English L'Abri

Beginning the Conversation: Disability and The Kingdom of God (Ali Kendall, friend of English L'Abri) 01.07.2026 1j 10min

Amy Julia Becker, a Disability Theologian says “I’ve come to believe that if I understand God’s logic around disability, I’ve come to understand God’s logic about humanity.”Drawing on personal experiences of parenting a child with Downs Syndrome and Autism and supporting a husband with a chronic health condition, Ali introduces us to the work of Disability Theologians to explore questions such as: Why does contemplating how God sees Disability matter to each of us? What can it teach us about being made in the image of God, our intrinsic worth, the importance of belonging, and the joy found in doing life differently?Click here to see the presentation used during the lecture. 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

Our Bodies: Necessary liability or meaningful gift? (Joel Barricklow, English L'Abri worker) 23.06.2026 1j 33min

“My hope is to put forward a positive vision of what God created our bodies for. Why did God give us bodies?” - Joel BarricklowPlease 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

What if I don’t experience the God I’m supposed to believe in? (Zack Eswine, Author, Speaker, Pastor Founder “Sage Christianity”) 18.06.2026 1j 27min

In this lecture, we identify three common barriers that rob our felt sense of God and rediscover where God might be found. 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

Grace in the Making: Art, Faith, and the Practice of a Creative Life (Alastair Gordon, Artist & Author) 08.06.2026 1j 21min

What does it mean to live creatively in a world shaped by pressure, productivity, and performance? Drawing on his forthcoming book, Grace In the Making, Alastair leads us in exploring the relationship between art, faith, and the slow work of becoming.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

My Ark of the Covenant (Liviu Mocan, Sculptor) 02.06.2026 1j 7min

Internationally acclaimed Romanian sculptor, Liviu Mocan, explores some of his works to show how art can be a window between heaven and earth — an ark where we can meet with the presence of God.Click here to view the presentation deck from the lecturePlease 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

Wellness Culture: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Joel Barricklow, English L'Abri worker) 28.03.2026 1j 31min

This lecture explores the promises, products, and people of 'Wellness Culture'. After a brief history of the movement, we explore how capitalism, science, and technology have shaped it in the 21st century. We'll then articulate an alternative understanding of health and wellness seen in Christianity—a much more accessible, inclusive, and hopeful vision, particularly for those in society who need health the most: the sick, the elderly, the disabled, and marginalised.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

Utopian Dreams/Dystopian Nightmares — finding Christian hope for the future (Jim Paul, English L'Abri worker) 20.03.2026 1j 27min

While some dream of a society where perfect justice is enacted or where technology allows us to live in pleasure and plenty, others foretell nightmares of climate catastrophe, cultural collapse or Artificial Intelligence making humans obsolete. Amidst these competing utopian/dystopian futures, what does it look like to have Christian hope?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 Strongest Force in the World: The Spiritual Formation of Corrie ten Boom (Marta Crilly, Head of Public Services, Burns Library, Boston College) 07.03.2026 1j 28min

In 1944, fifty-two year old Dutch watchmaker Corrie ten Boom was arrested by the Gestapo for sheltering Jews. After surviving Ravensbruck and losing most of her family, she embarked on a three decade ministry, sharing a message of love, forgiveness, and hope. Who was Corrie ten Boom and how did she become the kind of person who builds secret rooms, undermines Nazis, survives a concentration camp, and then goes on to share the gospel with refugees, prisoners, and the Nazis who killed her family? Lecture resources: PowerPoint presentationPlease 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

One Day I'll See You Face to Face: Encountering the Stranger (Ingvild Hellenes, L'Abri worker) 20.02.2026 1j 30min

People are more important than things. And yet our lives are full of interactions with invisible strangers who make our things. Who are they? And how do we treat them? This lecture will focus on how we can dignify these strangers in the face of consumer culture, new technologies, fear, greed and the lure of convenience.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

Ascension in Art: Using images to explore a neglected area of our theology (Nigel Halliday, Art historian) 13.02.2026 1j 31min

This lecture covers different artistic interpretations of Jesus’ Ascension, from early Eastern Orthodox icons to Renaissance and Baroque paintings, highlighting how artists have grappled with the theological implications of the Ascension. The lecture also encourages reflection on the visual representation of theological concepts and the role of art in understanding and interpreting religious events.Lecture Resources: PowerPoint deckPlease 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

Redemptive Hiding: Visual and Verbal Poetics in Bruegel & Dostoevsky (Christina Eickenroht, PhD student, St. Andrews) 04.02.2026 1j 26min

What have the cluttered landscapes of Pieter Bruegel the Elder to do with the complex plots of Fyodor Dostoevsky? In each, we find subtle allusions to the holy, hidden and tucked away in the least likely of places. Why do these artists hide the holy? And what are the implications for theology and the arts in our age?.Lecture Resources: PowerPoint deckPlease 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

Embracing Dominion in an Age of AI (Phillip Johnston, Hope Church Greatham) 02.02.2026 1j 34min

At the heart of the Bible’s understanding of what it means to be human is the concept of dominion: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over all the earth’” (Genesis 1:26). This lecture will explore how human dominion is misunderstood, corrupted and blocked in our age of artificial intelligence, and why it must ultimately be embraced.Lecture Resources: Opening "Creation story" videoPlease 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

Searching for Home: belonging, identity, and finding our place (Jo Swinney, A Rocha) 24.01.2026 1j 5min

What does home mean in a world of fracture and individualism, when moving house, job and even country is common, and even if we stay, the places we love are changing around us? All of us have a profound need to belong. In this talk Jo explores how the longing for home shapes the way we live, love and worship. Through storytelling, cultural reflection, and gentle spiritual insight, Jo invites us to consider where we have sought home, what we have lost or found along the way, and how a richer, more hopeful sense of belonging is possible.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

Bonus: The Doors of the Ocean - Hope for the Hurting. An Interview with John O'Callaghan (Author, Newcastle, Australia) 01.12.2025 48min

In this special episode Evan Shelton interviews John O’Callaghan about his book The Doors of the Ocean - Hope for the Hurting. John’s book features poetry, prose and photography focussed on the theme of suffering. For those outside Australia, an e-version of the book can be purchased from Amazon. Our apologies that the audio is muffled at times. 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

Christ: The Key to the Scriptures (Alastair Roberts, Author and Lecturer) 24.11.2025 1j 34min

The New Testament presents Christ as the one in whom the deeper meaning of the Scriptures is disclosed. How does Chrsit transform the way that we hear the words of Scripture? Does this do violence to the literal meaning of the biblical texts?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

It’s Complicated: Jane Austen’s Families (Dawn Merz, Lacey Shelton - L’Abri Workers, Christa Johnston - Austen Enthusiast) 17.11.2025 1j 40min

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

Living Faith with Both Sides of the Brain (Jim Paul, L’Abri Worker) 10.11.2025 1j 40min

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 of Ignatius Loyola (Sue Halliday, Retired Professor of Marketing, Trained Spiritual Director) 05.11.2025 1j 26min

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

Substantial Healing Through Practising Resurrection (Hadden Turner, Writer) 27.10.2025 1j 19min

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

Sheep’s Guts Haling Men’s Souls — an exploration of the power of music (Evan Shelton, L'Abri Worker) 14.10.2025 1j 44min

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