Rebuffing and Rejecting the Resurrection: An Explanation of Cavin and Colombetti
Christian academics, like Stephen T. Davis, and William Lane Craig, have often argued that it is rational (even scientific) to believe in the resurrection of Jesus because it provides the best explanation of the available evidence (e.g., the biblical witness and the martyrdom of the apostles). In the latest issue of SHERM (Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry), the academic journal published by the GCRR (Global Center for Religious Research), Robert Cavin and Carlos Colombetti have refuted such arguments by explaining how the Standard Model of physics entails that such an event is implausible and has low explanatory power.
Their paper is brilliant and I expect it to reverberate within the academic community. The paper is highly technical, however, and as such I don’t think the general populace will have an opportunity to read and understand it. Because I think an appreciation of their conclusion is very important, it is my goal here to lay out in easy—or at least easier—to understand terms (1) why “Jesus was resurrected” is not the best explanation of the cited evidence, and (2) how such a resurrection event being contrary to the standard model of physics is relevant to establishing that is not.
To do so, I will use the method for comparing and evaluating hypotheses that I have taught to college freshmen for about 15 years: Ted Schick’s SEARCH method. State the claim. Examine the evidence for the claim. Consider Alternative hypotheses. Rate, according to the Criteria of adequacy, each Hypothesis. I will explicate each step as I do so.
Christian academics, like Stephen T. Davis, and William Lane Craig, have often argued that it is rational (even scientific) to believe in the resurrection of Jesus because it provides the best explanation of the available evidence (e.g., the biblical witness and the martyrdom of the apostles). In the latest issue of SHERM (Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry), the academic journal published by the GCRR (Global Center for Religious Research), Robert Cavin and Carlos Colombetti have refuted such arguments by explaining how the Standard Model of physics entails that such an event is implausible and has low explanatory power.