Who we are

Welcome to OCCA

We’re passionate about engaging the heartfelt questions people have about the Christian faith and helping others do the same.

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Meet us

Wider team

What we do

Our Board

Reboot Youth Apologetics

Thinking Faith

Our Speakers

Our team speaks in a variety of settings about the big questions of faith, life, and meaning; from community cafes to universities, from local schools to the marketplace.

Alanzo Paul

Alanzo is passionate about literature, philosophy and theology. His work primarily focuses on questions such as, ‘Why does God allow suffering and injustice?’ and ‘What is the meaning of life?’. Additionally, he enjoys exploring topics such as the Occult, identity, Gen Z, difficult passages in the Old Testament, and the case for the historical Jesus.

Ben Thomas

Ben qualified as a doctor in 2003, and worked full-time in the medical field outside of the one year he took to pursue training in Theology and Apologetics at the University of Oxford and OCCA. In 2016, he became a consultant in Neurosciences Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia unit, but now works as a consultant part-time alongside his role as a speaker at the OCCA.

Ben has interests in the intersection of faith and sexuality, gender, medical ethics, and psychology. He has spoken numerous times to the younger generations and adults in churches, conferences, and mission events across the UK and Australia. In his attempts to work out what it looks like to follow Jesus well, he is also a keen runner (Forrest Gump style!), musician, chef, and loves spending time with his family, friends, and Godchildren.

John Lennox

John is the President of the OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. He is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and speaks on the interface of science, and religion, and is a well-known biblical teacher. He has debated the likes of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Peter Singer, and has lectured extensively in North America, Eastern and Western Europe, and Australasia on mathematics, the philosophy of science and the intellectual defence of Christianity.

John is also an Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford University. In addition, he is a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum, and has written a number of books exploring the relationship between science and Christianity, among them: Where is God in a Coronavirus World? (2020), 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2021), and Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix? (2021). Most recently, Lennox has produced a biblical exposition, Friend of God: The Inspiration of Abraham in an Age of Doubt.

He gained his MA, MMath, and PhD at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University. He also holds an MA and DPhil from Oxford University (by incorporation), an MA in Bioethics from the University of Surrey, and a DSc from the University of Wales.

John lives near Oxford and is married to Sally. They have three grown up children and ten grandchildren.

Rahil Patel

Rahil's work revolves around Hinduism and searches how to offer the beauty of the Christian Gospels to that eastern worldview in order to build bridges across demographics and faiths.

Sara Stevenson

Sara is passionate about exploring questions raised by Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. She has an MSc in Philosophy of Science and Religion from the University of Edinburgh, and an Education Degree in Religious Studies.

Tom Price

Tom Price studied Philosophy at university and later completed an MA in Christian Apologetics, and is currently undertaking doctoral research in theology, philosophy and film.

Wider speakers

Andy Moore

Andy Moore is the Managing Director of Chorus Network (a platform for professional investors who want to target competitive returns in their portfolio and use their capital to solve social or environmental problems). Andy leads a team of seasoned Investment Bankers, Family Office Managers, and Private-Equity Advisors to source impactful investment opportunities and particularly focusses on early-stage businesses in the UK.

Andy is an experienced evangelist who has led business missions in cities around the world. He has been invited to speak at some of the world’s largest corporations, including Facebook, UBS, Goldman Sachs, KPMG, and Barclays. Andy is a chartered accountant in England and Wales. He holds certificates in Christian Apologetics from the OCCA, Theological and Pastoral Studies from Oxford University, and a Masters in Philosophy from the University of Birmingham.

He is a keen sportsman and has played rugby to the representative level in Ireland!

Calum Miller

Dr. Calum Miller is a medical doctor and a research associate in bioethics at the University of Oxford. He has published academic papers on topics such as God’s existence, academic freedom, probability theory, and beginning of life ethics. His extensive work on bioethics has earned him prizes from the University of Oxford and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Calum has spoken on these topics to a wide variety of audiences across the world, and regularly appears on mainstream media. He is currently working on three books that cover ethical hotspots such as Abortion and the beginning of life.

Charlie Styles

Revd. Charlie Styles currently leads OCCA’s team, after spending 12 years in church leadership. He loves teaching the Bible and is responsible for setting the direction and culture of OCCA.

Clare Williams

Clare's work focuses upon questions of race, justice and culture, and what the Christian message has to offer these contested issues. She studied English Language and Literature at Oxford University, and has Masters degrees in Leadership, Culture, Diaspora and Ethnicity.

Lara Buchanan

Lara Buchanan holds degrees in History, English Literature, and a PGCE in Secondary Education from the University of Cape Town. She also has a Certificate in Apologetics through the OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, and Theology from Oxford University. Previously, Lara worked for several years as an English and History secondary school teacher, before going on to run the internship and theological training program for St Aldates Church, Oxford.

Lara has a specific interest in studying the impact of Jesus’ life for the individual and for the community. Lara has spoken in various academic and corporate settings in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and across the UK. Her hope is to develop meaningful connections with people from other cultures, faiths, and worldviews in order to explore the deep questions of life together within the context of friendship.

Max Baker-Hytch

Dr. Max Baker-Hytch is the Academic Advisor at OCCA. He received his PhD in Philosophy from Oxford University in 2014. Afterwards, he held two postdoctoral research fellowships, one at Oxford (2014-15), and one at the University of Notre Dame. Separately to his role at OCCA, he is a member of the Faculty at Oxford University and Lecturer in Philosophy at Wycliffe Hall.

Max Jeganathan

Priyan (Max) Jeganathan is an international speaker and writer for the OCCA and Thinking Faith. He is passionate about helping people make sense of current issues and life’s big questions through the lens of the Christian worldview. As a former lawyer and policy adviser in the Australian National Parliament, Max has spoken around the world in banks, universities, and businesses, including Facebook, Google, Nike and Goldman Sachs. He is based in Sydney, Australia and is currently undertaking a PhD on the ethics of human dignity.

Os Guinness

Os Guinness is an author, social critic, and the great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer. He received his undergraduate from the University of London and his DPhil in the social sciences from Oxford. Os has written or edited more than thirty books which offer valuable insight into the cultural, political and social contexts in which we all live. These include: The Call, Unspeakable, A Free People’s Suicide, and The Global Public Square. His latest book, The Magna Carta of Humanity was published in 2021.

Os has been a Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies, a Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum. Os has long been passionate about religious freedom. He served as the lead drafter of the ‘Williamsburg Charter’ in 1988 (a bicentennial celebration of the bicentennial of the US First Amendment), and later a drafter of ‘The Global Charter of Conscience’, published at the European Union Parliament in 2012.

He currently resides happily with his wife Jenny in the Washington DC area.

Sam Allberry

Sam Allberry is a pastor, apologist, and speaker. He has authored a number of books, including Is God Anti-Gay?, What God Has to Say About Our Bodies, Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With?, and 7 Myths about Singleness. He is the co-host of the popular podcast You’re Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Young Pastors.

He currently serves as an Associate Pastor at Immanuel Nashville and is a canon theologian for the Anglican Church in North America.

Sam has written extensively for numerous organizations, including regular articles for The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, and Living out.

Sharon Dirckx

Dr. Sharon Dirckx is a speaker, author, and an Associate Lecturer at the OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Her interests include questions of meaning, purpose, and identity, and how they relate to Christian belief.

Over the last 10 years, Sharon has been invited to speak internationally in a variety of contexts such as schools, universities, medical colleges, churches, workplaces, and conferences.

Her first book, Why?: Looking at God, Evil and Personal Suffering (2014) interweaves the stories of people who have suffered and our practical questions about suffering. Sharon’s latest book, Am I Just My Brain? (2019), examines human identity from the perspectives of neuroscience, philosophy, and theology. She is also a contributor to best-selling author, Lee Strobel’s latest book, The Case for Heaven (2021).

Sharon holds a Ph.D. in brain imaging from the University of Cambridge and held research positions at the University of Oxford and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Simon Edwards

Simon Edwards is a speaker and writer at the OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. His work focusses on addressing the deep questions of our culture and pointing to meaningful answers that found in the Christian faith. Simon originally hails from Australia, where he worked as a lawyer, before moving to the UK to study apologetics at OCCA and Theology at Oxford University.

He is the author of The Sanity of Belief: Why Faith Makes Sense (2021) and speaks widely about the evidence for Christian faith. Simon has spoken in various contexts around the world around the world (i.e., Oxford, Cambridge, Hong Kong, Oslo, and Queensland). including churches, businesses, government institutions, conferences, and university campuses. In the UK, he has been interviewed for several BBC Radio programs, as well as Christian radio stations and podcasts, including Unbelievable? on Premier Christian Radio and Facing the Canon with J John.

Simon lives in Buckinghamshire, England, with his wife, Natasha, and their three young children.

Abigail Woodcock

Managing Editor, Thinking Faith

Ben Lloyd

Public Engagements Assistant

Charlie Styles

Revd. Charlie Styles currently leads OCCA’s team, after spending 12 years in church leadership. He loves teaching the Bible and is responsible for setting the direction and culture of OCCA.

David Lloyd

Development Consultant

Johnathan Davys

Finance & Office Manager

Kathie Roberts

Training Coordinator

Khadija Paul

Marketing Manager

Mary Simek

Social Media Specialist

Naomi Thomas

Events Manager

Olivia Ramsay

Executive Assistant

Sophie Styles

Content Reviewer

Tara van der Vliet

REBOOT Administrator

Zachary Jackman

Director of Operations

Evangelistic Speaking

Our team speaks in a variety of settings about the big questions of life, faith and God; from community cafes to universities, from local schools to well-known corporations. We love to be invited to point people to the God who loves them. We also run youth and one-day apologetic events for local churches that delve into the big issues of our day from a faith-based perspective.

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Online Resources

We love to create content that is both intelligent in thought and aware of the cultural narratives that shape our world. We work with a wide variety of academics and experts from many different fields to offer a hub of bespoke videos answering every question that might help someone come to faith in Jesus.

Explore our resources

Training & Equipping

Our team provides training and resources to equip everyone to confidently share the extraordinary news of Jesus. From online courses that cover topics such as critical thinking and the existence of God, to small group sessions that engage with heartfelt questions about the Christian faith, we’ve designed a training pathway to help on every stage of the journey.

Training & Courses

Akeel Sachak

Akeel is a Partner of Rothschild & Co, the Anglo-French investment bank, where he advises corporates on mergers, acquisitions, capital raising and restructuring. He comes from a Muslim family background, but became a Christian while studying law at Christ Church, Oxford. He is married to Joy and has four adult children. He worships at Christ Church, Virginia Water and is closely involved in a number of Christian ministries. Akeel joined the OCCA Board in 2021.

Christine Brindley

Christine has been a supporter of OCCA for a number of years, having re-engaged with them when a group from her church went to a "Why?” event. Since that time she has been involved with apologetics both in her church and in a local secondary school. She trained as a lawyer and works for a Christian charity. She is part of the church family at St Nicholas, Sevenoaks along with her husband and three nearly grown sons.

Matt Baird

Matt works for a Canadian pension fund where he helps ensure the businesses the fund invests in are as successful as possible, and the firemen and women of Toronto get to enjoy a happy retirement. He first heard of OCCA ~15 years ago when he was invited to a dinner by a friend and has been a supporter ever since. He lives in Twickenham with his wife, Amy, and two young children. They attend St Stephen's East Twickenham where Matt serves as Treasurer and Amy helps lead worship each Sunday. Matt joined the OCCA Board in 2022.

Nick Houghton

Nick has spent his working life mainly in sales, marketing and management roles in the food industry and has run his own business for the last fifteen years. He first met up with OCCA through joining an on-line training course as well as a Summer Conference. He appreciates engaging with people’s questions about faith and helping to provoke authentic discussion about life and purpose. He has been involved in helping to lead a range of outreach events within his local Church and area in the West Midlands. Nick joined the OCCA Board in 2023.

Robert McIntyre

Rob works in merchant and private banking and first encountered OCCA back in 2016 at a workplace event. He lives in Buckinghamshire and is married to Sarah with three adult children. They’ve been part of Emmanuel Church in Chesham for the past 25 years where Rob enjoys helping with the youth and occasionally preaching. Rob joined the OCCA board in 2023 and is passionate about cricket, family and faith.

Rod Street

Board Chairman - Rod is married to Carol and lives in the West Midlands. He began work in industry before moving into consulting with PwC and IBM. For the last ten years he has worked freelance particularly with charities, the Church of England and churches. He has always been passionate about pursuing the evidence and logic behind following Jesus and first became aware of OCCA through the work of its speaking team. He has served on a number of charity boards and joined the OCCA board in 2023. He enjoys walking, reading and is currently also churchwarden for his own church community.

Youth Apologetics

Reboot

Reboot is all about offering a space for young people to ask difficult questions about God, faith, life, meaning, purpose, and many other topics.

Working collaboratively with partners and local churches, our team delivers youth apologetics in a way that is engaging, relevant and respectful of everyone’s backgrounds. Youth are safe to raise their questions about God and life and can expect kind and credible responses.

Visit the Reboot website

OCCA Project

Thinking Faith

Every day we’re confronted with big issues and trends from around the world. From war, to inflation, to what everyone’s watching on Netflix. It can be a lot. Well, our team at Thinking Faith are passionate about making sense of the stories beneath the headlines- through the lens of the Christian message. With fresh insight and depth, they offer thoughtful reflection on current affairs and pop culture to encourage meaningful conversation about the big issues shaping the world around us, and our place in it.

Check out their website, and follow them on Instagram for (almost) daily shots of content.

Watch the trailer

Go to Thinking Faith

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What our team says

I love helping people to see how Christian faith answers humanity’s deepest questions, and meets our deepest needs.

Simon Edwards OCCA Speaker

About

Our History

OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics was established in 2004 to raise up the next generation of evangelist-apologists. By 2021, around 350 emerging evangelists from around the world had studied on the OCCA one-year programme. This course equipped each of them to share and defend the gospel message and to come alongside others to help them with their intellectual objections and heartfelt concerns about the Christian faith.

More about our history