Nancy Ammerman

Professor of Sociology of Religion Associate Dean of the Faculty, Social Sciences School of Theology at Boston University

Schools

  • Boston University

Links

Biography

Boston University

Dr. Nancy Ammerman has spent much of the last decade studying American congregations. Her most recent book, Pillars of Faith: American Congregations and their Partners (University of California Press, 2005), describes the common patterns that shape the work of American’s diverse communities of faith. Prior to her work on congregations, she wrote extensively on conservative religious movements. Professor Ammerman’s current research, funded by the Templeton Foundation, is the “Spiritual Narratives in Everyday Life” project. Started in the summer of 2006, it explores whether and how religious belief and action are present in the stories people tell about their everyday lives.

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Cases

Baptist upbringing inspires sociologist’s study of SBC controversy, American faith

January 23, 2018

Baptist News Global Nancy Ammerman Sociologist Nancy Ammerman’s first book was about Bible-believing fundamentalists living in a modern world. That was in 1987… Expert quote: “My career as a sociologist studying religious communities started from being a preacher’s kid. My family’s theology was conservative enough that I could pass in a fundamentalist church. I could get […]

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Evangelical Christians becoming less opposed to gay marriage, poll finds

June 27, 2017

Reuters quoting Nancy Ammerman, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences/ School of Theology “U.S. groups who traditionally have opposed same-sex marriage, including Republicans and white evangelical Christians, have become much less steadfast in their objections, according to a new Pew Research Center poll…” Expert quote: “The generational divide among white evangelicals is especially […]

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U.S. Synagogues Experience ‘Trump Bump’ as Congregants Turn to Prayer, Activism

May 28, 2017

Haaretz quoting Nancy Ammerman, School of Theology “U.S. synagogues, especially those where rabbis are outspoken about the values espoused by President Donald…” View full article. 

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And on the seventh day, many don’t rest at all

November 3, 2016

Boston Globe Nancy Ammerman, School of Theology People over age 40 can remember a time when, because of blue laws — the Colonial-era prohibitions against commercial activities on Sundays — most stores were closed and very little aside from praying, newspaper-reading, and loafing around happened on Sunday mornings… Expert quote: “That is the biggest dilemma. Once […]

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New poll finds fewer people keep the Sabbath than in the 70’s, but many people still value it

April 27, 2016

Deseret News Nancy Ammerman, School of Theology The Sabbath may be losing its religious significance in the eyes of many Americans, but a majority still believe taking a day of rest benefits society, according to a new survey on Sabbath observance by the Deseret News… Expert quote: “It has become more difficult to observe a […]

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Highly religious people are happier, study finds

April 12, 2016

Religion News Service Nancy Ammerman, School of Theology Look around. Three in 10 people you see say they are pretty satisfied with life, happy, healthy and moral, too… Expert quote: “It’s the age of Google and consulting your own conscience or Aunt Susie.” View full article

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Tiny churches, big hopes: Why some thrive despite the odds

January 4, 2016

Religion News Service Nancy Ammerman, School of Theology Hope, by nature, is defiant, counterintuitive and lodged in surprising places… Expert quote: “People haven’t lost the urge to congregate together spiritually. But how they do it is being expressed differently and the churches that do well are reshaping constantly.” View full article

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Should voters care about candidates’ religious views?

December 9, 2015

The Conversation US By Nancy Ammerman, School of Theology Religion is grabbing some of the biggest headlines in the current US presidential campaign… View full article by expert Nancy Ammerman

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Affiliation Matters

November 3, 2015

Studying Congregations By Nancy Ammerman, School of Theology The latest Pew Religious Landscape Survey is full of interesting insights into changes occurring in American religion. As I look at these survey results, here are a few of the things I’ve noted… View full article by expert Nancy Ammerman

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In Massachusetts, an 11-year vigil to redefine church

October 17, 2015

Christian Science Monitor Nancy Ammerman, School of Theology Parishioners at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Scituate, Mass., have refused to leave their church more than a decade after the Archdiocese closed it. Now, the state’s supreme court has weighed in, too… Expert quote: “They’re doing all the things a parish does but without a resident […]

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