets us straight."--Jeffrey Stout, author of Blessed Are the Organized: Grassroots Democracy in America

About the Author

Robert Wuthnow is the Gerard R. Andlinger '52 Professor of Professor of Sociology Emeritus and former director of the Princeton University Center for the Study of Religion, and author/editor of more than three dozen books including After Heaven: Spirituality in America Since the 1950s and Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy. He is a past President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and of the Eastern Sociological Society.