The centrality of Christianity and the figure of Jesus in the poetry and imagery of William Blake can take people by surprise. He also writes about the Bible and God in seemingly odd, unorthodox ways. So what was Blake’s Christianity, why was it important to him, and why might it matter now?

Mark Vernon will explore how Blake was part of a lineage of Christian mystics that reaches back across the centuries. Blake was also profoundly inspired by other traditions, particularly those coming to Georgian London from the Indian subcontinent. His work can ignite the qualities of inspiration and imagination vital to any living faith. ‘Therefore God becomes as we are, so that we may be as he is,’ he wrote. That vision is one to consider afresh as we approach his bicentenary year.’