This weekend, a small event at a big church in Cambridge, Massachusetts may be remembered as a turning point in the struggle with the religious right -- and in the reinvention of the once-dynamic religious left.

For much of the 20th century, progressive religious ideas, organizations, and eventually institutions advanced major movements for social justice in the United States and around the world. Since the end of the Vietnam war, the voice and more importantly, the political and cultural influence of progressive religious communities has declined. Parallel to this, has been the rise of the well-organized religious right political and social movement, accompanied by efforts to sew dissent and division among the historic churches of mainline protestantism.

Last week I wrote about James Dobson's crackpot claims about homosexuality and reparative therapy, separation of church and state, and how liberals don't know the difference between right and wrong -- all in a nationally televised interview with  Larry King on CNN. I called on liberals to stand-up for themselves and to answer Dobson's outrageous claims.

Fortunately, someone was up to the challenge.