On Sunday 21st March, 70 delegates gathered in the stunning grounds of Exeter College, Oxford, to embark on a week of intense study, fellowship with one another, and worship. The Academy promised to ‘confront conventional wisdom in legal education and present a principled, analytical framework and Biblical viewpoint’, and expectations were appropriately high.
On the first evening, after many cups of tea and introductions, there was an opening banquet. Andrea Minichiello Williams (Director, Christian Legal Centre) and Jeffrey Ventrella (Senior Vice President, Alliance Defense Fund) spoke after the dinner with passion and humility, challenging all the delegates to ‘put Christianity in its place’ and to answer the ‘call of today’s worshipful warrior’.
Days always started early at the Wilberforce Academy. Delegates joined together for a cooked breakfast at 7.30am and were awake and attentive by 8.30am for the morning devotions. Teaching from Jordan Lorence (Senior Vice President, Alliance Defense Fund) at these sessions was always highly relevant; he spoke honestly about the traps that Christians can fall into and provided practical advice for keeping our future careers devoted to God. The days also started with worship, led by Sarah Clay (Faithlife Church, Cambridge), which firmly devoted the day to God and His truth.
The days were filled with teaching, which was always biblically-rooted and of the greatest academic integrity. Professor Julian Rivers (Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Bristol) presented a detailed model of law in the United Kingdom and clearly demonstrated how English law is becoming anti-Christian. Pastor Mark Baines (Partner, Deloitte LLP) engaged the delegates with practical advice on networking and defeating passivity. Teaching was also given by barristers: John Pugh-Smith proved that Christian values can be upheld within the UK land-use planning system; Peter Duckworth spoke convincingly of the importance of marriage; and, the Christian Legal Centre’s Paul Diamond, along with some of his clients, spoke about his work defending religious liberty. Also lecturing were Dr Peter Saunders (General Secretary, Christian Medical Fellowship) and Countess Josephine Quintavelle (Founder, Comment on Reproductive Ethics) who spoke cogently and persuasively on the importance of life, both for the elderly and the unborn. Jeffery Ventrella provided analytical tools in his ‘Law, Lordship and Life’ series, and Dr Sam Solomon presented powerfully for four hours on Islam, clearly demonstrating his in-depth knowledge.
Evenings were always more relaxed and the delegates played games, explored Oxford, and joined with one another for drinks and canapés. On the final evening, a closing banquet was held, where Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali spoke with great wisdom.
Over the week, new friendships were formed and all the delegates were empowered to speak for God’s truth in the public square. The teaching brought tears, laughter, and, perhaps most importantly, a clarity of vision and a spirit-filled desire to serve God in the United Kingdom and abroad.