Progressive Faith Blog Con

Progressive religious bloggers came together in a first conference this weekend at Montclair State University in New Jersey. What is progressive religion? How do bloggers contribute to progressive religion? Could bloggers organize in such a way that it actually impacts public opinion? These were some of the questions that were on the agenda.

I found it very interesting to sit with fellow bloggers, and know that there are so many people and organizations participating in this. Blogging, I think, is beginning to emerge as an alternative media. At a time when mainstream media does not reflect many of our values, this may be an imporant medium.

Here are a few people and blogs I particularly appreciated getting to know:
Rabbi Arthur Waskow http://shalomctr.org/ (with whom I work closely)
Bruce Prescott http://mainstreambaptist.blogspot.com/ (Read his presentation on "What is progressive religion.")
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/ (Read her blow-by-blow description of the Blog Con)
http://semitism.net
http://www.islamicate.com
http://www.xpatriatedtexan.com/ (One of the prime movers of this conference together with Rachel -- velvateenrabbi)
http://blog.faithinpubliclife.org/ Faith in Public Life, an organization based in Washington DC provided the organizational resources to get this conference together.

Here's the link a "carnival of blogs" which is a listing of progressive religious blogs
http://progfaithblogcon.blogsome.com/category/carnival/

From this first beginning, I hope there will be ways to organize and co-ordinate the messages and language of the Progressive Faith Blog community -- a hard thing to do since such organizing goes against the grain of the blogging's post modern paradigm.