L’Abri Rochester

Created to Make a Difference - Dick Keyes - 2019 Conference Highlights: Common Grace for the Common Good - Living Life Vocationally Dick Keyes is the director-emeritus of L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts, where he has been working with his wife and family since 1979. They now continue to be engaged in the work but on more of a part-time basis. He holds a B.A. in History from Harvar...

Ninety years ago, the renowned biblical archaeologist Nelson Gleuck surveyed the copper mines in the southern Arabah region of the Negev. He considered them to be from the period of King Solomon, based upon the Bible’s description of Solomon’s expansive ship building and his economic empire. Some years later, archaeologists debunked Glueck’s ideas, arguing that there was no material evidence that...

n this lecture, Dr. Bob Osburn invites critiques of his five-part social change model that has been developed over the past decade or more. Although the model, which will be presented in detail, was featured in an article he recently wrote for Christianity Today, the model has not yet been tested, let alone systematically applied. Is the model guilty of utopianism, on the one hand, or is it too mo...

After speaking about the nature of philosophy as a method and way of life (the love of wisdom), we will address what is called 'Naturalism' (roughly the view that only nature exists and the natural sciences are our best or only ways of knowing reality). Reasons for and against strict and broad or expansive forms of naturalism will be assessed. All forms of naturalism reject the supernatural. Is "s...

When you hear the word "genocide" what comes to mind? Likely an event of mass killing: perhaps 'the Armenians' (WWI) or Stalin starving out Ukraine (1932-33); extermination camps under National Socialism; or Pol Pot's 'killing fields' (Cambodia, 1975-79); or Rwanda (July 1994). Now, questions arise concerning the tactics and intent in Russia's war against Ukraine, and from the October 7 Hamas atta...

In our broken world, how can we design and build places that demonstrate God’s redeeming work on earth? We will explore how God invites us, as co-creators, to participate in redemptive placemaking - the art of creating places that extol the dignity of being human and foster relationships for community flourishing. You will discover the ways that contributing goodness and beauty to our neighborhood...

Francis Schaeffer on Cultural Engagement - Dan Guinn - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment Dan Guinn is the founder of Francis Schaeffer Studies, a research service providing online resources to the Francis Schaeffer and L'Abri Communities, with the goal of making Dr. Schaeffer's thought and teachings more accessible for general inquiry. Francis Schae...

Swords & Plowshares: Living Christianity in a Time of war - Tim Padgett - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Timothy D. Padgett (PhD) is the Theologian-in-Residence with the Colson Center. His focus is on cultural engagement, living out the Christian worldview, and the way Christians argue for diverse viewpoints while sharing a common biblical...

The Novelty of White Supremacy: A Modernist Conceit Disguised as an Ancient Creed - Tim Padgett - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Timothy D. Padgett (PhD) is the Theologian-in-Residence with the Colson Center. His focus is on cultural engagement, living out the Christian worldview, and the way Christians argue for diverse viewpoints while sharin...

Seeking the Welfare of the City: A Biblical View of Citizenship - Doug Groothuis - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Doug Groothuis is a Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary. He received a PhD and a BS from the University of Oregon, and an MA in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has authored numerous books and articles...

This talk will provide an overview of the modern resurgence of Paganism, and its origins in the West's individual and corporate identity crisis. In particular, why it appears to provide solutions to a loss of self for teenagers, disconnection from the natural world, and a sense of disembodiment. We will explore this phenomenon in our lives and the lives of those close to us and what the future may...

Many men find themselves fighting a war on two fronts. The material changes of the modern era (with its industrial, technological and now digital revolutions) have combined with the world-view shift to secularism to alienate men from work, others and even themselves. More recently, masculinity itself has been decried as ‘toxic’ and consequently a source of great evil. Plenty of data and cultural c...

The Christian Bible includes four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But what about the others? The idea of lost, suppressed, and secretive gospels has captured the public imagination, inspiring best-selling novels and breathless documentaries. The true story of these extra-canonical gospels may be less sensational than History Channel conspiracy theories, but it is no less interesting.   Clic...

'Some Things Seem Better Left Unsaid' - Controversial Speech and the Special Challenge of the Imprecatory Psalms - Mark Ryan - June 7th - Friday Night Lecture   Things ‘better left unsaid’ typically refers to unpleasant comments or opinions that risk angering others and creating undue trouble for the speaker. Some place the Psalms containing curses in this category. But is this correct? Should we...

A World Safe for Diversity: Freedom to be Faithful in a World of Exploding Diversity - Os Guinness - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Os Guinness is an author and social critic. Great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War Two where his parents were medical missionaries. A witness to the clim...

The West in Search of Meaning: Oral Book Reviews - Marvin Padgett - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Marvin Padgett is a book business professional who has served as the Editorial Director for Crossway Books in Wheaton, Illinois. He previously managed the bookstore at L'Abri in Huémoz, Switzerland in 1982. He has also served as a board member of...

Christians, Religious Liberty and Loving our Political Adversaries - Doug Groothuis - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Doug Groothuis is a Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary. He received a PhD and a BS from the University of Oregon, and an MA in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has authored numerous books and articl...

Carpe Diem Redeemed - Os Guinness - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Os Guinness is an author and social critic. Great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War Two where his parents were medical missionaries. A witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, he was expelled with many o...

Thy Kingdom Come: Is Social Justice the End Goal of Christianity? - Clarke Scheibe - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Clarke Scheibe is the director of L'Abri Fellowship in Victoria, B.C. His wife Julia and he have been a part of L'Abri in Canada for 15 years and they are grateful to have two young children. He received a BLA from the University...

Healing Political Polarization in America: Can Christians Help? - Dick Keyes - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Dick Keyes is the director-emeritus of L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts, where he has been working with his wife and family since 1979. They now continue to be engaged in the work but on more of a part-time basis. He hol...

'I Feel Therefore I Am' - Exploring the Affective Self - Jim Paul - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Jim Paul is the director of L’Abri Fellowship in Greatham, UK, where he has worked together with his wife Merran for the past 20 years. They have two adult sons. Before L’Abri he worked in London as a doctor, specialising in the care of terminally...

Humanism: The History of A seminal Idea - John Hodges - 2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   John Hodges has worked for over 15 years as an orchestral conductor and taught arts and cultural apologetics for over 10 years at Crichton College. He founded and directs the Center for Western Studies, a tutorial program that teaches college-aged students a...

Last Call for Liberty: How America's Genius for Freedom has become its Greatest Threat - Os Guinness -2020 Conference Highlights: For a Time Such As This - Grasping Our Cultural Moment   Os Guinness is an author and social critic. Great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War Two where his parents were medical missionaries. A witness to the cli...

The Difficulty with the Love of God - Clarke Scheibe - March 29th - Friday Night Lecture   Click for slides.   People often struggle to understand the love of God because it is not being expressed in God's people. Difficulties arise because Christians are judgmental or because Christians make Love into an ideal, not as arising from the personal, holy Creator. Paul prays that Christians may underst...

Remember the Lord, your God: Reflections on Memory and Faith - Lili Reichow - March 22nd - Friday Night Lecture   Click for slides   How often 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 k...