Archive
LA-Times Op-Ed: The Leaner, and Arguably Meaner, Evangelical Church
This Op-Ed originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times on May 31, 2018. Franklin Graham, the evangelical preacher and son of Billy Graham, is in the midst of a 10-city tour of …
Forward: Richard Flory on The Jerusalem Embassy Ceremony
While the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem is a political victory for Trump, it is a religious victory for evangelicals. Trump appealed to this group of evangelicals—a group who …
Effective Relationship Building to Bridge Faith and Cultural Divides
Brie Loskota’s article about developing partnerships is part of Pluralism in Peril: Challenges to An American Ideal, a report of The Aspen Institute Justice & Society Program’s Inclusive America Project. From climate …
USA Today: Evangelicals’ Victories and Defeats in Trump’s First Year
Conservative Christians have had unprecedented access to the White House and won many political victories under the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency, USA Today reported. At the same time, they may …
Faith Leaders on Los Angeles’ Homelessness Crisis
The University of Southern California hosted a high-level roundtable of local faith leaders to discuss how the faith community could jointly respond to the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. This post includes …
How a Growing Christian Movement is Seeking to Change America
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Last week, from Oct. 6 to 9, the National Mall in Washington, D.C. was filled with tents, worship music and prayer for the “Awaken …
OC Register: Orange County Church Finds Higher Purpose with Affordable Housing
The Wesley Village affordable housing project in Garden Grove was recently opened on Garden Grove United Methodist Church’s land. The concept of using church land to host affordable housing has been used …
Right Wing Watch: Trump’s Dominionist Prayer Warriors and the ‘Prophetic Order of the United States’
POTUS Shield is a group of Pentecostal leaders devoted to helping President Donald Trump bring about the reign of God across the country and world. Many of the “prophets” and “apostles” taking …
Revisiting the legacy of Jerry Falwell Sr. in Trump’s America
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Recently, President Donald Trump appointed evangelical Christian leader Jerry Falwell Jr. to head the White House education reform task force. Not much is known …
True Colors: Lessons from a Post-Authoritarian State
This article originally appeared on The German Marshall Fund of the United States website, from Brie Loskota’s experience with The Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF). I have always pictured Central and Eastern Europe in black …
Media Coverage of L.A. Civil Unrest Anniversary
Having grown out of the 1992 Los Angeles civil Unrest, the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture and Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement commemorated the 25th anniversary with multiple opportunities …
A Religious Test No One Can Pass
We are seeing a rise of government policy predicated on religious illiteracy and religious bigotry. Executive orders are being formed to target Muslims, and border procedures assessing acceptable and unacceptable religious belief …
In Trump Era, Young Muslims Question Respectability Politics of Mosques
This article originally appeared on Religion Dispatches. Possibly this week, President Trump might sign yet another executive order, this time restricting entry to the United States from majority Muslim countries [read a draft …
Religion Dispatches: “Integrated into a Burning House?”: A Pre-Inauguration Conversation with Rev. Cecil Murray
In response to America’s changing social and political climate, Religion Dispatches interviewed Rev. Cecil Murray to discuss how the Black Church’s past can influence its future role under a Trump Presidency. Rev. Murray …
Five Trends to Watch in Religion in 2017: Culture Wars, Compounds & the Next Reformation
2016 was a year that no one could predict. Last year, we laid out several religion trends worth noting. To see how our forecasts matched with reality, give them a review. The unpredictable nature …
CSM: Why Jews Are Coming to the Defense of Mosques in America
In the face of a hostile climate to religious minorities, American Jews and Muslims are increasingly finding ways to collaborate and support each other, Christian Science Monitor reported. CRCC Executive Brie Loskota …
The Orange County Register: Irvine pastor Rev. Mark Whitlock exhorts church to ‘set a moral tone’ during Trump Presidency
In response to the surprising Trump victory of this year’s Presidential election, the Rev. Mark Whitlock is encouraging for faith organizations to be prominent moral voices against any future policies that could …
Surprised American Evangelicals Voted for Trump? They Have a History of Racism
This post originally appeared on International Business Times. As a scholar of religion, one story that has intrigued me since the beginning of the 2016 presidential campaign is how Trump’s candidacy—now his …
Might, Right and White Privilege: It’s Morning in America, the Sequel
This post originally appeared on Religion Dispatches. Early this morning, when Donald Trump accepted the presidency of the United States, Ronald Reagan and Jerry Falwell were somewhere enjoying the last laugh. Their …
A Post-Election Prayer for Love, Families and Unity
The Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard, program manager for the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, was part of a prayer service for hope and unity at the Cathedral of Our Lady of …