English L'abri

Sin has “surprising collateral benefits” writes Watkin. Chesterton said sin’s results were “pathos and brotherhood, and a thunder of laughter and pity”. In this lecture we will re-explore a core L’Abri theme, Living in the Shadow of the Fall and apply this truth to some of the current dilemmas facing our society.Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

In this lecture, we will explore the world of economics from a different angle. Borrowing upon the language of economics, we will be looking at transactions that do not require money and what they tell us about what it means to be human, discussing how they can enlarge our understanding of social life. From this perspective, our very categories of poor and rich are challenged and put in a different framework.Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Although now spread all around the globe, universities first came into being in the middle ages in Western Europe and nowhere else. What was it about mediaeval Western Eruope’s culture that allowed for the rise of these particular communities of learning? This lecture will examine the roots of the university in relation to key aspects of the mediaeval Christian mind, namely its emphasis on rationality, logic, and the unity of all knowledge, pagan and Christian, under the God of the Bible.Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

This December marks the 200th anniversary of George MacDonald's birth. He is regarded by many as the father of modern fantasy literature, and wrote books that have baptised many people's imaginations, including C.S. Lewis, who said that he thinks he has "never written a book in which I did not quote from him". We want to spend an evening introducing him to those of you who might not know much about him, sharing a few of our favourite books (The Princess and the Goblin, Phantases, At the Back of the North Wind), and honouring this man, whose every printed word points to a God whom he believes comes to meet us wherever we are and to point and draw us to Himself.Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If y

For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Marsh facilitates a discussion which seeks to examine some of the societal transitions that have taken place over the past 150 years and ask the question, “What do these transitions mean for us today?”For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Despite the increasing secularisation of the West, Justin Brierley believes we may be seeing a renewed interest in faith, even in our post-Christian culture. Having hosted conversations between Christians and skeptics for over 18 years, Justin will be speaking on why new atheism has grown old and secular intellectuals are considering Christianity again.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

The Western world has been profoundly shaped by two sexual revolutions. The first brought liberation, the second disintegration. This lecture will take us to the first century CE to explore the liberating effects of the first sexual revolution in light of the rise of early Christianity.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

“Be the change you wish to see in the world,” declared Mahatma Gandhi. There is a profound awareness of the need for change as individuals reflect on the impact of global and system challenges as well as community challenges. People cannot just “be the change” until they themselves are first changed. Beauty is a powerful catalyst for change that begins with the individual, expanding to the community. We'll explore this both in traditional non-profit categories and then consider how beauty can be incorporated into intentional relational engagements.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Far from primitive stone figures, the biblical idea of an idol is an extremely sophisticated concept. It helps us understand how even the best people, ideas, and goals can actually come to control our lives. Given this, how can we identify the idols of our hearts? When do good things become something that enslave us? And ultimately, how can we be freed towards lives even more full of good things without our security and significance resting in them?For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Why do we have the New Testament in written form? What was the rational that drove the writers of the four gospels and the letters that comprise the New Testament? In this lecture, Dirk Jongkind seeks to answer these questions. For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

What's happening at the cutting edge of culture today, and what does it mean for the mission of the church? Christian philosopher Peter S. Williams will explain the nature of spirituality and culture and unpack the relationship between Abrahamic pre-modernism, modernism, postmodernism and metamodernism.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

According to the legends, King Arthur was the Christian king of a Christian kingdom. But as the story has been retold in a post-Christendom culture, that's often been radically reinvented. How can the legend of Arthur help us think about the tension between the two cities, the city of man and city of God? How does the Arthurian mythos give us an index of changing attitudes to Christendom? From Geoffrey of Monmouth to recent retellings,the story of Arthur can both inspire us with dreams of a better kingdom, and warn us of the dangers of confusing earthly and heavenly kingdoms.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

It is in the regard and delight filled gaze of mothers, fathers, and family that we receive the essential philosophical dimensions fundamental to our entire lives. The mother’s rapturous smile of welcome, beheld first by the newborn, forms us philosophically. Throughout our lives, the noticing regard of friends continues this essential philosophical service. We’ll explore how this “frontline philosophy” shapes our sense of our existence, of reality and our involvement with it, our regard for others and our longing for the face of God.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

I have been fascinated by the recent conversion to Christianity of two high profile eco-activists (apologies for the imprecise term) - Paul Kingsnorth and Martin Shaw. Both have found their longings for a spirituality of nature, as well as their critique of modernity, satisfied in Jesus Christ. Using CS Lewis’s essay ‘A Christmas Sermon for Pagans’, I want to explore what has drawn these two to Christ and ask whether Christianity is a better paganism.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Eliss Potter is a former L’Abri Worker, Pastor and Evangelist. This lecture, based on his book “Comprehensive Spirituality”, explains a holistic view of what it means to live a spiritual life as a Christian.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Everyone is a philosopher and everyone is an artist, but our modern mindset discredits both philosophy and artistry. This lecture offers a philosophical reorientation to who we are, what reality is, and how it is we are involved with it, particularly in our artistry.Note: Unfortunately this recording is missing the first ten minutes of Esther’s lecture. Our apologies for this.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

I’m a filmmaker and a dad. What were the key things that shaped your worldview as a child? Did one of your parents taste in music impact how you saw the world/your values/your style? How about films? Did your carer take you to watch films? What impact did that have on you? As a parent who loves cinema there's a temptation to try to get my daughters to watch what I believe are key formative films. I will talk about the 5 films my parents got me to watch as a kid and how it impacted my whole life.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

How often do we forget who God is, what He has done, and what He has promised to those who love Him. To be able to remember the Lord seems essential to a healthy Christian life. In this talk, we will reflect on how memory and faith intersect, as we seek to grow in the knowledge of our God.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com

Five hundred years ago losing one’s faith would have been unimaginable, but today it is commonplace (and even celebrated). To many, the Christian faith seems unbelievable and life seems filled with reasons to set it aside. Both belief and doubt have become increasingly fragile as individuals inhabit a liminal space between the two. What are the factors that have contributed to this shift? Can faith actually be lost? If so, how can it be found again?Andy’s original lecture on this topic can be found here.For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit englishlabri.substack.com