L'Abri Canada

Wayward Priests and Unsaintly Saints (Christina Eickenroht)

The titular characters in Frederick Buechner’s historical novels Godric (1980) and Brendan (1987) are wayward priests and unsaintly saints, “just as clay-footed and full of shadows as the rest of us,” and yet, nonetheless, remarkable ministers of divine grace. In his portrayal of such saints, Buechner probes one of the central questions raised by the fourth-century Donatist Controversy—namely, whether the sinfulness of the minister compromises the divine grace which is mediated through his ministry. As we shall see, Buechner’s vision is profoundly Augustinian—and yet, his is an Augustinianism inflected through the Protestant Reformation and into Modernity. Even so, Buechner upholds the wisdom and hope of the ancient Church for the contemporary Church, as the Church reels from and reckons with the exposure of moral failures and ecclesial scandals.

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

The Abnormality of Death (Clarke Scheibe)

Just thinking about hearing a diagnosis that we have a terminal illness sends a shiver up the spine and dampens the joy in the heart. Our life so significant, only to be snuffed out in a moment. It is a subject we'd like to avoid but it is inevitable as we experience the death of others around us and one day our own. How are we to reflect on death? In this talk we will look at how some want to suggest death is natural, necessary, and good. However, this is not the biblical view, where humans view death in all its horror as a curse, yet are not overwhelmed by that fear since Jesus himself broke the power of death by his own death and resurrection. This lead the early church to express a hope that transformed how they lived now. (NOTE: The first 3 minutes are lower volume.)

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

Despising the Shame: Jesus, a Pharisee, and a Sinful Woman (Clarke Scheibe)

In this passage we see a scorned woman who is desperate to approach Jesus, despite his being the invited guest of a wealthy and righteous man. To everyone's shock, Jesus welcomes and praises her. This event taught the early church and teaches us that those who are unashamed of Jesus, will be received since he is unashamed of them.

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

All is Gift, All is Passing Away, and All Shall Be Made New (Christina Eickenroht)

The table is set: In his 1633 Still life with an overturned silver tazza, glassware, pies, and a peeled lemon on a table, Willem Claeszoon Heda spreads before us a theologically rich feast. This painting is an exemplar of the popular subgenre of breakfast piece (ontbijt), depicting not necessarily a morning meal but any solitary meal which breaks a fast, perhaps at an inn after a long journey. Heda’s 1633 Still life likely would have hung in the interior of a Dutch home, perhaps in a kitchen or dining area, where it would have invited meditation in the midst of everyday life. After offering a thick description of this painting and surveying the history of the interpretation of such paintings, I will sketch a visual theology of Heda’s 1633 Still life which takes into account the pervasive Calvinist imaginary of the time. I will argue that Heda’s 1633 Still life is a nuanced vanitas painting which hints at resurrection hope, affirming not only that all is gift, even as all is passing away, but also that these temporal gifts are harbingers of a delightfully solid and substantial New Creation in the age to come.

For the lecture, please check out this specific painting Willem Claeszoon Heda, 1633. This is the one Christina is referencing.

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

The Christian and Political Engagement (Clarke Scheibe)

Christians have been pressed once again to reconsider what is a biblical way of being politically and culturally engaged. In light of the US Election and in light of increased calls here in Canada to return our countries to our Christian heritage, many - even Christians - are worried of a rise of Christian Nationalism or at least a Christian politicization. One response has been to call Christians to remember the heritage of "two distinct kingdoms," the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. This is called R2K (Reformed Two Kingdom) theology. We will examine if this is an adequate response to society becoming increasingly antagonistic to religion, especially Christianity. We will also examine the theological heritage of L'Abri, Neo-Calvinism.

(This talk was given late November 2024.)

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

The Mandate for Creation: Pollution and the Death of Man (Clarke Scheibe)

Problems in the environment have gotten far worse since 1970. For some, this has caused many to feel urgency, for others, indifference. How is one to respond? We will look at four contemporary responses: "traditional Christianity," secular materialism, pantheism & nature religions, and biblical Christianity.

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

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? Discerning False Christs (Clarke Scheibe)

People grow frustrated when they see Jesus being misused, for example, by political factions. However, it is easy to project a false image of Christ to match what we want Jesus to be and to be for. This talk will look at various images of Christ, contemporarily and historically, before turning to the image presented in the New Testament. We will consider what it means to measure our own images to that original one and what it means to follow Jesus not just as an image but as the risen Lord.

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

Jonah, Silence, and the Sea (Hannah Eichelberger)

Is being swallowed by a sea monster a form of rescue or danger? The book of the prophet Jonah is a perfect example of uncomfortable and often unwanted revelation breaking through an otherwise still life.  God, in his relationship to the world and to his creation often disrupts the safety and calm of our known world and bring us deeper into a revelation of who we are and should be. But a break through, in Jonah’s case, requires that he be broken into. Under the calm surface of a silent sea, the book of Jonah shows us that disruption can bring us into the terrifying but wondrous depths of God. 

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

Comic. Tragic. Brutal. The Life and Writings of Flannery O'Connor (Clarke Scheibe)

Flannery O'Connor was a devout Catholic writer from the Deep South (in the US) in the 1950s and wrote hilarious and horrifying short stories. T.S. Eliot, the famous poet, said that Flannery's stories made him blanch and refused to read them. Flannery felt that each story were parables to the modern world, and that she had to shout in order for the modern ear to hear. She questioned the narrative that the modern world was continually progressing. The supernatural invades her characters' stories to show that history is not the human march of progress, but a God-directed story. But the question often remains for her characters and for us, When God shocks you by showing up, will you recognize it as grace or not? This talk will look at her brief life - she died at 39 years old - and at understanding her fiction.

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

Personality Redeemed (Robb Ludwick)

The core of the Christian gospel is not that God promises to remove and replace his beloved creation with something better, but that He promises to save and restore the creation He has made. This applies to us as human beings personally as well. In a broken world, the basic elements of our personalities and character can develop along paths where we do not love our neighbours as ourselves. Being 'set free' does not mean dying to myself and being raised as someone else, but rather asking God's help for radically rediscovering and redeeming my personality. In this lecture we will explore this truth through several texts and examples from the Bible itself. 

(Robb Ludwick is the co-director of Dutch L'Abri)

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