2025 Summer Conference
Cambridge Apologetics summer conference:
27-28 June
Reason and Imagination
2025 Summer Conference
Peterson
Lennox
Meyer
Cook
Turnau
Harrison
Dirckx
Fellows
Date and Location
27-28 June | Venue: St John’s College Old Divinity School and the Round Church
About
The 2025 summer conference will explore the interplay between reason and imagination in apologetics and how we might commend and defend the gospel in our rapidly changing culture.
The conference will help us to engage thoughtfully with culture and the questions of our friends through creativity in science, the arts and everyday practice.
See below for more details, and be sure to register by 25 May to take advantage of a 25% off early-bird discount.
- Learn how to communicate the gospel effectively and persuasively in today’s cultural moment
- Discover how to invite people to appreciate the person and work of Christ
- Consider the live questions people are asking, and be better prepared to give a defence for the hope we have
- Think creatively about the opportunities presented within our culture for sharing the gospel
We look forward to being joined by author and song-writer Andrew Peterson, cultural apologist Ted Turnau, apologist and author Stephen Meyer, and many other excellent speakers. This is a unique opportunity to combine deep intellectual insight with imaginative storytelling, equipping you to commend and defend the gospel in today’s rapidly changing culture.
How can we blend rigorous thinking with creative expression to engage meaningfully with our neighbours, colleagues, and family members? What does it look like to meet others thoughtfully in their questions and doubts, inviting them to encounter the compelling person and life-giving work of Christ?
We will discover how the creativity found in science, the arts, and everyday conversations can powerfully connect the gospel to the real-life questions people are asking today.
Hear from experienced evangelists and apologists who will inspire and equip you to:
- Understand and engage with the pressing questions around you
- Articulate a persuasive and winsome defence for your faith
- Identify and seize creative opportunities in contemporary culture
Spaces are limited — reserve your spot now to ensure you don’t miss this transformative conversation!
Conference Programme
Friday, 27 June
- 09:00 Registration
- 09:30 Welcome
- 10:00 Creation Praises God - Andrew Peterson
- 11:00 God as Creator - Stephen C. Meyer
- 12:00 Lunch and coffee (in the Round Church)
- 13:30 Seminars
- Science, Wonder and Apologetics - Sharon Dirckx
- Engaging Faith through Literature - Isobel Burden
- A Better Story: God, Sex and Human Flourishing - Glynn Harrison
- 14:30 Break
- 15:00 Engaging with Pop Culture through a Biblical Lens - Ted Turnau
- 16:00 Taylor Swift – A Case Study in Apologetics - Sarah Elwood
- 16:45 Panel Discussion: Taylor Swift and Pop Culture Apologetics - Sarah Elwood, Ted Turnau, Andrew Fellows
Saturday, 28 June
- 09:00 Registration
- 09:30 Reason and Imagination - Andrew Fellows
- 10:30 Sneaking Past the Watchful Dragons of the Fallen Mind - Andrew Peterson
- 11:30 Break
- 12:00 Speaking to the Heart and Mind: How to Have Difficult Conversations when Everyone's Scared and Angry - Glynn Harrison
- 13:00 Lunch and coffee (in the Round Church)
- 14:00 Seminars
- Arguments from Design in Biology - Stephen Meyer and Zachary Ardern
- Planting Oases for the Gospel through Creativity - Ted Turnau
- Letting Film Open Up Deeper Conversations - Tony Watkins
- Reality and Other Stories - Matt Lillicrap
- 15:00 Break
- 15:30 The Goodness of the Final Judgment in Light of Abuse - Ellidh Cook
- 16:30 Apologetics in Light of Christ’s Coming to Restore Creation - John Lennox (live via Zoom)
Speakers
We will be joined by speakers with a wealth of experience in public witness and apologetics training, and an active engagement with contemporary cultural issues.
Andrew Peterson
Andrew Peterson is a singer-songwriter, author, and founder of the Rabbit Room. Andrew has released more than ten records over the past twenty years, earning him a reputation for songs that connect with his listeners in ways equally powerful, poetic, and intimate.
As an author, Andrew’s books include the four volumes of the award-winning Wingfeather Saga, which have sold more than a million copies, along with his creative memoirs, Adorning the Dark, and The God of the Garden. He’s also an executive producer of the Wingfeather Saga Animated Series, which is currently in production on its third season with Angel Studios. In 2008 Andrew co-founded the Rabbit Room, a nonprofit organization based in Nashville, Tennessee that nourishes Christ-centered communities by cultivating and curating stories, art, and music.
John Lennox
A Cambridge alumnus, John Lennox is a world-renowned author and speaker, mathematician, philosopher of science and Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford.
Stephen C. Meyer
Stephen C. Meyer is the Director of the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute in Seattle. He earned his PhD in the Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge and has written extensively on the origins of life, information theory, and scientific reasoning. His books, Signature in the Cell, Darwin’s Doubt, and Return of the God Hypothesis, explore the role of mind in the cosmos. He has appeared on major media outlets, including BBC and CNN, discussing science and faith.
Ellidh Cook
Ellidh Cook leads the student work at All Souls Langham Place in London. She studied theology at St Andrews and Durham Universities, and her MA research focused on sexual violence in the Old Testament and its relevance today.
Ted Turnau
Ted Turnau is Chair of the Department of Arts, Culture, and Literature at Anglo-American University in Prague. With a PhD in Apologetics from Westminster Theological Seminary, he specialises in the intersection of faith and popular culture. His books, Popologetics and Oasis of Imagination, explore how Christians can engage with media and storytelling thoughtfully. Ted speaks internationally on cultural apologetics, imagination, and the role of creativity in Christian witness.
Glynn Harrison
Glynn Harrison is a Christian psychiatrist, academic, author, and speaker. He visits churches, universities, theological colleges, and conferences, speaking about Christian faith in relation to psychology, neuroscience and mental health. He is also interested in culture change and Christian worldview.
Andrew Fellows
Andrew Fellows is best known for having directed the work of English L'Abri for 15 years, and serving as chairman of L'Abri International. He is now an author and pastor who regularly gives training in apologetics.
Sharon Dirckx
Sharon Dirckx is a speaker and author whose work focuses on responding to the spiritual and faith-related questions that people ask today. She is motivated to show how and why the person of Jesus Christ remains as relevant as ever to the pertinent questions of our time, and to do so in an engaging way. Originally from a scientific background, she has a PhD in brain imaging from the University of Cambridge. Sharon lectures across the UK and internationally, in workplaces, universities, schools, churches and conferences.
Sarah Elwood
Sarah Elwood co-leads the South East team for UCCF. She lives in East London with her husband Callum and daughter Lila. Sarah is a member of St Peter’s Barge, Canary Wharf. When she’s not working, she loves exploring East London’s many foodie spots and knitting cardigans for her daughter.
Matt Lillicrap
Matt Lillicrap is the CEO of Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF). Previously Matt worked as a junior doctor around the North-East of England, alongside a stint as a staff worker for CMF. He then went on to study theology for pastoral ministry at Oak Hill College in London before moving to Cambridge as Associate Pastor at Eden Baptist Church, and later pastor of Hope Community Church Cambridge. Matt is married to Anika who is a pastoral counsellor, and they have six children.
Tony Watkins
Tony Watkins is Fellow for Public Engagement at Tyndale House, and a speaker and writer on media, culture and the Bible. Previously at the Damaris Trust, his PhD research explored the relationship between the biblical prophets and today’s media.
Zachary Ardern
Zachary Ardern is a postdoctoral fellow in evolutionary genomics at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge. His studies in biology and philosophy were at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and he previously conducted research at the Technical University of Munich and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. His scientific research investigates the evolution and functions of young genes in bacteria and viruses, and he regularly speaks and writes on the relationship between biology, philosophy, and Christian faith.
Isobel Burden
Isobel Burden read English Literature here at Cambridge, spending possibly too much of her time acting in theatres around Cambridge, Edinburgh and Europe and developing her love for Shakespeare in performance. She has subsequently been in education for the last twenty years, teaching all ages in schools, churches, youth groups and on stage. Isobel currently adapts and directs productions of Shakespeare’s plays with teenagers, and loves to explore with them the connections between literature and life. She is married to Jonathan, a teacher of Classics, and they have three children.
Registration is now open. Tickets are £20 per day, but currently 25% off until 14 May. Book your place by clicking the button below, and be sure to take advantage of the early-bird discount!
Academics in Public Evangelistic Speaking
Partnering with UCCF and IFES Europe, we were also delighted to host the British gathering of the FEUER Academic Speakers' Network at our annual conference.
The network meets in parallel with us sharing relationships, plenary speakers, seminars and logistics support. The network also features professional communications coaching.
Featuring communications coaching
Tim Benton is a former actor and theatre director, now executive communications coach at GSB Comms. He has worked with businesses including Microsoft, KPMG and BCG, and ministries including Keswick and Oak Hill.
Christian academics have a unique opportunity to introduce Christianity with credibility at student events. The Network provides vision, training, peer support and introductions to event organisers.
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