CommentaryAmerican Theocracy Is Bad for Everyone–Including White Christian NationalistsAs we marked the 246th anniversary of our country’s independence from a despotic regime that fused church and state power, the staff of the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture gathered …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Gender and Sexuality, Political Attitudes and Values, Voting and Elections
ReportThirty Years Later: Remembering LA’s 1992 Civil Unrest and Reimagining Social ActionLike the tectonic fault lines that can suddenly release pent-up geological pressures, shaking the literal bedrock of Southern California, the cultural fault lines between groups with unequal political and economic power periodically …Topics:
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ArticleJenifer Colpas Fernández: Young Colombian activist brings light to the displaced communitiesThis article was originally published on Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. CARTAGENA, Colombia (RNS) — In Isla de León, an hour’s drive through traffic-choked streets …Topics: Buddhists and Buddhism, Catholics and Catholicism, Engaged Spirituality, Environment, Latin America, Religious Pluralism, Spiritual Exemplars
CRCC in the NewsArticles written by USC Dornsife scholars for The Conversation garner more than 10 million readsBy Annie Bang This article was originally published by USC Dornsife. With topics ranging from religion to Botox, readers from around the globe have read the works of Trojan scholars through The Conversation. …Topics:
ArticleEboo Patel: Leading Interfaith America Into The New Era Of Religious DiversityThis article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. CHICAGO — By his own telling, as a young man Eboo Patel was something of a …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Interfaith/Multifaith Movements, Muslims and Islam, Spiritual Exemplars
CommentaryConflict and Congregations: How Churches Respond to Politics and the PandemicAs the 2022 midterm elections approach, little can be predicted—except, perhaps, that they will further cement the deep divides in our country. Those divides often extend into religious congregations. CRCC is a …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Community Dynamics, Political Attitudes and Values, Public Health, Thriving Congregations
CommentaryRemembering Edmund Kaszibuloh Koroma: A Savior and Peace BuilderHe was many things rolled into one: A committed community peace builder, a passionate promoter of religious tolerance and a tireless advocate of free education for children. Above all, Edmund Kaszibuloh Koroma …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Education, Engaged Spirituality, Muslims and Islam, Spiritual Exemplars, Sub-Saharan Africa, Violence
CommentaryFinding Accountability and a Moral Agenda After Revelations of Racism in City HallPoliticians are elected to represent all of their constituents, not just those who voted for or supported them. They should be fair-minded and not traffic in exclusionary or discriminatory practices, or promote …Topics: Interfaith/Multifaith Movements, Race and Culture, Religious Leadership, Religious Pluralism
CRCC in the NewsKPCC: Najuma Smith-Pollard on LA Council Members’ Racist RemarksFaith leaders are among those calling for accountability after the revelations of racist comments in a conversation between some of Los Angeles’ top Latino political leaders. The Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard spoke …Topics: CMCCE, Race and Culture, Religious Leadership
CommentaryWhy They Cross the Mediterranean: Italy’s ‘Guardian Angel of Refugees’ in Conversation with a Survivor of the 2013 Lampedusa ShipwreckFor nearly 20 years, Eritrean Catholic Priest Mussie Zerai has fielded thousands of distress calls from refugees and migrants on shipwrecked vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. “I’ve heard the voices. I’ve heard …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Engaged Spirituality, Europe, Immigration, Spiritual Exemplars, Sub-Saharan Africa- VideoFather Mussie Zerai: The Migrant Priest
“It is reasonably easy to be an armchair critic of religion. There are ample examples of religious leaders who compromise the values of their tradition, and the fundamentalists of every religion are inevitably out of step with the latest findings of modern science.
“But the storyline about religion gets more complicated when one examines religious people in the trenches, serving the poor and disenfranchised of their societies.”
– Donald E. Miller
A Pragmatist’s View of Religion
Experts
CRCC can connect you with one of our many expert religious researchers and writers. Contact us, and we’ll help you find the right person for your subject.
Richard FloryExecutive DirectorRichard Flory is a sociologist whose work focuses on religion and urban life, religious and cultural change, and youth and young adults.
Nalika GajaweeraResearch AssociateNalika Gajaweera is a cultural anthropologist specialized in Buddhism, transnationalism and ethics, with an area expertise in South Asia.
Najuma Smith-PollardAssistant Director of Community and Public EngagementRev. Najuma Smith-Pollard combines her experience as a pastor and expertise as a community leader to train Murray Center Fellows.
Donald E. MillerDirector of Strategic InitiativesDonald Miller focuses on global religious trends, genocides of the 20th century, and the role of religious NGOs in addressing issues of moral concern.
Hebah FarragAssistant Director of ResearchHebah Farrag manages the center’s research and evaluation projects while engaging in research focused on religion, social change and new spiritualties.
Nick StreetSenior WriterNick Street is a journalist covering religious change and innovation, Buddhism, Pentecostalism and LGBT issues.
Tarra McNallyAssistant Director of Implementation and PracticeTarra McNally is an anthropologist specializing in evaluation and global health.
Soraya AhyaudinAMCLI Director and Assistant Director, Learning Design and ProgramsSoraya Ahyaudin directs the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture.
Megan SweasEditor and Director of CommunicationsMegan Sweas is a journalist specializing in social and economic justice issues and world religions.