English L'Abri

The Enneagram is a personality typing system which offers a framework for understanding oneself and others through nine interconnected personality types. In recent years, it has risen in popularity, especially among Christians. We will look at the nine types, how the Enneagram can be used and misused, and what insights it can offer individuals and communities. 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 the buzz and busyness of life, it is important to make choices for ourselves and for those we love (especially our children!) to slow down, to carve out spaces for connection and healthy interactions, and foster a safe environment in which we can explore life's greatest questions, encounter dragons and villains, and develop a taste for goodness, beauty and truth. 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

Francis Schaeffer was a Christian apologist whose remarkable breadth of cultural interest and penetrating insights into modern life, led many to a profound spiritual reality. Hans Rookmaaker was an art historian whose Christian insights in art, music and culture had widespread influence. Both had vibrant personalities, striking charisma, and focused on how to engage with reality while creatively living out a relationship with God. For further reading:William Edgar, Schaeffer on the Christian LifeBryan A. Follis, Truth with Love: The Apologetics of Francis SchaefferColin Duriez, Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic LifeLinette Martin, Hans Rookmaaker: A BiographyLaurel Gasque, Art and the Christian Mind: The Life and Work of H.R.Rookmaaker 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 aim of this lecture is to present a panorama of a movement born in our era called “transhumanism”. From computer scientists and tech experts to philosophers and theologians, transhumanist thinking has been spreading quickly as a belief system to various areas of life. My goal is to analyse their concept of singularity and its centrality as a driving force for their enterprise, offering a Christian response to the main themes developed by transhumanists. 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

Many traditional accounts of ethics focus on the concept of virtue, the cultivation of the self towards an elevating telos by shared practices in community. Since the advent of social media, there has been a remarkable transformation in our relationships and in the realities that lie at the heart of such ethics: self, character, community, and shared practices. Understanding how we are being changed will equip us to act more prudently. 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 outline the principles and findings of the Integrated Character Project: a programme of psychological studies, biblical and theological reflection, and practical application. We will address the implications for Christian living, education, work life, and mental health. 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 Merz offers an in-depth analysis of Homer's Odyssey as an invitation to explore the classics in general and discover their beauty and wisdom which has stood the test of time. 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

Interpersonal conflict is painful and yet confrontation is necessary if we are to have more than superficial relationships. What issues have to be addressed if we are to negotiate the minefield and a way that is profitable for them (and not necessarily for us). 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 event of Christ’s Transfiguration is a more important one in the New Testament than we often appreciate. Properly understood, it gives us a key for reading the Bible as a whole. 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

Dorothy Sayers, a contemporary of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien and an unofficial "female Inkling," the literary coterie that gave birth to The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. In this lecture, Dawn Merz explores her life, letters, and powerful, but often overlooked, contribution to Christian literature and thought. 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