English L'Abri

How do we hold on to hope and a sense of meaning when life is difficult?  Dr. Frankl was imprisoned in a concentration camp during WWII and fascinated by the power of hope for humans as meaning-seeking beings and Professor of Sociology, Aaron Antonovsky, is especially known for the theory of "Sense of Coherence". We’ll explore what each of them  discovered in their search for Meaning and look into...

Amy Julia Becker, a Disability Theologian says “I’ve come to believe that if I understand God’s logic around disability, I’ve come to understand God’s logic about humanity.” Drawing on personal experiences of parenting a child with Downs Syndrome and Autism and supporting a husband with a chronic health condition, Ali introduces us to the work of Disability Theologians to explore questions such as...

“My hope is to put forward a positive vision of what God created our bodies for. Why did God give us bodies?” - Joel Barricklow 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 qu...

In this lecture, we identify three common barriers that rob our felt sense of God and rediscover where God might be found.  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 questi...

What does it mean to live creatively in a world shaped by pressure, productivity, and performance? Drawing on his forthcoming book, Grace In the Making, Alastair leads us in exploring the relationship between art, faith, and the slow work of becoming. 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'Ab...

Internationally acclaimed Romanian sculptor, Liviu Mocan, explores some of his works to show how art can be a window between heaven and earth — an ark where we can meet with the presence of God. Click here to view the presentation deck from the lecture 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'A...

This lecture explores the promises, products, and people of 'Wellness Culture'. After a brief history of the movement, we explore how capitalism, science, and technology have shaped it in the 21st century. We'll then articulate an alternative understanding of health and wellness seen in Christianity—a much more accessible, inclusive, and hopeful vision, particularly for those in society who need h...

While some dream of a society where perfect justice is enacted or where technology allows us to live in pleasure and plenty, others foretell nightmares of climate catastrophe, cultural collapse or Artificial Intelligence making humans obsolete. Amidst these competing utopian/dystopian futures, what does it look like to have Christian hope? Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do no...

In 1944, fifty-two year old Dutch watchmaker Corrie ten Boom was arrested by the Gestapo for sheltering Jews. After surviving Ravensbruck and losing most of her family, she embarked on a three decade ministry, sharing a message of love, forgiveness, and hope. Who was Corrie ten Boom and how did she become the kind of person who builds secret rooms, undermines Nazis, survives a concentration camp,...

People are more important than things. And yet our lives are full of interactions with invisible strangers who make our things. Who are they? And how do we treat them? This lecture will focus on how we can dignify these strangers in the face of consumer culture, new technologies, fear, greed and the lure of convenience. Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not necessarily repres...

This lecture covers different artistic interpretations of Jesus’ Ascension, from early Eastern Orthodox icons to Renaissance and Baroque paintings, highlighting how artists have grappled with the theological implications of the Ascension. The lecture also encourages reflection on the visual representation of theological concepts and the role of art in understanding and interpreting religious event...

What have the cluttered landscapes of Pieter Bruegel the Elder to do with the complex plots of Fyodor Dostoevsky? In each, we find subtle allusions to the holy, hidden and tucked away in the least likely of places. Why do these artists hide the holy? And what are the implications for theology and the arts in our age?. Lecture Resources: PowerPoint deck Please note that the ideas expressed in this...

At the heart of the Bible’s understanding of what it means to be human is the concept of dominion: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over all the earth’” (Genesis 1:26). This lecture will explore how human dominion is misunderstood, corrupted and blocked in our age of artificial intelligence, and why it must ultimately be embraced. Lectur...

What does home mean in a world of fracture and individualism, when moving house, job and even country is common, and even if we stay, the places we love are changing around us? All of us have a profound need to belong. In this talk Jo explores how the longing for home shapes the way we live, love and worship. Through storytelling, cultural reflection, and gentle spiritual insight, Jo invites us to...

In this special episode Evan Shelton interviews John O’Callaghan about his book The Doors of the Ocean - Hope for the Hurting . John’s book features poetry, prose and photography focussed on the theme of suffering. For those outside Australia, an e-version of the book can be purchased from Amazon . Our apologies that the audio is muffled at times. Please note that the ideas expressed in this lectu...

The New Testament presents Christ as the one in whom the deeper meaning of the Scriptures is disclosed. How does Chrsit transform the way that we hear the words of Scripture? Does this do violence to the literal meaning of the biblical texts? 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...

This year marks the 250th Anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. While much attention is given to Austen’s romances, her novels are rich in depictions of the deeply formative nature of family relationships, for good and for ill. Join us to discuss how her characters—and we—are shaped by the messy, the healthy, and everything in between. Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not nece...

In his most recent books The Master and His Emissary (2009) and The Matter with Things (2021), psychiatrist and neuroscientist Ian McGilchrist has explored the meaning of the asymmetry between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. His thesis is that we are in a period in history where the West has become obsessed with the reductionistic, decontextualised, algorithmic thinking of the left br...

The Spiritual Exercises offer an experiential process of pondering (originally in a silent retreat of some 30 days) the Bible story, focusing on observing in prayer how the creation and fall led to Jesus’ incarnation and earthly ministry, His redeeming sacrifice, resurrection and ascension. The aim is to integrate the personal, social and spiritual dimensions of life, and so arrive at a renewed Ch...

Though we live in a beautiful world, we don’t have to look far to see that creation is groaning. And much of this groaning is under the weight of our sinful desires and actions. How can we as Christians be a force for the substantial healing of our sin stained world and become a blessing to Creation? This lecture will explore how the agrarian philosophy of Wendell Berry can help form us into the k...

Composer Sir James MacMillan describes music as “the most spiritual of the arts” and yet the making and hearing of music is such a physical, embodied event. This lecture will explore how music reveals spiritual realities and interacts with the supernatural, how the simple act of setting air in motion can so deeply affect our hearts. In a world saturated by music like never before, we will seek to...

The Bible calls us to live in several realities that can at best seem like a confusing tension sometimes, at worst a contradiction. Two such realities we are called to hold together are maturity and childlikeness. How do we do that well? This talk is a practical discussion on how we navigate this straddle. Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent the views...

To flourish as human beings, we each need to be connected to creation, others, ourselves, and our Creator. In this lecture Ed unpacks material from his latest book ‘The Intimacy Deficit’ 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...

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...

Mark Vernon provides a fresh route into Blake, taking him at his word. Exploring his writings, artwork and life, Vernon illuminates Blake’s vivid worldview and shows how his thinking is still relevant for us today. 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  labriideaslibrar...