- VideoFaith Leaders on Los Angeles’ Homelessness Crisis
Featured TopicMurray ArchiveTopics: Community Organizing, Economic Inequality, Faith-Based Organizations, Government and Religion, Religious Leadership, Social Services, Southern California, Tools- VideoWilshire Boulevard: A Tour of Religion in Los Angeles
CommentaryThe Cosby Case at Church: Why Pastors Should Address Sexual AssaultBill Cosby is back in court this week. This time, in Pittsburgh, his sexual assault case is framed against the backdrop of #MeToo, the movement raising awareness of sexual harassment, and #ChurchToo. …Topics: Black Church, Christians and Christianity, CMCCE, Gender, Religious Leadership, Violence
CRCC in the NewsThe OC Register: Reverend Cecil Murray on the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Martin Luther King Jr.April 4, 2018 marks the 50 year anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. Cecil L. Murray, a faith-based leader and chair of the USC Cecil Murray Center for …Topics: Black Church, CMCCE, Political Attitudes and Values, Race and Culture, Violence
ArticleLatter-day Zen: The Mormon Man Bringing Meditation to HomeThis article originally appeared in Tricycle Magazine. The first thing that I noticed on my visit to Thomas McConkie’s apartment near the University of Utah was a small wooden tan—the raised platform …Topics: Buddhists and Buddhism, Christians and Christianity, Creativity and Innovation,
CRCC in the NewsBilly Graham Coverage: Richard Flory on Evangelical PoliticsThe death of “America’s pastor” Billy Graham at age 99 has brought reflection on the politics of American evangelicalism. Richard Flory, CRCC’s senior director of research and evaluation, spoke with FiveThirtyEight and Congressional Quarterly …Topics: Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Religious Leadership
CommentaryWhen a Pastor Shows Up at a Black Lives Matter ProtestI posted a question on Facebook at the beginning of 2018: “What ever happened to Black Lives Matter?” The question wasn’t prompted by animosity, despite the disagreements between clergy and BLM. To …Topics: Black Church, CMCCE, Criminal Justice, Protests and Uprisings, Race and Culture, Religious Leadership, Violence- VideoThe Black Church and Black Lives Matter – Faith Leaders Institute
CommentaryPreacher, Save Yourself – America’s Gun Massacres Erode Its CredibilityThe following opinion piece is by Wanjiru M. Gitau, a visiting scholar at CRCC originally from Kenya. The frequency of mass shootings in the U.S. exacts a toll that reaches far beyond …Topics: International Affairs and Policy, Violence
EventReimagining Religion 2018: New Stories, New CommunitiesReimagining Religion 2018: New Stories, New Communities was a conference hosted at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism by the Knight Program for Media and Religion, along with Religion Communicators …Topics: Community Organizing, Creativity and Innovation, Media
ArticleEffective Relationship Building to Bridge Faith and Cultural DividesBrie Loskota’s article about developing partnerships is part of Pluralism in Peril: Challenges to An American Ideal, a report of The Aspen Institute Justice & Society Program’s Inclusive America Project. From climate …Topics: Government and Religion, Religious Pluralism
“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 WhitlockExecutive Director of USC Cecil Murray Center for Community EngagementRev. 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 MartínezContributing 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.