Church leaders gathered last night to launch a new DVD series that "defuses the belief blockers of our time".

Towards Belief, hosted by Karl Faase, explores issues like church abuse, suffering, the supernatural and homosexuality, talking to theologians and Christian leaders to canvas views on these tough topics.

With widespread praise in Australia, the DVD and resource pack is now being launched in the UK by Authentic Media.

Before making the series, Faase, a former Baptist minister, carried out research into the state of faith and spirituality in Australia.

The results, which many think are comparable with the UK, shows that despite church attendance falling, six out of 10 people say they are Christian when questioned.

The survey also showed that while most aren't "active", a large percentage are "warm" to the teachings and principles of Christianity.

These 'belief blockers', the issues that stop people having a faith, tended to be about the Church itself, and less about moral issues, the results suggested.

Over 1,000 Australians took part in the research, which found church abuse was the main belief blocker for those open to Christianity. Second was hypocrisy, followed by the view that the Church judges.

Surprisingly, homosexuality placed nine out of 10 on the list of issues that turn people off the faith.

The Towards Belief series takes these issues and collates a range of expert views from thirty leading authors, speakers and apologists in the UK, US and Australia.

For more information about Towards Belief or to buy the DVD resource, please visit the Authentic Media website here.