New Spiritual Network Afoot

There is a spiritual network afoot which has a political agenda: The Network of Spiritual Progressives. The NSP’s basic message and plea is that America shift its political, issue centered dialogue from partisan, stereotypical rhetoric to using broad moral values as a framework for reasoned discussion, including: Should we really love our neighbors as our self? Is wealth and power more important than love and peace? Should our bottom line value be profit and self-interest or caring and justice? Do we prefer an ethic of selfishness or generosity?

This movement is being led by Rabbi Michael Lerner who recently convened a national meeting in Washington D.C. which included leaders from all walks of American life. His book, “The Left Hand of God---Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right,” includes a new national agenda called “A Spiritual Covenant with America.” The NSP is an offshoot of the Jewish interfaith movement magazine, Tikkun. Lerner’s national visibility on recent national news shows like Meet the Press, and in other national media recently is testimony to the success of this movement.

In June a new NSP chapter was formed here in Madison and will hold its next membership meeting on Monday, September 25, 2006 at 6:30 p.m. at the Madison Friends Meeting House at 1704 Roberts Court. All are welcome!

I want to share just one example how a value clarification approach to national and world problem solving might work. It appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal’s Opinion page on August 15, 2006: “Internal medicine: How to cure a nation’s culture” by national columnist, David Brooks. In this article Brooks draws from certain cultural east-west value studies in order to better examine this question: “Can another country, presumably the United States, effectively change another culture or country so as to encourage its development and modernization?” Brooks concluded, based on a broad values analysis that it would be foolish to think we can address root cultural differences, and that we need to be satisfied to fight “symptoms” for many years to come.

Why? Because recent studies of cultural transformation now clearly show that such change can not be imposed from the outside but must be led from the inside. Western nations desiring such change in Middle East nations would be more effective spending their resources in helping to raise national literacy indexes than supporting political or military interventions.

I contend, as Michael Lerner does, that such political discussions, when based upon widely accepted moral values, can go a long way toward enhancing our political debate and help to reduce hyperbolic partisan rhetoric. To help promote a more reasoned, constructive and dispassionate political dialogue I urge you to consider joining us on September 25th. (Contact Beth Wortzel at 608-233-0241)