Author: sweas

“Stories of Social Change: Spirituality in Action” Exhibit Panel at USC Annenberg

A global team of journalists and researchers at the University of Southern California produced more than 100 stories about people dedicated to working for positive social changes as part of the Center …

The Complex Relationship Between Religion and Humanitarianism

The hero image of religious saints involved in humanitarian work warrants examination. I have come to this conclusion in the process of leading a global project on “spiritual exemplars” at USC’s Center …

Spiritual Exemplars: The Pragmatism and Mystical Perspective of William James

William James was the inspiration for our project on “spiritual exemplars” at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture. James, a philosopher and psychologist, believed that one learns more from what …

Remembering Nick Street: CRCC’s Storyteller

There’s a spider alive because of Nick Shindo Street. Nick, a Buddhist, had convinced his colleague Najuma Smith, a Christian minister, that spiders were God’s creation and deserved to live. So when …

Spiritual Exemplars Around the World

The spiritual exemplars map brings together 104 stories of people working to advance human flourishing in different parts of the world. Each point on the map represents one of the humanitarians featured …

We Need Heroes: Countering Cultural Despair with an Exhibit of Exemplars

There is a great boom in psychotherapy these days. Especially among a younger generation, people are lonely, anxious about the environment, insecure financially—fearful they will not achieve the same standard as their …