USC Dornsife College Of Letters Arts and Sciences

University of Southern California

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Archive

Self-Care for Faith Leaders: Thriving Congregations Conversation with Dr. Thema Bryant

Pepperdine University Professor and 2023 President of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Thema Bryant spoke about the lingering impact of the pandemic on faith leaders and congregations. This was recorded as part …

Shifting Your Mindset About Church Leadership: Thriving Congregations Conversation with Quentin P. Kinnison

Fresno Pacific University, Associate Professor Quentin P. Kinnison, provides insights on what it means to transform pastoral leadership. This was recorded as part of the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s …

Holistic Resilience: Why Some Spiritual Exemplars Question Suffering as a Path to Resilience

When CRCC’s “Spiritual Exemplars Project” team was invited to present about “resilience,” it was easy to think of many examples within our sample of 100+ spiritually engaged humanitarians who had endured and …

Sister Norma Pimentel: The Hands and Voice of God for Migrants at the US/Mexico Border

Sister Norma Pimentel is one of the nation’s leading voices calling for new and more just immigration policies. As executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, she …

Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur: Musing on Mortality from a French Feminist Rabbi

This article was originally published by the New York Times, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur thinks a lot about death. In years past, she would typically …

Los Angeles City Hall building rises into a blue sky, with sun shining from the right. American flags hang off the edge of city hall.

Finding Accountability and a Moral Agenda After Revelations of Racism in City Hall

Politicians are elected to represent all of their constituents, not just those who voted for or supported them. They should be fair-minded and not traffic in exclusionary or discriminatory practices, or promote …

KPCC: Najuma Smith-Pollard on LA Council Members’ Racist Remarks

Faith leaders are among those calling for accountability after the revelations of racist comments in a conversation between some of Los Angeles’ top Latino political leaders. The Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard spoke …

RNS: Gajaweera on Buddhism and Sri Lanka’s Recent Protest Movement

Protests that led to Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resignation have raised questions about the role of Buddhism in the country’s politics. Religion News Service interviewed CRCC’s Nalika Gajaweera about the Buddhist …

Sister Agatha Chikelue: Committed to Building Peace in Nigeria

This article was originally published by Global Sisters Report, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  When she was an infant, Agatha Chikelue became gravely ill. Her parents took her to …

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 …

NY Times: Najuma Smith-Pollard on Abortion Views in Black Communities

Among Black Americans, support for reproductive rights is connected with their concern for broader civil rights, the New York Times reports. The article frames CRCC’s Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard as helping shape …

Thirty Years Later: Remembering LA’s 1992 Civil Unrest and Reimagining Social Action

Like the tectonic fault lines that can suddenly release pent-up geological pressures, shaking the literal bedrock of Southern California, the cultural fault lines between groups with unequal political and economic power periodically …

Munther Isaac: What Would Jesus Do at an Israeli Military Checkpoint?

This article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. BETHLEHEM— In the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, a stained glass window depicting …

Why Activism Thrives in L.A.’s Black Churches

This article was originally published by Trojan Family Magazine. by Eric Lindberg; Photos by Gus Ruelas Many members of the Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard’s church near downtown Los Angeles struggled for food during the …

Taizé: A Musical Monastic Community, Formed in Response to a Global Crisis, Faces New Ones

This article was originally published by America Magazine, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. “Iedere nacht verlang ik naar u, o God” (My spirit yearns for you in the …

CBS2 and Spectrum News 1: Najuma Smith-Pollard on Martin Luther King Day Jr.

CRCC’s Najuma Smith-Pollard was featured on CBS2 and Spectrum News 1’s “In Focus SoCal” to talk about how Los Angeles communities are continuing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaking …

Pandemic Year 3 Predictions: Adjusting to New “Normals” in 2022

Since 2016, CRCC has shared the trends in religion and society that we see shaping the coming year. What started as light-hearted predictions has grown more ominous over the years. Anybody surprised …

Alissa Wahid: A Legacy of Transformation in Indonesia

This article was originally published by the KAICIID Dialogue Centre, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Inheriting a father’s legacy is never easy — especially when that father …

5 Ways for Faith Communities To Support COVID-19 Vaccine Access Locally and Globally

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with the Delta variant sweeping across the globe, the need for a timely and coordinated vaccine response is urgent. Faith communities and their leaders are an important …

An Interfaith Dialogue on the Crisis Care Needs of Faith Communities

Faith leaders share about the behavioral health crises affecting diverse faith communities and the critical role they play as a support system during times of crisis. This panel was a part of …