USC Dornsife College Of Letters Arts and Sciences

University of Southern California

Archive

Archive

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 …

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, …

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 …

KPCC LAist 89.3: Richard Flory on How Gen-Z Are Finding (Or Moving Away From) Religion

How has living in a time of tremendous social change influenced Gen Z’s attitudes towards religion–organized or otherwise? CRCC’s executive director Richard Flory was on KPCC LAist 89.3’s Airtalk with Larry Mantle …

Ten Characteristics of Thriving Communities of Faith

Even as religious affiliation continues to decline, CRCC’s research on religious creativity and innovation has found groups that are thriving across religious traditions. While not necessarily large (though some are), these groups …

Reimagining (Again): Key Lessons on Ministry Sustainability in a Post-Pandemic World

The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) recently held its first in-person event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019. More than 70 clergy and faith-inspired community …

Sitting in the Fire Together: People of Color Cultivating Radical Resilience in North American Insight Meditation

This article appeared in the Journal of Global Buddhism’s Special Issue on Buddhism and Resilience, Vol 22, No 1 (2021), co-edited by Nalika Gajaweera.  Abstract Drawing upon ethnographic research conducted in California …

Journal of Global Buddhism: Special Issue on Buddhism and Resilience

Nalika Gajaweera co-edited a special issue of the Journal of Global Buddhism on Buddhism and Resilience with Darcie DeAngelo. Below is an excerpt of their introduction along with a list of articles …

Religion in Los Angeles: Religious Activism, Innovation and Diversity in the Global City

Religion in Los Angeles: Religious Activism, Innovation and Diversity in the Global City Edited by Richard Flory and Diane Winston (Routledge, 2021) Why has Los Angeles been a hotspot for religious activism, …

Nica Aquino: Searching for Home

Ironically, hope for the Kalinga way of life may be found far from Lubuagan and the Chico River, in the outposts of the Filipino diaspora. For example, one of Cirilo “Sapi” Bawer’s …

Transforming the American Sangha: Race, Racism and Diversity in North American Insight Meditation

North American Insight Meditation institutions, rooted in the Vipassana tradition of Theravada Buddhism, are often seen as liberal, inclusive multicultural spaces committed to welcoming diverse constituencies into their communities. The research undertaken …

Azza Karam: The Role Of Women In Faith And Diplomacy

This article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  LINDAU— Azza Karam was just about to step up to the podium at the Inselhalle in …

COVID-19 Proves To Be a Test of Faith for Believers, Churches and Communities

This USC News article was built off of a source alert “Spirituality in a Pandemic: A Test of Faith for Believers and Organizations.” The source alert has additional perspective from Najuma Smith-Pollard …

Far from Being Anti-Religious, Faith and Spirituality Run Deep in Black Lives Matter

This article was originally published on The Conversation, and was written with Ann Gleig. Black Lives Matters (BLM) has been portrayed by its detractors as many things: Marxist, radical, anti-American. Added to …

Al and Andi Tauber: How Two Mennonite Musicians Turn Street Ministry Into Song

This radio documentary was produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Listen to it on SpiritualEdge.org. To hear this and other profiles, subscribe to …

The Fight for Black Lives is a Spiritual Movement

This article was originally published in the Berkley Forum as an editorial response to “Religion and Racial Justice: The George Floyd Protests.” A circle of flowers forms a sanctuary honoring the space …

Uncharted Pilgrimages: Mapping Contemporary Spiritual Journeys

Religion News Service: As Americans Disengage From Religion, A California Institution Encourages Questioning

Against the backdrop of decreasing religiosity in America, the Krikshnamurti Foundation of America (KFA) finds a growing following that encourages members to question and reach their own conclusions about their faith. Religion …

Medicine, Masculinity and Marketing: Trends to Watch in Religion in 2019

In the past year, we have seen our 2018 trends to watch come to fruition with stories of the supernatural, trust in institutions, activist healers, faith-based political organizing and women stepping up …

Holy Spirit: A Progressive Episcopal Community in Silver Lake

Holy Spirit is a small, “off the books” experimental congregation affiliated with the Los Angeles Episcopal Diocese. Members describe in this video how Holy Spirit started as a home Bible-study group and …