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Strong protagonism and weak presence: the changes in tone of the voice of God

A contribution to the Second Colloquium entitled “Post-modern or post-secular Christianity? Two interpretations of late modernity” which took place at the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, on the 5th and 6th of September 2007. Castellano It’s the little words which always take you by surprise. For example, think of the word “so”. We are used to…
De la imposibilidad a la responsabilidad: apuntes para una pastoral católica gay

Si un domingo por la noche voy calle abajo de donde se ubica mi departamento en São Paulo, hay algo de lo que puedo estar seguro: encontraré cientos de chicos; en realidad, chicos gays y lesbianas de entre 14 y 18 años de edad. Emos, góticos, con mohicanos y piercings, con la marca de diseñador…
Stand up & be godless: on receiving the gift

A talk at the Greenbelt Festival, August 2007 Is the gift of faith just a form of emotional blackmail, or something that can set us free? Stream and download
Holy Week Sermons

All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia (10 – 12 April 2006) Monday Isaiah 42:1-9, John 12:1-11 I want to say how very honoured I am that you should trust me enough to allow me into your lives at this sacred time. If Lent is like a long drawn out visit to the dentist, Holy Week is…
God and desire

Presentation for the 2007 Quest Conference, Sheffield (England), 21 July 2007. There’s a lovely Italian word to which I’d like to introduce you so as to lead in to this presentation. The word is “Rovesciamento” and it means something rather like “turning everything upside down”. It goes quite well towards describing what happens at the end of…
How do we talk about the Spirit?

London Centre for Spirituality, 13 May 2007. [Transcription] “How do we talk about the Spirit?” – was a day of ecumenical discussion and exploration, seeking deeper understanding of the many meanings underlying our use of the word ‘spirit’. Organised by Brenda Wall, Judith Smith and others from the Quaker Retreat Group, it brought participants into…
Finding a narrative

Homily for BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship (29 April 2007) recorded at Most Holy Redeemer parish, San Francisco, 22 October 2006 (Unabridged). Gospel: Matthew 9, 10-13 And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this,…
The shape of daring imagination: coming out and coming home

Sixth National Symposium on Catholicism and Homosexuality (Minneapolis, USA, March 2007) Listen to on SoundCloud In this transcription, ‘…’ indicates a pause, not a cut or an edit We started to look this morning at what it is like to be scandalised, and the beginnings of moving beyond scandal. And I’d like to go back…
Navigating uncharted waters: the gift of faith and growing up LGBT

Sixth National Symposium on Catholicism and Homosexuality (Minneapolis, USA, March 2007) Listen to on SoundCloud Please note that in this transcription, ‘…’ indicates a pause, not a cut or an edit The first point which I’d like to make, in a sense, is a big sigh of relief. And the sigh of relief is as…
On helping the Faithful negotiate confusion

A very slightly edited version of James Alison’s contribution to a debate about the Westminster Mass, a pastoral care initiative for LGBT Catholics. The Tablet, 3 March 2007. In February 2006 Pope Benedict addressed the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith [1]. Setting out the vision which should inspire their work and the permissions necessary to do that work,…
Taking the Plunge: Immersed in Theology

The article was published by The Christian Century and is available for a small fee. One of the privileges of studying theology within the clerical formation programs of the Catholic Church is that you get to study philosophy first. For at least three years. This can seem interesting and exciting when you’re immersed in it—it certainly…
“Like children sitting in the market place”: a teaching on Wisdom, vanity and desire

Third William H. Shannon Lecture delivered under the title “Don’t run away from desire: holiness starting where you are”. Nazareth College, Rochester, NY, 8 February 2007 Imagine yourselves, please, in a dusty market square in the Middle East. Children are playing. They are involved in a traditional game of “Weddings and Funerals”. In this game the boys…
Mark Tully in conversation with James Alison

BBC Radio 4, Something Understood, Christmas Eve 2006 MT – There is a very real danger, I believe, in the many ways Jesus is described now. It’s the danger that they lead us to believe that the churches’ traditional way of seeing Jesus is totally out of date, rendered unsustainable by modern knowledge. James Alison is…
Sacrifice, Law and the Catholic Faith: is secularity really the enemy?

The Tablet Lecture 2006 I would like to start by thanking you, Catherine, and with you the board of Directors of the Tablet, for having invited me to give this lecture, and for having given me a free hand as to choice of subject. I was more surprised than I can say, more honoured than you…
Oráculos, profetas y moradores en silencio: atisbos del “pati divina” en la teología que nace

Ponencia para el Primer Congreso Internacional de Estudiantes de Teología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia, 26 y 27 de octubre de 2006.
Discipleship and the shape of belonging

Talk for Conference on Discipleship and the City (Villanova University, 3-5 October 2006) In addition to being highly honoured that you should have invited me to take part with you in this discussion of Discipleship and the City, I would like to say that I am personally both very grateful for the opportunity, and not…
Living the Magnificat

God persists in gifting us with that tension, that sense of more than one centre of gravity as a relief and freedom from the consequences of our own monistic, univocal, and frightened visions of what is acceptable.
Violence undone

An interview Violence undone: James Alison on Jesus as forgiving victim was published by The Christian Century and is available on the Religion Online website.
Dealing with the clobber texts

A talk at the Greenbet Festival, August 2006 Does the Bible have anything at all to say about homosexuality? Reading texts through the eyes of the Attorney for the Defence (and what else is a “Paraclete?”) will give us the outline of reasonable doubt. Stream and download See also the Exploring the New Testament clobber…
Wrath and the gay question: on not being afraid, and its ecclesial shape

This talk was originally prepared for the Salisbury Diocese Clergy Conference at Swanwick (4-7 July 2006) with a view to its later presentation at Mount St Agnes Theological Center for Women, Baltimore (11 October 2006) I’d like to start by comparing two stories. The second, just to show catholicity of taste, and in case there…
An Atonement Update

Rather than invoke the idea of sacrifice as something God demands of us, by becoming the victim in our place Christ puts an end once and for all to the human insistence for sacrificial victims.
Is it ethical to be Catholic? – Queer perspectives

This talk represents James Alison’s participation in a panel discussion for LGBT people in Most Holy Redeemer Parish Church, San Francisco, 12 February 2006. The title “Is it ethical to be Catholic?” was given by the hosting group based at the University of San Francisco. James was invited to represent a positive answer to the question in…
Blindsided by God: Reconciliation from the underside

Presentation for “Anatomy of Reconciliation” Conference, Trinity Institute, New York City, 30 January – 1 Feb 2006 One of the greatest moments that I know in all cinema is the ballet set to the music of Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours” in Walt Disney’s 1940 film “Fantasia”. I ask you to remember the scene. Ostriches…
Lettre à mes amis en réponse à l’Instruction du Vatican du 29 novembre 2005 sur l’homosexualité dans les Séminaires

Castellano | English Bien chers amis, Plusieurs d’entre vous m’ont demandé un commentaire de l’Instruction du Vatican qui empêche l’admission des gays à la formation en vue du sacerdoce. J’accepte ce défi, en vous demandant de me permettre de répondre d’abord comme théologien et ensuite comme prêtre. Je crois que les raisons de cette distinction apparaîtront tout…
Carta a mis amigos en respuesta a la Instrucción del Vaticano del 29.xi.05

English | Français Mis queridos amigos, Algunos de ustedes me han pedido una respuesta a la instrucción recientemente emanada del Vaticano que impide la admisión de varones gays a la formación para el sacerdocio [1]. Acepto el reto y estoy poniendo en el papel algunos pensamientos. Les pido que me permitan responder primero como teólogo y luego como…
Letter of response to friends in the aftermath of the Vatican instruction of 29 November 2005

Castellano | Français Cari amici, Various of you have asked me for a considered reaction to the recently released Vatican instruction concerning the non-admission of gay people to seminary formation. I accept your challenge and am putting a few thoughts down. Please allow me to reply first as someone who aspires to be a theologian and…
Collapsing the closet in the house of God: opening the door on gay/straight issues

Cardoner Lecture at Creighton University (Omaha, USA), 27 September 2005. In Disney’s 1933 classic “The Three Little Pigs”, the Big Bad Wolf comes along and he says “I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down”. Which he then proceeds to do. First, the house of straw, and then the house of wood.…
Lo spazio della vergogna e il dono dello Spirito

Nell’introduzione al mio libro On Being Liked [1] riportavo il racconto della discesa dello Spirito Santo sui gentili così come descritta da Luca negli Atti degli Apostoli. Cercavo di dischiudere la storia in maniera che potesse acquisire di significato per coloro che tra noi gay e lesbiche all’interno della Chiesa stanno scoprendo se stessi in un modo che…
Deliver us from evil

Presentation for A Conference on Evil: A two day Dialogue among Psychoanalysts, Philosophers and Theologians, organised by the Metropolitan Center for Mental Health and the Metropolitan Institute for Training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. New York City 30 April – 1 May 2005. I would like to start with a distinction which I hope is obvious, and that…
Show us the Father

Sermon for the 5th Sunday of Easter (John 14:1-12). House of Mercy, St. Paul, Minnesota, 24 April 2005. The Fifth Sunday of Easter. More “dwelling”. Key word for today, “dwell”. More dwelling in the resurrection life that was opened up for us on Easter Sunday. More accompanying the one who was able to inhabit the toxicity…
Good-faith learning and the fear of God

What I want to underline here is that this is a conflict between elements of Catholic doctrine lived by many people. That is to say: when people say to gay and lesbian people “You should just be obedient to the teaching of the Church” it is no frivolity to reply “Sure, but which one?