Lerner, Michael P. 1943–

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Lerner, Michael P. 1943–

(Michael Phillip Lerner)

PERSONAL:

Born February 7, 1943, in Newark, NJ; married Theirrie Cook (an activist); children: Akiba Jeremiah. Education: Columbia University, A.B., 1964; University of California, Berkeley, M.A., 1968, Ph.D., 1972. Politics: "Socialist." Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of Philosophy, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

University of Washington, Seattle, assistant professor of philosophy, 1969-70; Trinity College, Hartford, CT, assistant professor of philosophy, 1972—. Founder, Network of Spiritual Progressives (international interfaith organization).

WRITINGS:

(Editor with Fred I. Greenstein) A Source Book for the Study of Personality and Politics, Markham Publishing Co., 1971.

(Editor with David Horowitz and Craig Pyes) Counter-Culture and Revolution, Random House (New York, NY), 1972.

The New Socialist Revolution, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1973.

Surplus Powerlessness: The Psychodynamics of Everyday Life—and the Psychology of Individual and Social Transformation, Humanities Press International (Atlantic Highlands, NJ), 1991.

Jewish Renewal: A Path to Healing and Transformation, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1994.

(With Cornel West) Jews and Blacks: Let the Healing Begin, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Cornel West) Jews and Blacks: A Dialogue on Race, Religion, and Culture in America, Plume (New York, NY), 1996.

The Politics of Meaning: Restoring Hope and Possibility in an Age of Cynicism, Addison-Wesley (Reading, MA), 1996.

Spirit Matters, Walsch Books (Charlottesville, VA), 2000.

Best Contemporary Jewish Writing, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 2001.

(With Deepak Chopra) Why Spirit Matters: A Path to Healing Society (sound recording), Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2002.

Healing Israel/Palestine: A Path to Peace and Reconciliation, North Atlantic Books (Berkeley, CA), 2003.

The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right, HarperSanFrancisco (San Francisco, CA), 2006.

(Editor) Tikkun Reader: 20th Anniversary, Rowman & Littlefield (Lanham, MD), 2007.

Founder, Tikkun. Contributor to Science and Society and Social Policy. East Coast editor of Ramparts, 1973—.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michael P. Lerner is a Jewish rabbi known for his work as a political activist, as well as for being an author and the founder of Tikkun, a respected magazine of political and intellectual commentary. The editorial stance of Tikkun extends respect to people of all faiths as well as to atheists. Despite such an inclusive philosophy, the magazine has often been caught up in controversy. It is left-leaning, has consistently expressed support for the rights of Palestinians, and warns about the dangers of the religious right. Yet, it also criticizes the left for an anti-religious, anti-spiritual bias.

During the 1960s, Lerner was indicted as a member of the group popularized by the media as the "Seattle Seven." The charges were dismissed, but Lerner's political and social concerns continued. It was in the hope of advancing his views that he founded Tikkun. In an interview with Tony Brasunas on the Garlic and Grass Web site, Lerner commented on the problem of "a worldview system that says that everyone is just out for number one. We have to help people understand that actually in every human being there are two conflicting desires: One, a desire to be in a world of love and caring, and the other, a fear that that is impossible, that that can not ever be achieved and that consequently all people can do is to look out for number one. Those two voices are always there in almost everyone. And our job is to strengthen the voice of hope and to challenge the voice of fear."

In addition to his work for Tikkun, Lerner is the author of numerous books dealing with social issues. Jewish Renewal: A Path to Healing and Transformation, published in 1994, was lauded as an "impassioned, profound manifesto" by a Publishers Weekly. The book examines the roots of the Jewish tradition and the modern decline in the practice of the Jewish faith. Lerner sketches out a plan for "Jewish renewal" that involves family and social commitment. Reviewing Jewish Renewal in the Nation, John Brown Childs called it "an impassioned yet pragmatic approach to a spiritual revitalization that is at once proud of a group identity while also being outward-focused in its deep concern with the world."

Lerner has urged those in left-wing politics to integrate a spiritual component into their political platforms. In The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right he exhorts politicians—especially Democrats—to respond to a moral/spiritual crisis that he believes most Americans are undergoing. He proposes ways to change society to eliminate violence and competition, and to encourage generosity around the globe. A writer for Kirkus Reviews recommended the book as "a highly decent and challenging critique."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Spectator, December 1, 1994, Elliott Abrams, review of Jewish Renewal: A Path to Healing and Transformation, p. 78.

Atlantic Monthly, June 1, 1996, Lee Siegel, review of The Politics of Meaning, p. 120.

Booklist, January 15, 1995, Ilene Cooper, review of Jews and Blacks: Let the Healing Begin, p. 867; July 1, 1995, Nancy Spillman, review of The Politics of Meaning, p. 1895; May 1, 1996, Mary Carroll, review of The Politics of Meaning, p. 1474.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2005, review of The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right, p. 1312.

Library Journal, February 1, 2006, George Westerlund, review of The Left Hand of God, p. 83.

Nation, February 11, 2002, David Corn, "The Banning of Rabbi Lerner"; November 7, 1994, John Brown Childs, review of Jewish Renewal, p. 536.

National Catholic Reporter, February 17, 1995, Mark Chimel, review of Jewish Renewal, p. 16.

National Review, October 10, 1994, Barry Freundel, review of Jewish Renewal, p. 73.

Publishers Weekly, July 25, 1994, review of Jewish Renewal, p. 39; February 6, 1995, review of Jews and Blacks, p. 70; June 12, 2000, review of Spirit Matters, p. 68; December 12, 2005, review of The Left Hand of God, p. 62.

Sojourners, November 1, 2000, Duane Shank, "Emancipatory Spirituality," p. 59; April 1, 2006, "Politics with Purpose," p. 44.

Tikkun, May 1, 2000, review of Spirit Matters, p. 7; May 1, 2003, Joel Kovel, "Anti-Semitism on the Left and the Special Status of Israel," p. 45; May 1, 2005, "Sanctions against the Israeli Occupation: It's Time," p. 38.

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 1, 2003, Hugh S. Galford, review of Healing Israel/Palestine: A Path to Peace and Reconciliation, p. 90.