Oxford Humanists is thrilled to kick off our 2026 events schedule by hosting this important and thought-provoking general public lecture for the Oxford community on 16 January. Tea and coffee provided.

Whether you're a humanist, humanist-friendly, or just curious, please join us in welcoming Andrew Copson, OBE back to Oxford. In a world wrestling with rising Christian Nationalism, deepening division, and endless culture wars, Andrew will discuss how humanism offers us a powerful, positive, and rational way to navigate modern life. Please invite your friends and family, we would love to give Andrew as warm a welcome as possible!

This event is free to join, but we ask that you register to confirm your place and help us manage numbers for catering. Donations to support the running of the Local Group are very welcome and can be made during registration, on the night in person, or online here. 

About our Speaker: Andrew Copson was appointed Chief Executive of Humanists UK in 2009, having previously been its Director of Education and Public Affairs. His books include The Little Book of Humanism (2020) and The Little Book of Humanist Weddings (2021) with Alice Roberts; Secularism: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2019); The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Humanism (2015) with A C Grayling. His writing on humanist and secularist issues has appeared in the Guardian, Independent, The Times and New Statesman as well as in various journals. He has represented the humanist movement extensively on television news on BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky, as well as on programmes such as Newsnight, The Daily Politics, and The Big Questions. He has also appeared on radio on programmes from Today, Sunday, The World at One, The Last Word, and Beyond Belief on the BBC, to local and national commercial radio stations.

About Oxford Humanists: The Oxford Humanists Local Group has a goal to bring non-religious people together to be happier, more fulfilled and to act as a force for good in our community. We have a growing social group and are keen to build upon this and support a full programme of social and educational events over the coming year. If you're keen on learning more about humanism, seeking to contact a celebrant or school speaker, interested in joining future events to support the local volunteer group, or simply wish to socialise with like-minded people, we would love to see you at this or any of our future events. Please join our mailing list and see upcoming events listed here. 

Not sure if this is for you or have questions about the event? Please get in touch with our Events Manager; we'd love to hear from you at events-oxford@humanistbranches.uk .