English L'Abri
English L'Abri
Lectures old and new from workers and guest lecturers at English L'Abri, a residential study center and community open to guests seeking a welcoming place to ask life’s many questions. For more information, visit englishlabri.org englishlabri.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 15, 2018 • 1h 38min
Conflict: Under the Carpet or Under the Cross? (Marsh Moyle)
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
Jul 29, 2018 • 1h 34min
Seeing the Transfigured Word (Alastair Roberts)
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
Jul 16, 2018 • 1h 47min
Behind the Scenes: The Life and Letters of Dorothy Sayers (Dawn Merz)
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
Jul 15, 2018 • 1h 33min
True Spirituality in the Arts: Recapturing the Wonder (Edith Reitsema)
Christian artists often struggle to integrate their faith with their artwork and end up with a sacred-secular split. We will look at an array of artworks to help us see what it looks like when we try to shut Christ out of a big part of our lives. This false dichotomy splits our hearts, and this problem is in no way limited to artists. Isaiah 29 and Colossians 2 will help us think about what it would look like for us to recapture the wonder of Christ working in our hearts with “wonder upon wonder” (Isaiah 29:14). 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
Jul 15, 2018 • 1h 34min
Trained to Distraction: The Attention Economy, Technology, and Our Lives (Lili Reichow)
Our capacity to pay attention is central to human flourishing. A whole influential industry—powered by modern technology and our proximity to our smartphones—has been targeting our ability to attend in order to keep us hooked to their products and invest our time in a way that is profitable for them (and not necessarily for us). In this lecture, we will look at how the Attention Economy works, how it influences our lives, and how we can respond to it in a healthy way. 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
Jun 14, 2018 • 1h 23min
Building Cathedrals Within Time - A Theology of Rest (Best of Andrew Fellows—Part 2)
Andrew Fellows interacts with Abraham Heschel's book "The Sabbath" and builds a theology of rest by looking at how we interact with space and 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
Jun 11, 2018 • 1h 31min
Three Years to Save the World: Was Jesus Busy? (Claire Paye)
Taking inspiration from Romans 12:2 about being transformed by renewing our minds, this lecture looks at the cult of busyness. Are Christians too busy? How do we cope in a world where we will never finish everything we have to do? How did Jesus manage all the demands on his 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
Jun 11, 2018 • 1h 54min
Black Tea for H. R. Rookmaaker: Contextualising Dr. Rookmaaker’s Work for the 21st Century (Peter S. Smith)
Prompted by recent interest in Dr. Rookmaaker’s work, Peter Smith reflects on the decade-long relationship he had with the art historian. Through personal meetings and letters from 1967 to 1977, what kind of influence did Rookmaaker have on a young painter and printmaker? How do we understand his legacy in today’s context? Did he open doors that we have yet to walk through? 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
Jun 10, 2018 • 1h 23min
A Play in Words: The Story of French Chanson (Pat Harvey)
In this lecture, Pat Harvey leads a whistle-stop tour of 20th-century French chanson. She surveys notable singers from the niche genre and introduces a few of their most well-known songs. 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
May 18, 2018 • 1h 24min
Community as a Subversion of Modernity (Best of Andrew Fellows—Part 1)
Andrew Fellows, former L'Abri worker, walks us through the development of modernity and proposes life in community as a buffer against the more negative aspects of modern life. 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
