A new series of seminars and events for Summer 2024 begins on Tuesday 30th April, 2:30pm UK time. Full Programme NB. All to be held on Tuesdays, 2:30-4pm (UK time) UNLESS OTHERWISE MARKED Join us ONLINE on Tuesday 30th when Dr Walaa Quisay (University of Edinburgh) will present a paper on The Makings of Islam in the West; Neo-traditionalism and White Convert Shaykhs Abstract Dr Quisay is author of Neo-traditionalism in Islam in the West published by Edinburgh University Press (2023). online registration > All are welcome at our seminars.  There is no charge to attend but we sugg ..read more

In the spring newsletter, you’ll find that many good things have been happening at the Centre for Muslim-Christian studies here in Oxford. A great conference, an encouraging reunion, a new book published and the usual opportunities for teaching, training and impacting the world of Christian-Muslim relations. At the same time, you’ll find an update on the difficult financial situation which the Solomon Academic Trust finds itself in at the moment. Even here though, there is good news, and we are so grateful to all those who have responded to our appeal for new pledges towards our monthly costs ..read more

Read the third article in our latest CMCS blog series ‘Not your usual inter-faith centre’  In blog #3 ‘Rigorous Thinking’ Martin Whittingham, Academic Dean of CMCSO, Learn about BLOG #3 Please do post your comment below the article. We look forward to hearing from you ..read more

Good news, bad news An update on the current difficult financial situation of the Solomon Academic Trust and our financial appeal In February we sent out a special update on our present financial situation. As you will remember, the Solomon Academic Trust has had to issue redundancy notices to all the staff of CMCS Oxford and we launched an appeal for new pledges of regular giving to cover our core running costs. We have had a fantastic response and received new pledges of £740/month towards our target of an extra £900/month in our to secure our premises as a place of hospitality for Christia ..read more

  This week’s podcast is a second opportunity to listen to a seminar given by Dr Hilary Marlow, Girton College, Cambridge, on reading the Bible in the context of the contemporary environmental crisis. This talk was given in January 2023 as part of a series exploring Christian and Muslim perspectives on the environment. To listen, click on your preferred platform below Look out for links on social media when new podcasts are released.  Please consider making a donation to help us fund events at the Centre donate > ..read more

The Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies Oxford held its second conference on the intersection of faith and the ecological environment On 1 March we hosted our second conference on the environment (the first one in November 2022 was on Christians, Muslims and Water, look out for publications soon). The day brought a community together in-person and online to see what role Muslim and Christian faith has played in shaping responses to the environment. In-person attendees travelled from as far afield as Indonesia and Spain, with visitors online in a number of countries. While the challenges remai ..read more

Regular readers of CMCS Oxford news will know that over the past months we have had some great opportunities and exciting developments but at the same time have been in a difficult financial position. We are so grateful for all those who support our work and particularly for those who regularly donate large or small amounts, including many trusts. Things have now come to a head, and we urgently need your help and support . We are approaching springtime, the time of year when seeds are planted with an expectation of harvest later in the year. The seeds seemingly die and remain in the dark, only ..read more

This new book by CMCS/SAT Director Richard McCallum published by Bloomsbury Academic provides a contemporary global overview of Evangelical Christian beliefs, attitudes and practices concerning Islam and Muslims in the C21st. Each chapter explores a contentious question in the Evangelical public sphere discussing Islam, including: Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? Who was Muhammad? What is the Qur’an? What about the Sharia? Is Islam inherently violent? What about Israel-Palestine? And just what is Islam anyway? The main take away from the book is that whilst ther ..read more

We invited our former scholarship holders, stretching back a decade and more, to join us online recently. The aim was to catch up on what they have been doing, and to hear their advice for the Centre. They all commented that being involved in the Qur’an and Bible study group was one of the best (if not the best) experience of interreligious dialogue they had ever had. It put them amongst real people with real questions - a valuable opportunity when their research was often spent on long hours amongst their books. They appreciated the honesty of the exchanges. Issues were not swept under the c ..read more

Read the second article in our latest CMCS blog series ‘Not your usual inter-faith centre’  In blog #2 ‘An independent Christian-based study centre’ Richard McCallum, Director of Solomon Academic Trust, continues to unpack how CMCSO can be a Christian centre and yet offer academic hospitality to Christians, Muslims and others? Learn about our approaches to debates, preaching, conversion and “wishy-washy” inter-faith dialogue.  blog #2 Please do post your comment below the article. We look forward to hearing from you ..read more