Summer School 2026

This summer in Oxford, 14–18 July 2026

Costly Conversations: Speaking of Jesus in a Divided Age

We all know the topics that can fracture relationships: religion, politics, and the questions that trigger anger or avoidance. Many of us want to speak, but fear the cost. At Summer School we’ll name that pain and practise a better way: meaningful conversations that don’t dehumanise, don’t dodge hard truths, and still make space for grace, pointing people to Jesus, the one who heals our deepest divisions and gives real hope.

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What We’ll Explore

Each day focuses on conversations we often avoid, the ones that feel off-limits. By the end of Summer School, our hope is that you’ll be better equipped to engage contested questions with curiosity and kindness, clarity and conviction.

Oxford Tour & Dinner: Tuesday 14 July

You’re welcome to join the Oxford Tour, then we’ll gather together for dinner at Harris Manchester College to commence Summer School 2026.

Day 1: Wednesday 15 July

Conversations with other faiths

Cross-cultural apologetics is an increasingly important missional field. As the world gets ever more connected, knowing how to share the gospel and overcome barriers with those from other faith backgrounds matters. And yet these are conversations we often feel vastly ill-equipped to engage with. Join us as we delve deep into conversations with other faiths.

Day 2: Thursday 16 July

Conversations beyond our tribe

Our political conversations are not only becoming increasingly fraught and polarised, but there are also unmistakable religious undertone being employed. In a destabilising world, with war and fragmentation becoming ever-present, we need conversations about peace, justice, and government that point to the Lordship of Jesus.

Day 3: Friday 17 July

Conversations at the edge of humanity

Science and technology are constantly pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human. We live in a world uncertain about when life should start, when life should end, and what our future is going to look like, both collectively and individually. Not only do we as Christians need to understand the world we live in, but we must also consider how to engage this world with the hope and truth of the gospel.

Day 4: Saturday 18 July

Conversations that cost

The work of the apologist is costly. Engaging in contested conversations with curiosity and kindness, clarity and conviction is no simple or easy task. Today, we will look at the personal and relational sacrifices we may face when we embark on sharing the gospel in the hard places and spaces of our culture.

Oxford Tour & Formal Dinner

Tuesday 14th July

3:30pm Meet at Weston Library, Tour of Oxford ‘The History of Faith in Oxford’ (Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG)
6:30pm Formal Dinner at Harris Manchester College (Mansfield Rd, Oxford OX1 3TD)

Day 1 of Main Programme

Wednesday 15 July

8:30am Refreshments
9:00am Welcome
9:20am Bible Teaching
10:00am Lecture 1 and Q&A
11:00am Roundtable Conversation and Q&A
12:00pm Interactive Session
12:30pm Lecture 2 and Q&A
1:10pm Lunch
2:00pm Seminar 1
3:00pm Seminar 2
4:00pm Prayer, worship and announcements
4:45pm Evening break

6:00pm Socials:
Evensong at Christ Church or
Punting at Magdalen Bridge Boathouse

Day 2

Thursday 16th July

7:00pm Socials:
Pub Quiz Night at St. Aldates Tavern

Day 3

Friday 17th July

Day 4

Saturday 18th July

8:30am Refreshments
9:00am Welcome
9:20am Bible Teaching
10:00am Lecture 1 and Q&A
11:00am Open Q&A
12:30pm Lecture 2 and Q&A
1:10pm Lunch
2:00pm Seminar 1
3:00pm Seminar 2
4:00pm Worship, commissioning prayer
4:45pm Official end to Summer School

Tickets and Accommodations

The ticket price this year is: £640 (price freeze from last year).

We’re aware that it can be expensive to spend a week in Oxford and so we work hard to keep the cost down. The OCCA Dinner, lunches and refreshments are included, but delegates will need to find their own accommodation and evening meals.

Bursary Application

We want this conference to be available to anyone. If the cost is a barrier for you, please get in touch about a bursary. Want to help others be able to attend the week? Select a buy one, give one ticket to help provide a bursary today.

Tickets & Accommodation Options

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Bursary Application

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Summer School Speakers

Along with our team at the OCCA, we will be joined by a few guests who offer expertise on various topics.

Aase Victoria Bøe

Aase Victoria is a Speaker-in-training at the OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.

She loves meeting people who think differently, especially when those encounters lead to meaningful conversations about life’s deepest questions.

Some of the questions she often explores and wrestles with include: If God exists, why doesn’t He make Himself more obvious? Are feelings a reliable guide to one’s relationship with God? If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world?

Alongside her interest in theology and philosophy, she has a passion for fantasy literature. She is fascinated by how stories like The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and Avatar awaken in us a sense of longing – and by the question of whether that longing points to something real beyond ourselves.

Though she has always been a Christian, she has also always been a sceptic. Her questions about faith sparked a lifelong desire to search for truth and to examine which worldview best explains the reality we live in. For that reason, she believes it is essential to honestly explore and engage with the many questions people bring to the Christian faith.

Aase Victoria holds a degree in Theology and Leadership (BTh.) from the Norwegian School of Leadership and Theology. She is currently studying philosophy at the University of Cambridge and Intellectual History at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

In the past, she worked as editor of the Christian online youth magazine iTro.no in Norway. She has also worked on ethical issues relating to human dignity, biotechnology, abortion, and euthanasia.

While from Norway, Aase Victoria currently lives in Oxford with her husband.

Alanzo Paul

Alanzo is passionate about literature, philosophy and theology. His work primarily focuses on questions such as, ‘Why does God allow suffering and injustice?’ and ‘What is the meaning of life?’. Additionally, he enjoys exploring topics such as the Occult, identity, Gen Z, difficult passages in the Old Testament, and the case for the historical Jesus.

Ben Thomas

Ben qualified as a doctor in 2003, and worked full-time in the medical field outside of the one year he took to pursue training in Theology and Apologetics at the University of Oxford and OCCA. In 2016, he became a consultant in Neurosciences Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia unit, but now works as a consultant part-time alongside his role as a speaker at the OCCA.

Ben has interests in the intersection of faith and sexuality, gender, medical ethics, and psychology. He has spoken numerous times to the younger generations and adults in churches, conferences, and mission events across the UK and Australia. In his attempts to work out what it looks like to follow Jesus well, he is also a keen runner (Forrest Gump style!), musician, chef, and loves spending time with his family, friends, and Godchildren.

Clare Williams-Sarpong

Clare's work focuses upon questions of race, justice and culture, and what the Christian message has to offer these contested issues. She studied English Language and Literature at Oxford University, and has Masters degrees in Leadership, Culture, Diaspora and Ethnicity.

Cristo Rodriguez

Cristo has a background in Modern Foreign Languages and Religious Education in secondary schools. He has been involved in education for over 20 years in one form or another. Having worked in schools abroad with the British Council he worked in Alternative Provision, Youth Work and the voluntary sector as well being Managing Director of a Christian Education Charity and recently a Chaplain. He currently works as a subject leader in Religious Education and is a speaker and tutor responsible for schools work here at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Cristo will be a Farmington Scholar at Harris Manchester College University of Oxford 2024/25 researching RE exam questions. Cristo is also a trustee of the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) and a member of the Christian Coalition for Education (CCFE) and a Committee Member of the Religious Education Network (REN).

John Lennox

John is the President of OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. He is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and speaks on the interface of science, and religion, and is a well-known biblical teacher. He has debated the likes of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Peter Singer, and has lectured extensively in North America, Eastern and Western Europe, and Australasia on mathematics, the philosophy of science and the intellectual defence of Christianity.

John is also an Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford University. In addition, he is a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum, and has written a number of books exploring the relationship between science and Christianity, among them: Where is God in a Coronavirus World? (2020), 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2021), and Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix? (2021). Most recently, Lennox has produced a biblical exposition, Friend of God: The Inspiration of Abraham in an Age of Doubt.

He gained his MA, MMath, and PhD at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University. He also holds an MA and DPhil from Oxford University (by incorporation), an MA in Bioethics from the University of Surrey, and a DSc from the University of Wales.

John lives near Oxford and is married to Sally. They have three grown up children and ten grandchildren.

Lara Buchanan

Lara Buchanan holds degrees in History, English Literature, and a PGCE in Secondary Education from the University of Cape Town. She also has a Certificate in Apologetics through the OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, and Theology from Oxford University. Previously, Lara worked for several years as an English and History secondary school teacher, before going on to run the internship and theological training program for St Aldates Church, Oxford.

Lara has a specific interest in studying the impact of Jesus’ life for the individual and for the community. Lara has spoken in various academic and corporate settings in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and across the UK. Her hope is to develop meaningful connections with people from other cultures, faiths, and worldviews in order to explore the deep questions of life together within the context of friendship.

Max Baker-Hytch

Academic Advisor

Rahil Patel

Rahil's work revolves around Hinduism and searches how to offer the beauty of the Christian Gospels to that eastern worldview in order to build bridges across demographics and faiths.

Sara Stevenson

Sara is passionate about exploring questions raised by Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. She has an MSc in Philosophy of Science and Religion from the University of Edinburgh, and an Education Degree in Religious Studies.

Tom Price

Tom Price studied Philosophy at university and later completed an MA in Christian Apologetics, and is currently undertaking doctoral research in theology, philosophy and film.