About Us

If you’ve wondered what religion and socialism have to do with each other, we hope this site will be useful to you. It is dedicated to people of faith and socialism. As our community grows, we will use it to connect DSA members and to reach out to the larger group of faith-based social justice activists and thinkers. 

HISTORY

The original Religious Socialism was founded by John Cort, a long time Christian Socialist writer and activist as well as co-chair of the Religion and Socialism Commission of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The publication was originally structured as a printed newsletter in 1977 and was in circulation for more than thirty years.

SUBMISSIONS

The new RS is a work in progress. We invite you to join us in making it useful both to people of faith within DSA and to the wider religious left. Be sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and contribute by sending short essays, commentary and articles of interest to via email: [email protected]

Check back every week for a new post.

EDITORIAL GROUP
 
Maxine Phillips
Maxine Phillips is a former co-editor of the print edition of "Religious Socialism" and current volunteer editor of "Democratic Left." She has been an active member of Judson Memorial Church in New York City for more than forty years.
 
 
 
 
 
LaraHokeRS.jpg
Rev. Lara Hoke is the minister of the First Church Unitarian in Littleton, Massachusetts. She believes, as Mahatma Gandhi said, "Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." Lara discovered DSA when she was a student at Harvard Divinity School, taking a course with Cornel West. She is co-managing our Facebook page and our Twitter account.
 
 
 
 Elliot Ratzman
Elliot Ratzman is assistant professor of Religion at Temple University where he teaches courses on race, class, and Jewish politics. 
 
 
 
 
 
Andrew WilkesRev. Andrew Wilkes is the associate pastor of young adults and social justice at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York. An alum of Hampton University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the Coro Foundation's Fellowship in Public Affairs, his writing has been featured in the Washington Post, BET.com, and the Huffington Post.
  
Fran Quigley is director of the Health and Human Rights Clinic at Indiana University McKinney School of Law and a frequent writer about access to healthcare and religious socialism. Website
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
 
 
 Gary DorrienGary Dorrien teaches social ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University. His many books include, most recently, Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit, which won the PROSE Award of the Association of American Publishers.
 
  
 
 Rannfrid ThelleRannfrid Thelle teaches religion at Wichita State University, and is a long time activist in the Norwegian Labor Party and in DSA.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Law WareRev. Lawrence Ware is an ordained minister and serves the Prospect Church as the Pastor of Christian Education. He is a frequent contributor to the publications The Democratic Left, The Huffington Post, and Tikkun.  He has also been a commentator on race for the Huffington Post Live, CNN, and NPR's Talk of the Nation. He has taught and lectured across the country on issues ranging from race to economic policy. The recipient of a number of teaching awards, he is a professor of Philosophy at Oklahoma State University and Diversity Coordinator of its Ethics Center.
 
 
 Cornel WestDr. Cornel West is a prominent and provocative democratic intellectual. He is Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, where he also received his PhD. He is the author of 20 books and is best known for his classics, Race Matters and  Democracy Matters. He recently co-authored a book with Tavis Smiley, titled, The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto. He is also honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America.