English L'abri

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

It seems that our culture often confuses love and agreement and as a result, more than ever, we are seeing a spreading “cancel culture” and the liberal use of the term “hate speech” where the word “discourse” would perhaps have sufficed in times past. In this lecture, Priscilla shares some thoughts on this matter and a helpful framework with which to consider love and agreement.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

Dan Siegel is a very influential psychiatrist/therapist in the USA. He loves to weave together insights from many disciplines and has written numerous books on how we can change our brains, families, and culture: Brainstorm: the power and purpose of the teenage brain, Parenting from the Inside Out, Mindsight, The Yes Brain Child… We will be exploring his ideas and finding significant places of agreement and disagreement with a Christian view of 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

The Bible’s final book was given to reveal, not conceal. This lecture will walk through the entire book of Revelation and seek to reclaim it as such. For a head start, read Daniel 7 and Matthew 23-24:35 beforehand.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

Artists are imaginative and scientists are more rational. Is that a true observation or merely an unreflected assumption? What happens if the imagination and reason do not work together? What does healthy integration lead to? These are some of the questions Marsh Moyle will explore in this lecture.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

Sarah Pawlett-Jackson will compare two types of “fundamental hope”, drawn from the writings of Rebecca Solnit and Rowan Williams. In particular, we will look at how these two accounts differ in their claims about the relationship between hope and necessity. While both accounts are insightful, one of them provides a more philosophically robust foundation.To view a transcript of this lecture, listen 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

Peter will introduce an overview of his latest book, “An Informed Cosmos: Essays on Intelligent Design", examining the key theoretical and empirical claims of “ID” and reviewing the discussion about whether “ID” is “science”.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 art and literature help us imagine God’s good future. 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 would you associate with the word "Christian"?  A church building? A cross? A political party? Kindness? Closed mindedness? Scandals? Hospitality?  In one of his smallest but, arguably, most important publications, Frances Schaeffer issues a call to all Christians to be known by one thing.  While revisiting this book, Dawn will explore failure, forgiveness, the tension between truth and love, and how to pursue unity in the midst of our differences.To view a transcript of this lecture, listen 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

Hyper-individualism and consumerism are failing to satisfy our hunger for meaning. We face an identity crisis in which real community is increasingly hard to find. The culture wars have been painful and polarising and have proved a poor way to agree any kind of moral standards. Is it even possible to find a vision for goodness that can bring us together?Rumours of a Better Country addresses our hunger for justice and a better way of living by awakening our moral imagination to the potential of a trusting community. Drawing on ancient wisdom and looking through the lens of daily reality, it shows how trust and trustworthiness must be the foundation for any kind of meaningful freedom.Join us in celebrating the launch of Marsh Moyle’s book: “Rumours of a Better Country:  Searching for trust and community in a time of moral outrage". To view a transcript of this lecture, listen here. For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and di

There is a lot of hype these days about what AI can do and perhaps in the near future be able to do. Questions arise: Will humans be out of work? Will human dignity and unicity be compromised with the rise of real thinking machines? Stefan argues that there are solid theological and philosophical reasons why a machine will never be able to think and that the greater problem is that we think that they will.To view a transcript of this lecture, listen 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

Since the rise of the MeToo movement in the mid-2010s, masculinity has reentered the cultural conversation with force. On the left, masculinity is often seen as a problem and rarely referenced without “toxic” as a descriptor. Men simply need to shape up and stand down. On the right, a pro-male movement has bubbled up in response. Men simply need to own their dominance and take charge. Does Christianity have anything different—or better—to say?To view a transcript of this lecture, listen 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

This lecture looks back at the ideas in Richard Winter’s book, “Perfecting ourselves to Death” and its relevance today.The slides to this talk are available here.This lecture is also available on all major podcasting platforms! 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

Artificial Intelligence is progressing more rapidly than most of us expected. Chatbots have become scarily good at answering questions or generating just about any genre of text. A.I. image generation, video generation and voice cloning are making great strides. How do we evaluate and navigate such changes? What do such developments mean for our human identity, agency and relationships?The slides to this talk are available here.This lecture is also available on all major podcasting platforms! 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 books known as ‘the classics’ can seem intimidating, boring or culturally oppressive. However, they tend to represent the most psychologically and thematically complex, as well as the most technically accomplished and aesthetically satisfying, depictions of the reality in which we find ourselves. In spending time with these works throughout our lives, they and their authors become our teachers and friends, as we participate in ‘the great conversation’ that has been going on for centuries. We can receive solace, goodness, beauty, truth, growth in empathy for others, and experience delight and enjoyment. In pointing us toward that which is real, they can help to point us to God.This lecture is also available on all major podcasting platforms! 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