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[This] is the most important question regarding the claims of the Christian faith. Certainly no question in modern religious history demands more attention or interest, as witnessed by the vast body of literature dealing with the Resurrection. James I. Packer says it well in his response to this debate:
'When Christians are asked to make good their claim that this scheme is truth, they point to Jesus' resurrection. The Easter event, so they affirm, demonstrated Jesus' deity; validated his teaching; attested to the completion of his work of atonement for sin; confirms his present cosmic dominion and coming reappearance as Judge; assures us that his personal pardon, presence, and power in people's lives today is fact; and guarantees each believer's own reembodiment by Resurrection in the world to come.'
The Apostle Paul considered the Resurrection to be the cornerstone of the Christian faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, the whole structure, Christianity, collapses. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:14-17, 'And if Christ has not been raised, 'our preaching is useless and so is you faith.' More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God. . . . And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile [emphasis added].' The Christian faith-and its claim to be Truth-exists only if Jesus rose from the dead. The heart of Christianity is a living Christ.
About the author
Gary Habermas is author of 'Ancient Evidence for the Life of Jesus: Historical Records of His Death and Resurrection,' 'The Resurrection of Jesus,' and 'The Verdict on the Shroud.' He teaches at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Antony Flew, a professor emeritus at Kiele University is author of 'The Presumption of Atheism,' 'New Essays in Philosophical Theology,' 'God and Philosophy,' and 'A Rational Animal.' Terry L. Miethe is dean of the Oxford Study Centre, Oxford, England, professor of philosophy at Liberty University, and an adjunct professor at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He is the author of 'The New Christian's Guide to Following Jesus' and 'The Christian's Guide to Faith and Reason.'
