Wycliffe Hall Intensive 2026: The Problem of Evil

A week with Michael Lloyd

Monday 31 August - Friday 4 September 2026
Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

Join us in Oxford, where C.S. Lewis wrote his book on The Problem of Pain, for the inaugural Wycliffe Hall Intensive - an exciting week of theological learning, conversation, and fellowship with an expert in their field. Open to students, academics, clergy, and all with an interest in theology, participants will learn through lectures, discussions, and field trips. We will begin each morning with a time of worship, including a sermon series on the book of Job.

About the course

The problem of evil is the hardest problem with which believers in a good God have to wrestle. It is a pastoral problem in that it can lead people away from faith: it is an apologetic problem, in that it can keep people from coming to faith. Many answers have been given, down the centuries – some of them quite damaging to sufferers. It is important to think through what we believe on this issue, and how we support others. 

We will, through this week, go into this issue in depth. We will explore every family of responses to the problem of evil within Christian theology. We will critique all of them, and try and find a way forward that is intellectually rigorous and pastorally helpful. 

Expert speaker

Michael Lloyd headshot

The week will be led by the Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Revd Dr Michael Lloyd.

Michael has given his academic life to the problem of evil. He wrote his doctorate on it, and he has contributed to the recently published God, Struggle, and Suffering in the Evolution of Life. He likes to think that this is why his students call him Dr Evil, but, of course, there could be other reasons. He invites you to spend a week studying with him, and make your own mind up.

Read Michael's biography here.

Schedule

Monday 31 August

3 - 5pm Registration and check-in to accommodation

5:30pm Chapel

7pm Welcome dinner

 

Tuesday 1 - Friday 4 September

8:30am Chapel

9:30am - 5pm Teaching

6:30pm Dinner

 

Field trips are planned to take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, with a film screening after dinner on Wednesday evening. 

Accommodation and meals

Lunch and dinner in Wycliffe Hall each day is included in the registration fee, starting with a special welcome dinner on Monday night where you can begin to get to know each other and Michael.

 

We would be delighted to have you stay with us in Wycliffe Hall for the week. Accommodation is available from £312.50 for the week (Monday - Friday inclusive). We have rooms for single guests, couples and families, both with private bathrooms and with shared bathrooms for the more authentic student experience. A continental breakfast in Wycliffe is included for all residential guests. You can add accommodation to your registration on the second page of the booking form below.

Registration

Full delegate fee: US$1275 or £950

The delegate fee includes admission to all teaching, including admission fees to field trip sites visited with the group, lunches and dinners Tuesday - Friday and a welcome dinner on Monday. It does not include accommodation, which can be added to your booking or travel to/from Oxford.

 

Cancellation policy

Full payment will usually be taken on booking, which includes a non-refundable deposit of US$318.75 or £237.50 (25% of the total registration fee) . Cancellations may be made by emailing us on conferences@wycliffe.ox.ac.uk until 30 June 2026 for a refund of any amount paid above the deposit.

 

Click here to register and pay in US Dollars

Click here to register and pay in Pounds Sterling