The Shape of God’s Affection

James Alison, in four stimulating sessions, reflects on the experience of God’s presence, as encountered in Hebrew scripture and the New Testament. His scholarship is matched by his sense of contemporary questions and his sense of humour. In the fifth talk, Alison discusses issues related to being gay and Christian today. A dialogue between James Alison and Laurence Freeman, moderated by Denis McAuliffe, concludes this enriching and thought-provoking recording. The sections make for easier personal selection and group listening. 

CD1 - The Hebrew Discovery
1 Introduction
2 God who is not one of the gods
3 Polytheism in the Old Testament
4 The great breakthrough
5 The “I am” text

CD2 - The Atonement Day
1 The shape of incidence
2 The rite of atonement of the First Temple period
3 The Gospel of Luke
4 Hebrews 5: 5-11, and Paul’s Letter to the Philipppians
5 Paul’s Letters to the Romans and Corinthians

CD3 - The Gentleness of God: Resurrection, Creation & Gift of Spirit
1 The Creator
2 Luke on the Creation story
3 John on the Creation story
4 The deathless one

CD4 - “Stay with us....” Where shall we take it?
1 Narrative and interpretation
2 The living interpretative principle: Luke’s “The road to Emmaus”
3 The beginnings of Church structure
4 The unitary explanation
5 The Yahwistic theophany

CD 5 - Matters Gay
1 Historic background - the homo-social world
2 The development of the heterosexual world
3 The problems
4 The Catholic difficulty
5 The Catholic laity

CD6 - Discussion
James Alison & Laurence Freeman - moderated by Dennis McAuliffe

James Alison is a Catholic theologian, priest, and author. He studied at Oxford with the Dominicans and the Jesuits at the Jesuit Theology Faculty in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He is now a travelling teacher, lecturer and retreat leader of international stature. He has lived and worked in Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, and the USA as well as his native England and is currently based in Brazil. His books include Know Jesus, The Joy of Being Wrong, Faith Beyond Resentment, On Being Liked, and, most recently, Broken Hearts and New Creations: intimations of a great reversal.