Jesus the Forgiving Victim offers something quite fresh in the field of introductions to faith and Christian orthodoxy by restoring to the Christian life the wonder and transformative power of discovering not some new Biblical fact or church doctrine, but that you are loved far more than you know. In reading these four books of essays, you will undertake a journey of discovery that will open your heart and mind to discovering new things about yourself and your faith. It is a journey from fake goodness, from a false and insecure self, to relaxing into a goodness and security not your own, but in which you discover yourself held by God. And it is a journey from a unity that needs to create victims toward a unity received from the risen and forgiving victim in our midst. James Alison hopes Jesus the Forgiving Victim will be a meaningful part of your journey toward a deeper faith and fuller life in Christ.

This new book from James Alison has all the brilliance, wit and panache that have made him one of the most influential contemporary Catholic writers. Celebrated for his firm but gentle insistence on facing down current ecclesiastical teaching on homosexuality with the question, 'Yes, but is it true?', and his wry observations as the church flails around on gay issues, Alison is also admired and enjoyed for the freshness and verve of his interpretations of scripture, for his dazzling word play and teasing connections, surprises and reversals. Alison develops the implications for theology and religion of the insights of the French literary critic and philosopher Rene Girard, which expose the violence hidden at the heart of our culture. He shows how Girard's concepts of mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism both confirm and transform our understanding of Christianity.

Product Description: With questions of religion and homosexuality on the front pages again, and debates raging about the nature of marriage and the ordination of priests, James Alison invites us into deep, lucid reflection about God, the wonder of creation, and the way that God not only loves but likes every one of us...read more

Product Description: Discrimination against gays and lesbians extends from the highest echelons of the Catholic Church to the pews. For James Alison, a gay Catholic theologian, the key to moving beyond resentment is a radical re-conversion to the gospel message of God’s love and understanding that even those in power are our brothers and sisters...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: This original work of theological anthropology looks at original sin in the light of the Resurrection, and shows how forgiveness has become the way of transformation. (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Presents Girard's theory of violence, examines the concept of Resurrection as 'end' in the middle of time, and critiques human action