English L'Abri

This lecture will explore the relationship of subjective experience to the objective world around us. Jim  will be using C.S. Lewis’ argument in the first chapter of “The Abolition of Man” to develop the idea that reality is found in the relationship between subject and object.Jim Paul, L’Abri Worker 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

Whereas Christianity once shaped the values of our culture, the historical Christian view on matters of personal choice (such as sexual morality and the value of human life) is now increasingly seen as fundamentalist and immoral. Do we look to this future with fear or excitement? Should Christians react with compromise, withdrawal, silence or assertiveness? We will review these options and look at how biblical characters responded to opposition and how we can respond to the challenge. 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

Dmitri Shostakovich is arguably the greatest composer of the 20th century.  There is not a musical form he couldn’t write for.  But his brilliance made him an easy target in Stalin’s Soviet Union, especially when ruled by a dictator who fancied himself an aesthete.  His lifelong battle was to preserve his artistic integrity at the same time as avoiding the gulag and execution. Amid intolerable suffering, he somehow composed some of the most powerful and sublime comforts for others who suffer. 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

Stephen King has written 61 novels, has won numerous literary awards, has had more film adaptations made of his work than any living author, and has been called the “Master of Horror”. If a task of the Christian is to seek and treasure God’s goodness, truth, and beauty wherever they are found, how should Christians interact with King’s work and with the horror genre in general? This lecture will explore King’s oeuvre, his life, and why our culture is so fascinated with the products of his strange and delightful imagination. 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 will explore the nature of faith in Christ as expressed by three clergy in three recent TV shows,  Rev, Broken and Fleabag. We’ll reflect on doubt, brokenness and the erotic as experiences in which we might know God. 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

Populism has brought a special kind of confusion for Christians, especially as Christian values can be part of the rhetoric of populism. Which loyalties, if any, should Christians feel in all of this? How should Christians respond to their cultural moment while remaining rooted in the reality of their identities in God?Henk Reitsema, L’Abri Worker – The Netherlands 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 is power and why is it important? Is there such a thing as good power? We will look at the accounts in the first section of Matthew's Gospel for examples of power and subversion to see what Jesus makes of it all.See the slides here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UFAXQq3tfddosYGkBmOHil7jZshpXo5Q 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

Figure of fame and controversy, Jordan Peterson is loved and hated with the same intensity for the polarizing views he expresses. In this lecture, we will continue the discussion of his rules for life,  looking at their philosophical and theological framework trying to understand what he is saying and why it’s been so influential and try to offer a Christian response to some of the ideas he’s developed. 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

Every disappointment is an expectation revealed. Should we get rid of them altogether or can we expect good things in a broken world? We’ll work towards a recipe for healthy, realistic and resilient expectations that aim for the good life while taking into account our often painful and disappointing reality. 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

We are undergoing an ‘affective revolution’ in which our feelings define reality.  This is driving much of the current debates around gender, but it also affects many other areas of our lives.  What is the status of statements of our feelings in relationship to truth and reality outside of ourselves? 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