The Secret Chord: Honesty, Truth and Beauty in the Arts (Andrew Petersen, recording artist, songwriter, producer, filmmaker, publisher, author)

Andy Lester is the Head of Conservation for the Christian environmental charity A Rocha UK; he has a wealth of experience in ecology, theology and green economics, as well as running a small farm. Andy spoke at English L’Abri in Greatham during a special Tuesday night lecture on ‘Who is the King? Relating to God through creation’, and his talk explores some of the principles behind why and how we should care for creation in these troubled times.

One of the more surprising things about being a Christian is how often you suddenly have to think about circumcision. It's all over the Bible. What is going on with circumcision? And why didn’t women receive a sign of God’s covenant too?

It has been said that the ideas and the practice of community at L’Abri have a unique plausibility structure. After eight visits over ten years, I cannot but agree. A few years ago, I set out to find a theological framework with equally firm footing — one that works in harmony with what I have experienced at L’Abri. Oswald Bayer’s Poetological Theology has become an important discovery for this quest. In this lecture, we will explore the basics of Bayer’s theology, and discuss how it fits and frictions with L’Abri’s ideas. Click here to see the visual presentation from the lecture. Please note that the ideas expressed in this lecture do not necessarily represent the views of L’Abri Fellowship. For more resources, visit the L'Abri Ideas Library at labriideaslibrary.org. The library contains over two thousand lectures and discussions that explore questions about the reality and relevance of Christianity.

Childhood, maturity and the Fall in C S Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” and Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials" Click here to see the visual presentation from the lecture.

How the science of light reveals the character of God. “We are starting with the words, ‘God is light.’ This is in I John 1:5. And if you are around Christian things, this is probably a familiar phrase to you. But I wonder if you’ve ever really questioned it. God is light. There are some obvious implications. There are shadows that form, and God is not the shadow. Good and evil. So I looked at this and said, ‘is there more?’…And recently I’ve been thinking about what it means to take these verses literally…to ask ‘what does it mean for God to be light in a scientific sense? Can we study light and explore something about God?’”…