For many people working on humanitarian causes, spirituality is the force that compels them to be engaged with the world. They may have a ministry to serve the poor or be an activist fighting for human rights. They may be Buddhist, Muslim, Christian or not adhere to any particular tradition. What they share is an engaged spirituality.
From our first project following the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles, CRCC’s research and training programs have sought to understand and support faith leaders committed to improving their communities. CRCC continues this work today by studying the lives and work of exemplary people committed to advancing human flourishing across the globe. The following page includes stories of such people, created by CRCC’s researchers and journalist fellows. From the individual stories, CRCC aims to define and establish a field of “spiritual exemplars” and understand how engaged spirituality operates in their lives. This endeavor is supported by the John Templeton Foundation and Templeton Religion Trust.
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Above, Maggie Gorban ministers to children in a slum on the outskirts of Cairo.
AnnouncementNominate a Spiritual ExemplarDo you know someone who is changing the world? Is their work inspiring but not widely known? The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture is launching a global project on spiritual …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleSwami Agnivesh: How One Hindu Monk’s “Inner Evolution” Fuels Social Justice WorkThis article was originally published in The Christian Science Monitor, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. This past November, in a small hamlet in the Indian state of …Topics: Asia, Engaged Spirituality, Hindus and Hinduism, Spiritual Exemplars
ArticleThe Fight for Black Lives is a Spiritual MovementThis article was originally published in the Berkley Forum as an editorial response to “Religion and Racial Justice: The George Floyd Protests.” A circle of flowers forms a sanctuary honoring the space …Topics: Creativity and Innovation, Engaged Spirituality, Race and Culture
ArticleRNS: In Greece, Pandemic Deprives Refugees of Vital Link to Food and LocalsThis article was originally published in Religion News Service with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. MORIA REFUGEE CAMP, Lesbos, Greece (RNS) — Like many restaurants around the world, Nikos …Topics: COVID, Engaged Spirituality, Europe, Faith-Based Organizations, Immigration
ArticleRNS: Indian Priest Warner D’Souza Makes The Kitchen His Pulpit Amidst the PandemicThis article was originally published in Religion News Service with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. MUMBAI, India (RNS) — From his kitchen in a suburb of North Mumbai, 50-year-old Catholic …Topics: Asia, Catholics and Catholicism, COVID, Engaged Spirituality, Religious Leadership
ArticleAshin Issariya: Leading the Charge Against Militant BuddhismThis article was originally published in New Statesman, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. January is the cool, dry season of traveling sermons in Myanmar, where members of …Topics: Asia, Buddhists and Buddhism, Engaged Spirituality, Religious Leadership, Religious Pluralism, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
ArticleJean Gakwandi: Rwanda Ministry Brings Genocide Survivors HopeThis article was originally published in Christianity Today, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. It was raining ferociously, causing the women and orphans to move away from the …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Engaged Spirituality, Genocide, Spiritual Exemplars, Sub-Saharan Africa, Violence
ArticleDr. Mohammed Elgazzar: Saving Lives Across the Battle LinesThis article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — the city of learned philosophers and a once-great library, named after …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Healthcare, Middle East and North Africa, Muslims and Islam, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
ArticleThe Moroccan School Training Women Imams To Combat ExtremismThis article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. It supplements Priyadarshini Sen’s profile of Ahmed Toufiq. RABAT, Morocco — Wearing an embroidered …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Gender, Middle East and North Africa, Muslims and Islam, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars, Sub-Saharan Africa
ArticleImam Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye: From Enemies to Friends Building PeaceThis article was originally published in Ripples Nigeria, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Of its 60 years of existence as an independent state, Africa’s most populous country, …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Interfaith/Multifaith Movements, International Affairs and Policy, Religious Extremism, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars, Sub-Saharan Africa, Violence
ArticleImam Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye: Bringing Peace to Warring Nigerian CommunitiesThis article was originally published in Premium Times, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. For the greater part of May 2, 2004, 40-year-old Amina Abubakar endured nine-month-old pregnancy …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Engaged Spirituality, Interfaith/Multifaith Movements, Muslims and Islam, Religious Extremism, Religious Leadership, Spiritual Exemplars, Sub-Saharan Africa, Violence
ArticleJacques Mourad: The Syrian Catholic Priest Who StayedThis article was originally published as the cover story of the March 2, 2020 issue of America Magazine, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. It became clear that …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Christians and Christianity, Engaged Spirituality, Middle East and North Africa, Religious Extremism, Religious Leadership, Religious Minorities, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
“Pessimism, cynicism, despair—these words are not in the vocabulary of spiritual exemplars such as Sister Rosemary and Jean. Instead, I kept hearing the words hope, compassion and love. What really struck me was their entrepreneurial spirit in the face of poverty and trauma. Perhaps visionary action is an antidote to paralyzing anxiety and fear.”
— Donald E. Miller, Countering Pessimism and Despair: An Encounter with two Spiritual Exemplars
CRCC Experts
To schedule an interview with one of our experts, please contact CRCC:
crcc@usc.edu or 213-743-1611
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.
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.
Arpi MillerContributing FellowArpi Miller is a sociologist who studies secular and faith-based immigrant advocacy and accompaniment.