The Influence of the Religious Left
by Philip Jenkins
October 23rd, 2007
Damon writes that “As for the religious left, I’d be troubled by it, too, if it had any political influence to speak of. But thankfully, it doesn’t.”
I’m surprised to hear him say this. Just to take one item, I would cite the massive role of African-American churches and pastors in mobilizing the vote in that community, past and present, and of the U.S. Catholic church as a dynamic force in many “liberal” issues, not least over immigration. Also of Catholics in activism among Latino voters. This activism may be less than it was in the 1980s, when the U.S. Catholic church played so vital a role in Democratic Party themes (Central America, immigration, pacifist, anti-nuclear) but it certainly never went away. Neither of those influences (African-American or Catholic) is improper, in my mind, but it is definitely there. No religious left, no Democratic Party vote in many areas.
Liberal churches of various shades, in fact, have long played an important a part in liberal issues — guns, immigration, and now the environment.
