L'Abri Canada

canadianlabri

A podcast resource providing audio of the most current lectures given at L’Abri Fellowship Canada, near Victoria, B.C. If you'd like more information, see https://www.canadianlabri.org/

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#121
July 17 · 2 hr
Two Readings of the Bible: Death as natural vs death as curse (Clarke Scheibe)
In the tension between evolutionary theories and creationist accounts, some have felt that one solution to bridge the divide is to see Adam and Eve as two hominins given an awareness of the divine ("breathed in life") and thus becoming images of God and representatives of modern humanity. Yet this solution isn't as simple as it first seems. When it is drawn out, it requires a reinterpretation of crucial aspects to Scriptural claims. This talk will examine this (often naturalistic) reinterpretation of the biblical trajectory and ask if the traditional view can still be defended. 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
#120
July 11 · 2 hr 1 min
Genuine Connection or Simulated Emotion? The Idolatrous Allure of Large Language Models (Robb Ludwick, Dutch L'Abri)
Certain forms of AI are increasingly being experienced as personal contact. In a time of growing anxiety and loneliness, more and more people are turning to LLMs for easy and convincing companionship and advice. What will help me more? Something that mimics personality, sycophantically made in my image? Or someone truly ‘Other’, in whose image I am made, offering true sympathy and the challenge of healing and growth? In the Bible this very contrast is literally the difference between an idol and the true Creator and Redeemer. What might that mean for us today? 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
#119
July 4 · 1 hr 32 min
Grief and the Psalms (Liz Snell)
Grief was once thought of as a linear process that helps us to "get over" loss. But as the book of Psalms shows us, grief is an ongoing dialogue between loss and redemption. In this talk, we'll explore how the grief process can help us dwell more deeply in God's goodness. 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
#118
June 27 · 2 hr 13 min
Incorporating the Biblical Worldview: A Case for Curiosity and Creativity (Clarke Scheibe)
While Christians accept that Jesus should not only be Saviour but Lord over all their life, many remain confused about how to do this in their work and in their interests. This talk will look at how we can apply a biblical framework to whatever we do so that Jesus may be all in all. It will also increase our curiosity and invention. 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
#117
May 4 · 1 hr 11 min
The Surprising Welcome of the Gospel: A Look the Ethiopian Eunuch (Clarke Scheibe)
What on the surface seems like just another conversion story in the book of Acts is in fact an epiphany of the wideness of the gospel for the world. It was not only a sign that the gospel was spreading to "the ends of the earth," as far as Ethiopia, it also meant that the Gentiles were being incorporated through Christ. This passage has much to teach us about what it means to more radically welcome people and how we might welcome them into the gospel. 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
#116
May 4 · 1 hr 10 min
Forming, Filling, Naming: The Lost Words as Creational Enchantment (Christian Eickenroht)
“Once upon a time, words began to vanish from the language of children.” So begins the preface to The Lost Words, written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris. Words for childhood like acorn, adder, and bluebell have been replaced with words like blog, bullet-point, voicemail. As this book plays with various genre, through word and image, The Lost Words re-enchants us into a vision of the natural world which is remarkably consistent with a biblical theology of creation. This talk looks at three themes which are central to the biblical account of creation: forming, filling, and naming. Macfarlane and Morris’ playful exploration of these themes re-enchants us into a participatory engagement with the natural world which does not claim mastery, but marvels at mystery—and thereby compels us to orthopraxy in creation-care. 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
#115
May 4 · 1 hr 39 min
Sojourners: Understanding Pilgrimmage (Hannah Eichelberger)
"For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding." (1 Chronicles 29:15) Pilgrimage is a metaphor that lends embodiment and physical imagery to the invisibly felt experience of walking through life seasons, internally and externally. Life is seemingly outstretched like a long weary road and we the travelers, making our way toward a distant destination. We will be taking a look at the symbol of pilgrimage through the Biblical lens, specifically how it is used in the Psalms of Ascent - the Pilgrim Psalms traditionally known for those traveling on pilgrimages to the temple in ancient Jerusalem. What does it mean to be a pilgrim sojourner and what does this symbol reveal about our journey through life, our spiritual seeking, and our desires for a place to belong? 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
#114
May 4 · 2 hr
Jesus: Myth, Failure, or Lord? (Clarke Scheibe)
This talk will look at three views - that Jesus was a mythic creation to mimic the Greek gods, that Jesus was historical figure but a failed prophet that the church has propped up through desperation, and that Jesus was the historical figure who was and is what his followers have claimed, the Lord of glory. 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
#113
May 4 · 1 hr 59 min
Between the Straits: Must a Christian support Israel? (Mark Ryan)
Guest speaker Mark Ryan join us to discuss the complicated relationship Christians have to Israel. He is the director of Sage Christianity, adjunct professor of Covenant Seminary, associate professor of Calvin Seminary, former director of the Francis Schaeffer Institute, and former director of Canadian L'Abri! He walks the tightrope of a biblically informed tension, between full acceptance and full rejection. (The date of this talk was Nov 2025.) 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
#112
May 4 · 1 hr 39 min
Reading Providence when God seems absent (Clarke Scheibe)
We are assured in the Bible that God oversees and provides not just for nature and for all of humanity, but for especially his own children. Jesus said we are not to worry for doesn't our heavenly Father love us more than flowers and birds? But what if God seems absent? How are we to "read the signs" that God does in fact care for us? The Book of Esther is informative in this discussion. Nowhere does the author mention God but it is evident throughout the book that God's invisible hand is orchestrating the miraculous rescue of his people. What might we learn about trusting God and reading "providence" when God seems absent? When life is difficult? How might we journey forward trusting that God's promises will be true? 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
#111
May 4 · 1 hr 54 min
Holy Silence, Music, and Rest (Jonno Saunders)
Nobody wants constant noise, in music or in life—we need to rest. Rest is a musical term, and in music it's about breathing, embodying the holiness of time, and giving space to others. We'll explore what music has to teach us about rest. Listen carefully! 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
#110
April 24 · 1 hr 54 min
AI and Human Dignity (Dr Frank Stootman)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly advanced such that human intelligence and creativity is easily challenged and superceded by this technology. What does this mean for being Human? Do significant differences remain between Humankind and machine? How can we defend the traditional position that our uniqueness is because we are created in the image and likeness 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
#109
February 11 · 1 hr 25 min
God's Journey with me through cancer (Brett Cane)
Our dear Brett Cane, retired Anglican priest, had an operation for stage 2A lung cancer last January followed by chemotherapy in the Spring and recovery over the Summer. He will speak on his experience and weave it together with the following themes: how God orchestrates his care for us and purposes good for those who love him and how that leads us to trust him, and how we can be thankful in the midst of upheaval and uncertainty and loss and facing our own mortality. 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
#108
January 15 · 2 hr 3 min
Meaningless Jobs (Clarke Scheibe)
In recent years, many have expressed the proliferation of meaningless jobs. This goes beyond the burden of mundane tasks. It is the burden of not knowing if most of your working life has any benefit to society beyond the good pay. In this talk, we will look at how people have increasingly reported the sense that their work is meaningless (and potentially harmful), and then at David Graeber's work on the topic, from his influential book Bullsh*t Jobs (2018). Then we will ask if Graeber was onto something and if so, how might the Christian respond with the gospel to a society filled with telemarketers and PR departments. 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
#107
Sep 8, 2025 · 1 hr 29 min
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
#106
Aug 22, 2025 · 1 hr 40 min
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
#105
Jun 4, 2025 · 1 hr 36 min
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
#104
Feb 26, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
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
#103
Jan 24, 2025 · 1 hr 58 min
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
#102
Dec 1, 2024 · 1 hr 39 min
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

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