For many people working on humanitarian causes, spirituality is the force that compels them to be engaged with the world. They may have a ministry to serve the poor or be an activist fighting for human rights. They may be Buddhist, Muslim, Christian or not adhere to any particular tradition. What they share is an engaged spirituality.
From our first project following the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles, CRCC’s research and training programs have sought to understand and support faith leaders committed to improving their communities. CRCC continues this work today by studying the lives and work of exemplary people committed to advancing human flourishing across the globe. The following page includes stories of such people, created by CRCC’s researchers and journalist fellows. From the individual stories, CRCC aims to define and establish a field of “spiritual exemplars” and understand how engaged spirituality operates in their lives. This endeavor is supported by the John Templeton Foundation and Templeton Religion Trust.
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Above, Maggie Gorban ministers to children in a slum on the outskirts of Cairo.
ReportEngaged Spirituality: 100 Stories of Inspiration and ResilienceAround the world, humanitarians care for AIDS orphans, fight oil companies in the arctic, perform surgery in the middle of wars, save migrants from certain death in the desert or the sea, …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
AnnouncementNominate a Spiritual ExemplarDo you know someone who is changing the world? Is their work inspiring but not widely known? The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture is launching a global project on spiritual …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
CommentaryBringing Religion Reporting—and Understanding—to NigeriaInspired by a fellowship with CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality (2019-2023), journalist Innocent Eteng has found ways to improve reporting on religion in Nigeria. Nigeria is a country with over 250 …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Media and Technology
AnnouncementLos Angeles’ Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. Murray, Dies at Age 94Until the pandemic, the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray was the first person in the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s office every morning. Then 90 years old, he would …Topics: Black Church, Christianity, CMCCE, Engaged Spirituality, Murray Archive, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleFather Greg Boyle: A Modern-Day Mystic — The Priest Behind Homeboy IndustriesThis article was originally published on Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. The founder of the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and prison reentry program in the world is a …Topics: Catholicism, Donald E. Miller, Engaged Spirituality, Religious Leadership, Southern California, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleKonda Mason: Growing rice in Louisiana is a path to justice for Black farmersThis article was originally published on The Christian Science Monitor, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. It’s past daybreak on a muggy July morning when Konda Mason reaches the farm, a …Topics: Buddhism, Diane Winston, Engaged Spirituality, Environmental Justice, Racial Justice, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleFouzia Azizi: A Helping Hand for Afghan RefugeesFouzia Azizi vividly recalls the night her family fled Afghanistan nearly 30 years ago. Fearing for their lives, they crossed the border into Pakistan. They traveled lightly, expecting to return soon. “I …Topics: Diane Winston, Engaged Spirituality, Immigration, Racial Justice, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleSarah Zouak: Leading a Laboratory of Muslim Feminism in FranceWhen Sarah Zouak was a graduate student in France, an adviser told her that the phrase “Muslim feminist” was a contradiction in terms. Zouak had proposed a thesis on the topic when …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Gender and Sexuality, Islam, Spiritual Exemplars
MapEnvironmental Justice and Spiritual ExemplarsThis story map is best viewed on the Arcgis website on a computer.Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Environmental Justice, Hebah Farrag, Spiritual Exemplars
CommentaryThe Radical Resistance and Radical Acceptance of Spiritual ExemplarsHow spiritual exemplars work to create a world befitting of our inherent nobility A key question we are asked by consumers of our research on “spiritual exemplars” is about the qualities of …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Indigenous Spiritualities, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars- VideoSister Networks Building Hope at the US/Mexico Border
- Video“Stories of Social Change: Spirituality in Action” Exhibit Panel at USC Annenberg
“Pessimism, cynicism, despair—these words are not in the vocabulary of spiritual exemplars such as Sister Rosemary and Jean. Instead, I kept hearing the words hope, compassion and love. What really struck me was their entrepreneurial spirit in the face of poverty and trauma. Perhaps visionary action is an antidote to paralyzing anxiety and fear.”
— Donald E. Miller, Countering Pessimism and Despair: An Encounter with two Spiritual Exemplars
CRCC Experts
To schedule an interview with one of our experts, please contact CRCC:
crcc@usc.edu or 213-743-1611
Ken ChitwoodKen Chitwood’s work specializes in global Islam, the Americas and Christian-Muslim relations.
Hebah FarragGuest ContributorHebah Farrag was the assistant director of research at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture through 2023. She managed large grant-based research projects while pursuing her own research on religion, …
Donald E. MillerCo-FounderDonald Miller focuses on global religious trends, genocides of the 20th century, and the role of religious NGOs in addressing issues of moral concern.
Arpi MillerArpi Miller is a sociologist who studies secular and faith-based immigrant advocacy and accompaniment.