Many people assume that religion is unchanging across time and place, but in order to survive, religion must adapt to new social and cultural realities. Membership and participation in religious groups fluctuates over time, with some groups gaining or losing adherents in the process. Religious affiliation may be related to many different things, including basic population shifts through immigration and aging.
Religion also changes through the varying needs and desires of different generations—what one generation thinks is sacrosanct, the next generation may consider no longer essential to their faith. Further, religious organizations must keep up with how the spiritual and religious needs of individuals change across their life course. Religions must adapt to the needs and demands of both young and old adherents, even as they maintain the core tenets of the tradition.
Photo Credit: Stefan Georgi
- CRCC in the NewsDeseret News: Flory on Declining Church AttendanceToday, nearly 1/4 of Americans do not affiliate with a faith group, and church leaders across the country are growing concerned on how to combat declining church attendance rates. Deseret News interviewed CRCC’s Senior Director …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Religious "Nones", Religious Affiliation
- CRCC in the NewsReligion News Service: As Americans Disengage From Religion, A California Institution Encourages QuestioningAgainst the backdrop of decreasing religiosity in America, the Krikshnamurti Foundation of America (KFA) finds a growing following that encourages members to question and reach their own conclusions about their faith. Religion …Topics: Creativity and Innovation, Religious "Nones", Religious Affiliation
- CRCC in the NewsLarry King Now: Richard Flory on the Future of Faith in AmericaDespite the fact that the United States remains the most religious first world country in the world, religiosity is on the decline among Americans under 40. Joining a panel of faith leaders, …Topics: Religious Affiliation
- CommentaryHoly Listening Connects Young Adults to ChurchesThis post, co-authored by Dori Baker, originally appeared on Faith & Leadership. Multicolored Post-it notes dot the walls of the seminary classroom. Here, in a pop-up design thinking lab, people are buzzing …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Creativity and Innovation, Millennials, Religious Affiliation
- CRCC in the NewsThe Hill: Richard Flory on the Religious Right’s Criticism of Trump’s Immigration PoliciesThe controversy over child separation at the southern border is forcing many conservative Christian leaders to be more critical of Donald Trump than they have in the past. Though some believe this …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Community Dynamics, Government and Religion, Immigration, International Affairs and Policy, Political Attitudes and Values, Religious Affiliation, Religious Leadership
- CommentaryLA-Times Op-Ed: The Leaner, and Arguably Meaner, Evangelical ChurchThis Op-Ed originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times on May 31, 2018. Franklin Graham, the evangelical preacher and son of Billy Graham, is in the midst of a 10-city tour of …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Government and Religion, Political Attitudes and Values, Religious "Nones"
- CRCC in the NewsThe Aspen Institute: Loskota on Tackling Hate Through Interfaith InitiativesBridging faith communities is essential to combat violence against minorities and create partnerships to tackle the challenges that face society. The Aspen Institute interviewed CRCC Executive Director Brie Loskota for a podcast …Topics: Community Dynamics, Creativity and Innovation, Faith-Based Organizations, Media, Political Attitudes and Values, Population Trends, Religious Affiliation, Religious Leadership
- VideoReligion on the Move in Los Feliz
- CRCC in the NewsNBC: Richard Flory on Bringing Environmentalism to EvangelicalsWhite evangelicals have often dismiss climate change as a critical issue, but NBC News reports that some pastors and environmentalists in the community are hoping to re-contextualize the issue and help evangelicals …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Political Attitudes and Values, Population Trends, Religious Beliefs and Rituals
- CRCC in the News83.9 KPCC: Mark Whitlock on LA’s Korean Christian Community Seeking Social ImpactKorean Americans make up a large portion of Los Angeles’ population, and many of them identify as Christian. However, Korean churches do not have the same reputation for impacting the community in …Topics: Black Church, Christians and Christianity, CMCCE, Community Organizing, Faith-Based Organizations, Immigration, Political Attitudes and Values, Race and Culture, Religious Affiliation, Religious Leadership, Social Services, Southern California
- VideoReimagining Religion Conference: The Future of Religion in Los Angeles
- CommentaryHow a Growing Christian Movement is Seeking to Change AmericaThis article was originally published on The Conversation. Last week, from Oct. 6 to 9, the National Mall in Washington, D.C. was filled with tents, worship music and prayer for the “Awaken …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Government and Religion, Pentecostals and Pentecostalism, Political Attitudes and Values, Religious Affiliation, Voting and Elections
“In major urban centers across the United States, there is a generalized perception that individuals in their 20s and early 30s constitute a ‘black hole’ in congregational life. Members of the young-adult population are simply missing from most churches, synagogues and mosques.”
—Tobin Belzer, Richard Flory, Nadia Roumani and Brie Loskota, in Congregations that Get It: Understanding Religious Identities in the Next Generation
CRCC Experts
To schedule an interview with one of our experts, please contact CRCC:
crcc@usc.edu or 213-743-1611