L'Abri Canada

With all the talk about sex with such nonchalance, one would suppose there is little shame. However in personal discussions, most people feel a deep sense of shame around sexuality for various reasons. This talk will examine how the Bible - perhaps a surprising source for some - offers us an honest and yet redemptive look at sex and shame.

NOTE: All recordings include the open discussion afterwards.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2020

This talk looks at Jonathan Haidt's fascinating book A Righteous Mind: Why Good People Divide over Religion and Politics. Haidt's hope is to build bridges between divided groups, particularly political ones. His book reveals how we have all evolved to have 'righteous minds' and shared moral foundations, and how these revelations can help us better understand how we each see the world and how we can get along in our differences. This talk will also look at what the biblical worldview has to offer to Haidt's longing.

NOTE: All recordings include the open discussion afterwards.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019

George Grant died in 1988.  He was a Canadian thinker deeply engaged in the question of how technology shapes modern consciousness, meaning the ways modernity shapes our thinking, what modernity makes it both possible and impossible to think.  In his short, profound essay, "A Platitude," Grant helps us to ask, 'what has modern consciousness led us to forget about what it means to be human?'  'How has modernity so shaped our thinking that it is now impossible to answer this question, or any question implying transcendent meaning?'  And most pressing: 'how is it possible to remember what has been forgotten?' 

NOTE: All recordings include the open discussion afterwards.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019

This ancient story of Belzshazzar's feast gives a lens from which to understand our political anxieties. We will see how Daniel's response gives us a way forward on how we might be faithful in the midst of today's polarization.

NOTE: All recordings include the open discussion afterwards.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal,” writes Robert Karris. In Luke, Jesus is accused of being a glutton and a drunkard, describing the Kingdom of God as a great wedding banquet, and remembered by his followers through a particular sort of meal. To his discouraged disciples after the resurrection, his presence is discerned through the breaking of bread and as one who comes offering to host a meal for still-shocked disciples. How might Luke’s Gospel give us fresh eyes for the good news of the Gospel? And how might it inform the important ethical questions concerning how we eat and drink in 2019? This lecture takes Luke’s Gospel as a starting point for a broad interdisciplinary exploration of Food and Faith.

NOTE: All recordings include the open discussion afterwards.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019

This talk looks at the significance of the imprecatory (cursing) Psalms using Psalm 137. We will see that they help us reflect on our own resentment, give us a sense of indignation at evil and help us acknowledge our own sin.

NOTE: The time of the recording includes the open discussion afterwards.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019

This talk looks at Daniel 4. At the center of this story stands a tree which reflects life and human culture. Holding the Bible in one hand, and looking at culture in the other, we will see that like Nebuchadnezzar we are called into God's purposes for creation, and that it best grows through small, seemingly insignificant things like humility and kindness, which grow from the roots of the 'tree' of Christ.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019

In 1988 William Alston, American philosopher, put forward three models which aim to explain the scriptural claim that the Holy Spirit ‘fills’ believers. Alston pointed to weaknesses in two of the models and thus favoured one model: the ‘Sharing Model’. Since then philosophers and theologians have discussed and criticised Alston’s paper. In this talk I outline the three models and offer my own constructive response to the debate. Before doing so I will give a brief outline of my approach to answering theological questions. There will be plenty of space for discussion and critical questions.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019

This talk is looking at this cross-pressured space where atheists and Christians often live inconsistently with their own presuppositions, with atheists living as if God exists, and with Christians living as though God does not. How is this at work in society? How might we overcome this incongruity of 'as if'-ness? Pascal, C.S. Lewis, and Francis Schaeffer each give their answer. The surprising answer is a sanctified 'as if.'

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019

If you haven't heard of Billie Eilish, you will soon. The Californian musician is just 17 but has rocketed to fame in the past few years for her moody lyrics, genre-bending musical style, and unusual fashion sense. Hailed by many as the new queen of pop, Eilish represents a push back against slick, overproduced icons like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. What makes this surly teenager so popular with Gen Z? And how should we think about the often dark themes in her music?

Below are some of the clips used during the lecture.

Clip (warning: some explicit language): Vanity Fair of Billie Eilish

Another clip: Billie Eilish surprises her fans on Ellen

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2019