Christianity & the life of the mind, An Introduction
Friday 7 - Saturday 8 February 2025
Hosted at Jesus College, Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub, Oxford
What does our calling to be disciples of Christ mean for our academic life, whether temporary as students or longer term as a career? What are some of the promises and pitfalls of scholarly life? How can academics and postgraduate students serve and relate to the wider body of Christ, the church? Christianity and the Life of the Mind examines these questions and more.
Join other Oxford postgrads, postdocs, and faculty as we explore integrating our faith with our academic life through this conference. The event will include lectures by academics including Alister McGrath (Science and Religion), Ard Louis (Theoretical Physics), Elaine Storkey (Sociology & Philosophy), Jonathan Brant (Theology), Michael Lloyd (Theology), and more. There is also plenty of time for discipline based discussion. Registration includes discussion group dinners hosted by faculty around Oxford on the Friday evening.
*Early-bird Registration deadline Friday 24 January 2025: £20 and meals are included
*General Registration closes Friday 31 January 2025: £30 and meals are included
*DCM Alumni Registration: For capacity reasons, this year we are asking DCM alumni and those who are in continuing education programs to please fill out this interest form. Please note that if admission is granted then attendance is in-person and that one will need to arrange one’s own accommodations.
**Please note our eligibility criteria: This event is for University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes postgraduates, postdocs, academic staff. If you do not fit this criteria, are DCM Alumni, or in a continuing education program, please complete this form and we will review your request **
PROGRAMME 2025
FRIDAY 7 February 2025
This program is subject to change, please watch this space for updates:
1:00 p.m. Registration, coffee & tea
1:20 p.m. Welcome & introduction
1:30 p.m. Vision Talk - Alister McGrath
In this talk, Professor McGrath offers a vision for developing a Christian mind, and its importance for our personal faith and professional vocation. He will explore his own conversion to Christianity as a student at Oxford University, and how others at Oxford helped him to develop in his faith and gradually gain a sense of how he could find his own distinct place in the world.
2:30 p.m. Vocation Talk: The calling of Christian postgrad students and academics - Ard Louis (Theoretical Physics)
Based on his own academic career and experience with postgraduate ministry in several countries, Professor Ard Louis will discuss the main themes of the conference in the light of questions such as: What does our calling to be disciples of Christ mean for our academic vocation (whether temporary as students or longer term as a career)? What are some of the promises and pitfalls of the scholarly life? How can academics and postgraduate students serve and relate to the wider body of Christ (the Church)?
3:35 p.m. Discussion
4:15 p.m. Coffee & tea
4:45 p.m. Panel discussion: Faith and scholarship – Session chaired by Mary Louis (Senior Fellow in Management Practice, Said Business School) with panelists to be announced
6:00 p.m. Prayer
6:35 p.m. Travel to dinner
7:00 p.m. Dinner and discussion of panel with faculty hosts
Dinner will be with your discussion group and will be hosted by various faculty members within their homes or colleges throughout Oxford.
SATURDAY 8 February 2025
10:00 a.m. Light breakfast, coffee & tea
10:30 a.m. Creation Talk - Title Coming Shortly - Katherine Blundell (Astrophysics) or Stephen Blundell (Physics)
Talk abstract coming soon
11:30 a.m. What does it mean to be human? - Elaine Storkey (Philosophy and Sociology)
This lecture discusses how the Christian understanding of the human being steers a course between individualism and collectivism, between fatalism and personal freedom, between materialism and ‘idealism’; and how its personal and communitarian understanding of the human being is grounded in the Trinitarian God.
12:25 p.m. Lunch
1:25 a.m. Discussion
2:00 p.m. Sin Talk - Title Coming Shortly - Jonathan Brant (Theology)
Talk coming shortly
3:05 p.m. Coffee & tea
3:30 p.m. Eschatology Talk - Title Coming Shortly - Michael Lloyd (Theology),
Talk abstract coming shortly
4:15 Discussion
4:55 Prayer
5:25 p.m. Drinks reception
6:30 p.m. Day closing