English L'abri

Many voices in our culture extol the value of authenticity. But what does it mean to be authentic? Does it mean being real, genuine, not fake—completely honest? Or is our current use of the word closer to the Latin root author, i.e. to be your own author, true to yourself no matter what? This lecture explores these definitions of authenticity as a way of approaching an even bigger question: Is God ‘I am’ or am I?A lecture given by Edith Reitsema (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 27 October, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

A look at how the theology of Martin Luther and John Calvin effected significant changes in the musical forms of the medieval church.A lecture given by Judy Raines at English L'Abri on 21 October, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

Many today feel uncertain about how to respond to a changing technological landscape. If neither technophobia nor technophoria are adequate responses, can we chart a middle way? This lecture outlines a few rules for what technology is, how it behaves, what we should do about it, and proposes a response that avoids the double dangers of fear and utopianism. The second part of this series is now available.A lecture given by Andy Patton (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 18 October, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library.For further reading:What Technology Wants (Kevin Kelly)Understanding Media (Marshall McLuhan)Technopoly (Neil Postman)The Technological Society (Jacques Ellul)The Singularity Is Near (Ray Kurzweil) Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

In their recent book Modern Art and the Life of a Culture, Jonathan Anderson and William Dyrness offer a rereading of the history of modern art, including such important artists as Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Warhol, and others. In the book and this lecture, Anderson explores episodes in modern art history that are more shaped by religious contexts and theological concerns than they are usually given credit for, questioning the narrative Hans Rookmaaker offered in his influential book, Modern Art and the Death of a Culture (1970).A lecture given by Jonathan Anderson (Assosciate Professor of Art, Biola University, USA) at English L'Abri on 13 October, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The sixteenth-century reformer John Calvin is not generally know for his enthusiasm for the visual arts. Yet he widely praised the arts in general as good gifts of God's creation for the common good and enjoyment of all. In this 500th anniversary year of the Reformation, this lecture takes a closer look at Calvin's comments on the arts in his Institutes of the Christian Religion and considers what may still be of value.A lecture given by Adrienne Chaplin (Independent Scholar and Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London) at English L'Abri on 6 October, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

T. S. Eliot is among the greatest poets of the twentieth century. However, his masterpiece The Four Quartets, remains an evocative mystery to many readers. In The Four Quartets we see a Christian poet at the height of his maturity. It is a meditation on time, suffering, modernity, God, the human experience, and much more that rewards an evening's study and a lifetime's reading.A lecture given by Andy Patton (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 29 September, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

Contemporary sociologists argue that the way we see the world is socially created within cultures. “Girls wear pink and boys wear blue,” for example, is not a universal law but something created within twentieth-century Western culture through discourse around what it means to be male and female. If reality is socially created, then it can be recreated. But is this true of all of reality? Can gender, religion, morality, and even our own humanness be shaped and reshaped as we choose? A lecture given by Jim Paul (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 22 September, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. For further reading:The Social Construction of Reality (Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann)The Abolition of Man (C.S. Lewis) Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The third and final talk from our summer day conference on the Bible. Printed materials from the event are available at this link. This is a partial recording of a longer, interactive session.For further study, visit Myrtlefield House for a very useful source for ideas about reading the Bible as literature. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The second of three talks from our summer day conference on the Bible. Printed materials from the event are available at this link.For further study:Jesus and the Eyewitnesses (Richard Bauckham)How We Got the Bible (Neil R. Lightfoot)The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (F. F. Bruce)The Historical Reliability of the Gospels (Craig Blomberg) Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The first of three talks from our summer day conference on the Bible. Printed materials from the event are available at this link.For further study:Scripture and the Authority of God (N.T. Wright)Words of Life: Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God (Timothy Ward)Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament (Christopher J.H. Wright)Additionally, you can find the two videos from The Bible Project played during this talk at the links below:"What is the Bible?""The Story of the Bible" Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

Saint Augustine once wrote, 'For when we ask whether someone is a good man, we are not asking what he believes, or hopes, but what he loves.’ This lecture explores the primacy of love in the Christian life by encouraging the cultivation of a love for God which deepens our enjoyment of God’s good gifts.A lecture given by Phillip Johnston (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 4 August, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. For further reading:You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (James K.A. Smith)Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Sceptical (Tim Keller), particularly the fourth chapter, ‘A Satisfaction That is Not Based on Circumstances’The Confessions (St. Augustine)’The Making of Modernity’ (Andrew Fellows), available at the L'Abri Ideas Library Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The present time is filled with an incredible amount of options in practically every aspect of life. Our job is to choose—to exercise our abilities to understand, analyse, and decide. This lecture discusses how we arrived at a time of such abundant choice and explores the consequences of this reality for our daily lives.A lecture given by Lili Reichow (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 30 July, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library.For further reading:The Tyranny of Choice (Renata Salecl)The Paradox of Choice (Barry Schwartz) Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The modern world is desperate to live and to die. Medicine has never been more able to prolong and protect life, yet many are equally determined to end their lives. This lecture explores the effects of psychological trauma on a person’s relationship to life and death, the place of shame in suicide and self-harm, and what can be done to help those who are suffering.A lecture given by Tom Smiley (Clinical Psychologist) at English L'Abri on 21 July, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

This lecture focuses on the circumstances that gave rise to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, as well as the American evangelical church’s response to both the racial climate of the USA and the Black Lives Matter movement.A lecture given by Mary McCampbell (Assosciate Professor of Humanities, Lee University, USA) at English L'Abri on 14 July, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

Having previously explored the Dutch Christian philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd's context, critique of modernity, and philosophical anthropology, this lecture discusses his understanding of Western cultural development with a particular focus on his unique philosophy of history and concept of the religious ground motive.A lecture given by Josué Reichow (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 7 July, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The philosopher Alvin Plantinga recently wrote, “There is superficial conflict but deep concord between science and theistic religion, but superficial concord and deep conflict between science and naturalism.” Both Christianity and Judaism rely on Biblical passages to describe the way God acts in the world. This lecture develops an approach to reading these texts that is generally in line with Plantinga’s insight.A lecture given by C. John "Jack" Collins at English L'Abri on 30 June, 2017. Jack Collins is Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missiouri (USA).For further reading:The God of Miracles: An Exegetical Examination of God's Action in the World (C. John Collins)Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism (Alvin Plantinga) Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

Many today feel uncertain about how to respond to a changing technological landscape. Having previously outlined a few rules for what technology is and how it behaves, this lecture explores what we should do about it and proposes a response that avoids the double dangers of fear and utopianism.The first part of this series is now available.A lecture given by Andy Patton (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 23 June, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library.For further reading:What Technology Wants (Kevin Kelly)Reclaiming Conversation (Sherry Turkle) Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The Bible mentions a cloud in many places. Sometimes it is referred to as a cloud of fire or a cloud of darkness. This lecture explores how we can understand these various cloud events and how we can avoid some major and popular misunderstandings of them.A lecture given by Ellis Potter (Christian minister, missionary, and international lecturer) at English L'Abri on 16 June, 2017. A native Californian now residing in Switzerland, Ellis Potter is a former Buddhist monk who became a Christian under the influence and ministry of Francis Schaeffer. He worked for many years at Swiss L'Abri was the pastor of the Basel Christian Fellowship for ten years. With his wife, Mary, he founded Eastern European Renewal (EER), an evangelical mission to Central and Eastern European countries.For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

The here and now usually determines the nature of our gods. What has taken place philosophically in our view of knowledge, freedom and language to mould us into our current idols? Serving the god of our times means self-worship. This lecture points to the One who said, “Heaven and Earth shall move with the times, but My words shall not move with the times” (C.S. Lewis on Matthew 24:35).A lecture given by Edith Reitsema (L'Abri Worker) at English L'Abri on 6 June, 2017. For more information, visit labri.org/england and for more L'Abri lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com

When the integrity of Christianity becomes eroded and compromised, reformation is an inevitability. In light of the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, this talk explores why the history of the church follows this pattern and imagines what reformation might look like today.A lecture given by Andrew Fellows at English L'Abri on 2 June, 2017. Andrew is director of Christian Heritage, a study centre community serving Cambridge. Andrew was the former chairman of L'Abri International Fellowship and director of English L'Abri from 1995-2015. Subscribe at englishlabri.substack.com