Summer School 2025

This Summer in Oxford - 15 to 19 July, 2025

The Stories that Shape Us – This year’s theme.

We are characterised by a need for meaning. This meaning can be found and fostered in different ways, but one common place to find it is in stories. For as long as humans have had the capacity to tell stories, we have used them to make sense of the world and our place within it. We live in a culture flooded with competing narratives, each vying for our attention and seeking to shape who we are. This leads us to the fundamental question: does Christianity have a story to tell? What might it be? How might it relate to all the others?

Join us at Summer School 2025 to consider the most prominent stories of our day.

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Talks & Seminars

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Speakers

If you are a Christian who wants to grapple with the thorny questions of today’s culture, this event is for you!

Together we’ll do a deep dive into important issues, to gain insight and understanding for ourselves, and to learn how we can have meaningful conversations about these topics in our spheres of influence. We’ll look at a framework for thinking through challenging questions and discover how we can respond with sincere, credible and helpful answers.

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This is a really freeing experience to simply bring all of the questions that are burdening you to be able to interact with so many generous apologists who are so lovingly willing to answer your questions, to engage in difficult conversations.

Brayden - USA

Main Session Talks

Our speaking team and guest experts are currently immersed in study, crafting thought-provoking main sessions designed to challenge and equip you. Each talk is 45 minutes long, followed by a dedicated Q&A session to tackle your most pressing questions.

At Summer School, you’ll engage with some of the biggest narratives shaping our culture today—cultural Marxism, scientism, Eastern worldviews, affective individualism and spirituality, technology, AI and the value of humans, and deconstruction.

Through rigorous discussion and critical comparison with the Gospel, these sessions will help you think deeply, ask better questions, and sharpen your understanding of the world. This isn’t just about learning—it’s about joining a vital conversation. Don’t miss the chance to be part of it.

Keep scrolling for seminars . . .

I really enjoyed that the speakers will come and talk to you. They really felt like friends really by the end of it. That was great because you could ask them really deep questions… the diversity of viewpoints that were deeply and respectfully considered was a highlight for me.

Pepijn (Netherlands)

Seminars

The Summer School breakout sessions allow you to go deeper into an area of interest. The smaller group sessions also mean you can have more interaction and engagement with the speakers and other attendees to think critically, discuss the material with one another, and ask your questions. Some of these topics will be subject to change as our team continues to curate this day for you!

Wednesday

When the church gets it wrong – Charlie Styles
The Evangelistic Questions of Gen Z and Gen Alpha – Alanzo Julian Paul & Max Jeganathan
Meeting Christ and Growing in Christ – Rahil Patel
Logical Arguments for God (Advanced) – Sara Stevenson
Feeling Your Faith – Aase Victoria Bøe
Engaging with Different Worldviews (Workshop) – Sara Stevenson and Rahil Patel
Critical Thinking as Worship – Tom Price
Philosophy of Doubt (Advanced) – Max Baker-Hytch

Thursday

Gender and Identity – Ben Thomas
S. Lews and Tolkien (Faith and Fantasy) – Aase Victoria Bøe and Tom Price
Sin and Suffering – Alanzo Julian Paul
Historical Evidence for Jesus – Max Baker-Hytch
Business, Work and Meaning – Max Jeganathan
Digital Discipleship (Workshop) – Tom Price
Women and the Church – TBA
How can Christ fulfil the search of a Hindu? – Rahil Patel

Friday

Race and the Church – Clare Williams and Charlie Styles
Dealing with Doubt – Ben Thomas & Sara Stevenson
How the Bible was Put Together – Lara Buchanan
Scientism (Advanced) – John Lennox
Healing – Lara Buchanan
Getting the Church on Mission (Workshop) – Tom Price and Charlie Styles
The Occult – Alanzo Julian Paul
Politics and Christ (Advanced) – Max Jeganathan and Rahil Patel

Day 1

Tuesday 15th July

2pm Meet and Greet at OCCA Offices, Tour of Oxford ‘The History of Faith in Oxford’
7pm Formal Dinner at the Divinity School, part of the Bodleian Library

Day 2

Wednesday 16th July

8.30am Registration and Refreshments at St Ebbes Church,
9.00am Opening Worship and Devotions
9.30am Lecture
10.15am Interactive Session
11am Break
11.30am Lecture
12.15pm Q & A Panel
1pm Lunch
2pm Seminars and Workshops
3pm Break
3.15pm Seminars and Workshops
4.15-4.30pm Closing Worship

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

Day 3

Thursday 17th July

7pm Social: Pub Quiz

Day 4

Friday 18th July

Day 5 - Confident Faith Conference

Saturday 19th July

9.30am to 5:30pm The Confident Faith Conference (ticket included in price)

Tickets and Accommodations

The ticket price this year is: £640 (price freeze from last year), which includes a ticket to the Day Conference on Saturday 19th July (Day Conference cost £90).

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.

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Save £100 per ticket if you book before 31 March.

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If cost is a barrier, please apply to receive a bursary.

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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 enjoys meeting people who think differently and yet also love to engage in meaningful conversations about existential questions such as: What is the meaning in life? Where do we come from? What is right and wrong? What happens when we die?

She has always been a Christian, but at the same time she has always been a sceptic. Her questions about faith are what sparked her interest to investigate the truth in life and led her to examine which worldview gives the best explanation to the reality we find ourselves in. She therefore thinks it’s very important to explore and engage with all the questions we might have about the Christian faith.

Aase Victoria has a degree in Theology and Leadership (BTh.) from The Norwegian School of Leadership and Theology. She is passionate about exploring the relevance, truth, and beauty of the Christian gospel.

In the past, she worked as an editor for the Christian online youth magazine iTro.no in Norway and gained valuable insight into the issues facing young people right now. Currently, Aase Victoria is researching human dignity and the ethical issues surrounding 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.

Charlie Styles

Revd. Charlie Styles currently leads OCCA’s team, after spending 12 years in church leadership. He loves teaching the Bible and is responsible for setting the direction and culture of OCCA.

Clare Williams

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 the 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

Dr. Max Baker-Hytch is the Academic Advisor at OCCA. He received his PhD in Philosophy from Oxford University in 2014. Afterwards, he held two postdoctoral research fellowships, one at Oxford (2014-15), and one at the University of Notre Dame. Separately to his role at OCCA, he is Lecturer in Philosophy at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University.

Max Jeganathan

Priyan (Max) Jeganathan is an international speaker and writer for the OCCA and Thinking Faith. He is passionate about helping people make sense of current issues and life’s big questions through the lens of the Christian worldview. As a former lawyer and policy adviser in the Australian National Parliament, Max has spoken around the world in banks, universities, and businesses, including Facebook, Google, Nike and Goldman Sachs. He is based in Sydney, Australia and is currently undertaking a PhD on the ethics of human dignity.

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.