Father Andrew Greeley, Ph.D. presents "The Great American Prayer Scandal"
This is the first event in an annual speaker series that will honor the work of Alice S. and the late Peter H. Rossi, eminent sociologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Father Andrew Greeley, a former student of Peter Rossi will present his talk: "The Great American Prayer Scandal: Why Americans Pray" in the Fine Arts Center Lobby. This event is free and open to the public with a reception to follow.
One of the most influential Catholic thinkers and writers of our time, priest, sociologist, author and journalist Father Andrew M. Greeley has built an international assemblage of devout fans over a career that spans five decades. He is the author of over 50 best-selling novels and more than 100 works of nonfiction and his writing has been translated into 12 languages. A professor of sociology at the University of Arizona and a research associate with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, this “Renaissance priest” is a respected scholar whose current research focuses on the sociology of religion. Using both statistical surveys and an insider's knowledge, his recent books include The Truth About Conservative Christians: What They Think and What They Believe (2006) -- a study of conservative Protestants; The Catholic Revolution: New Wine in Old Wineskins, Second Vatican Council (2004); and Priests: A Calling in Crisis (2002) -- a penetrating analysis of priestly sexual abuse. His most recent novel The Priest and the Senator, has been called "...an explosive novel about the corrosive political culture tearing apart America."
