American Prophets

April 6, 2020
In this thoroughly reported and illuminating debut, Religion News Service journalist Jenkins examines issues important to the religious left today. Through a panoply of portraits, Jenkins contends that the spiritual and “moral center” of America can be found within the liberal wing, and he devotes chapters to individual topics, including health care, electoral politics, racism, police violence, immigration, environmentalism, economic inequality, LGBTQ equality, hate crimes, and multifaith work. A particularly revealing section details his reporting on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, where Hawaiian tribal elders successfully protested to halt the environmentally destructive construction of a large telescope. His investigation into Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Ariz., a church that has become a bedrock of the New Sanctuary movement sheltering the undocumented, is also a highlight. This revelatory history about the intersection of progressive politics and religion in America will appeal to political junkies.

The role of the modern "Religious Left" in American politics. Religion reporter Jenkins delves deeply into the origins, activities, and leadership of the Religious Left, a movement he describes as "an amorphous, ever-changing group of progressive, faith-based advocates, strategists, and political operatives." The author highlights the widespread--though not always widely recognized--role that progressive faith communities have long held in political and social causes. Jenkins illuminates these causes through stories of individual leaders of specific movements. After an introductory chapter discussing how faith communities were essential in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the author segues into a discussion of Barack Obama's own expressions of faith in public discourse. He then covers a number of well-known movements from the past two decades and important leaders associated with them. Examples include the Rev. William Barber with North Carolina's Moral Mondays, the Rev. Traci Blackmon with Black Lives Matter, and Sioux activist Chase Iron Eyes with the Standing Rock protests. Jenkins goes on to cover a number of other topics, such as the Religious Left's role in LGBTQ activism, the influence of Roman Catholicism in the environmental movement, and interfaith organizing to support the Muslim community. Beyond providing stories of the Religious Left, Jenkins attempts to determine how it has operated in politics and society. For example, he writes, "to understand the New Sanctuary movement [which advocates for immigrants] is to understand how the Religious Left builds power through a mixture of moral arguments, liberation theology, and the art of protest." Throughout, Jenkins analyzes as well as reports, adding further value to his work. The author has provided a contemporary history that will be useful to students of the intersection of politics and religion in our current era. A well-researched and timely work of journalism geared toward like-minded readers.

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