CommentaryThe Roaring 20s: Religion Trends to Watch in 2020 and the Next DecadeThe 1920s was a decade of change, and we see the 2020s as reminiscent of the cultural flux of that period. When people think of the 1920s, many imagine a golden era …Topics: Community Dynamics, Environment, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Political Attitudes and Values, Race and Culture
ReportUncharted Pilgrimages: Mapping Contemporary Spiritual JourneysTopics: Creativity and Innovation, Southern California, weforum
ResourcesCensus 2020: Facts, Fictions and FaithWhat is the census? The census is a counting of all residents in the United States. Our constitution mandates that we do a census every 10 years, and that it be used …Topics: CMCCE, Government and Religion,
FeaturedEngaged SpiritualityTopics: CMCCE, Government and Religion,
ArticleNational Prayer Breakfast Was a Moment for Leaders to Show Humility – Trump Changed ItThis article originally appeared on The Conversation. A heaping plate of partisan politics, sprinkled with religious faith, topped the menu at the 68th National Prayer Breakfast. On the morning of Feb. 6, …Topics: Government and Religion, Religious Leadership
CRCC in the NewsWashington Post & RNS: Flory on Pentecostal Church’s Attempt to Resurrect a ChildHundreds of congregants attempted to resurrect a 2-year-old girl with song and dance at Bethel Church in Redding, California. The Washington Post and Religious News Service interviewed Richard Flory on Pentecostal beliefs …Topics: Pentecostals and Pentecostalism
ArticleBadr Baabou: LGBTQ Activist in TunisiaThis article was originally published in Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Every month, 39-year-old Badr Baabou visits the whitewashed Sufi shrine of Aisha Al-Manoubya …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, LGBT Issues, Middle East and North Africa, Muslims and Islam, Spiritual Exemplars
CommentaryBeyond Influencer Marketing: How to Exercise Real Leadership OnlineThere are some things you will have no trouble finding on today’s internet: more fascinating content than you can ever hope to consume; oceans of strong opinions; products you never knew you …Topics: dcc, Media, Religious Leadership
ArticleEdmund Kaszibuloh Koroma: An Encounter with Sierra Leonean Who Saved 87 Child SoldiersThis article was originally published in Premium Times, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Edmund Kaszibuloh Koroma, a Sierra Leonean who took the risk of leading 87 former …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
ReportCommunity Transformation: Outlining a Process for ChangeIntroduction: Innovation Labs for Congregational Vitality and Community Change Imagine if a church held a gala to raise money for programs to help improve the lives of its neighbors, and everyone in …Topics: Black Church, CMCCE, Faith-Based Organizations, Social Services, weforum
AudioDean Issacharoff: A Turncoat in the Israeli Defense ForcesThis podcast was produced in Snap Judgment, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. When Dean Issacharoff was a commander in the Israeli Defense Forces, he patrolled the Palestinian …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
EventMurray Center Impact Summit 2019: Learn. Connect. Grow.The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement is looking forward to a spectacular summit with you and a few special guests. The goal of our Impact Summit is three-fold: Learn. Connect. …Topics: CMCCE,
“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.