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.
Topics
ArticleFar from Being Anti-Religious, Faith and Spirituality Run Deep in Black Lives MatterThis article was originally published on The Conversation, and was written with Ann Gleig. Black Lives Matters (BLM) has been portrayed by its detractors as many things: Marxist, radical, anti-American. Added to …Topics: Creativity and Innovation, Engaged Spirituality, Protests and Uprisings, Race and Culture
ArticleJulie Coyne: Creating A Community of Care in Highland GuatemalaOn any given afternoon, for the last 22 years, Julie Coyne has waited eagerly at the doorway to Education and Hope, green eyes twinkling. Children emerge from the surrounding streets dressed in …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Economic Inequality, Education, Engaged Spirituality, Immigration, Latin America, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleMasue Katayama: Changing Nursing Care Industry in Japan with KindnessThis article was originally published in Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. YOKOHAMA, Japan (RNS) — In what used to be an elementary school in …Topics: Asia, Catholics and Catholicism, Engaged Spirituality, Healthcare, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleJerry Falwell Jr. will leave behind a very different legacy from his influential fatherThis article was originally published by The Conversation. Jerry Falwell Jr., son and namesake of the founder of the evangelical Moral Majority movement, has resigned as president of Liberty University. The resignation …Topics: Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Political Attitudes and Values, Religious Leadership
CRCC in the NewsNewsweek: Flory on Trump’s Waning White Evangelical SupportDonald Trump’s approval rate among white evangelicals has slipped since the onset of the pandemic in March. What does this signify for Trump’s re-election campaign? In an article about the 2020 Republican …Topics: Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Political Attitudes and Values, Voting and Elections
CRCC in the NewsRNS: Flory on Harvest Crusade Transforming Into a Cinematic ExperienceTens of thousands of people gather in Anaheim’s Angel Stadium every August for the Harvest Crusade, a weekend-long evangelistic event featuring Christian music artists and special guests. But this year, amid a …Topics: Evangelicals and Evangelicalism
ArticleChao-hwei Shih: Buddhist Nun Leads Asia’s Fight for Gay MarriageThis article was originally published in Harvard Divinity Bulletin, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. BUDDHIST MASTER THE VENERABLE Chao-hwei Shih beamed at two 30-year-old brides kneeling before her …Topics: Asia, Buddhists and Buddhism, Engaged Spirituality, Gender, LGBT Issues, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleRNS: France’s ‘hip’ female rabbi draws Muslims, Christians and Jews in a time of crisisThis article was originally published in Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. (RNS) — On Tuesday nights at 8:30 p.m., tens of thousands of people throughout France …Topics: COVID, Engaged Spirituality, Europe, Interfaith/Multifaith Movements, Jews and Judaism, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleRNS: In Togo, a Catholic nun fights COVID-19 for the sake of her AIDS patientsThis article was originally published in Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. (RNS) — “Here, people won’t die from COVID-19 but mostly from its consequences,” said Sister …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Christians and Christianity, COVID, Engaged Spirituality, Healthcare, Nuns and Women Religious, Spiritual Exemplars, Sub-Saharan Africa
ArticleRNS: India’s pioneering transgender activist defends gains in pandemicThis article was originally published in Religion News Service, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. KOLKATA, India (RNS) — Well past midnight one day in late June, Ranjita Sinha, a …Topics: Asia, COVID, Engaged Spirituality, Gender, Hindus and Hinduism, LGBT Issues, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleAl and Andi Tauber: How Two Mennonite Musicians Turn Street Ministry Into SongThis radio documentary was produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Listen to it on The Spiritual Edge website. The Protestant Reformation of the …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Creativity and Innovation, Economic Inequality, Engaged Spirituality, LGBT Issues, Race and Culture, Southern California, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticlePat Murphy and Joann Persch: Two Nuns Determined to Help Detained ImmigrantsThis radio documentary was produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Listen to it on The Spiritual Edge’s website. When the phone rang, …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Christians and Christianity, Engaged Spirituality, Immigration, Nuns and Women Religious, Spiritual Exemplars
“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
Sumaya AbubakerProject ManagerSumaya Abubaker manages leadership and civic engagement programming for minority faith communities.
Tobin BelzerContributing FellowTobin Belzer is an applied sociologist who develops research and program evaluations to support the work of non-profit organizations and philanthropists.
Brad ChristersonContributing FellowBrad Christenson is a sociologist who has written extensively in the areas of religion, race, ethnicity, and globalization.
Donald Cook IIContributing FellowRev. Donald Cook II combines his expertise in church management with ministry and social justice initiatives to help faith organizations improve their communities.
Hebah FarragAssistant Director of ResearchHebah Farrag manages the center’s research and evaluation projects while engaging in research focused on religion, social change and new spiritualties.
Richard FlorySenior Director of Research and EvaluationRichard Flory is a sociologist whose work focuses on religion and urban life, religious and cultural change, and youth and young adults.
Nalika GajaweeraResearch AssociateNalika Gajaweera is a cultural anthropologist specialized in Buddhism, transnationalism and ethics, with an area expertise in South Asia.
Rev. Frank Jackson, Jr.Contributing FellowRev. Frank Jackson, Jr. couples his experience in business and investment with his passion for community development.
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.
Brie LoskotaExecutive DirectorBrie Loskota researches how religions change and make change in the world, and works to build the capacity of religious communities around the globe.
Juan MartínezPast FellowJuan Martinez studies the history of Latino Protestantism, Latino Protestant identity and transnational mission among U.S. Latinos.
Tarra McNallyAssistant Director of EvaluationTarra McNally is an anthropologist specializing in evaluation and global health.
Lori MeeksLori Meeks studies the social and cultural history of Buddhism in Japan, particularly related to the role of women.
Donald E. MillerDirector of Strategic InitiativesDonald Miller focuses on global religious trends, genocides of the 20th century, and the role of religious NGOs in addressing issues of moral concern.
Jon MillerSenior Research AssociateJon Miller is a comparative sociologist and director of the international mission photography archive.