Archive
Jimmy Swaggart’s rise and fall shaped the landscape of American televangelism
This article is originally published by republished from The Conversation. Jimmy Swaggart, one of the most popular and enduring of the 1980s televangelists, died on July 1, 2025, but his legacy lives. …
We’re still fighting for migrants’ dignity in Los Angeles
This article was originally published on Religion News Service, by staff and participants in the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s Compelling Preaching program. By Susan Goldberg, Najuma Smith, Soraya Ahyaudin, Guillermo Torres and Tanny Jiraprapasuke LOS …
Preaching Beyond the Walls of the Congregation: How Faith Leaders Can Use Media
Congregations are often on the frontlines of significant social issues, from poverty to immigration to polarization. Clergy’s moral leadership on these issues is grounded in both their spiritual traditions and the lived …
‘No Kings’: The Rise Of Religious Authoritarianism In America
This commentary was originally published in Religion Unplugged by a participant in the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s Compelling Preaching program. By Michael J. Christensen As fascism threatens to rise …
Why The Pope Matters In A World Of Rivalries
This article was originally published on Religion Unplugged. “Cheering for the Cubs is like praying to Allah,” my cousin, a White Sox fanatic and evangelical Christian, once quipped over Christmas dinner. According to …
Flourishing in Ministry Program Offers Coaching to SoCal Pastors
Pastoring a church can be fulfilling work — and it also can be demanding. Faith leaders often feel a divine call to accompany individuals on their spiritual and personal journeys. At the …
Churches Come Together for Good Friday in Ocean Beach
The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture provided seed funding for an ecumenical group of faith leaders serving San Diego’s Ocean Beach neighborhood through its Compelling Preaching Initiative. It seemed odd …
“We Save Us” – 2025 Trends to Watch in Religion and Society
Multiple wildfires broke out across Los Angeles the day before our team was scheduled to discuss 2025 trends to watch in religion and society. Our leader canceled the meeting, while other team …
Reimagining Church: A Toolkit
Even as religious affiliation declines in the United States, some faith groups across religious traditions continue to thrive. But what does it mean to thrive? How can congregations grow more vital as …
Preaching Into our Post-Election Divides
The following were Richard Flory’s opening remarks at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s Compelling Preaching Across Divides conference, held on November 20, 2024. Just two weeks ago, we had …
Compelling Preaching Across Divides
The 2024 Election may be over, but our country and churches remain strongly divided. CRCC’s Compelling Preaching Initiative came together in Wednesday, November 20, 2024, to process the election, gain insights into …
Passing the Mantle 2.0: The Murray Legacy
After decades of ministry, the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray spent his “retirement” sharing his model of leadership and vision of Christian social ethics to a new generation of faith leaders. …
How Then Shall We Live? A Conversation Series
“How Then Shall We Live?” is a series of conversations that examines critical issues shaping how humanity lives together today: the environment, polarization and artificial intelligence. Experts will share their perspectives on …
Memories of the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray – 1929-2024
The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, who died April 5, 2024 at age 94, trained 1,000 faith leaders in community development and civic engagement at USC, building on an illustrious career …
Reflections from the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray
“If I could help somebody as I travel along…then my living has not been in vain.” Hear the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray quote the song that inspired his life and …
Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray Sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Hear the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, who died April 5, 2024 at age 94, sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” shortly before his retirement from the University of Southern California …
2024 Shurden Lectures: Whose Country Is It Anyway?
Watch 2024 Shurden Lectures: “Whose Country Is It Anyway?” The Rev. Dr. Joseph Evans and the Rev. Dr. Christopher The brought their unique experiences and expertise to a conversation on religious and …
Los Angeles’ Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. Murray, Dies at Age 94
Until 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 …
God’s Resistance: Mobilizing Faith to Defend Immigrants
Watch a discussion about the power of faith to drive resistance to anti-immigration policies in the United States. This event was hosted by the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture on …
Father Greg Boyle: A Modern-Day Mystic — The Priest Behind Homeboy Industries
This 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 …