The recent Sojourners forum was, I think, groundbreaking. True, it was only a beginning, and there is much more to do, but I believe one positive outcome is that it shows there are more than three alternatives: religious right, religious left, and secular left.
I think we all sensed that the three candidates were striving to find higher ground and common ground and creative space beyond the current left-right polarizations where the air is hot and pretty stale.
Sadly, the questions were sometimes relics from the polarized territory - questions about evolution, abortion, and so on. I think what is becoming possible is a new kind of question deeply rooted in faith and values.
For example, maybe we can stop arguing about the origin of species and start concerning ourselves with the extinction of species and the endangerment of species in a world of carbon addiction, habitat destruction, and extraction-economics.
Maybe we can stop arguing about when life begins and start concerning ourselves with what our attitudes should be toward life in all its forms - born/pre-born, rich/poor, citizen/immigrant, and so on.
Maybe we can stop arguing about homosexual legislation and start concerning ourselves with the sexualization of children through exploitive advertising and entertainment, predatory and addictive pornography industries, and sexual slavery.
Maybe we can stop arguing about just war and start imagining how more wars can be avoided through addressing the unaddressed causes of war, and the role of the churches in being true peace-makers and nonviolent justice-seekers.
The forum opened the door to new possibilities, and my hope (and prayer!) is that the news media will explore this new territory with a new kind of questions.
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