l’Abri Nederland Lezingen

Searching for Spirituality and beauty in Nature

l'Abri Saturday Morning Lecture October 15th 2022
Speaker: Robb Ludwick

Searching for spirituality outside of traditional religions is nothing new. But recently this quest got an interesting turn: returning to nature. For one person it emerged during a stroll in the woods during lockdown, for another while reading a convincing article about the climate crisis, but the message is clear: we must anew experience, honor and value nature.
From popular documentaries to the new book of historian Karen Armstrong "Sacred Nature" (2022) this movement has an emphatic spiritual side. What do we seek? Why is it important? And: what does the bible say about our relationship with nature?

Freedom and power: Do my feelings determine who I am?

l'Abri Saturday Morning Lecture October 1st 2022
Speaker: Henk Reitsema

The desire to be free and not be determined by the power of someone else points to the "Imago Dei" that is present in all of us. But do our feelings determine mainly what we are or does the given reality do that? How much power do I have to determine my identity - or is life discovering who I am? When do we violate each other, and is power over another by definition violation of that other?

Building bridges for the gospel

l'Abri Saturday Morning Lecture September 17th 2022
Speaker: Wim Rietkerk

How do you connect the gospel to the more than 50% of Dutch who are not affiliated with any church or religion? Are there any points of contact? Karl Barth said 'NO' ('NEIN'; the title of the shortest and smallest booklet he ever wrote, in 1934). The well-known English theologian N.T. Wright says YES in a recent book, but acknowledges they are broken: 'Broken Signposts - How Christianity makes sense of the world' (2020).
In this first lecture of the fall season we read the speech of the apostle Paul on the Areopagus in Acts 17: a combination of both the YES and the NO. We will discuss whether this is perhaps the most urgent challenge for Christians today: building bridges across the chasm!

Who do people say we are? The representation of Christians in pop culture

l'Abri Saturday Morning Lecture June 4th 2022
Speaker: Arthur Metz

Have you ever heard about Ned Flanders from "The Simpsons"? What about The Bishop from "Les Misérables?" In this lecture, we are going to analyze these and many other - so-called - “Christian Characters” in Pop Culture. From mocking to admiration, from hypocrites to heroes, we are going to see what is behind these characters, what society thinks about Christians, and why knowing these things is important for us to impact people with the Gospel.

Het Unieke van Europa

l'Abri Zaterdagochtendlezing 18 juni 2022
Spreker: Wim Rietkerk

In de wereldwijde botsing tussen autocratie en democratie, moeten we kiezen tussen die twee? Of is er een derde weg? Met aandacht voor de achtergrond van de oorlog in Oekraïne.

Digital technology and Spirituality

l'Abri Saturday Morning Lecture May21st 2022
Speaker: Henk Reitsema

The shift away from the given reality to a virtualised variant has a large influence on our self-perception. Does this offer opportunities or does it cause trouble, concerning spirituality and our relationship with God?

De roeping van de ouderdom: nu aan de slag!

l'Abri Zaterdagochtendlezing 26 maart 2022
Spreker: Wim Rietkerk

Wat is er uniek aan deze levensfase qua roeping? Na een samenvatting van eerdere lezingen over dit onderwerp richten we ons nu op de praktijk. Hoe kan ik dit vorm geven in mijn eigen leven? Voor alle leeftijden, want: jong geleerd is oud gedaan!

Karaktergroei door pijn?! Levenslessen uit de ”Doorn in het Vlees” van Paulus

l'Abri zaterdagochtendlezing 12 maart 2022
Spreker: Christa Ludwick

Pijn kan diep ontmoedigend zijn. Net zo ontmoedigend is het idee dat God een soort stoïcisme van ons vraagt. Is er nog een manier om pijn als een uitnodiging te zien, om iets slechts te beantwoorden met iets goeds?

Who do people say I am? The interpretations of Jesus in Cinema

l'Abri Saturday Morning Lecture February 26th 2022
Speaker: Arthur Metz

The fact that Jesus Christ has been represented over 150 times in cinema shows us how much this question still moves us: "Who do people say I am?" The representations of Jesus in cinema can speak more about cinema than about Christ himself, just as our own views about Jesus can speak more about us than about Christ himself.

Why is the word ’Meta’ fashionable again? The return of the Large Stories

l'Abri Saturday morning lecture February 12th 2022
Speaker: Robb Ludwick

Metabiology, Metaeconomics, Metamodernism, Metaverse... In the descriptions of these innovative movements we sense a fatigue with postmodern individualism and a return to the desire for a "Larger Story". But what do these movements really say? And how does their vision compare with a biblical worldview?