Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 9h

@rns.org tracks the ups and downs of the influential megachurch Willow Creek:

"Religion sociologists Don Miller and Wade Clark Roof had started to describe Americans as a generation of seekers — which made Willow’s seeker-friendly approach to ministry appealing."

religionnews.com/2025/10/08/w...

As Willow Creek turns 50, the onetime 'church of the future' redefines success

(RNS) — In the mid-1970s, a group of high schoolers and their former youth pastor started a church in a movie theater and named it Willow Creek. American religion hasn’t been the same since. The churc...

religionnews.com

1

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 3d

CNN features American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute fellow, Dr. Hussein Rashid's challenges working at Harvard Divinity School in the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRw-...

Former professor says Harvard is relishing Trump’s attacks

YouTube video by CNN

www.youtube.com

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 4d

Originally a church, today the Peace Cathedral hosts a synagogue, mosque, church, temple and oratory housed under one roof. More than a spiritual home for members of multiple faith communities, it is a place for homegrown political activism as well.

therevealer.org/the-spiritua...

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 6d

Congratulations to Febe Armanios on her new book, which was supported in part by CRCC's Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative!

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

1

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 7d

CRCC is at The Lilly Endowment this week to talk about Thriving Congregations. Check out our toolkit on Reimagining Church

crcc.usc.edu/reimagining-...

Reimagining Church: A Toolkit

Even as religious affiliation declines in the United States, some faith groups across religious traditions continue to thrive. But what does it mean to thrive? How can congregations grow more vital as...

crcc.usc.edu

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 10d

Affiliate Maureen Day presented about her research on “Catholicism at a Crossroads” with @iacsusc.bsky.social and many other campus partners.

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 12d

Welcome to the Preaching with the Sciences homily outline library featuring the first fruits of an extraordinary initiative.
This free online resource featuring 110+ homily outlines and growing, provides ideas for key Sundays and feast days across the 3-year lectionary cycle.
ctu.edu/preaching-wi...

1

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 13d

Today the @lacity.bsky.social City Council remembered our friend and community leader, Umar Hakim-Dey.

1

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 13d

@commonweal.bsky.social recaps a conversation on the future of the Catholic Church hosted by the @iacsusc.bsky.social. As Pope Leo XIV shared in his first media interview, synodality is the way the future, even if few churchgoers know what that means!

www.commonwealmagazine.org/schlumpf-soc...

Still Positive on Synodality

Scholars gathered at the sociology of religion meeting in Chicago still saw synodality as the most encouraging cause for hope in the American Church.

www.commonwealmagazine.org

1 2

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 14d

TOMORROW: Join us on Tuesday, 4pm at USC Caruso Catholic Center, for a discussion of Maureen K. Day's new book!

RSVP not required. Parking is available across the street at the USC Village 3301 S Hoover St, 90007.

1

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 17d

"Some Sundays, my congregation needs a word that’s more raw than polished." Julian DeShazier shares some inspiration for those preparing sermons for the weekend ahead.

www.christiancentury.org/voices/i-m-l...

My preaching has gotten raw

It‘s the best I‘ve felt about my work.

www.christiancentury.org

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 18d

"The past weeks have been particularly heavy. As our nation deals with its grief and divisions, locally, we mourn a man who brought so many together: Umar Hakim-Dey. Please see our tribute to him at the bottom of this email." -- Richard Flory, Executive Director

mailchi.mp/usc/crcc-new...

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 19d

Our friend Ken Chitwood shares his thoughts on the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk.

Read more below 👇
www.patheos.com/articles/mak...

Making Mortals Into Martyrs

How violent death becomes a rallying symbol—where grief meets grievance, faith meets politics, and martyr myths mobilize movements in the digital age.

www.patheos.com

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 20d

Religious scholar and TikTok star Dan McClellan examines how some Christian nationalists use—and often abuse—the Bible to gain political power.

revealnews.org/podcast/chri...

The Bible Says So…or Does It? - Reveal

On this week’s “More To The Story,” religious scholar and TikTok star Dan McClellan examines how some Christian nationalists use—and often abuse—the Bible to gain political power.

revealnews.org

1

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 20d

Next Tuesday -- Join us for a discussion of CRCC affiliate Maureen K. Day's new book, Catholicism at a Crossroads: The Present and Future of America's Largest Church, and its implications for pastoral ministry and the study of American religion more broadly.

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 21d

Wishing our Jewish friends a meaningful time of reflection and renewal this Rosh Hashanah. Shana Tova!

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 24d

Beautiful obituary from @laist.com laist.com/news/politic...

Umar Hakim-Dey, a pillar of SoCal’s Muslim community, has died

He leaves behind a legacy of community service, mentorship and interfaith advocacy.

laist.com

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 24d

May we continue to hold space for one another, and may our heartwork guide us toward wholeness.

Read more: crcc.usc.edu/report/heali...

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 24d

AMCLI developed the Healing Heartwork toolkit on Exploring Loss as a space to pause, breathe and allow ourselves to honor what feels heavy. It reminds us that resilience is not about carrying everything alone, but about creating room for grief, compassion and renewal together.

1

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 24d

Loss touches us all. As leaders we often feel its weight in complex ways — for ourselves, our families and our communities.

Leadership necessitates tending to the heart.

crcc.usc.edu/report/heali...

1 1

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 24d

Join us Tues, 9/30 for a discussion with our affiliate Marueen K. Day on her new book, Catholicism at a Crossroads: The Present and Future of America's Largest Church, and its implications for pastoral ministry and the study of American religion more broadly. mailchi.mp/usc/crcc-new...

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 25d

LA friends! You can see an Oscar-qualified short documentary from Linda Freund, a journalism fellow in our exemplars project, this week in Glendale!
Check out this exploration of death row with an exoneree and his chaplain.

Sept 19-25 at 4pm each day at Laemmle: www.laemmle.com/film/flicker...

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 26d

It’s been particularly jarring to watch Christians take down empathy, said historian Susan Lanzoni, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School.

“That’s the whole message of Jesus, right?"

apnews.com/article/cons...

Can empathy lead to sin? Some conservative Christians argue it can

Some voices on the Christian right are arguing the virtue of empathy has become a vice. Those Christians claim empathy can manipulate people into accepting what they see as sins, like abortion access ...

apnews.com

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 27d

Diane Winston questions her understanding of evangelical Christianity as empathetic in the wake of the calls to make Charlie Kirk into a martyr.

www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

Contributor: Why Christians rush to label Charlie Kirk a martyr

The right-wing evangelical and political activist believed that gun rights were God-given and that his devout example represented the best future for the United States.

www.latimes.com

USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture @usccrcc.bsky.social · 28d

The movement Jesus began is about radical belonging. It is not based in politics, power, or exclusion.

Anastasia McAteer, a participant in our Compelling Preaching initiative, offers this introspective resource in ProgressiveChristianity.org.

progressivechristianity.org/resource/a-c...

1