James Alison’s Theological Appropriation of Girard

Abstract

James Alison offers a unique reading and application of René Girard’s work to theology. His application of mimetic theory to theology is primarily methodological and epistemological. He uses Girard’s insights to investigate what there is to be learned about the process of persons and communities coming to receive faith in Christ (which we might refer to as “conversion”) and about the subsequent process of gradually seeking to understand the content of what we come to know through faith (which we might refer to as “theological reflection”). That is, Alison’s theological appropriation of mimetic theory occurs primarily at the level of theological method and then only subsequently at the level of the content of Christian faith. Through an examination of three representative writings, this essay will show that Alison’s understanding of human knowing and theology cohere precisely in their relation to his intellectual and personal appropriation of mimetic theory.