AnnouncementKALW’s The Spiritual Edge Launches Podcast with Stories of Reality and HopeKALW’s The Spiritual Edge announces the launch of a new podcast, with stories of our collective reality, injected with a dash of hope. The first season of The Spiritual Edge podcast brings …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
ReportHealing Heartwork ToolkitDeepening our understanding of Islamic tools for healing, self-care, and community care In response to the emerging needs of AMCLI fellows, AMCLI launched a new series called “Healing Heartwork” this Ramadan 2021 …Topics: AMCLI, American Muslims, Muslims and Islam
ReportBridges Over Troubled Waters: Faith-leaders Reflect on a Year of LockdownOn March 13, 2020, word started to spread that life in Los Angeles was going to change. Initially, it was thought that we would all be locking down as a short-term measure …Topics: COVID
FeaturedEngaged SpiritualityTopics: COVID
ArticleJean Bouchebel: Retired From World Vision, but Not From Serving God and RefugeesThis article was originally published by Christianity Today, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. When Jean Bouchebel retired at age 70, he was not ready to simply relax. …Topics: Christianity, Disaster Response, Engaged Spirituality, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Middle East and North Africa, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleJournal of Global Buddhism: Special Issue on Buddhism and ResilienceNalika Gajaweera co-edited a special issue of the Journal of Global Buddhism on Buddhism and Resilience with Darcie DeAngelo. Below is an excerpt of their introduction along with a list of articles …Topics: Buddhists and Buddhism, Creativity and Innovation, Race and Culture, TAS
CommentaryThe End (of Lockdown) is Near: Opening Houses of Worship in a Time of UncertaintyI had just announced our church’s plans to resume in-person worship when someone called and told me they had contracted COVID-19. Immediately, I second-guessed the decision to reopen our worship building for …Topics: COVID, Healthcare, Religious Leadership, Thriving Congregations
ArticleKushil Gunasekera: ‘The More You Give, the More Will Be Yours to Give’This article was originally published by The Arrow Journal, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. “I want to be one of the nicest human beings that this earth …Topics: Asia, Buddhists and Buddhism, Disaster Response, Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
CommentaryWhy Genocide Survivors Can Offer a Way to Heal from the Trauma of the PandemicThis article was originally published in The Conversation. The pandemic has been a period of acute trauma at many levels. More than 3 million people have died globally from COVID-19, including over …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Genocide, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
ArticleUmar Hakim: Humanitarian Day Reborn for a Ramadan in a PandemicThis article was originally published in The Washington Post and Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Last year, Ramadan ended just days before the murder …Topics: Community Organizing, Economic Inequality, Engaged Spirituality, Muslims and Islam, Race and Culture, Spiritual Exemplars
CommentaryIn Wake of Chauvin Trial, What Can Faith Leaders Learn From the Rodney King LA Civil Unrest?This article was originally published in Religion News Service and The Washington Post. As the U.S. reacts to the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, many are wary of violence …Topics: CMCCE, Criminal Justice, Protests and Uprisings, Race and Culture, Religious Leadership, Southern California- VideoBlack Female Leadership within LAPD: Untold Stories!
“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
The 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.
Mark WhitlockContributing WriterRev. Mark Whitlock is a pastor specializing in church leadership and community and economic development.
Cecil L. MurrayUniversity FellowRev. Cecil Murray works to ensure that the legacy of African American Church leaders pass on their years of experience to the next generation.
Brie LoskotaExecutive DirectorBrie Loskota researches how religions change and make change in the world, and works to build the capacity of religious communities around the globe.
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.
Richard FlorySenior Director of Research and EvaluationRichard 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.
Juan MartínezPast FellowJuan Martinez studies the history of Latino Protestantism, Latino Protestant identity and transnational mission among U.S. Latinos.
Najuma Smith-PollardProgram Manager of the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community EngagementRev. Najuma Smith-Pollard combines her experience as a pastor and expertise as a community leader to train Murray Center Fellows.
Nick StreetSenior WriterNick Street is a journalist covering religious change and innovation, Buddhism, Pentecostalism and LGBT issues.