USC Dornsife College Of Letters Arts and Sciences

University of Southern California

Archive

Archive

Teresa Forcades: A Catholic Nun who Complicates the Abortion Conversation

This article was originally published by The Independent, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  It’s time to reimagine the debate around abortion. We are trapped in the tyranny of …

Ruth Messinger: The New York City Politician’s Long Second Act Honors ‘an Obligation to Respond’

This article was originally published by Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  (RNS) — New Yorkers of a certain age remember Ruth Messinger as a city …

Zannah Mustapha: Teaching Boko Haram’s kids

This article was originally published in The Christian Science Monitor, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA — One morning in May, Zina Mustapha stood before her 20 …

Zannah Mustapha: How One Man Has ‘Fathered’ More Than 2,000 Kids Orphaned By Boko Haram

This article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  MAIDUGURI, Nigeria— When Zannah Mustapha worked as a Shariah court lawyer in the mid-2000s, he …

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 …

Fouzia Azizi: Refugee to Refugee, Afghan Resettlement Worker Draws from Faith and Experience

This article was originally published by Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  CONCORD, Calif. (RNS) — Sayed Hashmi, an Afghan citizen, did not want to leave his …

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 …

Sister Teresa Forcades: A Catholic Nun Who Rejects the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life Binary

This article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality.  Catholic nun and medical doctor Teresa Forcades says women should make their own abortion …

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 …

Tom Catena: Choosing Joy Over Happiness

This article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. GIDEL, Sudan — The media is filled with articles on how to achieve happiness, including in …

CRCC on Religion and Reproductive Rights After the Overturning of Roe v Wade

Discussions about reproductive rights continue to circulate in the religious community after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. CRCC’s Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard and Richard Flory have been interviewed …

American Theocracy Is Bad for Everyone–Including White Christian Nationalists

As we marked the 246th anniversary of our country’s independence from a despotic regime that fused church and state power, the staff of the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture gathered …

LA Times: Richard Flory on Biola University and the Future of Evangelicalism

Divisions about the political and cultural application of evangelical faith principle are playing out at evangelical colleges across the country. The Los Angeles Times covered how those divisions are playing out at …

Roundtable of Faith Leaders and Vice President Kamala Harris on Reproductive Health

Vice President Kamala Harris recently hosted a roundtable with faith leaders on the state of reproductive health care in the United States. The event, held at the Los Angeles County Federation of …

Voice of San Diego: Richard Flory on a Right-Wing Church

The Voice of San Diego profiled Awaken, a local evangelical church that has become a center for right-wing political organizing. CRCC’s Richard Flory provided context for conservative political activism of evangelical churches. …

LA Times: L.A. Residents Process Massacre in Buffalo, NY

Black leaders and residents of Los Angeles are dealing with stress and trauma after the racially motivated terrorist attack at a grocery story in Buffalo, New York. A self-described white supremacist killed …

Kumu Hina and Walter Ritte: ‘A very Hawaiian place’

This article was originally published by Indian Country Today, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. HONOLULU, Hawai’i — It’s a weekday evening rush-hour in Honolulu, and Hina Wong-Kalu is driving us …

Sri Lanka’s Dual Crisis: Ethnic Conflict & the Debt Economy

This article was originally published by Jamhoor. “Except for the home crowd cheering for our national team at an international cricket match, it was the first time I was seeing Sri Lankans …

LA Daily News: Churches face post-pandemic declines in membership

Like many congregations in the wake of pandemic-era restriction, the first Black church founded in the San Fernando Valley has seen significant declines in membership, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. Membership …