Archive
The Sacred in the Profane: Storefront Churches in Los Angeles
I was an undergraduate at Columbia College where the Great Books were built into the freshman curriculum. My doctorate is in experimental particle physics. I now teach city planning and public policy. …
Would Jesus Use a Handgun or an Assault Weapon?
A 43-year-old African American man—a member of my church—was shot in the back nine times and over 50 bullets riddled the yellow SUV in which he sat. At his funeral service, no …
The Jewish Religious Scene in Southern California
This post originally appeared in The Jewish Journal. As I wrote upon my return from from the annual meeting of the Association for Jewish Studies, embarrassed that Los Angeles was conspicuously absent …
Making Sense of Religion in Southern California
California is a paradox. While it is known as one of the most progressive states in the country, home to the entertainment industry and innovative technology companies, it has also produced conservative— …
“Authentic Primitive Art”: Issues of Religion, Cross-Cultural Aesthetics, and Value
From “pagan idols” to “avant-garde art,” over the course of the 20th century westerners have often evaluated the same non-western objects very differently at different historical moments. For the past three years …
Redeeming Dallas
Though North Texas is hardly unchurched territory, metro Dallas has become a beachhead in the global missionary movement of Nigeria’s Redeemed Christian Church of God. About half a mile from Fellowship Church, …
The Pentecostalization of Protestant Christianity
As a sociologist of religion and a professor at Biola University, I’m immersed in Christian culture. But it took a two-year research project on new movements in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity for …
Is Your Disaster Theology Inclusive?
CRCC’s Executive Director Brie Loskota was quoted by United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) about management of congregations during economic disasters that arise in wake of extreme weather. An excerpt from the …
Giving and Taking – Researching Sacred Native American Sites
It needs a particular courage not to overcome the past but to live with it still. -Geoffrey Hartman Over the Thanksgiving table last week, a family member told a story about a …
Where’s the Faith? A New Role for Religion in American Elections
Republicans might need to get used to losing, at least on the national stage. The 2012 presidential election was the first to demonstrate how much the American electorate is changing when it …
Turkeys Aren’t the Only Ones Sticking their Necks on the Block This Year
Government agencies and spirituality go together like, well, they don’t. Remember that all-encompassing conversation stopper: SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE! As far as amendments go, the first is quite memorable. Not being …
Finding a Place for Faith in Social Innovation
Nadia Roumani, Co-Founder and Director of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute (AMCLI), appeared in an article on eJewish Philanthropy discussing the emergence of faith-based organizations and companies in social innovation and …
Faithful Action: Working with Religious Groups in Disaster Planning, Response and Recovery
Executive Summary Faith-based organizations provide services before, during, and after disasters. Studies of catastrophes—from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina to local wildfires—describe the important role of the faith community as a source of …
Election 2012: What Happened to Political Evangelicalism?
Many observers on both the right and the left see the 2012 national and state elections as the death knell of evangelical political power. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological …
Appendix: Geographic Profile of Imperial County
Imperial County is located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area, …
Appendix: Geographic Profile of Oakland
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724. …
Appendix: Geographic Profile of Irvine
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California. It is a master planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Irvine was formally incorporated on December 28, …
Appendix: Geographic Profile of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in the state of California, and the second most populous in the United States, …
Additional Appendices
The following appendices are available in the PDF of Faithful Action. Glossary of Acronyms Select Organizations Works Referenced California Congregations Assest Mapping and Risk Communication Survey for Public Health Emergencies and Disaster …
Footnotes
1 Lawson, Erma J. (2007) “Wading in the Waters: Spirituality and Older Black Katrina Survivors,” Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved,18.2: 341-354. Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation …