The Centre was established in 1994; its initial focus being the mission of the College as a whole in fostering ‘the formation of a Christian mind’ through critical engagement between faith and culture.
The Centre was relaunched on the 18th January 2021 under the leadership of its new Director, Dr Anthony Reddie. The Centre aims to bring a critical inquiry to the interface of religion and culture as it relates to differing communities, contexts and peoples, across the world:
- Encouraging theological study in the light of other disciplines
- Facilitating the study of other disciplines in the light of religious and cultural insights
- Developing research in inter-disciplinary aspects of religious and cultural studies
- Fostering culturally aware religious leaders
- Enabling critical religious and cultural thinking on practical and ethical issues
The Centre pursues these aims by:
- Appointing Research Associates to work in the field of inter-disciplinary religious and cultural studies
- Supporting Postgraduate Scholars to take research degrees in the University of Oxford
- Hosting conferences and public lectures by distinguished scholars and practitioners
- Producing publications resulting from its events
Recent talks can be viewed on the Oxford Centre for Religion & Culture YouTube Channel