A presentation for the annual COV&R Conference held in St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London, 8-12 July 2009. This talk was given as part of a day of discussion with distinguished Muslim scholars concerning the “fearful symmetries” between Christianity and Islam. Deutsch In August 2006, I had the pleasure of visiting the Holy Land as part…

Presentation for the 2009 Theology and Peace Conference, a gathering of lay people and clergy from many different denominations who are interested in furthering the impact of Girard’s thought through their preaching, teaching and pastoral practice, Chicago, 26 May 2009 I’d like to take us into this question by way of John 5. So imagine…

A contribution to the Colloquium Saint Paul: Apocalypse et révélation at the Villa Bonaparte and the Villa Medici, Rome, 27-28 March 2009. PDF

Dear C. You wrote to me to say how overwhelmed you were with the various incidents in the public domain relating to being Catholic and gay which piled up over the last few weeks of 2008, and wondered if I had anything to say. I asked you for some time, since I too have found…

The following is the tentative text of one of the twelve sessions of The Forgiving Victim – the Adult Introduction to Christianity on which I am currently at work. Deutsch | Português 1. Introduction One of the strangest features of that weirdly under-religious collection of texts known as the New Testament is how little there is in…

These lectionary meditations are slightly edited versions of the texts written for, and published by, The Christian Century magazine for each of the six Sundays between 1st Sunday of Advent (2 December 2007) and Epiphany (6 January 2008). Following the normal practice of The Christian Century the readings which underpin these meditations are those of the Revised Common Lectionary…

The second lecture in the Autumn Education Programme given at St Martin-in-the Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, London on 30 October 2007. “Love your enemy” was the overall title for the series, and other lectures, given by other presenters, included the titles “within a divided Church”, “within a divided world” and “within a divided community”. I hope…

Lecture for the “Voices of Renewal” lecture series at Corpus Christi University Parish, Toledo, Ohio, 9 October 2007. Castellano I propose to do two things with you this evening. The first is to read a passage of Scripture, in the rich sense of “offering a reading” of it. And the second, if time and your…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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.…

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…