We are very thankful that we are able to open our doors to students this Autumn. Though we do want to invite the public back to the Manor House for Friday Night Lectures, we have taken the decision to wait a little bit longer in order to evaluate the ongoing Covid situation. For now we will continue to zoom the lectures.
Lectures are on Friday evenings at 8pm London Time. To join the lectures via zoom, follow the link below. The password is Lecture.
https://zoom.us/j/99712458019
We hope to “see” you soon!
17th of September - Healing the Wounds of Racism: Making a difference in a divided World
More than a year on from the murder of George Floyd many in the UK church are still grappling with how to make progress in the area of racial reconciliation. Jason Roach will reflect on a biblical perspective in the light of his personal experience as pastor of a multi-ethnic church on an estate in West London and co-chair of the Racial Justice Priority Group in the Diocese of London.
Jason Roach, Pastor of The Bridge Battersea (London)
24th of September - Declaring the Glory of God
In the 1966 film Alfie, the hedonistic anti-hero confronts mortality and betrayal, and asks "What's it all about?”. A perennial question. Douglas Adams’ computer famously gave the answer: 42. In 2004, Julian Baggini gave a humanist’s response in his eponymous book “What’s it all about?: philosophy and the meaning of life”. But long before Baggini or Adams, Christians had reflected on this question. This lecture will focus on the answers given in the English Non-Conformist tradition, answers which remain relevant in the contemporary world.
Dr. Philip Sampson, Sociologist and Author
1st of October - The Perfect Lie of Liberty: Pursuing Freedom in a Culture of Choice
An inescapable aspect of late modern life is a constant sense of FOMO. We are awash in options, leaving us with increased anxiety rather than enduring peace. At the root of this anxiety is a common misunderstanding of freedom. What if true freedom is more than simply the ability to choose what we want?
Phillip Johnston, Former L’Abri Worker (Hope Church)
8th of October - The Embodied Life: Reflections on Christianity and our Bodies
When we think about our faith, it is easy to reflect on how it is relevant for our souls, our hearts and even our intellect. But what does it mean to our bodies? What does the faith in the Incarnated God have to say about our physical selves?
Lili Reichow, L’Abri Worker
15th of October - Cynicism and Romanticism, Ways we avoid Reality Part II: Pathways to Maturity
In part I, I described how we become cynical or romantic to avoid the pain of reality. In part II we will ask how we get beyond cynicism and romanticism to begin the journey to encounter the real.
Marsh Moyle, L’Abri Associate
22nd of October - Why Ordinary Life is Worth Living Beautifully: Edith Schaeffer's Legacy of 'Hidden Art’
The Schaeffer's made significant contributions to the philosophy of art and art theory. Reviewing "Art and the Bible" we will use their ideas as a lens to examine some artworks.
Emily Bowyer, former L’Abri worker
29th of October - - In Praise of the Stewards: Re-valuing Maintenance in an Age of Disruption
Maintenance and caregiving jobs are generally seen as blue-collar, unskilled work—as drudgery. We are oriented toward the world not as stewards or maintainers, but rather as consumers. However, maintenance is, at its root, a work of Christian fidelity, and thus a work of hope and incredible dignity, in a dying world. In maintenance, we recognize the brokenness of our world, but we also display our hope in a life to come—in a new creation, in which the violence, brokenness, and decay of our present moment are redeemed, and we finally experience the “at-one-ment” we were made for.
Gracy Olmstead - Journalist and Author
5th of November - The Great Dance: C S Lewis and the Discarded Image of Medieval Hierarchy
Our culture views power and authority with the greatest of suspicion. Exploring The Divine Comedy, Romance of the Rose and The Consolation of Philosophy by way of Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, I look at how Lewis in The Discarded Image and the medieval tradition can help us not simply assert the truth of a Biblical view of authority, but see and live out its beauty and goodness.
Caleb Woodbridge, English Scholar and InterVarsity Press Editor
12th of November - Towards Maturity (Part 2): The Conditions of Growth
Last term we defined and unpacked what maturity looks like through the lenses of relationship and responsibility. This lecture will focus on what sort of conditions and habits encourage growth towards maturity, without creating another ‘Christian technique’ for growth.
Joel Barricklow, L’Abri Worker
19th of November - Life Among The Deathworks
Sociologist Philip Rieff said ‘No culture has ever preserved itself where there is not a registration of sacred order’. What does that mean for 21st Century Western culture? What do we call ’sacred’ and what kind of culture, if any, are we cultivating?
Imogen Sinclair, Philosopher and Author
26th of November - Imagining the New Creation
We will be looking at the visions of the new creation in art and literature as a way of helping us imagine the good life, both now and not yet.
Dr. Jim Paul, L’Abri Worker
3rd of December - Worldview and Culture: Rethinking our Categories
The concept of worldview has become widely used by many of us and certainly within L’Abri. In this lecture, we will be looking at the origins of this concept and some of the critiques of its uses, attempting to respond to them, reassessing how and why we employ this term, especially as we engage with culture.
Josué Reichow, L’Abri Worker