Oxford-Princeton Seminar on Christian Ethics

The seminar engages in monthly online sessions on key figures and texts around this question, led by scholars who are already working on resourcing each figure's thought. In continuity with our previous seminars and conferences, the purpose of these sessions is to investigate texts and figures from the past to answer present questions and concerns. We will aim to have a final conference where the invited participants in the seminar–senior and graduate students alike–will have a chance to present a paper on the topic of Christianity and the State.

Seminar participants are expected to pre-read primary texts selected by seminar leaders. Seminars begin with a short introductory presentation by the seminar leader, followed by sustained discussion organized around the text and questions of political theology. Sessions are 90 minutes long. Past and future seminar leaders include Gerald McKenny (on John Calvin), Oliver O'Donovan (on Hugo Grotius), Elisabeth Kincaid (on Francisco Suarez), Teresa Bejan (on Gerrard Winstanley), and Paul Weithman (on John Rawls).

If you are an Oxford University graduate student or scholar interested in joining, please contact Ruan Bessa (ruan.bessa@theology.ox.ac.uk) or Matthew Vogel (matthew.vogel@theology.ox.ac.uk). 

The most up-to-date schedule and readings can be found here.

Steering Committee

• John Walker, Princeton University
• Darren Yau, Princeton University
• Ruan Bessa, Oxford University
• Matthew Vogel, Oxford University

Faculty Advisors

• Eric Gregory, Princeton University
• Joshua Hordern, Oxford University

Joining Creation's Praise: A Book Symposium

University of Oxford, June 9-10, 2026

Harris Manchester College, Warrington Room

This two-day symposium convenes scholars from across a range of theological disciplines to engage Brian Brock's magisterial new volume in Christian ethics, Joining Creation's Praise: A Theological Ethic of Creatureliness (Baker Academic, 2025). As one of the fullest and most wide-ranging explorations of Christian moral experience in recent decades, this work invites reflection on the most pressing moral, political and theological questions of our day. The aim of this gathering is to facilitate critical reception of the publication and to undertake theological reflection on what it means to live in faithful response to God's creative and active presence. The symposium is hosted by the Oxford-Princeton Seminar in Christian Ethics, convened by Professor Eric Gregory (Princeton) and Revd. Professor Joshua Hordern (Oxford). It has been conceived and organized by seminar members Dr. Ruan Bessa (Oxford) and John Walker (Princeton). Our gathering is generously sponsored by the McDonald Agape Foundation, Princeton University and the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Life. 

Responders to Brian Brock's landmark books are: Daniel Lee Hill (Baylor University), Guido de Graaff (Church of England), John Walker (Princeton University), Samuel Tranter (University of Oxford), Jennifer Leith (University of Cambridge), and Markus Bockmuehl (University of Oxford).