Born out of the diverse initiatives and networks that followed the L.A. riots, CRCC has been connected to all types of religious communities, before “interfaith” was cool. Coalition of faith leaders came together to address the social divides and ills that led to the conflagrations in 1992.
All religious traditions engage in the public square, and they also have their unique rituals, beliefs and approaches to prayer. Moreover, there’s often disagreements among adherents within each religion about the best way to practice their tradition and engage in political and social issues. Explore trends within a wide variety of groups—from Islam to evangelicalism to religious “nones”—on their respective topic pages, or check out trends that cross groups, such as creativity and innovation or prayer and meditation.
EventHow Then Shall We Live? A Conversation Series“How Then Shall We Live?” is a series of conversations that examines critical issues shaping how humanity lives together today: the environment, polarization and artificial intelligence. Experts will share their perspectives on …Topics: Christianity, Event, preaching, Religious Leadership- VideoMemories of the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray – 1929-2024
- VideoReflections from the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray
- VideoRev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray Sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
- Video2024 Shurden Lectures: Whose Country Is It Anyway?
AnnouncementLos Angeles’ Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. Murray, Dies at Age 94Until the pandemic, the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray was the first person in the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s office every morning. Then 90 years old, he would …Topics: Black Church, Christianity, CMCCE, Engaged Spirituality, Murray Archive, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars- VideoGod’s Resistance: Mobilizing Faith to Defend Immigrants
ArticleFather Greg Boyle: A Modern-Day Mystic — The Priest Behind Homeboy IndustriesThis article was originally published on Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. The founder of the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and prison reentry program in the world is a …Topics: Catholicism, Donald E. Miller, Engaged Spirituality, Religious Leadership, Southern California, Spiritual Exemplars
CommentaryA Year of Crisis and Opportunity: 2024 Trends in Religion and SocietyIn CRCC’s annual trends post last year, we wrote about surviving, if not thriving. We write this year’s trends with a special place in our hearts for CRCC’s senior editor Nick Street, …Topics: Innovation and Change, Racial Justice, Religious Leadership, trends
ArticleKonda Mason: Growing rice in Louisiana is a path to justice for Black farmersThis article was originally published on The Christian Science Monitor, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. It’s past daybreak on a muggy July morning when Konda Mason reaches the farm, a …Topics: Buddhism, Diane Winston, Engaged Spirituality, Environmental Justice, Racial Justice, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleSarah Zouak: Leading a Laboratory of Muslim Feminism in FranceWhen Sarah Zouak was a graduate student in France, an adviser told her that the phrase “Muslim feminist” was a contradiction in terms. Zouak had proposed a thesis on the topic when …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Gender and Sexuality, Islam, Spiritual Exemplars
AnnouncementCRCC Launches Compelling Preaching InitiativeThe USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture is launching a new project that seeks to help faith leaders think about their preaching in an ever-changing social and cultural landscape. With support …Topics: Black Church, Catholicism, Christianity, Evangelicalism, Media and Technology, preaching, Religious Leadership
“Students in mindfulness classes may think they’re seeking therapeutic answers from secularized Eastern traditions, but their practices are authentically American too. Perhaps it’s this implicit knowledge that makes mindfulness so enchanting to spiritual seekers today.”
—Nalika Gajaweera,
“Mindfulness is as American as Apple Pie”
CRCC Experts
To schedule an interview with one of our experts, please contact CRCC:
crcc@usc.edu or 213-743-1611
Tobin BelzerTobin Belzer is an applied sociologist who develops research and program evaluations to support the work of non-profit organizations and philanthropists.
Brad ChristersonBrad Christenson is a sociologist who has written extensively in the areas of religion, race, ethnicity, and globalization.
Richard FloryExecutive DirectorRichard Flory is a sociologist whose work focuses on religion and urban life, religious and cultural change, and youth and young adults.
Andrew JohnsonPast FellowAndrew Johnson is a sociologist who studies religion on the margins of society, with specific interests in religious practice inside of prison, Latin American Pentecostalism and religion in the city.
Juan MartínezPast FellowJuan Martinez studies the history of Latino Protestantism, Latino Protestant identity and transnational mission among U.S. Latinos.
Lori MeeksLori Meeks studies the social and cultural history of Buddhism in Japan, particularly related to the role of women.
Donald E. MillerCo-FounderDonald Miller focuses on global religious trends, genocides of the 20th century, and the role of religious NGOs in addressing issues of moral concern.
Jon MillerGuest ContributorJon Miller is a comparative sociologist and director of the international mission photography archive.
Bruce PhillipsBruce Phillips is among the leading researchers in the sociology of American Jewry and is an avid historian of Los Angeles.
Napah Phyakul QuachManaging DirectorNapah Phyakul Quach manages CRCC’s contracts and grants as well as oversees operations.
Rhonda RoumaniContributing FellowRhonda Roumani is a freelance journalist who writes about both the Middle East and Islam in the Muslim world and in the United States.
Najuma SmithAssistant Director of Community and Public EngagementRev. Najuma Smith combines her experience as a pastor and expertise as a community leader to train Murray Center Fellows.
Megan SweasEditor and Director of CommunicationsMegan Sweas is a journalist specializing in social and economic justice issues and world religions.
Tarra McNallyTarra McNally is an anthropologist specializing in evaluation and global health.
Rev. Frank Jackson, Jr.Rev. Frank Jackson, Jr. couples his experience in business and investment with his passion for community development.