The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s storytelling initiative is a joint journalism and academic venture to capture stories of leaders and communities that are adapting structures, creating new approaches or evolving their spiritual beliefs and practices.
The initiative’s journalism fellowship supports deeply reported storytelling on the diversity of religious life in America. Scholars will examine the collection of stories generated from the fellowship for themes and insights about the nature of social change and American religion.
With an inaugural grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., CRCC launches this initiative with an effort to tell 100 stories of change within American Christianity.
The Team
CRCC is working with 5 scholars and a team of journalism fellows to collect stories of change in American religion across the United States. Ten local newsrooms are also partnering with Next City to produce solutions oriented stories on religious groups creating change on urban issues.
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CRCC launches Stories of Change in American Religion Initiative
Whether religious decline or revival, dominant narratives often shape media coverage about the place of religion in American culture. With a new initiative, the Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) at the University of Southern California will support storytelling that goes beyond the headlines to tell stories of the diversity of religious life in America.
A Guide to American Religion: Finding Stories of Change
This guide aims to help journalist develop rich story angles about change in American religion.
You will find frameworks to understand religion’s role in society, statistics that undergird dominant narratives, the major groupings of American Christianity, and themes and story ideas. Questions throughout elicit reflection on what is happening in local faith communities.
We look forward to hearing from journalists about the stories that answer our — and your own — questions about American religion.
Stories of Change
Below you will find examples of stories, commentary and events related to religious and social change from CRCC’s work. We will add stories that come out of this initiative as they are published.
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Dr. Nikia S. Robert: The Birth Of The Abolitionist Sanctuary
Dr. Nikia S. Robert, 42, once thought she would become a pastor of an AME Church but now understands that she has a broader calling—building a faith-based abolitionist movement that centers on Black women. Her journey to this calling has been personal, social, and academic.
Laundry Love
Laundry Love is a simple way to take the local congregation into the community.
Russell Jeung: He Started A Movement to #StopAAPIHate
Cynthia Choi and Manju Kulkarni launched Stop AAPI Hate — a website to report hate incidents and violence against Asian Americans. They track the location and frequency of these racially motivated incidents and propose policies and practical solutions to prevent these racist acts.
Sister Norma Pimentel: The Hands and Voice of God for Migrants at the US/Mexico Border
Sister Norma Pimentel is one of the nation’s leading voices calling for new and more just immigration policies. She’s best known for her compassionate work and vigorous advocacy on behalf of migrants and refugees seeking asylum in the United States.
Conflict and Congregations: How Churches Respond to Politics and the Pandemic
As the 2022 midterm elections approach, little can be predicted—except, perhaps, that they will further cement the deep divides in our country.
Those divides often extend into religious congregations.
God’s Resistance: Mobilizing Faith to Defend Immigrants
Watch a discussion about the power of faith to drive resistance to anti-immigration policies in the United States. Manuel Pastor, director of USC’s Equity Research Institute, moderated an online discussion with the authors of God’s Resistance: Mobilizing Faith to Defend Immigrants (NYU Press, 2023).
Passing the Mantle 2.0: The Murray Legacy
Watch a conversation with faith leaders who have taken up the mantle from their spiritual (and sometimes biological) mothers and fathers.
Journalism Resources
Journalists interested in religion reporting and working on the Stories of Change in American Religion initiative may find the below resources helpful.
For a more complete list, visit our Guide to American Religion.
Trends in Religion and Society
CRCC’s team examines trends in religion and society annually. Contradictions are inherent in societal trends. Look at the up, down and sideways movement across our 10 years of trend analysis.
Engaged Spirituality: 100 Stories of Inspiration and Resilience
CRCC previously ran a journalism fellowship that gave supported reporting on “engaged spirituality” around the world. Explore a directory of stories and read about the insights that emerged from the project.
Ethnographic Religion Reporting Guide
This reporting guide from Religion Link emerged from CRCC’s Engaged Spirituality project. Read how “ethnographic journalism” might provide solutions for religion newswriters looking to report on communities with critical sensitivity.
Religious Literacy App
You can find basic information such as common beliefs, holidays, greetings and titles for 27 unique faith traditions through this app. This app is geared for disaster response professionals, but the information is relevant to anyone who wants to build a new relationship with a faith community.
The Varieties of American Evangelicalism
Donald Trump’s ascent to the presidency has brought the culture, fault-lines and political commitments of American evangelicalism into sharp relief. In this report, we provide a concise guide to five different expressions of evangelical Christianity.
Exploring Spirituality and Culture in the U.S.
This free Religion Reporting Handbook provides basic information about various religious groups in the United States as well as best practices in religion reporting, with helpful videos throughout.
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