On the Resurrection: Evidences, Vol. 1, by Gary Habermas

This book by my friend Gary Habermas just came out. It's volume 1 of an expected 4 volumes. They represent the culmination of decades of research that he spent on a lifelong quest to defend the resurrection of Jesus. Other notables who have done a great deal of research on the resurrection include William Lane Craig, Michael Licona, and NT Wright. 

The reason why so much research has been devoted to the resurrection claim is because it is the linchpin upon which everything else hangs when it comes to a  Bible believing faith. If Jesus was raised from the dead their faith is not in vain, Paul tells them. But it also provides the justification for believing in a miracle working god of the Bible, including the story of the garden of Eden, Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac, the Exodus, and all other miracles, including the virgin birthed son of a god. It also guarantees the return of Jesus, and his promise of everlasting reward in a heavenly existence.   

Gary and I have met and have emailed each other for more than a dozen years. He invited me to Skype into a class of PhD students [in June 2020] who were majoring in Apologetics to discuss my book, The Case Against Miracles. 

Having known about his upcoming set of books I suggested a blurb he could use based on his previous writings:

My friend Gary Habermas has produced the most exhaustive defense of the indefensible claim of faith in the resurrection of Jesus that has ever been attempted. No non-Christian who cares to argue otherwise can avoid it. [Sent on February 18, 2020]

Of course, I wasn't saying non-Christians should read and study his four books, only that non-Christians who wish to persuade Christians otherwise should do so. It's a one stop set of books on the resurrection. Amazon Link. He also wrote this blurb to the right for me:

Unfortunately I don't see my blurb in volume one. I thought we were trading blurbs. Maybe he just changed his mind. I'll ask him soon enough.  

As my blurb alludes to, belief in the resurrection of Jesus is indefensible, and it's indefensible precisely because it's a claim of faith that cannot be professed based on historical research using the tools of the historian, and there is no other method to reasonably conclude what did, or did not take place in history.

Dr. Vincent J. Torley was convinced of this after reading through Michael J. Alter's book Resurrection: A Critical Inquiry. Read it for yourself. Torley now admits historical research cannot lead reasonable people to accept the resurrection miracle of Jesus. LINK.

One would think that if God had provided better evidence for such a faith claim it would no longer be a faith claim, but a claim that reasonable people could reason to. As it stands, all apologetics is either special pleading, presupposing the conclusion, skirting the real issues, and so forth.