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Speakers

Speakers include:

Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest, professor, New York Times bestselling author, and is one of the best known and best loved preachers in the English speaking world. Her many wonderful books include Leaving Church, An Altar in the World, Learning to Walk in the Dark, Holy Envy, The Preaching Life and more. She lives in rural Georgia with her farmer husband, Ed.  

Sessions

Preaching Clinic
Festival Eucharist | Barbara Brown Taylor preaching

AJ Levine

AJ Levine is one of today’s most engaging biblical scholars. She is the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, and the University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita and the Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt University. Professor Levine is the first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute. In 2023 she received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Her many publications include The Bible with and Without Jesus and The Annotated Jewish New Testament (with Mark Bratter) and numerous guides to aspects of the gospels that are popular with preachers.

Sessions

Plenary Lecture: Preaching the Parables
Preaching Clinic

Ally Barrett

Ally Barrett is renowned for her creative approaches to preaching and liturgy through reflective practice, multisensory learning and improvisation. With a background in music and the arts, she is a keen painter and singer, and an award-winning hymn-writer. Ally has served as a parish priest in the UK and as a children’s minister in the US, and was tutor and Director of Pastoral Studies at Westcott House before taking up her present role of Chaplain of St Catherine’s College, Cambridge. She is the author of Preaching with All Ages.

Sessions

Book launch: Women of the Nativity
Seminar: Getting Your Hands Dirty: Bringing the Materiality of the Text to Life

Guli Francis-Dehqani

Guli Francis-Dehqani is the Bishop of Chelmsford and a member of the House of Lords .

Born in Iran, where her father was the first Persian bishop of the Diocese of Iran, her family fled the country after the murder of her brother in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. She first worked as a religion producer for the BBC before studying theology, and is the author of Cries for a Lost Homeland and co-author with Malcolm Guite of Stations of the Resurrection.

Sessions

Plenary Lecture: Encouraging the Weary with a Word

Doug Gay

Doug Gay is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Glasgow. He is a Church of Scotland minister and has taught preaching to ministry students for many years. He has worked as a columnist for the Times and is author of Remixing the Church, Reforming the Kirk (based on his Chalmers Lectures) and God Be In My Mouth: 40 Ways to Grow as a Preacher.

Sessions

Late Night Liturgy
Preaching Clinic
Late Night Liturgy
Opening Worship

Paula Gooder

Paula Gooder is one of the UK’s most popular speakers and writers on the Bible and is passionate about making biblical scholarship accessible to a wide audience. She is Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral and runs its extensive programme of educational events. Her many books include a series on the seasons of the Christian year, Journey to the Manger, Journey to the Empty Tomb, and The Parables in the Biblical Explorations series.  Blending her critical skills with her love of storytelling, Paula has imaginatively recreated the lives of biblical women in Phoebe, Lydia, Women of Holy Week and the forthcoming Women of the Nativity.

Sessions

Evensong
Book launch: Women of the Nativity
Preaching Clinic

Malcolm Guite

Malcolm Guite is in great demand throughout the UK and North America as a poet, performer and speaker. His YouTube channel, A Spell in the Library, is watched by many thousands of viewers. His first poetry collection, Sounding the Seasons, has sold over 23,000 copies and an enlarged second edition is in preparation. Other publications include David's Crown: Sounding the Psalms, The Singing Bowl, After Prayer, Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, three collections of his Poet’s Corner columns for the Church Times and poetry anthologies for Advent and Lent.

Sessions

Plenary Lecture: From ‘out there and back then’ to ‘in here and right now’: Bringing the Gospel Home

Mark Oakley

Mark Oakley is the Dean of Southwark and a Festival of Preaching favourite. He is a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Kings College London; Visiting Scholar at Sarum College, an Ambassador for StopHate UK, Patron of Tell MAMA (supporting those affected by anti-Muslim hate crime) and a Trustee of the Civil Liberties Trust. His books include By Way of the Heart: the Seasons of Faith, My Sour Sweet Days and The Splash of Words which won the Michael Ramsey Prize.

Mark was given the Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship by the Archbishop of Canterbury last year.

Sessions

Jazz Vespers
Preaching Clinic
Plenary Lecture: Waddling geese: does preaching make anything happen?

Martyn Percy

From its inception, Martyn Percy has been a great supporter of the Festival of Preaching and hosted it during its Oxford years. He is a Fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford and King’s College London and was previously Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon. He has written extensively in the fields of theology and  ecclesiology and among his recent books are Forty Psalms of Solace, An Advent Manifesto, The Spirit of Witness, The Humble Church and The Precarious Church. Martyn has been a regular contributor to The Guardian, BBC Radio Four, and the BBC World Service and is a Vice-President of Modern Church.

Sessions

Seminar: 'Less is More': Disciples, Followers and Others Reconsidered

Sam Wells

 

Samuel Wells is Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and a leading public theologian. He is  a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, through his occasional columns for the London Evening Standard and his regular broadcasts from St Martin’s including its weekly Live Sermon Prep and Great Sacred Music. Sam is the author of over 45 acclaimed books including How to Preach , Humbler Faith, Bigger God , The Moment of Truth and Being With – an introductory course to Christian life and faith from St Martin’s HeartEdge movement.

Sessions

Opening Worship
Seminar: Preaching on the Old Testament

Victoria Johnson

Victoria Johnson becomes Dean of Chapel at St John’s College at Easter, having previously been Precentor of York Minster. She studied homiletics at Yale Divinity School and has a long background in teaching and speaking on liturgy and preaching, and frequently leads workshops for the College of Preachers. She is the author of On Voice: Speech, Song, Silence, Human and Divine.

Sessions

Late Night Liturgy
Seminar: On Voice: Embodying the Divine in Preaching
Late Night Liturgy

Chris Russell

Chris Russell worked as political researcher before training for ordination. While Stephen Cottrell was bishop of Reading, Chris became vicar of St Laurence’s in Reading and their shared vision of evangelism saw it become a multi-generational community with a focus on the town’s unchurched young people, a passion that distinguishes it still. Chris has participated in training events at the Youth Ministry Institute of Yale Divinity Scholl and is currently Adviser on Evangelism to the Archbishop[ of Canterbury. He is the author of Yearning for the Vast and Endless Sea: The good news about the good news. 

Sessions

Seminar: Have I got [good] news for you

Isabelle Hamley

Isabelle Hamley became Principal of Ridley Hall, Cambridge at Easter 2024. Previously, she served as Chaplain and Secretary for Theology and Ecumenical Relations to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and was Theological Adviser to the House of Bishops. She taught Biblical Studies and Practical Theology at St John’s College, Nottingham, and has always had a passion for integrating theology, ministry and engagement with the wider world. Isabelle is the author of Embracing Justice (an Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book), and God of Mercy and Justice, a commentary on the book of Judges. Her forthcoming Advent book, Embracing Humanity, will be available at the Festival.    

Sessions

Opening Worship
Seminar: From Cut up Concubines to Child Sacrifice: Preaching the Unpreachable

Jutta Brueck

Stephen Cherry

Stephen Cherry is the Dean of King’s College, Cambridge. He is the author of numerous books including Barefoot Disciple, an Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book. His most recent title is Unforgivable? Exploring the Limits of Forgiveness.

Sessions

Seminar: Preaching Forgiveness
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