Archive
When a Pastor Shows Up at a Black Lives Matter Protest
I posted a question on Facebook at the beginning of 2018: “What ever happened to Black Lives Matter?” The question wasn’t prompted by animosity, despite the disagreements between clergy and BLM. To …
The Black Church and Black Lives Matter – Faith Leaders Institute
Roslyn Satchel is an AME minister and part of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. She spoke at the Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement’s 2018 Faith Leaders Institute retreat about why she …
Faith Community Responds to Racism and Violence in Charlottesville
After white supremacists’ protests in Charlottesville left one dead, many injured and the country grappling with its still prevalent racism, faith leaders have been working to respond with words and action. Rev. Mark …
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 Declaration of Interdependence
A nation of nations, our actions in these troubled times must be guided by a notion of notions—let us call it “A Declaration of Interdependence.” We were founded to be a beacon …
May 3, 1992: Rev. Cecil Murray Preaches as the Fires of the L.A. Riots Burn
Over six days in late April and early May 1992, hundreds of fires burned in the heart of Los Angeles. The acquittal of police officers charged with using excessive force against Rodney …
Dignity and Power Now: The Spirituality of Black Lives Matter
Dignity and Power Now (DPN), a grassroots organization in Los Angeles, works to end mass incarceration. Founded by Patrisse Cullors, an artist and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, DPN uses …
Charting the Future of Religion in Los Angeles and Beyond – The Story of USC CRCC
The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture is a research and training center that explores how religions change and make change in Southern California and the world. This video tells the …
L.A. Times: It’s 2016 and the Civil Rights Era Hasn’t Ended
This post originally appeared on the Sunday OpEd page of the L.A. Times. I participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. I was pastor of my second church, in Kansas City, Kansas, in …
OC Register: Police and Community Will March Together in August
UPDATE: OC Register columnist David Whiting wrote about the OC Solidarity March led by Pastor Mark Whitlock and Murray Center alum Charles Dorsey. Over the years, I’ve witnessed dozens of marches – some for peace, …
What’s a Preacher to Say in the Wake of Tragedy?
If you were anywhere near a radio, TV to catch the news this past week, you know that July 5-8 was a difficult and emotionally charged week. We saw footage of not …
A Religion Dispatches Roundtable Discussion on Religious “Nones”
Religion Dispatches’ Peter Laarman led a roundtable conversation on religious “nones” with Kaya Oakes, The Nones Are Alright: A New Generation of Seekers, Believers and Those in Between, Sikivu Hutchinson, atheist scholar and author, …
The Top Five Religion Trends to Watch in 2016
From the rise of evangelical hipsters to the rise of religious “nones,” religion is in a period of flux as we end one year and look forward to the next. Here at …
VOA: Hong Kong Protest Leaders Recall Spiritual Motivation At SSSR
CRCC Executive Director Donald Miller moderated a discussion with two of the founders of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement, a pro-democracy protest movement that came into being in 2014, at the 2015 Society …
Rev. Cecil Murray on the 50th Anniversary of the Watts Riots
Riots erupted in the African American neighborhood of Watts 50 years ago on August 11, after the arrest of a young black motorist, his mother and brother. The violence came out of …
The Role of the Spirit in #BlackLivesMatter Movement
This post originally appeared on Religion Dispatches and was republished by On Being with Krista Tippett. As the nation mourned the deaths of nine murdered at Emanuel AME Church last week, the …
Intersections: Cecil Murray, South L.A.’s Civic Leader and Spiritual Guide
This article originally appeared on Intersections South LA. By Jordyn Holman Since late November, residents from South Los Angeles have been peacefully protesting courthouse decisions to not indict police officers in Missouri …
The (Next) Fire Next Time
As I watched nationwide protests flare after the grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson of Ferguson, MO, I couldn’t help thinking that despite the progress Americans think we’ve made …
The Visual History of Christian Civic Activism in China
Accounts of the Hong Kong campaign for political choice and universal suffrage that began in late September have emphasized the prominence of Christian activists in planning and leading that movement. Community organizer …
Chinese Christians Reshaping Their Nation
In 1989, just after college, I moved to Beijing to teach English to Chinese graduate students. I was in Tiananmen Square when the tanks rolled in and fled on my bike in …