I speak to and facilitate groups on a range of topics – my interests include understanding violence and practising non-violence, peace-building and addressing conflict, film & television and spirituality, theology and sexuality, and other questions. I have a Ph.D. in Sociology, but don’t let that either frighten you or make you think I’m an intellectual 
. From small-group facilitation to large plenary gatherings, I speak to all kinds of groups – not just religious ones.
I try to bring a distinctive style and practical experience of working in northern Ireland and of postmodern Christian spirituality and practice.
Email garethspeaks@hotmail.com to get the conversation going.
Sample titles:
Non-violence 101
Film and Spirituality
Sexuality and Spirituality
Non-violence for the violent
Violence and Popular culture
Making peace from the ground up
Spirituality for the real world
Some previous speaking engagements:
• “Building Communities of Hope: Peacemaking Across Religious Communities” Lecture at the Justice Institute/University of British Columbia, February 2009
• Retreat leader, Bakersfield Community Church, Bakersfield, CA, December 2008
• Speaker to TADA Rural Development Network public event ‘Peace, We’ve Only Just Begun’, June 2008
• Retreat leader, Kripalu Yoga Center, Lenox, Massachussetts, February 2008
• Talk on film and spirituality, Leeds Film Festival – Leeds, November 2007
• Talk on film and violence – Soularize Learning Party, Bahamas, October 2007
• Panel discussant at session on Lessons from Latin America for Northern Ireland – Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, March 2007
• ‘The Passion of Jesus in the Cinema’, talk at Edgehill Theological College, Belfast, March 2007
• Rapporteur to ‘Commemoration and its role in Healing’, a conference of Healing Through Remembering, January 2007.
• ‘Why the Church Must Die or Change’, public lecture at Church of Ireland Theological College, Dublin, January 2007.
• ‘The ethics of consumerism’, Public talk to Conference for Master’s in Leadership for Sustainable Development, Queen’s University Belfast, December 2006.
• Talks on film and spirituality; and practical non-violence, Urban Promise, Camden, NJ, November 2006.
• Lecture on grass roots participation in peacebuilding, Swarthmore College, PA, November 2006.
• Talk on Spirituality and postmodern life, RisenChurch, Santa Monica, CA, November 2006.
• ‘Building communities of hope’, weekend facilitator, London Wood Green Mennonite Church, October 2006
• ‘Research Ethics’, guest lecture at Irish School of Ecumenics, October 2006.
• Chair, panel of northern Ireland politicians discussing the future of the conflict resolution process, Greenbelt Festival, Cheltenham, England, August 2006.
• Talk on Spirituality and Sexuality, addressing questions of religious homophobia, WeHo Church, Los Angeles, CA, August 2006.
• ‘Foreign Policy as Hospitality’, The Bridge Community Network Conference, Ventura, California, August 2006.
• Speaker on Spirituality in the Postmodern era, at Glenstal Ecumenical conference, Limerick, June 2006.
• Presentation on racism and theology, Summer Madness Festival, Belfast, June 2006.
• ‘A New Northern Ireland’, talk to party branch, Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast, March 2006.
• Presentation to students from Calvin College, Michigan on representations of the Northern Ireland conflict in film, Queen’s University Belfast, January 2006.
• Presentation with Roman Catholic Cardinal Cahal Daly on the ethics of leadership, Gibson Institute, Queen’s University Belfast, October 2005.
• ‘Religion and Non-violence’, Talk at conference on urban spirituality, Soliton Network, Ventura, California, September 2005.
• Radio discussions on portrayals of Islam in Hollywood cinema, and portrayals of evil in popular movies, BBC Radio Ulster, May 2005.
• Preparing Youth for Peace – talk to trainee leaders on dimensions of conflict in Northern Ireland, April 2005.
• Public talk on dealing with the past in Northern Ireland, City Church, Belfast 2005.
• Presentations on film and reconciliation at Arts and Reconciliation conference, University of Pretoria, South Africa, March 2005.
• ‘The Peace Process in Northern Ireland’, presentation to the conference of the Irish American Unity Caucus, Belfast, January 2005.
• Public interview with film critic Mark Cousins on film and reconciliation, Belfast, December 2004.
• Thought for the Day – 3 radio talks for BBC radio, October; archived on www.bbc.co.uk/ni/religion, November 2004.
• Speaker at Conference/Protest on Human Trafficking, Christ Church and Upton Chapel, London, October 2004.
• Four Lectures on Youth and Popular Culture: Theological Issues, Presbyterian Church in Ireland Advanced Youth Ministry Course, October 2004.
• Lecture on TV and Film: Theological Issues, Southwark Diocesan Clergy Conference (Church of England), October 2004.
• Ulster Television panel discussion to discuss Church of England sexual orientation controversy and religious prejudice, October 2004.
• Participant in International Seminar on Sacred Texts and Conflict in the Middle East, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, June 2004.
• Lecture to National Leadership of YMCA Ireland on youth culture and spirituality, May 2004.
• Taught Lenten course on Film and Spirituality including reflections on film and conflict resolution; at St Clements Retreat Centre and Clonard Monastery, Belfast, Feburary – April 2004.
• Series of talks on culture and spirituality; and non violence at Christ Church and Upton, London, March 2004.
• Thought for the Day – 3 radio talks for BBC radio, October; archived on www.bbc.co.uk/ni/religion, October 2003.
• Seminars on the Middle East conflict, and cross-cultural religious interaction at large youth Festival, Belfast, July 2003.
• Presentation to General Synod of the Church of Ireland on Dealing Positively with Sectarianism and Difference in the Church, May 2003.
• ‘Good Beards, Bad Beards: The War on Terror, the Terror of War, and the Logic of Peace’, Guest Public Lecture at University of St Thomas, St Paul, MN, March 2003.
• ‘A New Northern Ireland?’ – seminar at Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
• What is Sociology For?, talk to honors students at University of St Thomas, St Paul, MN, March 2003.
• ‘The Peace Process in Northern Ireland’, Guest Lecture at Hofstra University, Long Island, March 2003.
• ‘The War on Terror and the Northern Ireland Peace Process’, talk to Bangor Inter-Church Group, February 2003.
• Chair and organiser of major public peace-building events featuring leading politicians in Northern Ireland, November – December 2002.
• Workshop on grass-roots peacemaking at ECONI Summer School, Belfast, July 2002.
• Workshop to Methodist seminarians providing training in ‘Addressing Popular Culture in Ministry’, Edgehill Theological College, January 2002.
• Delegate/speaker to Summer School on the Non-Violent Resolution of Ethno-Religious Conflict, Centre for Mission Research, Maryknoll Seminary, New York, July 2001.
• Delegate/speaker to United Nations Seminar on the Non-Violent Resolution of Ethno-Religious Conflict, UN Building, New York, July 2001.
• ‘Apocalypse When?: Anti-Catholicism and the Myth of Antichrist in Northern Ireland’, seminar at School of Sociology & Social Policy, Queen’s University Belfast, March 2000.
• ‘The Myth of Antichrist in Northern Ireland’, paper give at the Association for the Sociology of Religion Annual Meeting, Chicago, August 1999.
dude, call me asap. Lost your number in transition. Have a few questions about getting you in a couple/few places in the south.
727.612.6960 hit me up
How difficult is it for you to type an uper case N for Northern Ireland? Are you really that poor at grammar?
And, yes, I did only put one p in upper. Trying to make the point of how silly the whole thing is. Especially after a few glasses of Northern Ireland’s finest (Bushmills).
Hi Jonathan
Thanks for visiting my blog. Just wanted to write to explain why I write ‘northern Ireland’ with a small ‘n’. This is a deliberate choice, which I made about ten years ago while writing my Ph.D. thesis on religion and conflict in my home society. I decided that I did not want to identify exclusively with either of the main political blocs who seemed unable to offer something that transcended our communal differences; the very name of the place where I was born and lived for the first 33 years of my life until 2008 was a political football. So it’s not a grammar mistake, although I understand why you would think this. It’s a serious and sincere attempt at changing the dialogue about what it means to be a country, what it means to be a people, what it means to offer our neighbours something more than language that tells them we don’t think they belong.
There’s quite a big festival in the UK that could really have done with something like this this year. It’s called Greenbelt. I wonder if you’ve heard of it…
I’d like to have you Gareth, come and speak at an important event…its called dinner (with a small d for inclusive reasons…) with Gareth (big G because you’re a big personality in my life) and then some movies, followed by conversation, and some more movies and then some cigarettes.
If you would come, I’d make it happen.