About the Author
Steven Colborne is a British-Dutch philosopher, author, and musician. He was born in 1982 in Cambridge, England, grew up in Abingdon near Oxford, and moved to London in 2000 to study. He is a first class BA (Hons) graduate of the University of Westminster and holds a PG Cert in Philosophy and Religion from the University of London.
Colborne is the author of several acclaimed books in the philosophical theology genre, including the bestselling God’s Grand Game: Divine Sovereignty and the Cosmic Playground, the spiritual memoir The Philosophy of a Mad Man, and others. In 2012, he established Perfect Chaos, a popular philosophy and theology blog on which he has written over 500 articles for a readership of over 6000 subscribers from more than 200 different countries.
The Only Question You Ever Need Ask
Steven Colborne
Copyright
TEALIGHT BOOKS
London, England
www.tealightbooks.com
The Only Question You Ever Need Ask
Copyright © Steven Colborne 2020
The right of Steven Colborne to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the copyright holder.
ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-9162015-3-8
ISBN (Kindle): 978-1-9162015-4-5
ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-9162015-5-2
This book is dedicated to my sister, Femke, who has a depth of compassion that is rare and beautiful.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. How Do I Know God Exists?
3. Why Focus on Christianity?
4. What is Double Predestination?
5. Why Focus on Double Predestination as the Most Important Christian Doctrine?
6. Is the Doctrine of Double Predestination True?
7. Is Double Predestination God’s Only Plan for Humankind?
8. Conclusion
Epilogue
Also by Steven Colborne
Web Links and Contact Details
Notes
Introduction
In writing this essay, I aim to get to the heart of the greatest problem faced by every human being and by humankind as a whole. The question, which I describe as the only question you ever need ask, and which I will state at the end of this introduction, is the fundamental question I have arrived at after spending my entire adult life exploring all of the major problems of philosophy and theology – problems such as ‘Is there a God?’, ‘How can I be happy?’, ‘What is the meaning of life?’, and ‘What is Truth?’.
My search to answer these questions, which I will call my spiritual journey, has taken me from atheism (the belief that there is no God) to New Age spirituality (including practices such as yoga and meditation), to Hinduism and Buddhism (including spiritual retreats and Satsang with various gurus ¹), to psychological therapy (including psychiatry, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, body psychotherapy, and more), and finally to Christianity and the spiritual practices of its various denominations.
How my spiritual journey unfolded in such a way as to lead me to see the Christian faith as
