Archive
Will Thune Enrapture the “Left Behind” Crowd?
This post originally appeared on Trans-Missions, the USC Knight Chair in Media and Religion site. With the recent midterm election now behind us, reporters are beginning to speculate about potential Republican challengers …
Was There a Values Vote?
This post originally appeared on Trans/Missions, the USC Knight Chair in Media and Religion blog. What is particularly striking in the aftermath of Tuesday’s historic election is that there is no consistent …
Modern Miracles on an LA Pentecostal Tour
Guest blogger Hannah Cohen describes a recent tour of Pentecostal sites in Los Angeles.
I’m Out of Here, For Christ’s Sake
This post was originally published on Trans/Missions, the USC Knight Chair in Media and Religion site. The sky is falling and apparently it’s taking organized religion with it. That’s the take-away message …
Dynasty? Passing the Ministry to the Next Generation of Schullers
This post originally appeared at Trans-Missions, the USC Knight Chair in Media and Religion site. The recent retirement, then non-retirement, of famed Crystal Cathedral and “possibility thinking” pastor Robert Schuller, was reported …
Growing up in America: The Power of Race in the Lives of Teens
Growing Up in America: The Power of Race in the Lives of Teens Richard Flory with Brad Christerson and Korie Edwards (Stanford University Press: 2010) People’s experiences …
Touring with L.A. Gang Tours
Our ongoing project on the Los Angeles Dream Center has introduced us to many memorable people, among them, Alfred Lomas. Alfred is the director of the Food Truck ministry at the Dream …
Smackdown Jesus
That evangelical Christians have long been able to co-opt popular cultural forms, give them a nice (and wholesome) Christian gloss, and then turn them into forms intended to further their aims is …
Feeding the 983,000
According to a recent report from the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank, the number of people served by its affiliate food pantries, kitchens and shelters throughout Los Angeles County has increased 46% since …
The Long View of Women’s Roles in Religion
It is no secret that women generally get the short end of the stick, so to speak, when it comes to how they are treated and viewed in religions and religious institutions. …
Religion and the New Economic Realities
There seems to be some concern among both religious leaders and the faithful, that our recent economic woes will cause significant change in the religious landscape of America.
So Much for the Secularization Thesis
Or maybe we could develop an alternative explanation and call it the “Spiritualization Thesis.” Americans are, apparently, as interested in religious and spiritual activities as ever, including prayer and seeking out various forms of spiritual guidance and direction.
X Game Christianity
There’s an interesting article in the Sports Section of the New York Times (August 2, 2009) on several X Games competitors who have given up life in the fast lane, of (apparently) sex, drugs and rock and roll, and have converted to Christianity of an evangelical sort.
Finding Faith: The Spiritual Quest of the Post-Boomer Generation
Finding Faith: The Spiritual Quest of the Post-Boomer Generation Richard Flory & Donald E. Miller (Rutgers University Press: 2008) Despite the masses still lining up to …
A Sociology of Spirituality
A Sociology of Spirituality Kieran Flanagan, editor (Routledge: 2007) The emergence of spirituality in contemporary culture in holistic forms suggests that organised religions have failed. This …
GenX Religion
GenX Religion Richard Flory & Donald E. Miller, editors (Routledge: 2000) GenX Religion is the first in-depth collection on this generation’s religious experience. The contributors, mostly …