tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86580527907410401372012-01-23T22:19:37.729-08:00Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-52271947464889557942011-12-21T07:15:00.000-08:002011-12-21T07:15:05.998-08:00

From Zocalo Public Square If this year were like years past, the Crystal Cathedral, the Philip Johnson-designed Protestant megachurch in Garden Grove, would be abuzz with the “The Glory of Christmas” pageant, with angels suspended from ropes and a parade of camels, horses, sheep, and donkeys. Not so this year. Bankruptcy is dampening the holiday spirit at the institution that once embodied the

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-66623015353899988012011-11-02T13:38:00.000-07:002011-11-02T18:11:14.839-07:00

I don't want to brag, but I was right all along. Apparently the new Talbot Seminary building at Biola University has been dedicated (despite that fact that I hear it isn't actually finished yet), which because I'm like a moth to a flame, I had to read about on their website. What got my attention wasn't the dedication per se, but how correct I was when I originally wrote about the plans for the

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-34951923202486158812011-10-27T07:48:00.000-07:002011-10-27T07:48:27.645-07:00

Today's L.A. Times reports that the creditors committee in the Crystal Cathedral bankruptcy proceedings has chosen Chapman University as the preferred entity to purchase CC's buildings and land, and thus provide a way out of its $50 million debt. The church will lease back portions of the buildings for its use at $150,000 per month, with 3% increases in rent each year for 15 years. Chapman

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-53675582535540306362011-09-30T13:04:00.000-07:002011-10-01T13:10:14.150-07:00

New internet sensation Alessio Rastani, a self-identified independent trader, bluntly predicted in an interview on the BBC what he says most other savvy capitalists are anticipating: impending global economic meltdown. The news media response to Rastani's comments, beyond the initial shock that the BBC interviewers showed in response to his unalloyed glee at the prospect of making a mint off the

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-10772233029861348882011-08-04T12:47:00.000-07:002011-10-01T12:52:19.423-07:00

Coinciding with the beginning of Ramadan, a new report from Gallup examines "U.S. Muslims' Political, Social, and Spiritual Engagement 10 Years After September 11." What is most interesting about the results of this study is that, compared to other religious groups in the U.S., Muslims have pretty much the same views on issues facing their communities, the nation and their personal lives as

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-3693508050878734782011-06-11T09:50:00.000-07:002011-06-11T09:51:29.442-07:00

Today's L.A. Times reports that several south Los Angeles ministers have sent a letter to the commissioner of major league baseball, Bud Selig, in support of Dodger owner Frank McCourt's efforts to retain control of the Dodger franchise. Which elicits the response, "Whaaa?" In February, the Center for Religion and Civic Culture released a report on the civic role of religion in Los Angeles. That

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-29340995147517194772011-05-31T12:44:00.000-07:002011-05-31T14:45:57.485-07:00

The past tumultuous few years for the Crystal Cathedral have included the retirement (and un-retirement, then subsequent re-retirement) of the Schuller pater familias; the son's inheriting the family business only to be replaced by his sister (his sister!); the church's filing for bankruptcy--a process that exposed both the nepotistic hiring practices and high salaries enjoyed by church employees

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-80415603779000690652011-04-24T09:54:00.000-07:002011-04-24T10:19:08.906-07:00

Today is Easter, so Malia and I went to a sunrise service (St. John of the Trails, we sat in pew 6 and the worship was great--head high--but there was hardly anybody there!), and it got me to thinking. Who exactly is this Jesus guy anyway? I mean what do we know about him? I know there has been a lot written about him, in addition to purported eye-witnesses who claim not only to have seen him,

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-91219255770701439742011-04-21T12:13:00.000-07:002011-04-21T12:33:53.533-07:00

Shocking! According to the New York Times, there are gay and lesbian students at evangelical colleges, and they actually want to be recognized by their schools for the people they are, not as some sort of sexual rehabilitation project. Perhaps this is not exactly shocking; rather, it is another story among several over the last few years documenting the changing relationship between evangelicals

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-63378427705746948922011-03-07T12:28:00.000-08:002011-03-07T12:33:28.577-08:00

Several recent reports suggest that the evangelical Christian world, as we have come to know it over the last 30 years, may be changing forever. Much has been written since the last presidential election about the rise of a new consciousness among young people, including evangelical young people, many of whom supported of Barack Obama in 2008.More recently, however, reports of younger

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-6869394570106497892011-03-04T17:42:00.000-08:002011-03-04T18:25:45.179-08:00

Here is an editorial I wrote and submitted to the LA Times--which they chose not to run--based on our recently released report (available for download here). Of course the Times ran their own editorial on Mahony two days after I submitted mine, and although theirs is much more pro-Mahony than mine, it reads kind of familiar. I'm just sayin'....Here's the (unpublished) editorial:===Recovering a

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-40501424513007904132011-02-02T15:39:00.000-08:002011-02-02T15:45:15.586-08:00

Although there are still some lingering questions from last November about the role that values-voters played in the midterm elections--for example, were moral issues trumped by personal financial interests?--more recently, a new politics of fear has begun to dominate legislative bodies from the local to the national level. Taken together, these efforts seem to be more about looking

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-38653001861322914892011-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:002011-01-08T13:31:15.506-08:00

Talk about a buzz-kill. It's barely 2011 and already some obscure Christian minister is predicting the end of the world, which is supposed to happen before we even get to the half-way mark of the new year! As if in support of this apocalyptic prediction, flocks of birds are falling out of the sky, and whole schools of fish are washing up on shores the world over. That people choose to accept

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-66911802555937128232010-12-13T11:00:00.000-08:002011-01-08T13:31:49.910-08:00

With the recent midterm election now behind us, reporters are beginning to speculate about potential Republican challengers to President Obama, and even challengers from within his own party, in the 2012 presidential election. To date, much of the media attention has centered on Sarah Palin and her reality show. Other reports have focused on potential candidates like Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee,

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-60459667554321445322010-11-05T11:00:00.000-07:002011-01-08T13:32:34.156-08:00

What is particularly striking in the aftermath of Tuesday's historic election is that there is no consistent religion storyline. Observers have alternately argued that there is no values or faith story in the 2010 election, that the Tea Party is really a cover for the pro-big business "Christian Nation" promoters, or that the stunning win by Republicans is due to the "End Times" worldview of its

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-82455999391944972572010-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:002011-01-08T13:42:31.034-08:00

Left behind: cell-phones, wallets, the deed to a house and farewell letters to relatives that ended, "We're going to heaven to meet Jesus." It all spelled "cult" to officials in Palmdale, a parched city of 150,000 where L.A.'s urban sprawl meets the Mojave Desert.News stories about the 13 missing persons--all immigrants from El Salvador--amplified fears that members of another doomsday sect

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-15213298308609650392010-08-12T11:00:00.000-07:002011-01-08T13:39:01.097-08:00

The sky is falling and apparently it's taking organized religion with it.That's the take-away message in a recent Los Angeles Times opinion piece by William Lobdell. Starting with novelist Anne Rice's defection from the Catholic Church (or more accurately, her most recent defection) and then citing evidence from recent Pew Forum surveys charting the uptick in the number of religiously

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-86102096718494172862010-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:002011-01-08T13:33:23.944-08:00

The recent retirement, then non-retirement, of famed Crystal Cathedral and "possibility thinking" pastor Robert Schuller, was reported over the past weekend, first in the Orange County Register, and picked up by the AP. The story was then denied by Schuller's daughter and now "sole lead pastor," Sheila Schuller Coleman, in an L.A. Times article, although it took a day for the AP and the Register

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-60536802128778654972010-05-27T11:00:00.000-07:002011-01-08T13:33:58.845-08:00

'Tis the season for university graduation ceremonies and the accompanying competition for the most famous—or perhaps infamous—commencement speakers. On May 15, Jerry Falwell's Liberty University scored on both counts when Fox News personality Glenn Beck delivered the commencement address to the class of 2010 and, in return, got an honorary "Doctorate of Humanities" degree.Beck was predictably

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-38103780030850101972010-05-19T15:33:00.000-07:002010-05-19T16:33:29.614-07:00

All this hoopla over the new "show me your papers please" law in Arizona is now being duplicated, however weakly, in Costa Mesa, California. In their 5/18/2010 meeting, the Costa Mesa city council approved a resolution brought forward by the ever-smirking Mayor Allan "I never met a legal immigrant I didn't like" Mansoor, to declare the city a "rule of law city," that pledges,Support of Federal

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-13972440789634331592010-05-18T09:05:00.000-07:002010-05-18T11:10:26.081-07:00

Apologies to Sting and the Police, but apparently everything you do on the internet leaves some trace that can lead back to you. Kind of like your own panopticon on your desktop, or in your bag. All that stuff you think is private? Think again.

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-50859548084817267392010-05-13T19:18:00.000-07:002010-05-13T19:52:47.486-07:00

I was recently searching for an email address on the website of the institution where I used to work, and on the front page was an announcement for the groundbreaking for a new building on their campus, which is to house the theology faculty and programs. I'm reprinting below what I wrote when I first heard about the plans for this building a few years ago. The blog I wrote it for is now on an

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-9563040916842962212010-04-03T09:03:00.000-07:002010-04-03T09:06:21.636-07:00

From an article on why Easter isn't really a Pagan holiday:"It is important to point out that in most of the Christian world 'Easter' is not called 'Easter,' because most of the Christian world does not speak English!"and"Spring comes every year, but Jesus died once in Palestine."Absolutely.

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-69162134349232167882010-03-29T23:10:00.000-07:002010-03-29T23:46:57.809-07:00

The Border’s bookstore near where I live closed recently. This closing follows by a few years the closing of the local Barnes and Noble store, which at the time totally made sense to me since I live in Newport Beach, and these two stores, located about 750 yards from each other, could hardly be supported by the five people who actually read books in the “OC.” OK, I overstate, but the underlying

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-8066417071929185682010-02-21T12:08:00.001-08:002010-02-21T12:25:59.144-08:00

That evangelical Christians have long been able to co-opt popular cultural forms, give them a nice (and wholesome) Christian gloss, and then turn them into forms intended to further their aims is well established. For example, in the early 20th century, Billy Sunday parlayed his professional baseball (and hard living) past into a career as a barnstorming evangelist, drawing thousands to his

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-84769107098907046362010-02-01T18:06:00.000-08:002010-02-01T18:18:24.060-08:00

I know, I know. That is a totally wrong way to talk about a place. It is insensitive to people and places. But hey, that's what we called this place--the actual name of which is the "Colorado Lagoon"--when we were kids, the "Polio Pit," because we were sure you would get some strange disease from swimming there. But,we did swim in it, even though you couldn't see your hands in front of your face

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-3488126924775977362010-01-23T18:11:00.000-08:002010-01-24T21:43:05.308-08:00

Secret Jesus codes on military hardware! I think what I like most about this company is that the founder--a "devout Christian" who was killed in a plane crash in 2003 (where is Pat Robertson when you need him?)--chose not only to be a military contractor with the federal government to produce gun sights for the military (to the tune of over $600 mil), but also that he decided that the best way

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-3877795383117926302010-01-22T13:16:00.000-08:002010-01-24T13:01:16.282-08:00

It is no secret that women generally get the short end of the stick, so to speak, when it comes to how they are treated and viewed in religions and religious institutions. A pretty safe rule of thumb would be that women do all the work, while men take all the credit. Putting it charitably, women are generally treated as somewhat less than equal with men in most religious settings and belief

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-8511599061486712612009-11-05T13:52:00.000-08:002009-11-05T20:43:23.826-08:00

I visited my “my yahoo” page today, and one of the photos that was showing from Yahoo News “most emailed photos” was the “Go Girl.” I really don’t have any comment to make other than to suggest watching David Sedaris talk about his "Stadium Pal." I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go. And now you can, boy or girl.

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-82686590652506876522009-10-28T13:12:00.000-07:002009-11-05T20:44:19.001-08:00

There seems to be some concern among both religious leaders and the faithful, that our recent economic woes will cause significant change in the religious landscape of America. It is of course an old story that the old-line/mainline churches have been bleeding members for many years. But membership losses, and thus donations and support, are apparently not restricted to these big denominations.

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-67975562879454334322009-10-25T20:42:00.000-07:002009-11-05T20:44:54.678-08:00

I spent the last couple of days in Denver at the SSSR conference. Always a great conference, lots of good papers, ideas, conversations, colleagues, friends. I got home late last night and went out early this morning to surf with Justin Wilford, a new friend and PhD student in the geography department at UCLA, who is writing his dissertation on Rick Warren and Saddleback Church (very interesting

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-32458616821121171312009-10-04T13:03:00.000-07:002009-10-05T01:50:05.814-07:00

Today was the annual interfaith “blessing of the waves” service at the Huntington Beach pier. According to news accounts, the event brought out a few hundred people to observe, pray, perhaps even worship, at the foot of the “surf city” pier. Of those reported few hundred, a few dozen came with boards and wetsuits to surf, which, according to the accounts, they did. Fox News reported four to six

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-51453386045578675402009-10-03T21:17:00.000-07:002009-11-05T20:45:30.396-08:00

So much for the secularization thesis. Or maybe we could develop an alternative explanation and call it the “Spiritualization Thesis.” Americans are, apparently, as interested in religious and spiritual activities as ever, including prayer and seeking out various forms of spiritual guidance and direction. Religion and spirituality is often presented in a fairly undifferentiated manner, varying

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-40986508788177841932009-09-13T16:57:00.000-07:002009-09-13T17:34:39.394-07:00

The "GivingKiosk" is now available for your religious organization! Simplify the whole act of donating money to your church, synagogue, mosque or other organization by installing one of these bad boys at the door, making collecting donations oh-so-easy. These machines accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, credit or debit. Just a swipe of a card, and its done! No human interaction is

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-43812034019577280642009-09-06T22:48:00.001-07:002009-10-04T23:12:47.404-07:00

The Catholic Church is apparently working to lure the lapsed back to their church. The initiative is sponsored by several different Catholic Dioceses, including Sacramento, Chicago, Omaha, and Providence, Rhode Island, and consists of television commercials inviting Catholics to return to their religious roots. (What? No L.A.?!) While the Catholic Church has the history and tradition that should

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-84361312321169673812009-08-30T21:36:00.001-07:002009-08-30T23:18:58.358-07:00

Just in case the local millionaires--or their kids--decide to turn ugly and start demonstrating in the streets against The Man, the Newport Beach Police Department has just received, free, from the Beverly Hills Police Department, a new armored vehicle called, and I'm not joking, The Peace Keeper. (Ronald Reagan, or at least his euphemism, has apparently found eternal life and it is in Orange

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-53190136552750456542009-08-23T13:32:00.000-07:002009-08-24T00:35:47.661-07:00

Surprise. Baby Boomers are drawing attention to themselves again, promoting what apparently was their crowning cultural achievement, Woodstock. Forty years ago. And now, another movie about it just in case we forgot. Woo Hoo. Enough already. I’m sure everybody had a good time at Woodstock, what with all the pot and acid floating around the event (“The brown acid is not specifically too good”),

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-57969760825126435832009-08-02T14:00:00.000-07:002009-08-02T16:17:59.529-07:00

There's an interesting article in the Sports Section of today's New York Times on several X Games competitors who have given up life in the fast lane, of (apparently) sex, drugs and rock and roll, and have converted to Christianity of an evangelical sort. But, don't think that these new Christians have somehow tamed their desire for living on the edge. As freestyle motocross rider and X Games

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-74547581712318230692009-07-19T16:22:00.000-07:002009-08-15T18:45:22.241-07:00

Maybe Robert Schuller should start cursing. Two recent articles in Time Magazine caught my eye, and even though they aren't really related to each other, perhaps they may help the "possibility thinking" preacher Schuller feel better about his declining share of TV church watchers.The first story summarizes new research that shows that "the F word or any other commonly used expletive can work to

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-43884321466254797992009-07-16T22:44:00.000-07:002009-10-28T13:04:02.500-07:00

Dan Callis and I spent the week of June 28-July 3 in Baja California, Mexico on a little surf trip. The trip was great--I hadn't been in Baja since the summer of 2007 and neither time I was there did I go further south than Ensenada, so it was great to get deep into Baja and enjoy the land, the people and...a whale shark!Our first stop was at K55/Camp Lopez where Dan has a connection to a house

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-92213595934093841392009-06-27T22:52:00.000-07:002009-07-20T18:31:44.175-07:00

Off to Baja tomorrow with Dan Callis for a week of surfing! We're going to hit four spots, first, K55/Campo Lopez, between Rosarito and Ensenada. Next, just south of San Quintin, probably camping at El Pabellon, then to Santa Rosalillita (of Escalera Nautica fame). Finally on to Bahia de los Angeles to see friends Rafe and Jan Payne. This trip should be great fun. We've driven by the spots where

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-79130297466768210582009-06-02T22:43:00.000-07:002009-06-24T22:44:28.054-07:00

Escrow closed today on our cabin. What was that about an 8-day escrow? Unbelieveable.

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-39391521787801270402009-05-31T21:20:00.000-07:002009-07-16T22:43:38.579-07:00

Last trip to the cabin today to get a few last items. Dan Callis went with me today to help me carry the big items. Then we hiked up to Suicide Rock. I hadn’t been up there since probably high school. It was great—a big thunderstorm blew through—and what a view.

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-77273755148141300912009-05-22T17:41:00.000-07:002009-07-16T22:34:48.117-07:00

Well, we got an email today from our real estate agent in Idyllwild, and we have an offer for our cabin—which we’ve accepted. It’s a cash deal, so the escrow will be only two weeks, which means I’ve got to go up there and get all of our stuff out of the cabin, get it home and figure out where its going to go!I have to say that selling it is simultaneously sad and joyous. I hate to sell the place,

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-18761682670321401462009-05-03T23:40:00.000-07:002009-07-16T22:31:20.569-07:00

I spent the last three days in Akron, Ohio—right down the Cuyahoga River from Cleveland, which in my memory is associated with the river literally burning, back in the 1970s. But, the river has long since stopped burning (too bad, would have been a nice photo!) and Lake Erie has been cleaned up, and Akron is a very picturesque town--much larger than I thought it would be. The meetings were for a

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-80897078512034254732009-03-15T00:43:00.000-07:002009-07-20T18:31:08.761-07:00

One of these men (shocking!) listed as the pastors of the Church of the Open Door--which was located next to the library in downtown Los Angeles from the 1910s to the 1980s before it moved to the suburbs (again, I'm shocked!)--married a former porn star, now television "pastor/scholar" (I'm shocked[cubed]!)--and wasn't ever a pastor of that church. Can you figure out which one? (Who knew history

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-72792285191991373342009-03-14T15:37:00.000-07:002009-07-16T08:03:16.337-07:00

OK. Contrary to popular belief, L.A. has an incredibly rich, varied, and vibrant religious life. This religious and spiritual heritage has a long history in the City of Angels, and includes the usual suspects of the Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs…you get the picture, as well as other, shall we say more creative religious and spiritual movements. So today, the Los Angeles

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-28682869815205924052009-03-07T23:37:00.000-08:002009-07-16T22:28:28.405-07:00

Today I enjoyed attending the 5th annual art symposium, "Practicing Theology: Art and Culture-Making in Contemporary Christianity," at Biola University. I have several friends in the Art Department there, so it was good to see them—and to get a free lunch to boot!—as well as to see several former students of mine (actually art students, but they actually took sociology classes from me! Academic

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-25415207560197653252009-02-19T22:45:00.000-08:002009-07-20T18:34:26.455-07:00

We’ve got a project going on at CRCC that is a great example of academic research and civic engagement on the part of religious institutions. The City of Los Angeles has identified 12 GRYD (Gang Reduction Youth Development) Zones, where the city and local non-profit organizations are working together to create programs to both reduce gang violence and to help keep kids out of gangs. Our project

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-69946313677226846752009-01-28T21:45:00.000-08:002009-08-03T09:53:04.335-07:00

I just spent two days in Dallas presenting findings from a megachurch project that Scott Thumma, of Hartford Seminary, has organized and made available to several of us sociologists of religion. This will eventually end up being a book (written by all of us—nothing like a big group project!), which should be pretty interesting, and hopefully shed some new light on the whole megachurch

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-32942892057879511652009-01-21T20:13:00.000-08:002009-07-16T08:13:53.183-07:00

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-8698898560205775482009-01-21T16:32:00.001-08:002009-05-08T11:40:58.728-07:00

I spent several hours in my car yesterday, navigating the So Cal freeways as our new president was inaugurated. Still, I was able to listen to the goings-on, marveling at the whole spectacle and the new beginning that this represents. On my way home, I was listening to the local NPR station and heard what is probably my favorite quote regarding our old--and new presidents. Here's the link, but

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-3467633003283802652009-01-15T22:29:00.000-08:002009-07-16T22:16:22.351-07:00

The current economic “downturn” (now there’s a soft euphemism for you, most likely coined by the selfish bastards who are still profiting from this whole mess), hits home today. The developer Malia was working for declared bankruptcy and consequently, her job ceased to exist. So, we have decided to sell our Idyllwild cabin, since it’s pretty unrealistic to maintain two mortgages on one (academic)

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-39841420325303269712009-01-11T21:22:00.000-08:002009-05-08T11:38:32.300-07:00

The most recent issue of the promotional magazine from a local Evangelical Christian university provides a great example of why Evangelicals can make you sort of nuts, particularly in the realm of higher education--not only those who run the these institutions, but also those who support them.In the (current) Winter 2009 issue, this magazine includes letters to the editor that take the school to

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-73060610554393468572009-01-11T21:11:00.000-08:002009-01-11T22:17:21.927-08:00

Nothing like starting something and then getting too busy to keep it going. Which is exactly what happened with my starting this blog. I have to say that I am a bit resistant to the whole concept of the blog anyway, so inevitably, other writing tasks take precedence over this endeavor (can I call this an endeavor? Makes it sound rather more grandiose than it is or is intended to be!).So the short

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-53680436946991660842008-09-07T18:30:00.001-07:002008-09-08T08:22:39.929-07:00

"Drill, Drill, Drill" says the debutante VP candidate. Same old, same old...

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8658052790741040137.post-51022325048149414862008-09-06T09:44:00.000-07:002008-09-07T18:23:36.086-07:00

Not that anybody should care--in fact I'm not sure why I started this blog other than that it seems any nincompoop can have a blog so I might as well join in the crazy chorus...but I digress--I wasn't going to comment on the upcoming election, but I just can't stand it anymore, I have to let it out. McCain's completely cynical choice for a VP candidate--the erstwhile Governor of Alaska who hunts

Richard Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02118439525423890231noreply@blogger.com