The New Renaissance Project

The overall picture of the Church in the western world is one of decline in influence. People no longer turn to Christianity for wisdom and insight on the major issues of the day; in fact, the Church and the Christian message are often perceived to be part of the problem, not the solution. And Christian stories, art and music have largely failed to capture the hearts, minds and imaginations of our generation.

This decline has come at a cost which spreads far beyond the walls of the church:

• Without a common set of beliefs and values to hold it together, our society is becoming increasingly polarised around different visions of what sort of a society we want to be.
• Without a faith based on grace, we are becoming increasingly ungracious in our interactions with one another.
• And without the knowledge of our being infinitely loved, we are increasingly struggling with our mental health.

Wycliffe Hall is not prepared to acquiesce in this decline. We aspire to equip the Church to engage intelligently, creatively, winsomely, humbly with our society once again, and to offer it a better song to sing.

We believe that a New Renaissance of Christian Scholarship, Leadership and Culture is the only thing that can transform the narrative and reshape our society on a healthier footing.

• Scholarship, because loving God with our mind is the command Jesus added to loving God with our hearts, and soul and strength. And because ideas travel: what is taught and thought in the universities today is what people will be believing – or just assuming – on the streets in twenty years' time.
• Leadership, because we have, in the person of Jesus, a model for leadership that is so refreshingly free from the self-promotional power games that have too often been our experience of leadership in politics, business and - shamefully - the Church. This disillusionment and distrust have left people open to believing in conspiracy theories and to embracing leaders who exploit this widespread disillusionment to offer a vision that will further divide, using rhetoric that is increasingly graceless.
• Culture, because God commands beauty (Exodus 28:2, 28:40). And because people's thirst for beauty is an unwitting thirst for God.

The celebrated sociologist, James Davison Hunter, has observed that cultural change often arises from small organisations at the edges of major institutions – this is the place where the possibility of creative innovation and broad societal impact come together. We want to be good stewards of the remarkable institutional situation that God has granted us: Wycliffe Hall is both a Christian community in the evangelical Anglican tradition that starts each day in corporate worship, prayer and study of Scripture, and a part of the University of Oxford, one of the world's great educational foundations and a global, cultural brand.

In line with the priorities and ambitions outlined by the University in its 2025-30 strategic plan, especially those relating to ‘Research with Impact’, Impact through Innovation’, and ‘Leadership through Partnership’, the New Renaissance Project may be seen as Wycliffe Hall’s own Research, Innovation and Impact initiative.

‘Research with Impact’
No longer solely a theological college, we are growing our multidisciplinary research fellowship, playing our part in the University’s commitment to ‘Investing in cross-divisional transformative research with global impact’, and intentionally focusing on ‘Nurturing tomorrow’s research leaders’.

‘Impact through Innovation’
With 150-years’ experience in training church leaders, we are increasingly forming and supporting Christians with influence and leadership roles in business, education, development, tech and other sectors.  We aim to create innovative new programmes to support MBA, MPP, Medical and Law students.  And to develop partnerships with the BSG, MPP, Faculty of Law and other Oxford institutions where women and men of deep Christian faith prepare for the careers to which they feel called.  We believe these initiatives have the potential to multiply the impact of these gifted young women and men through the course of their careers.

‘Leadership through Partnership’
As an institution founded in the evangelical tradition of Anglicanism, we are connected to vibrant networks beginning locally and spreading to span every region of the globe.  These networks encompass both resource-rich localities, institutions and individuals, and areas, organisations and people in immense need.  As a result, we are remarkably well-placed for ‘Partnering with the community to make a positive difference within Oxfordshire’, ‘Collaborating to shape a bright future for the UK’, as well as for ‘Cultivating strategic and equitable international partnerships to tackle global challenges’.