Towards Belief

Towards Belief

DEFUSING THE BELIEF BLOCKERS OF OUR TIME. Towards Belief is a 10 part series seeking to defuse the belief blockers of our time. Based on research in Australia in 2011 conducted for Olive Tree Media, Towards Belief follows pastor and host, Karl Faase as he travels to the UK, USA and Australia to interview over 30 of the world’s leading thinkers on topics like suffering, science, exclusivity and more.
11 episodes
28 mins per episode

Trailer

Is it reasonable to be a person of faith? How can we deal with issues of suffering, science, violence, abuse and the supernatural in our consideration of God? Towards Belief is a series that set out to provide responses to these big questions – questions that our research found blocks people from considering faith and belief.

2 mins

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Episode 01 - Suffering

Episode 01 - Suffering

The issue of how to reconcile human pain and suffering with the idea of a good God is a universal question. Many people have identified suffering as the reason why they can’t believe in God. How can Christians believe in an all-powerful God who allows suffering? Does the fact of suffering mean that God is not a God of love? Or does it mean God is impotent—unable to stop the suffering? Or does suffering prove there is no God?

28 mins

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Episode 02 - The Bible

Episode 02 - The Bible

Critics of Christianity say that the decision to base one’s life on the teachings of the Bible, an ancient, archaic text, is foolhardy. The Bible’s historical reliability is questioned, as is any mention of the supernatural in the text. Also, some of the Bible’s teachings, particularly those from the Old Testament, appear irrelevant to modern life. The following episode explores some of these questions: Should we take the Bible literally? Is it a trustworthy and reliable document, or a work of fiction? How do we apply its teaching to today’s world? Is it simply foolish to stake our lives on this book?

28 mins

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Episode 03 - Supernatural

Episode 03 - Supernatural

Christians believe in the supernatural. The Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, contain extraordinary accounts of miraculous interventions by God, including the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In a secular, ‘scientific’ age, some people cite the supernatural elements of the biblical narrative as a reason not to take Christianity seriously. Is it reasonable to believe in the supernatural? Or is it a fairy tale for weak-minded people?

28 mins

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Episode 04 - Religious Violence

Episode 04 - Religious Violence

Christopher Hitchens’ book God Is Not Great is subtitled, “How religion poisons everything”. The New Atheists (as Hitchens and other writers have been labelled) are vocal in their claim that religion is not good for the world but is instead “the root of all evil”. In Christianity’s case, terrible events from Christian history are used to show that great evils have been done in Christ’s name. The Bible, particularly the Old Testament, also comes under attack, as an ancient out-of-date text that encourages atrocities and condones violent practices. Is this a reasonable position to hold? Does religion cause violence? Would the world be less violent without religion? Does the Bible condone violence? We attempt to unpack these questions in this episode.

28 mins

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Episode 05 - Exclusive Faith

Episode 05 - Exclusive Faith

Christians claim that only a trust in Jesus can put a person in a right relationship with God. In an increasingly pluralistic world the idea of an absolute truth is out of vogue, and therefore the exclusivity of Christianity’s claim is confronting. This claim appears intolerant or even bigoted because it necessarily assumes that all other religions and worldviews are wrong. Are the exclusive claims of Christianity reasonable, ridiculous or even dangerous? And what does this mean for other worldviews?

28 mins

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Episode 06 - Church Abuse

Episode 06 - Church Abuse

In countries like Australia, Ireland and the USA sexual abuse scandals, particularly where they have involved the abuse of children, have rocked the Church and led many people to feel they can no longer trust the institution. The Church has understandably been called hypocritical because such abuse is against its own moral teaching and because instances of cover-ups have emerged in the very institution that should be protecting the vulnerable people in its care. Why has this happened and what is the Church doing about this? Can we trust Church leadership in the future? Do the failings of individual Christians count against the faith itself? Can we have any faith in Christianity when some of its leaders have acted so badly? These are the topics for this important episode.

28 mins

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Episode 07 - Science and God

Episode 07 - Science and God

We live in a ‘scientific age’ and in our modern world the scientific mindset is one that is honoured and elevated. For many, science represents that which is logical and verifiable, whereas religion is seen as superstitious and irrational. Richard Dawkins and the New Atheists claim that science and religion are diametrically opposed and that science has removed the need for God. Do science and faith go together or are they natural enemies?

28 mins

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Episode 08 - Homosexuality

Episode 08 - Homosexuality

Since the 1960’s sexual revolution, there has been significant change in the morals of Western nations around sexual morality. This has led to changes in what our community views as reasonable and acceptable sexual behaviour. In modern Western society, an active homosexual lifestyle is increasingly accepted and celebrated as an expression of human sexuality. The push for gay marriage has gained momentum and has been successful in some parts of the West. By and large the Church teaches that homosexual sex is contrary to Biblical teaching and so this issue places Christians significantly out of step with much of the rest of society. So, is the Church just being homophobic? Is it on the wrong side of history and soon to be laughed at by future generations?

28 mins

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Episode 09 - The Church

Episode 09 - The Church

In the eyes of some people today, Christianity is virtually irrelevant and the institution of the Church hopelessly outdated. The decline of the Church in the West in the last 60 years has been steep and dramatic. In the UK regular church attendance - which stood at around 50 per cent in the middle of the 19th century - had, by 2005, declined to 6.3 per cent of the population. Similar patterns are found in other parts of the Western world. In France, only 5 per cent go to church on a weekend and only 10 per cent think religion is important. Australia had a church attendance rate of 44 per cent in 1950. Today it is 17 per cent. So what is the future of the Church? Will it find a place in a contemporary, fast-paced and technological environment? Does Christianity still have something to offer the 21st Century? That’s what we’ll be asking in this episode.

28 mins

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Episode 10 - Towards Belief

Episode 10 - Towards Belief

The past nine episodes have highlighted the faith of a diverse group of people - men and women from across the world who have staked their lives on the claims of the Bible. Their stories recount different experiences on a journey towards belief. Some came to follow Jesus reluctantly, others slowly, while others experienced a dramatic and radical change of direction. What does it mean to take a step of faith? What does it involve? And what do we do with our doubts about God?

28 mins