The Importance of the Resurrection for Apologetics

I remember a few months ago, a good Facebook friend of mine, who is an atheist that I greatly respect, asked me: "What would it take to falsify your belief in Christianity"?

Another Christian, one who had been locked in passionate (but respectful) debate with said atheist friend listed, amongst other things, that if it could be shown that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, then that would convince him that Christianity was false.

I posted another comment in agreement.

Today is Easter Sunday. The rest of the house is asleep while I am headbanging and playing air guitar to metal legends Living Sacrifice. Such is the typical Sunday afternoon at my house. Yet for all it is worth, today is no ordinary day. Today is the day we celebrate the one event that, if true, is the single most monumental event that will ever take place in the entire history of existence: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that the resurrection is what will make or break Christianity:

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith. In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Therefore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (HCSB)

As an apologist, if there is one area I believe that every Christian should be an expert in, it would be the resurrection. I would argue that all other areas of apologetics (philosophical, scientific, historical, ect) are useless endeavors apart from the resurrection of Christ. If it did not happen, then apologetics would be the most delusional waste of time, as time and effort would be trying to spent justifying something that is not possible because the main ingredient - the resurrection - never happened. While the question of God's existence would still be open even if it could be shown that Jesus did not rise from the dead, it would demonstrate one thing: Jesus Christ is not God, and Christianity is a joke.

Am I suggesting that apologists all become specialists in defending the resurrection? Absolutely not. I am saying that every apologist (and for that matter, every Christian) should be well learned in the following:

• The failed attempts to try and disprove the resurrection: the swoon theory, the hallucination theory, ect.
• The Christian scholars who have written on the resurrection - and their atheist/unbelieving counterparts.
• An accurate understanding of the crucifixion timeline (and how to reconcile the divergent accounts into one seamless narrative)

As a novice apologist, I am learning more all the time. While my preferred specialty is philosophical apologetics, I am constantly learning and willing to learn. If anything, apologetics is a process - nobody turns into an expert into anything overnight. I think it would be well summed up to say that the more knowledgeable we are about the resurrection, the better.

This Saturday, I am showcasing the recent William Lane Craig/Richard Carrier debate "Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?" to my students. I am stepping down in about a month, and it would pain me if I did not do something apologetic related in my time here (if, after the summer, God's will is that I continue to work with the youth, then that will be a far more dominating focus), and given that it is Easter season, showcasing a recent debate on the resurrection seems like a pretty good idea. [rant] I think the church is shooting itself in the foot for not making apologetic training a priority - no, a requirement - for youth ministers to teach. The church wonders why so many Christians abandon their faith when they arrive to college, and I would openly (and fiercely!)  contend that it is because we do not focus on things like apologetics! [/rant] I have even received permission from my BSM leader to promote the event amongst our BSM college group, so my college friends can benefit from this as well. Needless to say, I greatly desire that apologetics become an active focus amongst the church today, and it has to start somewhere - why not during Easter, during the time which we celebrate that which is the most essential foundation to our faith?

As I type this post, I have been listening to Living Sacrifice's masterpiece-of-a-comeback album "The Infinite Order". It is now the closing track, and as the beautiful acoustic guitar intro fades into an epic and emotion lead riff, I close this post with the following lyrics. If Christians can understand and comprehend the importance of the resurrection and defend it, then there will be no need for lines like this:

You have a new way
Is it a better way?
Once I saw you proclaim
Now there's slight disdain
Why keep that title, what has changed? Is God so different?
Why keep that title, what has changed? Is He not the same?

Love is present, grace abounds
What happened here? Was the world so enticing?
Denial is treachery hard to reconcile
Call it for what it really is
Don't make excuses
Call it for what it really is
Go ahead apostasy