The Only Question You Ever Need Ask
Description
The Only Question You Ever Need Ask is a theological essay in which philosopher Steven Colborne explores what is arguably the most important question for anyone interested in faith and spirituality.
As a teenager, Colborne was an atheist. However, after a series of transformative experiences in his 20s, he became a born again evangelical Christian. Having surrendered his life to Jesus Christ at the age of 25, Colborne returned to university to study a postgraduate certificate in Philosophy and Religion and over the course of the next decade proceeded to write over a dozen books and 400+ articles related to philosophical theology.
The Only Question You Ever Need Ask is a short book that was written by Colborne with the aim of helping spiritual seekers to consider an important matter at the heart of the Christian faith. With reference to some of the most prominent theologians in history, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Saint Augustine and others, Colborne discusses why the subject of predestination should be a central consideration for Christians and anyone interested in spirituality.
Despite being a relatively short book, The Only Question You Ever Need Ask is densely packed with theological insight. While the question referred to in the book's title is related to predestination, many other related theological issues are discussed in the essay, including free will, determinism, the doctrine of hell, the nature of God, and more. The book is ideally suited both to committed Christians and spiritual seekers looking to explore the Christian faith.
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The Only Question You Ever Need Ask - Steven Colborne
THE ONLY QUESTION YOU EVER NEED ASK
STEVEN COLBORNE
Tealight BooksCOPYRIGHT
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 everyone who has ever prayed for me. In praying for me, you gave me the greatest gift a human being can give.
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
About the Author
Web Links
Also by Steven Colborne
Notes
1
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 key to making sense of life’s mysteries is a long story which I will only touch upon in this essay, but I have written a book which recounts my spiritual journey in detail and which is readily available for anyone who is curious. ²
Before I lose any readers who are not sympathetic to the Christian faith, I should note that I did not land upon the Christian faith and settle into some kind of blind acceptance. I did, however, find that Christianity was the perspective which enabled me to grapple with life’s big questions in the deepest possible way. This will be apparent to readers as we get into the substance of the essay.
It would obviously be impossible to go into depth regarding every important