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Richard Flory stands at podium in front of audience with Compelling Preaching banner behind him

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 …

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 …

A Year of Crisis and Opportunity: 2024 Trends in Religion and Society

In CRCC’s annual trends post last year, we wrote about surviving, if not thriving. We write this year’s trends with a special place in our hearts for CRCC’s senior editor Nick Street, …

Black woman in glasses and long dreads stands in front of a green trees and a pond.

Konda Mason: Growing rice in Louisiana is a path to justice for Black farmers

This 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 …

Sarah Zouak: Leading a Laboratory of Muslim Feminism in France

When 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 …

CRCC Launches Compelling Preaching Initiative

The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture is launching a new project that seeks to help faith leaders think about their preaching in an ever-changing social and cultural landscape.  With support …

Sister Networks Building Hope at the US/Mexico Border

Catholic sisters are working together across congregations and across the US/Mexico border to better serve people in need of housing, food, health care and immigration services. This video highlights the work of …

Women of Integrity: Celebrating 175 Years of the Immaculate Heart Community

On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, the exhibition “Women of Integrity: Celebrating 175 Years of the Immaculate Heart Community” opened in USC’s Doheny Memorial Library. It tells the remarkable story of the Immaculate …

Parveena Ahanger: A Grieving Mother’s Fight for the Disappeared of Kashmir

Parveena Ahanger, a well-known Kashmiri activist, exuded her characteristic warmth as she sat cross-legged in the kitchen on a freezing January afternoon in Srinagar, the region’s largest city. The warmest corner of …

Washington Post: Richard Flory on Saddleback’s Rick Warren Ordaining Women

Rick Warren, founder and pastor of Saddleback Church, is challenging the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) belief that women should not be pastors in their church. Saddleback was disfellowshipped by SBC officials after …

Fijians in Transnational Pentecostal Networks

Fijians in Transnational Pentecostal Networks by Karen Brison (Australian National University, 2023) The writing of this book was supported by the Pentecostal Charismatic Research Initiative. In Fijians in Transnational Pentecostal Networks, Karen J. Brison …

David Raimundo dos Santos: Without this Black Catholic Priest, Affirmative Action Wouldn’t Be Alive and Thriving in Brazil.

This article was originally published on Black Catholic Messenger, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  Sometimes the truth hits so hard that it changes your life forever. For the …

Imam Muhsin Hendricks: Promoting an Inclusive Islam for LGBTQ+ Muslims

Imam Muhsin Hendricks is one of the world’s first openly queer Muslim prayer leaders. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Hendricks heads the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation, an international organization that helps LGBTQ+ Muslims …