Following the success of Theology For All Autumn 2025, UTC will be running three tracks across September and October. These sessions will run weekly across the scheduled dates per track (details below), and are open to anyone to attend. You can register for free by emailing admin@union.ac.uk.
The Life and Thought of C.S. Lewis, with Professor John Gillespie and Sophie Jones
Prof Gillespie: "CS Lewis, renowned as an academic, writer, academic, apologist and public theologian, influenced many for Christ throughout the world during his life, but even more since his death. Scarcely a day passes him being referenced in the media, nor a month without the publication of another new book about him. He is the subject of numerous PhD theses and the focus of numerous CS Lewis centers and associations worldwide, and his stories continue to be loved and cherished today, as the forthcoming release of new Narnia film adaptions proves.
Initially subject to sustained criticism by his fellow Oxford academics who didn’t appreciate his powerful advocacy of Christianity, Lewis is now recognised as a significant figure, not only for his Christian writings but also for his groundbreaking academic works.
One of the most famous twentieth-century Irishmen, he is rightly celebrated, at last, in his hometown of Belfast. In this course we’ll be looking at his life and thought from his birth in 1898 to his death in Oxford in 1963, selectively focusing on: his journey back to God after many years of atheism; his criticism of scientific materialism and exposure of society’s blindness to spiritual warfare in his science fiction trilogy and The Abolition of Man (foreseeing the advent of AI and transhumanism); his fame and influence during the war in the 1940s as apologist and public theologian through his BBC talks; and finally the richness of his Narnia tales."
Sophie Jones: "This four-week course takes us on a journey through the life and thought of Irish writer C.S. Lewis, tracing his Belfast childhood, his war-time engagements, and his career as a remarkable academic and writer. We will explore Lewis’s rich, hope-filled imagination, discovering much to offer our ever-changing, fast-paced society. Join us as we enter the worlds Lewis inhabited and step back into our own."
The Roots of Irish Presbyterianism, with Revd Dr Matthew Houston
Dr Houston: "Many cultural commentators tell us that we live in an age of uprootedness. The rise of online connectivity, smartphones, and social media have created a widespread sense of isolation and disconnection from communities. It is often easy for Christians to feel similarly uprooted. Against this backdrop of uprootedness, discovering more about the roots of one particular Christian tradition can help replant us. It can reengage us with our local congregation and its story, the story of our area, and the wider background of our denomination. In a society where generalisations and stereotypical views of Presbyterianism abound, this series of four talks offers to replant our historical Presbyterian roots and show us their complexity."
Understanding Daniel, with Revd Dr Stephen Moore
Dr Moore: "The book of Daniel is a book full of ancient riddles, dreams, and visions. Yet, despite familiarity with its famous passages – the fiery furnace, the writing on the wall, the den of lions, the vision of the Son of Man – much of the book remains mysterious. In this short course we treat the book in depth and read it as a single unfolding account of the gospel and its fulfilment. It turns out that the mystery of the riddles and visions is not different from the mystery of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, revealed and unsealed."
