Rochester L`Abri Conference 2016

Plenary Speakers
L’Abri is a French word that means “the shelter”. The first L’Abri
community was founded in Switzerland in 1955 by Dr. Francis
Schaeffer and his wife Edith. Dr. Schaeffer was a Christian
theologian and philosopher who also authored books on
theology, philosophy, general culture and the arts.
Andrew Fellows is married to Helen and has four children. For the
past 21 years, Andrew and Helen have worked at the L’Abri branch
in England. Presently they are transitioning to Cambridge, where
Andrew will join Christian Heritage. Part of this new role will involve
taking L’Abri’s “hospitable apologetics” into a university setting.
The Holiday Inn Downtown......................... $75.00+tax*
220 South Broadway • Rochester, MN
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.......................$109.00+tax*
150 South Broadway • Rochester, MN
• Does not include breakfast or parking.
Please make reservations before January 21, 2016 or guest
rooms and Conference rates may not be available.
For reservations for the Holiday Inn, call 1-888-Holiday
and use Group Code “LAB”, or on the web at:
www.holidayinn.com
For reservations for the DoubleTree Hotel, call
1-507-280-8100
Travel
Rochester Shuttle Service • (507) 216-6354
www.rochestershuttleservice.com
Dick Keyes is the Director of L’Abri Fellowship in Southborough,
MA, where he has worked with his wife, Mardi, since 1979. He
holds a B.A. in History from Harvard University and an M.Div. from
Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Dick worked
for L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland and England, where he also
served as a pastor in the International Presbyterian Church in
London. He has been an adjunct professor at Gordon Conwell
Seminary and Westminster Theological Seminary, and is the
author of several books, including Beyond Identity and True
Heroism. He has also contributed chapters in anthologies such
as No God but God and Finding God at Harvard.
Nancy Pearcey is a former agnostic who visited L’Abri in Switzerland
in 1971 and again in 1972. She is currently professor of apologetics
and scholar in residence at Houston Baptist University and editor
at large of The Pearcey Report. She is also a fellow at the Discovery
Institute. She was the Francis A. Schaeffer Scholar at World Journalism
Institute for several years. Her books include the bestseller Total
Truth and her most recent Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking
Atheism, Secularism & Other God Substitutes.
Richard Winter, M.D., is Professor of Practical Theology and
Director of the Masters Program in counseling at Covenant
Theological Seminary. A psychotherapist and past member of
the Royal College of Psychiatrists (UK), he was trained in medicine
and psychiatry in England and served on the staff and as a director
of English L’Abri for 14 years. He is the author of a number of
books including, most recently, When Life Goes Dark: Finding
Hope in the Midst of Depression (IVP 2012). He is married, with
four children and eight grandchildren.
Rochester L’Abri
Conference 2016
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If you choose to fly into the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport [often
cheaper than flying into the Rochester airport], Rochester
Shuttle Service provides shuttle services directly to the
Kahler Hotel. The drive is 1 hour and 30 minutes. There are
14 daily departures from the airport. Let them know that
you are attending the L’Abri Conference for a special rate of
$46.00 round trip.
Greg Jesson earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University
of Iowa, focusing on philosophy of mind, formal ontology,
epistemology, and phenomenology. He previously studied at
UCLA and under Dallas Willard at USC, and spent time as a student
at L’Abri in Switzerland. He speaks throughout the country on
Christian Apologetics and Philosophy and teaches philosophy and
directs the Center for Ethics and Public Life at Luther College. He
has published articles on the nature of thought and knowledge,
philosophy of mathematics, and the portrayal of love and sex in
modern film.
Return Service Requested
The Downtown Holiday Inn and DoubleTree by Hilton hotels
are offering very special rates for the L’Abri conference. You
must make your own room reservations with these hotels
and mention that you are attending the L’Abri Conference.
Both Hotels are within a 10 minute walk via the Skyway to
the Mayo Civic Center and are very conveniently located for
this Conference.
Truth
Apologetics in
a Secular Age
1465 12th Avenue, NE
Rochester, MN 55906-4383
Accommodation
Finding
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L’Abri believes that Christianity speaks to all aspects of life, and
L’Abri conferences provide lectures, discussions and personal
interaction on a variety of ethical and cultural issues.
Douglas Groothuis is a Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary.
He received a PhD and a BS from the University of Oregon, and an
MA in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He
has authored numerous books and articles on apologetics, postmodernism, philosophy, and religion, and he writes blogs about
topics including apologetics, contemporary culture and thought,
jazz, chronic illness and faith, and the teachings of Francis Schaeffer.
In 2011, he published a book entitled Christian Apologetics
(InterVarsity Press). His next book, coming out February 15th, is
entitled Philosophy in 7 Sentences.
Rochester L’Abri Conference 2016
The L’Abri communities are residential study centers in Europe,
America, Canada, South Korea, and Brazil where individuals
can seek answers to honest questions about God and the
significance of human life.
NON PROFIT
STANDARD MAIL
US POSTAGE PAID
ROCHESTER, MN
PERMIT NO 79
What is L’Abri?
Mayo Civic Center
february 12 & 13
2016
Friday, February 12
8:00-9:00 Registration
9:00-9:05 Welcome
9:05-10:15 Unmasking the Grand Deceptions:
The Case for Apologetics.......................Andrew Fellows
fr i d ay 1 0 : 3 0 - 1 1 : 4 5 • “ A ” W o r ks h o ps
A1 Finding Total Truth: How Cultural Apologetics Integrates
Science, Philosophy, and the Arts........................................................Nancy Pearcey
A2 Sexual Freedom, Gender Equality and Rape Culture................Richard Winter
A3 Thinking About Proofs for God’s Existence:
What They Can and Can’t Do.......................................................................Greg Jesson
A4 After Obergefell:
How Should Christians Respond to Gay Marriage......................... Ron Lutjens
A5 The Bible and the Historian......................................................................Mark Chavalas
A6 Glimmers of Truth in Modern Science:
Building Bridges into the Hearts of Atheists.................................... AJ Poelarends
A7 Loving People Practically:
Building Relationships with non-Christians...................................... Margie Haack
A8 Go Ahead, Be Skeptical..............................................................................Marvin Padgett
A9 Engaging the Secular Mind for the Gospel.............................................Bruce Little
12:00-1:30 Lunch at the Mayo Civic Center
2:00-3:15 What is Cultural Apologetics?.. ........................ Dick Keyes
fr i d ay 3 : 3 0 - 4 : 4 5 • “ B ” W o r ks h o ps
B1 Finding Sexual Truth: How Cultural Apologetics
Makes Better Sense of Life & Sex Issues...........................................Nancy Pearcey
B2 Mindfulness: Buddhist, Christian, or both? Does it matter?......Richard Winter
B3 A
ren’t We Just Biological Machines?..........................................................Greg Jesson
B4 Encountering Islam and Engaging Muslims
with the Gospel in the Western World...........................................Henry Lawrence
B5 The Lament as a Witness of the Truth:
On the Book of Lamentations............................................................... John Hodges
Workshop Speakers
Mark Chavalas is Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he has
taught since 1989. Among his books are Mesopotamia and the Bible, The IVP Bible Background
Commentary, and Women in the Ancient Near East: A Sourcebook. He has excavated in Syria
for nine seasons, and has had fellowships at various universities, including Harvard, Yale,
and UC Berkeley. He and his wife Kimberlee live in La Crosse, WI and have six children.
B6 C
an Discourse be Civil?............................................................................... Tim Padgett
B7 Language, Imagination and Beauty:
Helpful Pointers to Truth in a Secular World................................... Larry Snyder
B8 A Search for Authenticity:
A Cultural and Biblical View of Self-Actualization................... Clarke Scheibe
B9 What Christian Humility is Not..................................................................... Ben Keyes
12:00-1:30 Lunch at the Mayo Civic Center
2:00-3:15 The Search for Truth in Psychology
and Counseling..........................................Richard Winter
5:00-7:00 Dinner on your own
7:00-8:15 Apologists in Athens:
Finding Truth Among the Pagans........... Doug Groothuis
8:30-9:30 Classical Guitar Concert.................................Alyssa Catlin
D1 What the Bible teaches about being human and
why the future of civilization depends on it...............................Andrew Fellows
D2 The Apostle Paul – a Follower of Jesus or the Inventor
of a Different Religion?..........................................................................................Dick Keyes
D3 Suffering in Apologetic Mission......................................................... Doug Groothuis
D4 Race and the Credibility of the Church:
Reflections of a Post-Ferguson Learner (Not an Expert)............... Ron Lutjens
D5 Apologetics of Beauty.....................................................................................John Hodges
D6 M
odernity or Modernism?.......................................................................Marvin Padgett
D7 Between Two Worlds: Speaking truthfully and
courageously about the issues that really matter...........................Larry Snyder
D8 Exile on Main Street & the Benedict Option: The Kingdom
of God in an Era of Declining Expectations...................................Mike Sugimoto
D9 W
hat is Thankfulness Without God?............................................................. Ben Keyes
saturday, February 13
8:00-9:00 Registration
9:00-10:15 Finding Truth: Biblical Apologetics
in a Secular Age........................................... Nancy Pearcey
sat u r d ay 1 0 : 3 0 - 1 1 : 4 5 • “ C ” W o r ks h o ps
C1 J esus the Subversive Apologist............................................................Andrew Fellows
C2 Apologetics and the Diagnosis of the Human Condition...............Dick Keyes
C3 The Real Slippery Slope: Gender, Worldview,
and Cultural Abomination...................................................................... Doug Groothuis
C4 T he Bible and Archaeology........................................................................Mark Chavalas
C5 Encountering Islam and Engaging Muslims
with the Gospel in the Western World.......................................... Henry Lawrence
C6 Beyond Fact and Faith: Being a Confident Believer
in a Scientific World......................................................................................... AJ Poelarends
C7 Persuasive Faith in a Dismissive Culture:
Finding Truth in the Movies............................................................................ Denis Haack
C8 T he Converting Converts:
The Surprising Power of a Non-Christian Life.....................................Tim Padgett
C9 Are You Open-Minded? Looking for Meaning
in a Closed Universe.......................................................................................Clarke Scheibe
C10 Technology, Progress, and the Gospel........................................................Bruce Little
studied theology and the arts and directed a gospel choir for two years at Regent College
in Vancouver, Canada. Ben and his wife Nickaela have worked at L’Abri in Massachusetts
since 2007. They have three children: Eleanor, Abigail, and Noah.
Henry Lawrence has spent over a dozen years in a Muslim majority country in Asia, and
has lived and worked with Muslims while working in international aid and development
projects. He is currently on staff with an organization involved in training workers for
outreach among Muslims in North America and abroad.
Denis Haack is co-founder and co-director, with his wife Margie, of Ransom Fellowship,
a ministry designed to help Christians be discerning and faithful in our pluralistic world
(www.ransomfellowship.org). He edits Critique, blogs at A Glass Darkly, and is in the process
of writing books on learning to hear and on the shape of Christian faithfulness. He is a
visiting instructor in practical theology at Covenant Seminary.
Bruce Little is Senior Professor of Philosophy at Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary. He is the Director of the Francis A. Schaeffer Collection at Southeastern and
maintains an apologetic ministry in Eastern Europe. His latest book is titled, God, Why
this Evil? (Hamilton Books, 2010). Dr. Little and his wife Nancy have one daughter, Ann,
and two grandchildren.
Margie Haack and her husband Denis co-direct Ransom Fellowship, a ministry helping
Christians love and engage the world in winsome, thoughtful ways. Margie is author of
The Exact Place, a memoir of coming to faith, and a new collection of personal essays from
Notes From Toad Hall. You can find her blogging at toadsdrinkcoffee.blogspot.com.
Ron Lutjens serves as pastor of Old Orchard Church (PCA) in St. Louis, Missouri. He has
written and read extensively on the subject of homosexuality and Christian Faith. He
helped start and is on the board of directors of FirstLight, a ministry to people facing
sexual brokenness in their lives, including same-sex attraction. He holds degrees from
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and from Covenant Theological Seminary. Ron and his
wife Katherine have three children and seven grandchildren.
John Mason Hodges worked for 15 years as an orchestral conductor and taught arts and
cultural apologetics for 10 years at Crichton College. He founded and directs the Center
for Western Studies, a tutorial program that teaches college-aged students a Christian
worldview and the history of Western ideas. Hodges lectures on music, aesthetics, and
education, and lives in Memphis with his wife Day.
Ben Keyes grew up at L’Abri Fellowship in Massachusetts. He did his undergraduate degree
at Brown University in Ethnomusicology and is a musician in many different genres. He
Marvin Padgett earned his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama.
A teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, he served as Editorial VP at
Crossway for nine years and then at P&R Publishing for seven. He currently serves as
Interim Executive Director at Great Commission Publications. Marvin and his wife Jean
have three children and ten grandchildren.
Registration Form
Send registration form to: L’Abri Fellowship
1465 12th Ave NE • Rochester, MN 55906
Make checks payable to L’Abri Fellowship (Please Print Clearly)
sat u r d ay 3 : 3 0 - 4 : 4 5 • “ D ” W o r ks h o ps
5:00-6:15 In Search of Knowledge: Is there a
Destination or Just a Journey?........................Greg Jesson
6:15
Closing Remarks
For more information call L’Abri Fellowship in Rochester, MN
(507) 536-0108 or email us at rochester@labri.org
Names (Please include the full names of each attendee)
Student(s)*
Single(s)
Couple(s)
Children (under 18)**
Address
City
State
ZIP
Phone (
)
Email Address
Please choose your workshops as this will help us assign rooms
Sessions A
B
C
D
Online Registration is now available, and this brochure can
be downloaded, at www.labri.org. Workshop descriptions
can now be found online at www.labri.org
Tim Padgett Originally from Nashville, TN, Tim Padgett studied at Covenant Seminary in
St. Louis, where he worked at the Francis Schaeffer Institute. He and his wife Emmalee
and their three boys now live in Chicago where he is a doctoral student at Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School, working on 20th century American evangelicalism and
United States foreign policy.
AJ Poelarends is assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy at Wheaton College
(Illinois). He holds a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and
an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Besides his interest in questions
of science and faith, he also studies the role of worldview stories in our culture, and how
these shape our identity, our view of God and of this reality, and our ethics.
Clarke Scheibe is the director of Canadian L’Abri. He graduated from the University of
Mississippi with a B.A. in Literature, with an emphasis in creative writing, and from Regent
College in Vancouver, Canada with an M.Div. He has a wide variety of interests, such as
baking, short stories, biblical hermeneutics, and early blues music. He and his wife Julia
have two children, Samuel and Sarah Beth.
Larry Snyder worked in L’Abri for over 40 years and recently moved to Saint Louis to be
near family. Larry’s undergraduate degree was in history and political science. His M.Div.
in theology is from Covenant Seminary. His primary interests are in the created order, the
cultural mandate, and the history of the early church and the Reformation.
Mike Sugimoto (PhD) teaches courses on Japanese history and film and Asian Great
Books at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, with research interests in national identity
and social theories of modernity. He worked at the Swiss L’Abri from 1979-84, attending
the University of Minnesota and Cornell University for graduate work. He is married to
Carolyn Sugimoto and has two boys, Michael and Jack.
Workshop descriptions can now be found online at www.labri.org
The conference fee includes two formal lunches. Due to limited seating,
advance registration is necessary and must be received by Feb. 6, 2016.
After February 6, 2016, please add a $20/person late registration fee.
Attendees
#
Total
Number of Students......$85 Each*
Number of Singles......$110 Each
Number of Couples............. $210
Number of Children.......$60 Each**
Late Fee Per Person............... $20
After February 6, 2016
TOTAL DUE
Check Number
* For groups of 4 or more college students there is a discount rate of
$65/person.
** L imited Childcare is available during the day through the YMCA –
contact Jamie at jethcalv@aol.com for details
Registrations will be accepted at the door but will not include lunch.
There is a $30.00 non-refundable charge per registration form
for cancellations. No refunds for no-shows.