Non-Fiction Books
Reconstructs the final days of Paul VI and offers behind-the-scenes views of the election and brief tenure of John Paul I and the surprising selection of John Paul II
"My Love," asks Andrew Greeley, "how often in the course of a day am I indifferent to your love? How often do I even remember my human loves as I rush through life? I'm so busy that love seeps out of my life like blood escaping a wound. I'm going to try as best I can to begin my day and end it on my knees - and to remember You in my comings and goings. If I can do these things, they will make me a better person - and a better love. Please help me." Andrew Greeley's "Love" in this intimate diary is, of course, God. Love Affair is not a book about prayer or even so much a book of prayer; it is rather an experience of praying - confused, elated, grateful - often stumbling but always sincere endeavors by a human being to dialogue with the Beloved Other. It is prayer as it happens. And it reveals as much about the "beloved" as it does about the "Lover" on the other side of the dialogue. We see "the pray-er" Andrew Greeley depressed, struggling with pneumonia, worried to death about dying when his doctor discovers a spot on his lung, concerned about the illnesses of his friends, enthused about his work, weary from too many obligations, and always trying - trying to be a good and faithful "lover" to the "Lover" who loves with no expectation of return. In this sense, we can also see ourselves, and find inspiration and confidence to pray in our own voices too. This kind of Love Affair is everyone's affair.
Religion as Poetry continues in the grand tradition of the sociology of religion pioneered by Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Talcott Parsons, among other giants in intellectual history. Too many present-day sociologists either ignore or disparage religious currents. In this provocative book, Andrew M. Greeley argues that various religions have endured for thousands of years as poetic rituals and stories. Religion as Poetry proposes a theoretical framework for understanding religion that emphasizes insights derived from religious stories. By virtue of his own rare abilities as a novelist as well as sociologist, Greeley is uniquely qualified for this task. Greeley first considers classical theories of the sociology of religion, and then, drawing upon them, he explicates his own interpretation. He critically examines the viewpoint that society is becoming more secular, and that religion is declining. He observes that this theory stands in the way of persuading sociologists that religion is still worth studying. In contrast, Greeley is interested in why religions persist despite secular trends and alongside them. He argues that it is poetic elements that touch the human soul. Greeley then sets out to test this viewpoint. Greeley maintains that his theory is not the only, or necessarily even the best approach to study religion. Rather, it is his contention that it uniquely provides sociologists with perspectives on religion that other theories too often overlook or disregard. Religion as Poetry, an original and intriguing study by a distinguished social scientist and major novelist, will be enjoyed and evaluated by sociologists, ' theologians, and philosophers alike.
Andrew M. Greeley, one of the most renowned authors and lecturers of our day, here turns his attention to a variety of the trials and frustrations that we all too often encounter in these hectic, pressure-filled times. These essays on nearly fifty themes address our fears, hang-ups, and worries, providing commonsense advice, consolation, and encouragement. In his inimitable fashion, Greeley blends the wisdom of the Scriptures with his own down-to-earth and uplifting insights. Anyone involved in the frequently harried and painful business of living—indeed, everyone—will find their true solace for those moments when life hurts. “I can heartily endorse this wo . . . Greeley deals not only with sorrow, but offers truly comforting reflections of other troubled moments, for our frustration, our physical and mental pain, for our hopelessness and despair.”—Morton Kelsey
Most sociologists of religion describe a general decline in religious faith and practice in Europe over the last two centuries. The secularizing forces of the Enlightenment, science, industrialization, the influence of Freud and Marx, and urbanization are all felt to have diminished the power of the churches and demystified the human condition. In Andrew Greeley's view, such overarching theories and frameworks do not begin to accommodate a wide variety of contrasting and contrary social phenomena. Religion at the End of the Second Millenium, engages the complexities of contemporary Europe to present a nuanced picture of religious faith rising, declining, or remaining stable.While challenging the secularization model, Greeley's approach is not polemical. He examines belief in God and in life after death, belief in superstition and magic, convictions about the relations between church and state, attitudes toward religion and science, and the effect of religion on the everyday lives of people. Drawing upon statistical and empirical data spanning twenty years, Greeley shows that while religion has increased in some countries (most notably the former communist countries and especially Russia) in others it has declined (Britain, the Netherlands, and France). In some countries it is relatively unchanged (primarily the traditional Catholic countries), and in still others (some of the social democratic countries) it has both declined and increased. In terms of individuals, Greeley finds that religion becomes more important to people as they age. He observes that surveys showing less religion among the young ignore the possibility that the age correlation is a life cycle matter and not a sign of social change.Patently, religion in Europe changed enormously between the end of the first millenium and the end of the second. In Greeley's judgment, the change has been an improvement, not because superstition has been eliminated (it has not), but because freedom to exercise religious belief has replaced compulsion.
Bestselling author Andrew M. Greeley and his sister Doctor Mary G. Durkin present an inspirational volume celebrating the greatest of all virtues: love. The ability to love wisely and well is the most important trait parents can pass on to their children. As we grow, the longing to share this love as well as receive it in turn remains throughout our lives. But where does this love come from? Love emerged in humankind not as a result of our being human, but as the supreme gift from one who loved us before we were even created: God. As a result of this one common bond that unites all races and creeds, the first family emerged, which lead to the creation of communities, civilizations, and all of the accomplishments therein--for nothing is impossible when love is involved. Through a grand treasury of essays, poems, and stories, Andrew M. Greeley and Doctor Mary G. Durkin portray the limitlessness of the human spirit's capacity to care for one another as a result of the greatest virtue ever bestowed upon members of all nations and faiths: love.
This book responds with passion and skill to the growing concerns of spiritual seekers and teachers of the Catholic faith.
The beloved author and sociologist recalls his prior life as a parish priest with his customery wit and candor, in an insightful memoir that also explores the controversial recent history of the Catholic Church. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.
For several years now, the Roman Catholic Church and the institution of the priesthood itself have been at the center of a firestorm of controversy. While many of the criticisms lodged against the recent actions of the Church—and a small number of its priests—are justified, the majority of these criticisms are not. Hyperbolic and misleading coverage of recent scandals has created a public image of American priests that bears little relation to reality, and Andrew Greeley's Priests skewers this image with a systematic inside look at American priests today. No stranger to controversy himself, Greeley here challenges those analysts and the media who parrot them in placing the blame for recent Church scandals on the mandate of celibacy or a clerical culture that supports homosexuality. Drawing upon reliable national survey samples of priests, Greeley demolishes current stereotypes about the percentage of homosexual priests, the level of personal and professional happiness among priests, the role of celibacy in their lives, and many other issues. His findings are more than surprising: they reveal, among other things, that priests report higher levels of personal and professional satisfaction than doctors, lawyers, or faculty members; that they would overwhelmingly choose to become priests again; and that younger priests are far more conservative than their older brethren. While the picture Greeley paints should radically reorient the public perception of priests, he does not hesitate to criticize the Church's significant shortcomings. Most priests, for example, do not think the sexual abuse problems are serious, and they do not think that poor preaching or liturgy is a problem, though the laity give them very low marks on their ministerial skills. Priests do not listen to the laity, bishops do not listen to priests, and the Vatican does not listen to any of them. With Greeley's statistical evidence and provocative recommendations for change—including a national "Priest Corps" that would offer young men a limited term of service in the Church— Priests offers a new vision for American Catholics, one based on real problems and solutions rather than on images of a depraved, immature, and frustrated priesthood.
Father Andrew Greeley recounts the dramatic unfolding of the centuries-old conclave of cardinals in this firstshand account of the papal election of 2005. 16-page insert.
"We must begin our story of Jesus by granting him permission to surprise us endlessly...." ---from the Introduction Jesus of Galilee taught through stories, which even today contain the power to startle us out of our prejudices and preconceptions. Now Father Andrew M. Greeley, one of America's most beloved storytellers, examines the parables told by Jesus in search of a fuller understanding of the man and his message. This engaging and informal collection of homilies reveals a Jesus whose simple parables carry profound lessons about the Kingdom of Heaven. Along the way, Father Greeley touches on such provocative topics as the significance of Jesus's Jewish roots, his deep and revolutionary relationship with women, The Da Vinci Code, and The Passion of the Christ . He also singles out the four greatest parables, which best illustrate the infinite love and mercy of the God whose kingdom began with Jesus and continues even today. As a storyteller, Jesus often surprised his listeners with unexpected twists that challenged them to see the world in a whole new light. Father Greeley's insightful tour of the Gospels provides a fresh look at the parables that strips away centuries of false and mistaken interpretations to get at the essential truth of who Jesus really was and what he believed.
Book by Greeley, Andrew M.
What might one expect to learn from a probability sample study of the Archdiocese of Chicago? Can one form a national portrait of Catholics in the United States from data about Chicago? Certainly, Chicago is unique in its judgments about its clergy. As the eminent Catholic sociologist Andrew M. Greeley argues, it is this very difference that makes rigorous comparisons between Chicago Catholics and other Catholic subpopulations possible. He suggests that history and geography provide a basis for understanding the development of the Catholic Church not just in this specific area, but also in the entire United States. The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago it composed of two counties, Lake and Cook. At the same time the Catholic population has been pushed up against the boundary of DuPage County by racial change in the city, so that much of the west and south side Catholic population of the city has moved into the southern and western suburbs. In this research area, half of the Catholics have attended college and half of those have attended graduate school. Thus, the conventional image of Chicago as a mix of ethnic immigrant neighborhoods has to be modified―although there are still many new immigrants attending special immigrant parishes. Greeley argues that the official church in Chicago, and by inference elsewhere, has not recognized the community structures that permeate the neighborhoods, that it does not grasp the religious stories that shape its peoples' identity, and it does not understand the intense, if selective, loyalty of the archdiocese to its leadership. As part of this argument, Greeley includes transcriptions of in-depth interviews with former Catholics. This study provides a fascinating window into the world of Catholicism in twenty-first century urban America.