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Resurrection?
So What?

Every Easter, the Resurrection of Christ returns front and center to the public arena. The debate surrounding the veracity of this radical claim never goes away. This is true for good reason: on the whole, most skeptics and believers alike (including the Apostle Paul writing in the New Testament) agree that the bodily resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone--the very linchpin--of Christianity, without which the whole religion is rendered hollow and meaningless.

The claim that the Resurrection accounts in the Gospels collide and a rebuttal to that position are represented in the resources below. We also present other articles on the topic of the trustworthiness of Scripture, especially regarding the Resurrection. We provide an entire section by Dr. William Lane Craig, a leading Christian apologist, featuring a debate on God's existence that appeals to the Resurrection heavily and seven essays surrounding the Resurrection and miracles.

Aside from philosophical and historical issues, many ask what real difference a resurrection of a religious figure could make to them. If it is historical fact (and how do we know that?), does that necessitate a closer look at Christ's other claims (e.g., to be God) and other purported miracles? What is promised to those who put their faith in His Resurrection and all that it means? What does it mean, according to the Bible and those who claim hope based on the experience of a changed life? And, how can believers offer something of worth to skeptics at Eastertide? All of this is available in our Special Focus.

—Byron Barlowe, Editor/Webmaster, Leadership University


Dr. William Lane Craig:

Articles: Historical Jesus
LU Faculty Office of Dr. Craig
This collection of essays deeply examines the various arguments against the historical Christ, particularly focusing on His bodily resurrection.

The Craig-Tooley Debate: Does God Exist?
William Lane Craig and Michael Tooley
In 1994 Dr. Michael Tooley, representing the atheist view, and Dr. William Lane Craig, from the Christian theist perspective, debated on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. These scholars discussed the evidence for and against the existence of God, presenting some of the most current thinking on the issues--including the resurrection of Christ.


Opposing Viewpoint and Rebuttal:

Leave No Stone Unturned: An Easter Challenge For Christians
Dan Barker
"I HAVE AN EASTER challenge for Christians. My challenge is simply this: tell me what happened on Easter. I am not asking for proof. My straightforward request is merely that Christians tell me exactly what happened on the day that their most important doctrine was born."

Do the Resurrection accounts HOPELESSLY contradict one another?
Glenn Miller
Miller addresses issues like those raised in the article above, and gives plausible harmonies for the Resurrection events.


Feature Articles:

Cruci-fiction and Resuscitation: The Greatest Hoax in the History of Humanity?
Russ Wise
A paid advertisement in a campus newspaper declaring Christ's resurrection a hoax was deeply disturbing to its readers. This essay raises nine problems with the ad and answers them.

What Is The Meaning Of The Resurrection?
The Net Bible Institute: The Bible Answer Page
If Jesus did not come back from the dead, then can Christianity have any meaning for humankind? The Bible teaches that Christ's resurrection provides many things for those who believe in Him. If we concur that the resurrection did take place, then so what? What does it mean?

"Why Do The Gospel Accounts Contradict Each Other?"
Probe Ministries, from "Probe Answers Our E-Mail"
Pat Zukeran answers this common question.

What Do We Have to Offer People this Easter?
Mike Sorgius
Grace is the greatest thing that we can receive and the greatest thing we can share with others.

The Resurrection: Fact or Fiction?
Pat Zukeran
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in history and the one essential cornerstone for the Christian faith to be true. This essay examines the historical evidence for the Resurrection and demonstrates why five common explanations for it are not valid.

The Historical Veracity of the Resurrection Narratives
Greg Herrick, Ph.D.
Harrick ends his introduction, "...There is a need to evaluate the accounts of the resurrection. In this sense the study is partly a response to the critics who, while closed off to the possibility of the resurrection (due in large measure to their antisupernaturalistic worldview), nonetheless, attempt to refit the Gospel data into some scheme which they assert reflects a genuine picture of the historical Jesus. Finally, one might add that the discussion of this issue is not for academicians only, but also for the general public, as both the popularization of the materials of the Jesus Seminar and recent articles in Time Magazine and Newsweek make clear."

The "I AM" Sayings Prove Jesus to be Divine
Adel Mohammed El Naggar, World Religions Index
This essay by a Muslim who converted to Christianity has an interesting section on Christ's claim to be "the resurrection and the life." El Nagger writes,"...Besides His own bodily resurrection, I genuinely believe that it is in the 'I am' sayings of Jesus that we are presented with some of the clearest assertions, affirmations and proof of His divinity. For in them we have the very words of Jesus concerning His 'true identity'."

The Story of Mohammed
World Religions Index
"Once the New Testament was proved to be reliable, the next step was to prove what it teaches, which is basically that Jesus was crucified, buried, rose on the third day and then ascended to heaven. I read numerous books on this topic, both Islamic and Christian. When I looked at the evidence side by side, the case for crucifixion and resurrection was much stronger than the case for no death as taught by the Qur'an."


Related Articles:

The Ethics of Self-Sacrifice
John Milbank
Milbank explores the ethical and philosophical assumptions behind the Postmodern link between death and the ethical and argues that resurrection, not death, is the ground of the ethical.

Probing the Shroud of Turin
Michael Gleghorn
In this article we will examine evidence both for and against the claim that the Shroud of Turin is the actual burial garment of Jesus. My goal is simply to present the evidence. I will leave the verdict to the reader.



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