Jason Bray, a specially ordained deliverance minister for the diocese of Llandaff, works with people afflicted by paranormal disturbances and deals with all sorts of supernatural encounters, from hauntings, ghosts, and curses to potential demonic possessions. He has discussed his uncanny experiences working on the frontline in his book, Deliverance (Coronet 2021) – soon to be turned into a television series – and on the couch of ITV’s This Morning. You may have seen his cameo appearance in the Netflix series, Welcome to Wrexham, when Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney visited St. Giles, the historic Parish Church of Wrexham, where Rev Bray officiated until becoming Dean of Llandaff Cathedral in September of this year. The two Hollywood stars left with signed copies of his book.
Students at 鶹ý had the opportunity to learn about his experiences first hand as part of their scholarly studies on the subject, and Rev Bray is set to return to speak to the next cohort of students on ‘Exorcism’.
Professor Lucy Huskinson, who oversees the module, ‘Exorcism’ said:
“Reports of spirits and demons have fascinated the popular imagination throughout the ages, and its interest doesn’t appear to be abating. The taught module, ‘Exorcism’, attracts students from all sorts of backgrounds and subject disciplines, beyond Philosophy, Ethics, and Religion. While some suggest deliverance from evil spirits is on the rise, others claim demonic entities are symptomatic expressions of mental illness and ought to be treated as such. But is it so easy to distinguish between troublesome spirits and psychological distress? Are we wise to assume all ‘spirits’ ought to be expunged? And why are people so captivated by the prospect of spirits and demons? Our students relish the opportunity to explore these kinds of questions, and they tend to do so with an open mind in their exploration of theories and case studies of spirit possession across secular and religious traditions. To that end, we are really fortunate to have Rev. Canon Dr Jason Bray as a guest speaker on our popular module, ‘Exorcism.’ His experiences at the front line of deliverance ministry are compelling—on the one hand, helping to dispel some of the myths around the topic, and on the other, leaving student’s wide-eyed and astonished. We are excited about collaborating with Jason again, for the next cohort of keen students who are wanting to discover more about this fascinating and very real subject.”
Professor Peter Shapely, Head of the School of History, Law, and Social Sciences, added:
“We are always keen to invite guest speakers of this calibre into our taught modules as their experiences can be invaluable and enriching for students’ learning. Rev. Dr Jason Bray is one of the most exciting and engaging of speakers we could have. Our students really enjoy this module and Jason Bray’s talks give them some great material to consider and analyse in their studies.’
Reflecting on the guest talk, second year BA Philosophy, Ethics and Religion student, Millie Carman, commented:
“The Exorcist’s talk was an incredible opportunity. Hearing first-hand accounts not only supported what we had learnt in class, but challenged my understanding of the unseen world, particularly when he talked about his own experiences of poltergeist activity! It was a unique and unforgettable experience.”
And our third year BA Philosophy, Ethics & Religion student, Gemma Waite, was of a similar opinion:
“Listening to the deliverance minister’s talk was both captivating and unsettling. His talk was filled with his own experiences, but showed a slightly sceptical approach which I found interesting, as it made the whole thing realistic as he showed that not all experiences were actually that of the spiritual world! Each narrative felt like a glimpse into the unseen realms, leaving me intrigued! The most interesting part was his experience mentioning the cold feeling when the spirits are present, and the room we were in was freezing, but this may just have been the case as it was December!”
For further information regarding the talk or this fascinating module, please contact: Prof. Lucy Huskinson (l.huskinson:bangor.ac.uk).