English L'Abri

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 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 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 brain, whilst devaluing the holistic, integrated and lived experience of the right brain. I will be exploring the implications of McGilchrist’s thesis for Christian faith and asking whether his ideas might help us understand why many Christians today feel their faith lacks a living experience of God.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

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 Christian vision and vitality. This talk will explain the process of undertaking the exercises and discuss an evangelical Biblical approach to this discipleship tool created within the Catholic Church and how it fits with Schaeffer’s legacy of ‘all of life’ Christianity.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

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 kind of stewards that creation longs for, and that God intended us to be, through the lens of Berry’s most famous line of poetry: “Practice resurrection”.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

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 understand what music is and where it comes from.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

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 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

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 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

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

Mark Vernon, a psychotherapist and former Anglican Priest, offers a fresh perspective on William Blake's imaginative worldview. The discussion highlights Blake's relevance in today's context, exploring the transformative power of imagination and non-conformity in his poetry. Vernon delves into the evolution of sympathy, contrasting historical and modern interpretations of human connection, while emphasizing imagination's role in fostering deeper relationships with the world. The podcast invites listeners to reconsider their perceptions of reality through Blake's mystical insights and artistic legacy.

The entire Bible, both Old and New Testament, can be seen as one unfolding narrative of redemption told by One Author. However, the Bible can often be mystifying in its various genres and ancient context—in other words, very much not like a story when one tries to read it through! This lecture traces the speaker’s journey through seminary and learning to track with, treasure, and translate for today the story Scripture tells.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