Media
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tim Sato
Communications Director
USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture
e-mail: timothys@usc.edu
+1-213-740-8562
Brie Loskota
Managing Director and PCRI Program Officer
USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture
e-mail: pcri@usc.edu
+1-213-740-8562
July 10, 2009
"The S Factor: A conversation about Pentecostalism with Donald E. Miller"
Read the interview in the July/August issue of Books and Culture.
February 24, 2009
"Holy Spirit's Reach Studied"
Paul Steven Ghiringhelli, Charisma Magazine
February 23, 2009
"$6.9M Awarded to USC for Pentecostalism Research"
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tim Sato, (213) 740-0962 or
Brie Loskota,(213) 740-8562
USC Center Receives $6.9 Million Grant for Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity Research Initiative in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the former Soviet Union
Los Angeles, Calif (February 23, 2009)—The birthplace of American Pentecostalism, Los Angeles, is now home to a major research initiative on one of the world’s fastest growing religious movements. USC’s College of Letters, Arts & Sciences Center for Religion and Civic Culture has established the Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative (PCRI) with a $6.9 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation. This is one of the largest grants ever awarded on the study of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity.
The initiative will foster innovative social science research in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union, by providing up to $3.5 million in grants to regional centers and individual scholars. PCRI will create scholarly resources, including a digital archive and conduct research on Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity in Los Angeles.
“Our goal is to inspire research partnerships around the globe and fund projects that will shape the discussion for years to come,” said Donald Miller, executive director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, and author of Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement. “We are interested in understanding why Pentecostalism is growing so rapidly, what impact it is having on society, and how it is different in various cultural settings.”
Representing approximately 500 million adherents around the world, Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity is distinguished both by its powerful forms of worship, prayer, and manifestation of the Spirit, and its entrepreneurial drive generating profound social, cultural, and economic changes. Sustained academic research by sociologists, anthropologists, economists, political scientists, and other scholars is necessary to understand the significant growth and impact of this religious movement.
“The movement is reshaping global Christianity, but it also has far-reaching implications for international politics and interactions among religious groups. Studying Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity is critical to understanding the ways in which religion shapes our world,” said Brie Loskota, PCRI program officer and managing director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture.
Funding from the grant will support research in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union. Comparative research projects are also eligible, including projects that explore the connections between Western countries and one or more of the four regions.
“The growth of global Pentecostalism is one of the most remarkable religious transformations of the last century,” said Dr. Kimon Sargeant, vice president of human sciences at the John Templeton Foundation. “The goal of this project is to further better understanding of its significance in the social sciences in areas ranging from social capital to economic development and more.”
The full request for proposals and eligibility requirements are available at www.usc.edu/pcri.
About the Center for Religion and Civic Culture (www.usc.edu/crcc) at the University of Southern California investigates the civic role of religion and collaborates with congregations, scholars, funders, and faith-based organizations. CRCC is a catalyst for interdisciplinary research and innovative partnerships in the community and at the University of Southern California.
About the John Templeton Foundation (www.templeton.org) serves as a philanthropic catalyst for discovery in areas engaging life’s biggest questions. These questions range from explorations into the laws of nature and the universe to questions on the nature of love, gratitude, forgiveness and creativity.
