I got an email from Living Liberally, an eclectic and busy network in the US, with a chapter in Auckland and Calgary.

There are several kinds of Living Liberally activities including:

Drinking Liberally – our national network of social clubs

Laughing Liberally – our political comedy project

Screening Liberally – our politically-conscious film series

Eating Liberally – our gatherings of good gab and great grub

Reading Liberally – our book tours of progressive authors

We have also had special events including: Rocking Liberally (music), Singing Liberally (karaoke), Podcasting Liberally (online radio shows),Loving Liberally (Valentine’s Day), Bowling Liberally (better than “Bowling Alone”), Cycling Liberally and more…
And more recently, Crafting Liberally kicked off in New York, and Shooting Liberally invited First Amendment enthusiasts to try their hands at the Second.

Seth is interested in finding Canadians interested in forming Praying Liberally groups.

As you know, progressive ideals are often looked at as opposing religious values, when for many people, these liberal political views stem from a powerful and vibrant faith. On the other side of the issue, many in the progressive movement are quick to put down religion as backwards and hateful, when many of the important steps that the movement has taken, such as the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement were driven by religious liberals.

For both of these reasons we are now working on creating a sustainable, national, multi-faith social network of religious liberals: Praying Liberally.

Like our other chapters, Praying Liberally chapters have weekly, semi-monthly or monthly meetings of local liberals from a wide range of faiths. At these meetings, faithfully-minded liberals could talk politics, say a collective prayer for “the least of these” in our community, our country and our world, and build community to organize around our common causes.

It is most certainly an idea that can take off in the US where a two party system polarizes people. With denominations such as the SBC wedded to the Republican Party, parachurch organizations such as Focus on the Family equating faith (Christian faith exclusively) with Republicanism and religious lobby groups such as The Family Research Council firmly in the Republican pocket, or the Institute of Religion and Democracy set up to undermine mainstream denominations, Praying Liberally groups makes sense.

Sitting here as a Canuck I don’t see the depth of the divides in our Parliamentary system I see south of the border, the either/or; it wouldn’t occur to me The Democratic Party is short of believers.
While there is also a historical denominational divide between liberal (social gospel denominations) and evangelicals, I don’t automatically think, Republican – a right wing Christian or Democrat, a lapsed believer/atheist, despite the messages.:^)

Having said that, is there room or interest in Canada for Praying Liberally chapters?
Given we have more than a two party system and given I have met people of faith in all our political parties, I honestly don’t know. I have never received an email from an Canadian Christian angry at what I express at BDBO. Those angry, scolding emails have come from Republican Christians.

Registered religious parties have not done well in Canada regionally.
I do think our small neo-conservative politically active fundamentalist community in Canada has worked to equate The Conservative Party/Christian, but I don’t think the average voter or person of faith has swallowed their message in significant numbers, except in isolated small pockets across the country.

Would Praying Liberally chapters in cities across Canada be a good idea?
I got a kick out of Sean’s final line in the email:

We were wondering if you, as a religious liberal blogger, or someone you know would be interested in starting a Praying Liberally chapter in Canada or if you had any ideas about outreach or who we should be contacting.

I think I understand some of what he is saying, to US religious readers I must look/read like a religious liberal. I can’t imagine what my mainline friends look like to US readers.
While some progressives in Canada see Christians as backwards, they are few.

There are far more evangelicals in Canada who look and sound like me than the average person would even stop to think about. Evangelical is not a politically loaded word in Canada. Catholic isn’t either in some provinces, I don’t assume a Catholic is going to gravitate toward a certain party. Nor are Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, United, Baptists, Pentecostals, etc.. Calvinist and Armenian bents doesn’t overtly indicate loyalty to one political party unless I’ve missed something. Canadian SBC and Victory Church members may have to vote a certain way to fit in socially to their congregations, but that’s a loose assumption. Many of us are familiar with multi-faith group prayer and don’t see it as threatening.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has a very diverse affiliate/observer page.

To be honest, I think we still have a social freedom from labels a two party system doesn’t. Liberal, progressive ideology doesn’t have wide based negative connotations.
While Canadian neo-conservatives have co-opted the US language to define their political goals, most of that language comes from US based Canadian groups.
I think many adherents/supporters of these US offshoots would be quite comfortable attending a Praying Liberal get together.

I may be looking at this through niave lenses, it has been my experience interviewing politicians that there are people of faith in every sitting Canadian party committed to the well being of their full constituency. I don’t know what party my family, friends and fellow Christians vote for. It’s a none issue. While former Reforms currently sitting in the House may be the occasional exception, Hill or legislature experience has a way of developing pragmatic centrism in some.

If you are interested in starting a Pray Liberally group (or any of the above groups) you’ll get connected to the main site, a blog, assistance setting up your email list, help setting up your chapter (like the Calgary drinking group) resource guides, sample press releases and flyers.

So what do you think?
Check out the Living Liberally website.
The comment section here at BDBO is open, weigh in.:^)