Shame has had consistently bad press in the popular psychology world. At the same time we see shame being widely used as a tool of social control, mostly online.  With Te-Le Lau, in his book Defending Shame, Richard compares contemporary ideas of shame with Graeco-Roman, Chinese, and Judeo-Christian ideas.  We will explore the relationship of shame to guilt and the possibility of healthy and unhealthy shame.

Listen to and download recent lectures at englishlabri.org/podcast. For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

Going to Sunday School was a familiar routine for many of us in our childhoods, but when Sunday Schools began in the late 18th century they were both radical and controversial. Their meteoric growth over the next 50 years on both sides of the Atlantic opened up opportunities for women to contribute to Christian education and had a transformative effect on many poor communities. Can the history of the Sunday School movement teach us any lessons regarding Christian social engagement today?

Listen to and download recent lectures at englishlabri.org/podcast. For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

Apologetics typically grounds itself in the truth that Christianity is reasonable.  This talk looks at how meaning provides another important starting point – one that is vital in our engagement with sceptics.

Listen to and download recent lectures at englishlabri.org/podcast. For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

Our physical selves, how they look and what others think of them demand a lot of thought and work from us. We are daily confronted with images, ideas and advice on how we should be dealing with our bodies. In this lecture, we think about body image and what it means when we understand that we are made in the image of God.

Listen to and download recent lectures at englishlabri.org/podcast. For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

To download this lecture on your mobile device, click “Listen in podcast app.”

Akira Kurosawa’s film RAN is one of the greatest Shakespearean adaptations ever brought to screen. As well as a visual masterpiece, it illuminates how one man’s hubris can have catastrophic effects on nature, family and society. The themes of Lear have become resurgent in recent prestige drama—from The Terror, to Chernobyl, to Succession. What do the themes of Lear and its heirs tell us about a world that is haunted by tragedy?

For more lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

To download this lecture on your mobile device, click “Listen in podcast app.”

Jesus begins his teaching with what have long been called the beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). These statements of ‘blessing’ are some of the most comforting words in all of Scripture, but there is much confusion about what they mean. Is Jesus providing entrance requirements for the kingdom of God? Is he telling us about God’s favourite people? In this lecture, Phillip Johnston makes the case that Jesus stands on the mountain as a philosopher casting his vision for true human flourishing. The beatitudes are Christ’s invitation to the good life.

For more lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

In almost any category - social status, education, life experience, economic resources, influence - being lowly (humble) is a disadvantage. And yet, from a biblical perspective, being humble is a very good thing. How can this be true? In Part 1, Joel will unpack this paradox and show how acknowledging our humble position opens us up to receiving what we need.

For more lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

To download this lecture on your mobile device, click “Listen in podcast app.”

In December 2021 a significant and tragic milestone was reached: 10 million abortions took place in the UK since the UK Abortion Act was passed in 1967. How have we got to such a milestone? What are some of the consequences for us as a society? What developments are ahead? And what can we do?

For more lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

To download this lecture on your mobile device, click “Listen in podcast app.”

This lecture reflects on the ways we represent reality and how it expresses what it means to be human in one hand, and how, on the other hand, that can go wrong, leading us to reduce reality, losing the meanings given to humanity by the Creator. Josué explores questions such as: What is a representation? How different dimensions of reality can be represented? Are there things that cannot be represented? And finally, in the background of this reflection he analyses the current growing rating culture and its implication for how we live our lives.

For more lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.

To download this lecture on your mobile device, click “Listen in podcast app.”

Many of us don't find prayer easy.  However, there is much that those who have gone before us over many centuries have left behind that can teach us and help us as we seek to rest in and struggle before God. In this lecture Peter considers the liturgy of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer as a rich framework for drawing close to God, enjoying Him, and being reminded of who He is and who we are before Him, with a particular focus on the form of prayer known as the collect.

For more lectures, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over one thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity. We ask you to respect the copyright for this audio file which belongs to L’Abri Fellowship. Please note that views expressed in the lecture and discussion times do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship.