2026 Summer Conference
2026 Summer Conference
Unashamed
12-13 June, Cambridge
Society is changing – increasingly people are seeking truth and meaning in spiritual things. Are we ready to point them to faith in Christ as the ultimate fulfilment of their search? Join us at the conference to be equipped to share a gospel-centred, living faith that renews the heart and satisfies the mind.
Book tickets below – early bird discount (20% off) ends on 31 March.
Speakers
Scrivener
Vanhoozer
Strange
Dirckx
Fellows
Mair
Green
Fairbairn
Date and Location
12-13 June 2026 | 9.30am-6.00pm
Christ Church Cambridge (CB1 1HT)
About
The theme of the conference is ‘Unashamed’ – from Romans 1:16 – and will equip us to respond to the new phenomenon of noticeably more people openly showing an interest in spiritual things. In some cases this is shown in a growing attraction to ancient institutional expressions of Christianity, including Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Equally, in other cases we see a renewed interest in paganism or in the spirituality behind yoga and crystals.
We want to meet today’s spiritual thirst with the gospel itself, which is the power of God to salvation for those who believe. How can we unashamedly and lovingly offer Christ in a way that shows a thirsty world the surpassing goodness, beauty and truth of the orthodox Protestant gospel which we have received?
- 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 share the hope we have
- Think creatively about the opportunities presented within our culture for sharing the gospel
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
- Stories that Changed the World: What can orthodox Christians learn from the apologists of the sexual revolution, and how can we tell a better story of our own? - Glynn Harrison
- Writing and Publishing in Apologetics and Evangelism - Thomas Creedy
- 14:30 Break
- 15:00 Apologetics through Pop Culture - 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.
Glen Scrivener
Glen Scrivener is a speaker, writer and ordained minister. He serves as the Director of Speak Life, an evangelistic ministry that seeks, through preaching and media, to captivate both church and world with the love of Jesus. He is a YouTuber, podcaster, the author of ten books including the award-winning The Air We Breathe, and he presents the digital evangelism course 321.
Kevin Vanhoozer
Kevin Vanhoozer is Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, and the newly appointed Blanchard Professor of Systematic Theology at Wheaton College. He is one of the most influential theologians of his generation, known for his work in theological interpretation, hermeneutics, and culture. His scholarship has profoundly shaped contemporary evangelical thought, and continues to equip and inspire pastors, students and scholars across the globe.
Dan Strange
Dan Strange is a Fellow at the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, involved in theological leadership at The London Project (City to City), and is a Contributing Editor for Themelios. Formerly he was college director and tutor in culture, religion, and public theology at Oak Hill College, London. His most recent books are Plugged In, and Making Faith Magnetic , which help Christians engage with culture and share their faith. Dan is married to Elly, and has seven children. He is a member of Hope Community Church, Low Fell, Gateshead.
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.
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.
Kristi Mair
Kristi Mair holds degrees in philosophy, theology, and ethics. Kristi lectures on a range of subjects, including philosophy, apologetics, public theology, and ethics at Oak Hill College in North London. She is currently completing her doctorate in philosophical epistemology at the University of Birmingham. She wrote More>Truth and co-edited the first full-length Christian response to the pandemic, Healthy Faith.
Brad Green
Brad Green is Professor of Theological Studies at Union University, Tennessee, and Visiting Professor of Philosophy and Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including The Gospel and the Mind: Recovering and Shaping the Intellectual Life, and Covenant and Commandment: Works, Obedience, and Faithfulness in the Christian Life. He helped found Augustine School, a Christian liberal arts school in Jackson, Tennessee. He is also Senior Contributor for The Imaginative Conservative, and has served as Writer-In-Residence at Tyndale House, Cambridge.
Donald Fairbairn
Donald Fairbairn is Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Union School of Theology and Dean of Newton House. He is also the Robert E. Cooley Professor of Early Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has ministered and taught throughout Europe and North America. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two adult children, Trey and Ella.
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.
Leonardo de Chirico
Leonardo De Chirico is pastor of the Church Breccia di Roma and lecturer in historical theology at the Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. He blogs on Vatican and Roman Catholic issues from an evangelical perspective at Vatican Files. He’s director of the Reformanda Initiative, cohost of the Reformanda Initiative podcast, and author of several books, including A Christian’s Pocket Guide to the Papacy, and Engaging with Thomas Aquinas: An Evangelical Approach.
Caz Dodds
Caz Dodds works for the Scottish Government in a policy role, based in Edinburgh. Before this she spent eight years working in student ministry, initially for a local church in Glasgow, and then for UCCF: the Christian Unions. She continues to speak at Christian Union evangelistic events when she can organise the annual leave and childcare!
Mike Hood
Mike Hood studied English Literature at Cambridge, hoping to become a writer, but found that he loved having deep conversations about life, the universe and Jesus with friends who weren’t Christians so much that he spent the next five years working with UCCF reaching out to students from Cambridge to Belarus. Since 2021 Mike has been on staff at Eden Baptist Church, first as church evangelist seeking to equip, encourage and resource the church family to share Christ with those around us, and now as pastor in training.
Book your place today by clicking the button below.
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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