free-resources | finding truth matters

RESPONDING TO CELEBRITY DECONSTRUCTIONISM

by Andrew Corbett | 2022 Mar, 13 | Apologetics

Several high-profile Christian performing artists have famously deconstructed their Christianity and have frequently also described it as deconverting. This includes DC Talk’s Kevin Max, and Hawk Nelson’s John Steingard and former pastor and best-selling author, Josh Harris. These stories have frequently rocked the faith of younger believers—especially since many of these deconstructed celebrities actually encourage these younger believers to deconvert. If you’re being influenced by a deconverted Christian celebrity to consider deconverting yourself, then please consider the following information.

5 Threats The Church Will Face Over The Next 5 Years and How We Must Respond

by Andrew Corbett | 2019 Aug, 5 | Culture

In some respects, the Church has always been under threat as it has faced attacks from three perpetual sources – the world, the flesh, and the devil – or, to put it another way, from: external forces, internal forces, and spiritual forces.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
-Ephesians 6:12

From the outset of the Church’s inception, it has been under threat. Initially, the Church was threaten by the Jewish Sanhedrin. They viewed Christianity as a sect of Judaism and strictly forbad the Jewish apostles of the Christ from preaching the Christian message.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE – How to best spend the last 3 seconds of your life!

by Andrew Corbett | 2018 Jul, 5 | Pastoral

LIFE HAS ONE CERTAINTY

We used to say that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. But life has only one certainty – we will all die. The death-rate is still 100%! Yet faced with this absolute certainty, too few people think about it and even fewer people take steps to prepare for it and what lies beyond it. And, as it turns out, not even many people who have become Christians have given much thought either! But I have something to say to those who think religion – and Christianity in particular – is (at best) irrelevant. Please give me just three minutes now – and just three seconds later!

WHY DO PEOPLE CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY?

Christians have sometimes been accused of promoting a pie-in-the-sky message. But the social research reveals a pretty clear message about why people convert to Christianity. Here are the top three reasons why people become Christians-

1. I was raised in a Christian home.

2. I had a religious experience (answered prayer, dream/vision, etc.)

3. I had a need that converting to Christianity met (drug/alcohol deliverance, marriage repair, loneliness, poverty relief, etc.)

Conversely, the top three reasons why people reject Christianity are –

Science has now disproven Christianity.
Too many doubts about the Bible’s claims.
Too many Christians are hypocrites.
…

The Morality Of Hell

by Andrew Corbett | 2017 Oct, 4 | articles

Heaven and Hell are commonly presented as either the benefit or the consequence of how a person responds to God. It’s as if people think that the whole point of religion is to get people into Heaven and to keep them out of Hell. From this “religious” perspective, Heaven is Ultimate Bliss, Paradise, Perfect Beauty – while Hell is Fire, Eternal Punishment, Anguish, Torment, and The Devil’s Domain.

The Bible For Left-Handers

by Andrew Corbett | 2018 Dec, 23 | Devotions

There are some obscure verses in the Bible that seem to make is difficult for anyone claiming that every word of the Bible is inspired. These obscure verses tend to pop-up through the Old Testament. Some of them seem random. Some of them seem out of place. Take Judges 20:16 as an example-
Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
Judges 20:16

Some people who believe the Bible to be divinely inspired resolve these obscure verses by using a combination of ignoring them and ascribing to them a “lesser” divine inspiration. But if the Bible’s own claims about itself are taken seriously, then this approach can not be reconciled with such claims.
One of the primary claims of the Bible is that it is uniquely authoritative (2Timothy 3:16-17).

THE LOGIC OF TRUTH

by Andrew Corbett | 2019 May, 1 | Philosophy

If the New York Times is right, there is a lot of public support given to paperback authors who attack Christianity at the moment. In recent times they have ranked several books in their Best Sellers List which have made almost shrill allegations against Christianity. One of these “NY Times Listed Best Selling Books” was brought to me by a member of our local community who is investigating his spiritual options. He asked me if I would give him a “Christian response” to it. This particular book, THE NEW REVELATIONS – A Conversation with God, presents itself as a reasoned and rational approach to understanding God and our relationship to Him and then to each other. It claims to be a direct “revelation” from “God”. From all reports this book has made a significant impact on the way millions of people regard God and how we should live. For those familiar with the Bible it shouldn’t take long to recognise that the message of this book could not be either a revelation from God or even about God. But for those not familiar with the Bible, but familiar with the principles of logic, they too should be able to detect that this book has no credibility to what it claims.

About C.S. Lewis

by Andrew Corbett | 2022 Nov, 19 | Biographical

Clive Staples Lewis was born in 1898 in Northern Ireland. As a young child he was a voracious reader. He developed a passion for the classics, medieval poetry, and mythology. He entered into Oxford University College in 1915, enlisted as an officer in the British Army, was wounded in France just after his 19th birthday, returned to England to recuperate, and after the war returned to Oxford where he completed three Firsts.

THE MYTH OF SAFE, LEGAL, AND RARE

by Andrew Corbett | 2021 Feb, 18 | Ethics

It’s reported that President Bill Clinton was the first to coin the phrase, “Abortion should be safe, legal and rare.” This clever sounding phrase was designed to be a politically safe appeasement for both the ‘Pro-Life’ and the ‘Pro-Choice’ camps. Due to the political success of this phrase it has been picked up by other politicians around the world who are also seeking to avoid polarising their electorate. But I consider this phrase absolutely non-sensical and utterly morally indefensible. Here’s why.

WHAT ABOUT SOGI CONVERSION PRACTICES?

by Andrew Corbett | 2021 Jan, 19 | Public_Policy

Several jurisdictions around the world have introduced SOGI (Sexual Orientation Gender Identity) Conversion laws to restrict promotion of attempts made by groups or individuals to convert non-heterosexuals to heterosexuality. In December 2020, the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) had several groups from among the LGBTQA+ communities approach them and refer them to the possible need to reform the law in response to SOGI Conversion practices. The TLRI accepted their reference and issued an Issues Paper (#31) and has invited public consultation on their paper which calls for the outlawing of ‘conversion practices’. There are several underlying premises in the TLRI Issues Paper, many of which I have addressed in my submission to the Institute which you can view here.

Does Genesis 1 Contradict Genesis 2

by Andrew Corbett | 2018 May, 28 | Commentaries, Theology

The foundation of the Bible and Christianity is the opening story of Genesis – about how God created the world- especially its claim that God created Adam and Eve as the parents of all humanity. If this opening account is wrong, the very foundation for believing the Bible is destroyed! But if this account of creation is the pillar of truth, why are the two opening chapters so contradictory? Or are they?

A Novel Conspiracy

by Andrew Corbett | 2017 Sep, 29 | Culture, Marriage

Just over a hundred years ago, a group of Trinity College, Cambridge students formed a covert society called the “Midnight Society”. Many of the Society members became professors at Cambridge, while others became famous novelists, playwrights and authors. At a time when Christians generally considered fiction grossly inferior to non-fiction (and theologically devotional writings), the members of the Midnight Society were strategically using it. They understood that the values and the morals of a nation could be influenced by the fiction it consumed. And they had a radical agenda…

THE 10 BIBLICAL PRIORITIES AND PURPOSES FOR A LOCAL CHURCH

by Andrew Corbett | 2024 May, 18 | Ecclesiology, Theology

Christianity is both a vertical and a horizontal relationship. It is a vertical relationship of the believer with God; and, it is a horizontal relationship of a believer with other believers who are also a part of the body of Christ. This horizontal relationship is transacted within a local context in which God places the believer. Below are the ten priorities and purposes for a local church in which the believer is a vital participant…