Renewalism 101: Key Lessons from Kerala
Glory Moses, a pastor’s daughter, is no spiritual slacker. Other 20-year-olds in her native Kerala may be counting the days until the opening of Kochi’s mammoth Lulu Mall—billed as the largest shopping …
Southern California and the World
Searching for Islam’s New Narratives in our Own Back Yard
In the past few weeks, two familiar voices have reemerged to explain the violence and rage that erupted in Libya, Egypt, and across the Muslim world earlier this month. Ayaan Hirsi Ali …
Spiritual Sargasso Sea: A Long Weekend in Dubai
The New York Times recently ran a piece on the network of volunteers tracking the drift of flotsam in the Pacific from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last year. The …
Axis Mundi: A Little Prayer Group on the Edge of Nairobi
On the Wednesday that marked the midpoint in the recent weeklong Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative (PCRI) conference outside Nairobi, about 30 research fellows and CRCC staffers trundled onto a pair of …
The Dream Center: Spirit-Infused and Socially Engaged Urban Ministry
This article appeared in PentecoStudies: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Vol 11, No 1). Abstract: In this article we investigate the Dream Center, a large-scale Pentecostal …
Faith Community’s Call to Action: 20 Years After the L.A. Riots
Brie Loskota testified at a public hearing hosted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission. The event, “L.A. Civil Unrest: A Community Blueprint for the Next 20 …
Twice Tested by Fire: A Memoir of Faith and Service
Twice Tested by Fire: A Memoir of Faith and Service Cecil L. “Chip” Murray Figueroa Press, 2012 The fellowship of Christians generally and the Black Church specifically have an obligation beyond the …
The Los Angeles Riots 20 Years Later: An Interview with the Rev. Dr. Cecil ‘Chip’ Murray
USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni interviewed Rev. Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray for the Huffington Post. During the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles, Murray became a household name as the …
Megachurch and Microscoop: Beyond the Crystal Cathedral
This post originally appeared at Trans/Missions, the USC Knight Chair in Media and Religion site. The Crystal Cathedral has finally met its demise. After bankruptcy, the sale of the landmark sanctuary to …
Syria’s Stockholm syndrome and its sectarian war
This post originally appeared in The Financial Times. When I worked in Syria as a journalist from 2004 to 2007 I was surprised to learn how many backed the regime – including …