L'Abri Fellowship - Southborough

Fall 2025 Theme Weekend: The Dignity of Dependence

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Joshua Chestnut and Esther Dalton

The second lecture portion of the Southborough L'Abri Fall 2025 Theme Weekend: "The Glory and Challenge of Ordinary Humanness."

Part 1: Lovely, Finite, Connected: Adjectives for Being Human

Part 2: Need, Receive, Follow: Verbs for Being Human

Concluding Discussion

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

Fall 2025 Theme Weekend: Being Human as an Act of Resistance

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Ben Keyes

The opening lecture of the Southborough L'Abri Fall 2025 Theme Weekend: "The Glory and Challenge of Ordinary Humanness."

"The model of the Christian life is the recovery of ordinary human experience, says the L'Abri classic Being Human: The Nature of Spiritual Experience. Work, play, study, eating, music, art, gardens, repairs, sleep, sex, friendship, kinship, conversation, laughter, hospitality...all these things are deeply human and therefore have a place in a full understanding of Christian spirituality. But there are forces in our current individualistic, tech-driven society that threaten to dehumanize us. The ordinary activities of human life, of integral importance to God and of great spiritual value when offered to Him, are given less and less of our time, energy, and attention. Today, to simply be human is increasingly an act of resistance and a challenge to a rapidly changing world.

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

Are We "Whittling Away" Character in Our Society?

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Dick Keyes

This lectures looks at what character has meant, has now come to mean, and how we might respond to the change.

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

The Hard Problem of Consciousness, Part 2: The Gift of "What It's Like" to be You

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Ben Keyes

Philosopher Thomas Nagel defined consciousness as "what it is like" to be yourself. While we all go about our daily lives as conscious beings, usually without much reflection, consciousness itself remains a deeply mysterious thing. This lecture will explore several more aspects of what makes consciousness such a "hard problem," particularly from the materialist perspective. I will argue that only belief in a transcendent, personal Creator can give us the grounds for answering the question "Why are we conscious?" Lastly, we will attempt to address the question: What is it about the existence of consciousness that makes sense from within a biblical understanding of humanity?

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

"The Word of Your Soul's Health": William Tyndale and the Bible in English

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Esther Dalton

Can you imagine living a Christian life without the Bible? Five hundred years ago, that was the situation of most ordinary Christians. In fact, at that time, it was illegal to translate the Bible into English. But William Tyndale, a priest and scholar, was convinced that ordinary English speakers needed the Bible in their mother tongue and, in the face of serious opposition, set about the work of translation. This lecture will share the story of Tyndale's life and reflect on why his story is important to 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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

Psalm 131: A Psalm for the Anxious and Exhausted

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

Charles Spurgeon commented that Psalm 131 is one of the shortest Psalms to read but one of the longest to learn. With the help of theorists Hartmut Rosa and Byung-Chul Han, this lecture will consider unique characteristics of our moment that might be playing a contributing role in our common experience of feeling anxious and exhausted. This lecture will also consider ways we might, in the words of the Psalm, learn to "calm and quiet ourselves."

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

The Promise of Zion in Isaiah: God's Vision for the Nations

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Dr. Tom Petter, guest lecturer

What is the argument of Isaiah as a book? Is there even one? We are considering the internal evidence and come to the conclusion that yes, indeed, there is a coherence to the collection of the oracles spanning 66 chapters. This is why we can call Isaiah "the gospel in one book" and also why the New Testament writers will connect the prophecy of Isaiah to the mission of Jesus for forgiveness of sin for all nations: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." This message has far-reaching consequences and calls for a profound reset for Christians today who have co-opted the gospel to suit their own ideologies.

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

How to Be a Guest

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Esther Dalton

At L'Abri we think and talk a lot about hospitality. Most Christian teaching about hospitality focuses on the role of the host, on opening our hearts and our doors to others, even strangers. But what about the other side of the door? This lecture will examine what it looks like to be a good guest and why understanding this role is essential for obeying the New Testament commands to "pursue hospitality" and "offer hospitality to one another."

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

The Incarnation as Interruption

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

by Ben Keyes

In this lecture, we will briefly discuss the doctrine of the Incarnation as the central mystery of the Christian faith. Then, with the help of "interruptions" as a guiding metaphor, we will explore the way in which the birth of Christ redemptively disrupts history and disrupts our own lives.

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025

Hall of Portraits Theme Weekend Final Discussion

A lecture given at L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://southboroughlabri.org/

with Ben Keyes, Joshua Chestnut, and Marta Crilly

Part of the Summer 2025 Theme Weekend, A Hall of Portraits: Imitating Christ by Imitating the Saints. 

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. ©Southborough L'Abri 2025