Shelter for honest questions

What is L'Abri?

The L’Abri communities are study centers where individuals have the opportunity to seek answers to honest questions about God and the significance of human life. L’Abri believes that Christianity speaks to all aspects of life.

What can I learn?

People come to L’Abri with a variety of questions. Some want to explore whether Christianity is true; others whether it is relevant to their lives in the modern world.

Some are struggling with personal questions of meaning, purpose and direction;
others want to understand what the Christian faith has to say concerning their areas of interest or study.

Our aim is to provide a shelter within which people can work towards finding honest answers to their questions.

Where is L'Abri?

Residential branches:

Massachussetts
Minnesota
Canada
Holland
Switzerland
England
South Korea

Other L’Abri works:

Brazil
Brazil South
South Africa
Australia

How did it start?

L’Abri is French for shelter. The first L’Abri community was founded in Switzerland in 1955 by Francis and Edith Schaeffer. Dr. Schaeffer was a Christian theologian and philosopher who also authored a number of books on theology, philosophy, culture and the arts.

Where can I learn more?

Explore how Christianity relates to areas of life such as:

philosophy, culture, the arts, psychology, gender, sociology, history, theology, politics, economics, science, and ecology. 

For decades the branches of L’Abri have been recording lectures and making them available for the use of anyone who is interested.
 
On the Ideas Library you will find over 2,500 lectures presenting Christian ideas that engage contemporary issues, the history of thought, religious topics, Christian doctrine, personal questions and more.
 
The L’Abri Ideas Library is the official collection of L’Abri lectures online and we hope it helps you find both new questions and new answers.

Every year L’Abri conferences open for a wide range of talks on important topics that will help us grasp our cultural moment.

What happens at L'Abri?

Each day we provide personal study time and the opportunity to discuss issues over lunch or after lectures.

But L’Abri is much more than just a study centre. We believe that people are whole persons who learn and grow in many different ways.

So L’Abri is also about living together and relating to one another; it is about taking part in community life and helping with the practical tasks of everyday life; it is about being creative and enjoying life together.