The Hook Lecture stimulates debate around an issue of faith in the context of Leeds. The event is organised jointly by Leeds Church Institute, Leeds Minster and School of Philosophy, Religion and the History of Science at the University of Leeds.
We are delighted that this year’s lecture will be given by Canon Mark Oakley, Dean of St John’s College, Cambridge and formerly at St Paul’s Cathedral. He will speak on Poets, Prophets and Protesters: The shape of things to come?
Oakley is known for his interest in the ways literature and poetry explore important themes and for his preaching, which is often both informed and entertaining. A recent article by Oakley in the Church Times, entitled “An Issue! An Issue! We all Fall Down”, argues for the renewal of theological generosity in the Anglican spirit. In 2010, the former Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, wrote a poem dedicated to Oakley entitled “In Winter” and said of him that: “It’s extremely unusual to meet anyone who isn’t a specialist who has such a subtle feeling for language as he does”.