Archive
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 …
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 …
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 …
Fouzia Azizi: A Helping Hand for Afghan Refugees
Fouzia 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 …
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 …
Environmental Justice and Spiritual Exemplars
This story map is best viewed on the Arcgis website on a computer.
The Radical Resistance and Radical Acceptance of Spiritual Exemplars
How 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 …
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 …
“Stories of Social Change: Spirituality in Action” Exhibit Panel at USC Annenberg
A global team of journalists and researchers at the University of Southern California produced more than 100 stories about people dedicated to working for positive social changes as part of the Center …
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 …
The Complex Relationship Between Religion and Humanitarianism
The hero image of religious saints involved in humanitarian work warrants examination. I have come to this conclusion in the process of leading a global project on “spiritual exemplars” at USC’s Center …
Spiritual Exemplars: The Pragmatism and Mystical Perspective of William James
William James was the inspiration for our project on “spiritual exemplars” at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture. James, a philosopher and psychologist, believed that one learns more from what …
Spotlight shines on spiritually engaged humanitarians in ‘Stories of Social Change’ exhibit
This story was originally published by USC News. After being immersed in the material for five years, Megan Sweas didn’t need a script as she led small groups on tours of the …
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 …
Ethnographic Religion Reporting
This reporting guide was originally published on Religion Link, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. When asked to make predictions about newswriting for 2021, Kevin D. Grant, co-founder & …
The Moral Power of Stories: How Exemplars Help Us Find Meaning and Purpose
What has more emotional salience, an abstract moral principle such as love or justice or a good story of someone whose life commitments exemplify these values? Shortly after I finished my Ph.D. …
Spiritual Exemplars Around the World
The spiritual exemplars map brings together 104 stories of people working to advance human flourishing in different parts of the world. Each point on the map represents one of the humanitarians featured …
Unveiling the Heart of 100 Humanitarians
The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture worked with dozens of journalists to profile more than 100 individuals whose spiritual beliefs and practices fuel their humanitarian work. Journalists share their experience …
We Need Heroes: Countering Cultural Despair with an Exhibit of Exemplars
There is a great boom in psychotherapy these days. Especially among a younger generation, people are lonely, anxious about the environment, insecure financially—fearful they will not achieve the same standard as their …
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 …