CommentarySexual Assault During Hajj: Will #MosqueMeToo Lead to Reforms in Mecca?In February of 2018, inspired by the #MeToo movement, Muslim women took to social media to describe sexual harassment and assault in the holiest shrines of the Islamic faith: the Kaabah in …Topics: Gender, Muslims and Islam, Place and Religion, Violence
CommentaryLA-Times Op-Ed: The Leaner, and Arguably Meaner, Evangelical ChurchBrie Loskota and Rebecca Sager published on Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times on May 31, 2018. Franklin Graham, the evangelical preacher and son of Billy Graham, is in the midst of …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Government and Religion, Political Attitudes and Values, Religious "Nones"- VideoFaith and the #MeToo Movement
Featured TopicMurray ArchiveTopics: Community Dynamics, Faith-Based Organizations, Gender, Political Attitudes and Values, Protests and Uprisings, Religious Leadership
ArticleEvangelicals Versus Oil: Environmental Justice in South Los AngelesThis article originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of Sojourners magazine. Sentinel Peak Resources recently announced its intention to abandon petroleum production at its Jefferson Boulevard site. The families arrived early …Topics: Community Organizing, Environment, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Southern California
AnnouncementApplication for AMCLI East II is now OpenThe American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute is now accepting applications for its next regional program: East II will be held September 20-23, 2018 in New York. Click here to request an application. …Topics: AMCLI,
CommentaryHow Young Women Become Catholic Sisters TodayWhen Sister Jeanette Kong was growing up in Singapore, she felt herself to be a “jaded and disillusioned young person.” She had been raised in a Catholic family environment with a Catholic …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Nuns and Women Religious, Southern California- VideoAMCLI: Building a Dynamic National Network of American Muslim Leadership
CommentaryThe Poor People’s Campaign: Learning from the Global Fight Against Structural PovertyLast fall, I attended a high-energy mass meeting for the new Poor People’s Campaign. Part of a 15-state tour, the Los Angeles event rallied a racially mixed and enthusiastic crowd from the …Topics: Economic Inequality, Interfaith/Multifaith Movements, Political Attitudes and Values, Religious Leadership
CommentaryThe L.A. Decade: Religious Innovation in an Emerging Global CityThe following is a speech given at The Collaboratory, a gathering of Jewish leaders. When I was teaching at a Jewish day school for girls, one of my students approached me excited …Topics: Creativity and Innovation, Southern California- 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
“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.