Archive
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 …
Andre Ward And The Fight For Consistency
This post originally appeared on the Huffington Post. “Smokin’ Joe”, “Iron Mike”, “PacMan”, “Money”, “Macho Camacho”, “Real Deal”, “Motor City Cobra” … “The Greatest.” Aspiring boxers should choose their nicknames carefully because …
What it Means to be a Fearless Ally
This post is Brie Loskota’s acceptance speech for the El-Hibri Foundation’s “Fearless Ally” Award and was published by The Aspen Institute. I was born in the Philippines, I was raised as a …
Trump Will Always Be With Us – Rev. Cecil Murray on the Election
As soon as I entered my office on Wednesday morning, people started calling me. The callers are in shock, amazement, at what happened in the presidential race. I listen, and then I …
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 …
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 …
How are Religious Congregations Talking About the Election in 2016?
Each election season brings questions about the role of religion in politics and the separation of church and state. In 2016, the presidential campaign also has introduced questions about the importance of …
A Faith Leader Serves His Local Community at Church and on the City Council
Jawane Hilton is not only a pastor; he also serves on his city council. After participating in the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement’s programs for faith leaders, Hilton deepened his …
Being Prophetic from the Pulpit in a Strained Political Season
This post was also published by the Los Angeles Sentinel. I was not quite ready for the personal challenge posed by “The Birth of a Nation,” the new film by Nate Parker. …
How to solve the difficult problem of adding ‘Muslim’ to ‘American’
This post originally appeared on the Los Angeles Times. In mid-September, my 6-year-old daughter ran into our living room and literally started jumping for joy. “Baba, it’s a miracle!” she told her father with …
How a New Generation Is Changing Evangelical Christianity
Since the late 1970s, American evangelicalism has been largely identified with right-wing politics. Conservative religious values entered the political sphere through movements such as Moral Majority and Focus on the Family that …
Studying Faith: Qualitative Methodologies for Studying Religious Communities
Introduction Religion is a fundamental part of human experience and is deeply concerned with questions of “making sense” and “meaning” of our world and our existence. It constitutes the symbols, historical narratives …
Laundry Love: Making a Laundromat Sacred through Service
Laundry Love is a nationwide network of more than 100 groups that offer free laundry to people in need, creating new communities at laundromats. It began in Ventura, California in the early …
An “Everybody Friendly, Artist-Driven, God-Optional” Jewish New Year
Most of my memories of Jewish worship services are an amalgamation of the hundreds of services I’ve attended throughout my life. But there are a few that stand out. At a Shabbat …
Catholic Sisters in Africa: Strong, Vital and Taking on Global Challenges
This post was adapted from our report on the Conrad N. Hilton’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. Catholic sisters have been present in Africa since the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny landed on …
The Emerging Global Sisterhood – Sr. Rosemarie Nassif on Catholic Sisters, Pope Francis & the UN SDGs
With a global network of Catholic sisters, the Catholic Church has a unique ability to respond to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sister Rosemarie Nassif, SSND, speaks at the International …
A Young Faith Leader Responding to the Needs of His Community
When Charles Dorsey came to the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, he was young and had a lot of ideas but was unsure how to implement them. In this video, …
“There is Sin and Evil in the World”: Reagan, Trump, and the News Media
This post originally appeared in The L.A. Review of Books. HOW DID A LYING, philandering blowhard convince millions of Americans — including white evangelicals and the working poor — that he should …