Depending on your point of view, religion is the source of values like compassion and social justice that are essential to the harmonious co-existence of diverse groups in any given society. Or it provides the rationalization for intolerance and injustice toward the “other,” which is the root of conflict and suffering. Reality, of course, is much more complicated than either perspective.
In any case, religious beliefs—and beliefs about religion—inevitably shape social values and political power, in both the secular societies of the global North and the deeply religious cultures of the global South. Explore the relationship between religion and a variety of social and political issues, from economic inequality to immigration.
Photo Credit: Franco Folini
- VideoDr. Christina Puchalski: COVID-19 Highlights Spiritual Needs In Health Care
CRCC in the NewsCBS2 and Spectrum News 1: Najuma Smith-Pollard on Martin Luther King Day Jr.CRCC’s Najuma Smith-Pollard was featured on CBS2 and Spectrum News 1’s “In Focus SoCal” to talk about how Los Angeles communities are continuing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaking …Topics: Black Church, CMCCE, Economic Inequality, Race and Culture, Religious Leadership, Southern California
CommentaryPandemic Year 3 Predictions: Adjusting to New “Normals” in 2022Since 2016, CRCC has shared the trends in religion and society that we see shaping the coming year. What started as light-hearted predictions has grown more ominous over the years. Anybody surprised …Topics: Black Church, Christians and Christianity, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Media, Meditation and Prayer, Political Attitudes and Values, Protests and Uprisings, Religious Leadership, Religious Pluralism, Voting and Elections
ArticleNeris Gonzalez: ‘My Dreams Will Never Be the Same’This story was originally published by Harvard Divinity Bulletin, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. NERIS GONZALEZ WAS WATCHING the news when the grainy video of George Floyd appeared. She sat …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Engaged Spirituality, International Affairs and Policy, Latin America, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
ArticleBuddhadharma: Reclaiming Our So-Called “Cultural Baggage”This article was originally published by Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly. You can often hear Western meditation-based convert circles use the term “cultural baggage” to refer to the ritualized acts, cosmological ideas, and …Topics: Buddhists and Buddhism, Immigration, Race and Culture, TAS
AudioSister Dianna Ortiz: A Tribute to a Survivor of Torture Who Became a Voice for VictimsThis radio documentary was originally published by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. To hear this and other profiles, subscribe to The Spiritual Edge podcast …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Engaged Spirituality, Gender, Latin America, Nuns and Women Religious, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
ArticleRev. Gary Mason: Faith on the Peace Lines of Northern IrelandThis article was originally published by Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Amid the bombings and murders of Northern Ireland’s decades-long conflicted called the Troubles, Rev. Gary …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Engaged Spirituality, Europe, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
AudioRosalina Tuyuc Velasquez: Calling on Ancient Maya Wisdom to Heal Guatemalan WidowsThis radio documentary was originally published by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Listen to it at KALW.org. To hear this and other profiles, subscribe …Topics: Engaged Spirituality, Latin America, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
AudioMichelle Clifton-Soderstrom: An Evangelical Professor And Her Students Inside A Maximum Security PrisonThis radio documentary was originally produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. To hear this and other profiles, subscribe to The Spiritual Edge podcast in …Topics: Christians and Christianity, COVID, Criminal Justice, Engaged Spirituality, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Spiritual Exemplars
AudioMehool Sanghrajka: A Jain Tech Innovator Combines A Religious And Worldly Perspective In EducationThis radio documentary was originally produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. To hear this and other profiles, subscribe to The Spiritual Edge podcast in …Topics: Education, Engaged Spirituality, Europe, Media, Spiritual Exemplars
AudioRussell Jeung: He Started A Movement to #StopAAPIHateThis radio documentary was originally produced by KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. To hear this and other profiles, subscribe to The Spiritual Edge podcast …Topics: Christians and Christianity, COVID, Engaged Spirituality, race, Spiritual Exemplars, Violence
CRCC in the NewsHonolulu Civil Beat: Flory on Evangelical Pastors’ Influence on Vaccine UptakeSome pastors in Hawaii are discouraging their members from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, Honolulu Civil Beat reports. The article quotes CRCC’s Richard Flory about the perception of vaccines within evangelical Christianity. According …Topics: COVID, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Healthcare, Public Health
“It is, finally, not the external forms of religion that matter so much; they are cultural products, vessels (potential conduits) of the holy, not to be confused with the divine (which would be idolatry). What is important is the quality of life that results from one’s concourse with the God beyond gods.”
—Donald E. Miller
“The Future of Liberal Christianity”
CRCC Experts
To schedule an interview with one of our experts, please contact CRCC:
crcc@usc.edu or 213-743-1611
Brad ChristersonContributing FellowBrad Christenson is a sociologist who has written extensively in the areas of religion, race, ethnicity, and globalization.
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 FloryExecutive DirectorRichard Flory is a sociologist whose work focuses on religion and urban life, religious and cultural change, and youth and young adults.
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 LoskotaContributing FellowBrie 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.
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.
Arpi MillerContributing FellowArpi Miller is a sociologist who studies secular and faith-based immigrant advocacy and accompaniment.
Cecil L. MurrayUniversity FellowRev. Cecil Murray works to ensure that the legacy of African American Church leaders pass on their years of experience to the next generation.
John B. OrrCo-founder & Past FellowJohn B. Orr has worked extensively in the fields of religion, education and politics.
Joe PalaciosContributing FellowJoe Palacios, a sociologist and Catholic priest, studies religion, politics and social justice in Latin America and among immigrants in the United States.
Nadia RoumaniContributing FellowNadia Roumani has worked with a wide range of organizations over the past decade to better understand the needs of Muslim communities across the United States.