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EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST A Challenge for Skeptics [ NOTE: For a response to the book The Empty Tomb: Jesus Beyond the Grave (Prometheus, 2005) by Lowder / Price see the free 500+ page E-book This Joyful Eastertide: A Critical Review of The Empty Tomb  (PDF) by Steve Hays, et al (c) 2006 ] A reasonable challenge to the skeptic is this: If it can be proved that Jesus really rose from the dead, will you believe in him? For if he really rose, that validates his claim to be divine and not merely human, for resurrection from...

Christ and the Christian It would be impertinent to speak of a Christian without first trying to find out about Christ. Calling someone Christian only indicates that in some fashion he resembles Christ. But Who is Christ? Why are there millions of people who call themselves Christians? Philosophers have given their name to disciples who follow their system of thought Platonists, Thomists, Kantists, Marxists. None of these, however, have attained the prodigious continued devotion that Christ inspires in His followers. Even Buddhism, which demands a total surrender to its rules, has very little to say about Buddha himself, whose image...

Activists Denounce Stalin in Station 28 August 2009 By Kristina Mikulova / Special to The Moscow Times The freshly renovated Kurskaya metro station reopened this week as the newest front in a bitter controversy over the legacy of Soviet leader Josef Stalin, whose name was returned to the facade after more than 50 years. The entrance hall of the Circle Line station once again bears a verse from the 1944 version of the Soviet anthem: “Stalin raised us to be loyal to the nation; He inspired us to work and be heroic.” Human rights activists condemned the reference to Stalin...

The talk on Death and Resurrection: Gifts from a Loving Heavenly Father can be heard or watched

Our Lord's Resurrection was real, not metaphorical By Brian Welter 29 May 2009 The Christ from Death Arisen by Robert Geis University Press of America, £22.95 'History is the route we chose to show Christ as a real figure in the human community of first century Judea," writes Robert Geis, rejecting allegorical or literary interpretations of the gospels. The evangelists are historical witnesses to the risen Christ, and he shows us how that is so. In this extraordinary book Geis takes on over a century of biblical studies. He counters the oft-repeated claim that interpretation of the Bible in the...

    The Remarkable Doctrine and Covenants Robert J. Woodford, “The Remarkable Doctrine and Covenants,” Ensign, Jan 1997, 42 The central figure in the book is the Lord Jesus Christ. In it he reveals light and truth promised through the prophets of old.The Doctrine and Covenants is a unique book of scripture, standing as a witness that God reveals his will to mankind through living prophets today. It is, as President Ezra Taft Benson pointed out, “the only book in the world that has a preface written by the Lord Himself.” 1 Through this book, our Father in Heaven revealed himself...

On the Resurrection VATICAN CITY, APRIL 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, The usual General Audience on Wednesday is pervaded today with spiritual joy, that joy which no suffering or pain can annul. Because joy arises from the certainty that Christ, through his death and resurrection, has definitively triumphed over evil and death. "Christ is risen, Alleluia!" - the Church sings in celebration. And this festive atmosphere, the sentiments typical of Easter, continue not only this week...

Resurrection is historical reality, Benedict XVI tells world in ‘Urbi et Orbi’ Easter message From the depths of my heart, I wish all of you a blessed Easter. To quote Saint Augustine, "Resurrectio Domini, spes nostra -- the resurrection of the Lord is our hope" (Sermon 261:1). With these words, the great Bishop explained to the faithful that Jesus rose again so that we, though destined to die, should not despair, worrying that with death life is completely finished; Christ is risen to give us hope (cf. ibid.). Indeed, one of the questions that most preoccupies men and women is...

http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/great-sermons/if-jesus-christ-is-not-risen-our-faith-is-worthless/

1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not...

Millions of people attend the Resurrection Processions in Poland. The Warsaw processions, including the one that is traditionally led by the Military Guard of Honor and the officers of the General Staff with the Supreme Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, gathered hundreds of thousands of citizens of Warsaw.  The Military Guard of Honor at the Holy Sepulchre represented by all kinds of armed forces: Navy,  Air Force and Land Forces Resurrection Mass at the Cathedral attended by the Supreme Commander and the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Resurrection Procession led by the Military Guard of Honor  Jesus Christ has...

This is Easter morning. This is the Lord’s day, when we celebrate the greatest victory of all time, the victory over death. Those who hated Jesus thought they had put an end to Him forever when the cruel spikes pierced His quivering flesh and the cross was raised on Calvary. But this was the Son of God, with whose power they did not reckon. Through His death came the Resurrection and the assurance of eternal life. None of us can fully understand the pain He bore as He prayed in Gethsemane and subsequently hung in ignominy between two thieves while...

As Christians gather to celebrate Easter this Sunday, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 88% of adults nationwide think the person known to history as Jesus Christ actually walked the earth 2,000 years ago. That’s up five points from a year ago. Today, 5% disagree and 7% are not sure. Eighty-two percent (82%) also believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God who came to Earth and died for our sins. Another 10% think otherwise and 8% aren’t sure. Nearly as many, 79% believe the central claim of the Christian faith--that Jesus Christ rose from the...

In one of his encounters with the Pharisees we read these words of Jesus, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” (Mark 10:18) At first they may seem enigmatic, yet upon prayerful reflection they provide a framework for scratching the surface of the mystery which the whole world pauses to recall on Good Friday. In Jesus Christ we see the human face of God, “Good” Incarnate revealed in the purity of a love which no man or woman could ever see until His Incarnation. In His great voluntary gift of Himself which culminates in...

As we approach Resurrection Sunday, it behooves us to remind ourselves (Christians should need no reminder) of the significance of this season. Along with the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ form the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Indeed, the resurrection of Jesus separates Christianity from all the world's religions. Furthermore, the overwhelming number of America's founders understood the connection between the Christian faith and the rise of these United States. John Quincy Adams said, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the...

    Life after Life Russell M. Nelson, “Life after Life,” Ensign, May 1987, 8 At this pulpit today, I am truly honored to follow the President of the Church, President Ezra Taft Benson. I sustain him as a living prophet of God! He was ordained an Apostle in 1943, before I entered medical school. Now he is the senior Apostle on earth, and I am privileged to add my gratitude for a prophet and for his message of instruction and inspiration. He has taught us of the ministry of the resurrected Lord to the inhabitants of ancient America. This...

The Resurrection: Hope of the AgesBy Jesse Romero "The secular and scientific age in which we live demands that things be tested and re-tested. They require evidence upon evidence, fact upon fact. Yet here in the truest sense is a controlled experiment. Christianity has been observed for almost two thousand years. Whenever it is faithfully proclaimed, accepted, and acted upon, it transforms men, cultures, and societies; and it can do this only because it is energized by a living Savior" (Martin, Walter; p.1). "What was the central truth of the early apostle's preaching? What was the stimulus to the miraculous...

The universe’s birth certificate Once you let go of the Bible as history, all Christian doctrine begins to disintegrate. Dr Nigel Leaves, the Warden and Dean of Studies at John Wollaston Anglican Theological College in Perth (Australia), provides a typical example in The God Problem: Alternatives to Fundamentalism.1 He says ‘the major factor in the waning of the Christian faith is its continuing insistence on a supernatural God—the Almighty, the lawgiver and judge.’ He considers four alternatives to ‘fundamentalism’ (i.e. believing in the God of the Bible), saying, ‘Traditional beliefs about God cannot be sustained in the light of the...

Wilmington, DE (AHN) - A man from Georgetown, Delaware has sued the Beebe Medical Center (BMC) in Lewes and its staff for allegedly wrongly declaring his wife dead in May last year. Johnson brought his wife to the hospital at 7:35 p.m. for treatment of indigestion but she soon suffered a heart attack at 8:05 p.m. Doctors called for Johnson, who was in the waiting room, and told him his wife did not respond to resuscitation and never regained a pulse so she was declared dead at 8:34 p.m. At 9:50 p.m., a nurse noticed Judith was still breathing and...

In the Creed we profess that we believe “in the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.” That will take place at the end of the world at the Second Coming of Christ. The saved will shine like the sun and dwell in the New Jerusalem forever. A question that has been on my mind for a long time, and for which I have not found an answer, is whether or not resurrected bodies will wear clothes. Will they be clothed or naked? Let me list some reasons for and against. 1) They will be clothed. When the resurrected, glorified...

More Observations on the Stone Dead Sea Scroll Text July 8, 2008 (from Taiwan) By bock - Posted on July 8th, 2008 am writing from Taiwan, but I am not immune to the news about the new Stone "Dead Sea Scroll". I have made available by link in the News We Are Watching window Time's latest article on this. Thanks to Craig Blomberg for noting where access to the text can be found. The BAR site also in the News We Are Watching window gives access to both English and to the Hebrew text. Now you do not have to...

JERUSALEM: A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days. If such a messianic description really is there, it will contribute to a developing re-evaluation of both popular and scholarly views of Jesus, since it suggests that the story of his death and resurrection was not unique but part of a recognized Jewish tradition at the time.

Being a person who believes the words of God’s Anointed One, Jesus, and whose blessed hope is in the resurrection from the dead at the last day, I could be called a “resurrection oriented Christian. In my visits and study of the various denominations of Christendom over many years I have found that the resurrection is no longer the central and main message but is given lip-service in most church rituals of worship. The resurrection truths as spoken of by Jesus seems only to be expounded upon in some detail on the day called “Easter,” and hardly ever related to...

By the time she was found, her body had become stiff with rigor mortus. (Charleston, West Virginia)—According to the AP report, West Virginia resident, Val Thomas' heart stopped last Saturday morning, and by the time she was found, her body had become stiff with rigor mortus. (Photo: AP)Paramedics were able to revive her, but only after an estimated 15 minutes without oxygen or a pulse—she was rushed to an area hospital. During procedures to lower her body temperature, Val's heart stopped two more times.The Thomas family was told by doctors that Val had only a 10 percent chance of...

Imagine that a "documentary" film-maker—whose most notable former credit is a film advancing the notion that extra-terrestrials did indeed visit Area 51—brought forth a new work suggesting that key elements of the Prophet Mohammed's story had been fabricated. What are the odds ABC would devote a segment of Good Morning America to a respectful interview of the filmmaker and discussion of his work? But that's exactly what ABC did regarding someone who has produced a documentary ["Bloodline"] calling into question key aspects of the story of Jesus Christ. Here's how GMA weekend co-anchor Bill Weir introduced the segment this morning:...

The story of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection has deep meaning to Christians for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it is the defining moment of the Christian faith. But for the resurrection, Christianity would be nothing more than a legend, not unlike the stories from Greek or Roman mythology. As the Apostle Paul notes in I Corinthians 15:17-18, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." Indeed, our very hope of eternal life depends upon the resurrection of...

Death could not contain the One who poured Himself out in Love. The light floods the once dark cave and now fills the entire world with hope. Love has triumphed over death and heavens gates have been opened wide.

“He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!” (Matthew 28:1-10)Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus...

March 21, 2008 Remembering Good Friday By Stephen Alexander  The crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, dramatically and clearly, sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world. No other prophet or founder of any religion ever gave his life purely for the sake of sinners - not Buddha, not Confucius, not Muhammad, not any of the 230,000 gods of Hinduism. No one else has ever risen from the grave, demonstrating for all time that HE, Jesus, has Power, even over death."It is Finished." John 19:30 "Father, into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit." Luke 23:46 On that 1st...

A bishop described as "one of the most formidable figures in the world of Christian thought" is now challenging the widely held belief that Christians go to heaven when they die. N.T. "Tom" Wright, the fourth most senior cleric in the Church of England who has been praised for his staunch defense of the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ, has published a new book in which he says people do not ascend to God's dwelling place. Instead, God will be coming back to Earth. "Never at any point do the Gospels or Paul say Jesus has been raised, therefore we...

DECLARATION TO 2008 GENERAL CONFERENCE DELIVERED BY: REV. JERRY P. KULAH DISTRICT SUPERINTENDET MONROVIA DISTRICT CONFERENCE LIBERIA AREA, UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 13TH STREET, SINKOR, P.O. BOX 1010 MONROVIA, LIBEIRA DELIVERED TO: A CONFERENCE FOR GENERAL AND JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE DELEGATES AND ALL UNITED METHODIST COMMITTED TO THE RENEWAL AND UNITY OF THE CHURCH DATE: 26 -27 OCTOBER, 2007 GREETINGS: Dr. Maxie Dunnam and members of the Invitation Committee of this unique and historic Conference, leaders and members of the Renewal and Reform Coalition Movements within the United Methodist Church, delegates to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences, my brothers and sisters committed...

"Cremated son" turns up alive Mon Nov 5, 2007 11:33am EST LONDON (Reuters) - A mother cremated a body she thought was that of her dead son, only for him to turn up alive later, police said on Friday. Gina Partington's 37-year-old son Thomas Dennison was reported missing last month and a body was found in Rusholme, Manchester, three days later. The 58-year-old mother, from Urmston, Greater Manchester, formally identified the body as that of her son and, following an inquest, the body was cremated on October 30. But police had actually found Dennison, living rough in Nottingham, four days...

Ford posts surprise profit Troubled No. 2 automaker posts earnings on big improvement in overseas auto units, reduced losses in North America. July 26 2007: 8:12 AM EDT NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Ford Motor drove well past forecasts Thursday as it reported an unexpected second-quarter profit, helped by gain in its overseas auto operations. The nation's No. 2 automaker in terms of sales, Ford reported earnings from continuing operations $258 million, or 13 cents per share, excluding special items. That's a improvement from the loss of $118 million, or 6 cents a share, in the same period a year earlier,...

Farfur may be dead, but his message continues. A week after the children’s program Tomorrow’s Pioneers showed the Mickey Mouse lookalike being beaten to death by an actor portraying an Israeli interrogator, the show was back on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV. The squeaky-voiced mouse was gone, but Friday’s program continued to preach hatred and praise Shahada – death as a martyr for Allah. This week’s messages came from the young viewers, who phoned into the show, expressed their views to the child host, Saraa’ and demonstrated how well they have absorbed the violent lessons of the show and possibly children’s programming....

This year, I know of three conservative churches (different denominations) that had their Easter services but had one thing notably absent- the Resurrection. One church had an Easter musical that only had one Easter themed song in it. It had a crucifixion song inserted, but was basically praise and worship. The congregational music was likewise non resurrection in theme. Another church had a back-room Lord's supper explaining the elements and then a "Jesus Is" sermon that didn't have anything to do with Easter. A third church likewise did not include an Easter theme in their services. Is this phenomenon widespread?...

Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at the general audience today in St. Peter's Square. The reflection highlighted today's Gospel. * * * Dear brothers and sisters! We meet each other today after the solemn celebrations of Easter for our usual Wednesday encounter, but first I wish to renew to all of you my most fervent good wishes for the season. I thank you for your presence today and I thank the Lord for this beautiful sunny day. At the Easter Vigil, this proclamation resounded: "The Lord has truly risen, alleluia!" Today, it is He Himself...

Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.  Other Articles by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.Printer Friendly Version   The Father’s Answer to the Problem of Death April 8, 2007 The serpent's bite was a deadly one.  The venom had worked its way deep into the heart of the entire human race, doing its gruesome work.  The anti-venom was unavailable until He appeared.  One drop was all that was needed, so potent was this antidote.  Yet it was not like Him to be stingy.  He poured out all He had, down to the last drop.  The sacrifice of His entire life, poured out at the foot...

Easter conjures images of Easter egg hunts, decorative baskets filled with all sorts of goodies, cool new clothes, church services, families and friends gathering together for a feast. It’s all about…what? Is the reason we observe Easter Sunday to celebrate the coming of the Easter Bunny? To usher in springtime? Or is it an excuse for a parade? None of the above. The significance of Easter is to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One thing’s for sure. Non-Christians have managed to secularize Easter, just like every other religious observance. Liberals have us bowing to a chocolate bunny!...

Jesus died for our sins, was sealed in a tomb, and three days later triumphantly and forevermore rose again, and He is alive today. That is the core of the biblical account of Jesus, and that is the heart of the Good News, that God has provided for us a way of forgiveness, cleansing, and eternal salvation. With all of my heart, soul, and mind, I believe what the Bible declares. Recently, a movie mogul by the name of James Cameron made his declaration that he had found the burial box and the body of Jesus. Although the box had...

From The Blog: All Things Beautiful Written for ATB by my dear friend Kenny Pierce On Easter, Christians celebrate what C. S. Lewis called, The Grand Miracle, the one single event in human history that changes the meaning of the entire human story in general and our own personal story as well. A lifetime isn't enough to exhaust the contemplation of Easter. All you can do each year is contemplate what Easter will have to teach you this time around. I think it a particularly great challenge to attempt to explain to people who aren't Christians, what it is that...

VATICANIn the Cenacle, Passover was probably celebrated without the lamb, says Benedict XV, I indicating that the calendar of the Qumran points to the exact moment of Christ’s death. By laying down His life He gives true meaning to the ancient memorial of freedom from Egypt. Rome (AsiaNews) – Jesus, probably “celebrated the Passover without the lamb� , in so far as the Last Supper may have taken place before the moment in which , according to Hebrew tradition the lambs were sacrificed,  and above all because He himself became the voluntary sacrificial victim, by offering His life as a...

  SAN DIEGO — If the so-called “Jesus Family Tomb” proves anything, it’s that efforts to discount the resurrection continue. It’s a mystery that remains a stumbling block for many. Last month, the Discovery Channel aired James Cameron’s documentary on the “Jesus Family Tomb,” claiming the discovery of a tomb with ossuaries bearing the names of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and “Judah son of Jesus.”Scholars and archaeologists disproved Cameron’s findings, saying that the text on the Mary Magdalene ossuary actually read “Mary and Martha,” and that the tomb was more than likely the tomb of St. Paul’s friend, another Jesus,...

It seems I accidentally wrote an interesting column on Sunday; at least, judging from mail. (It’s like the monkeys with the typewriters: you never know which monkey is going to write Hamlet.) My piece was a recollection of the moment in my late-1960s adolescence when -- as it struck me then, and still strikes me -- all the principles and assumptions and certainties upon which I’d been raised, turned upside down around me. My correspondents have fallen into two broad generational classes. In the first class are my contemporaries, or older people, many of them indulging nostalgia. They recalled the...

Gateways to Better Education is encouraging public-school teachers to teach the meaning of the Resurrection. Educators have nothing to fear, the group says -- if it's done objectively. Eric Buehrer, president of Gateways, said his organization is offering a free, downloadable lesson. So far, more than 2,500 educators have downloaded the Easter lessons for their class. "We created it to literally look like it was photocopied out of a textbook," he said. "(It's a) very simple format for teachers to use. They are very familiar with it, and it sticks to an academic focus, not a religious focus." The lessons...

People have been coming back from the dead by the hundreds during the past 15-20 years. All over the world, stone-cold-dead people are being resurrected by the fervent, focused prayers of Christians praying in the name of Jesus. By now, the totals are likely over a thousand. No exaggeration, no joke. My own book "Megashift: Igniting Spiritual Power" documents 52 countries where at least one person has been raised from the dead – with named eyewitnesses ... who have street addresses ... and phone numbers ... and fax numbers ... and e-mail addresses. I even throw in a few photographs....

Lazarus Revisited Devout Christians believe Jesus of Nazareth raised Lazarus - brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany - from the grave – four days after his death and burial. One pious tradition has it that Lazarus subsequently wandered with a small band of early Christian followers to Marseilles, became the first Bishop of Provence, and was martyred by the Romans. Others say he remained in the holy land, lived a quiet and examplary life, and was buried as a saint in Constantinople. Ah, but “Biblical people” were real people : motivated by the same petty things we are –...

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing....” Rom. 15:13 It is most interesting to observe the effects of faith and unbelief upon the lives of God’s children. We see this especially in connection with the incarnation and the resurrection of Christ. The Incarnation Aged Zacharias doubts the divine promise as to the birth of our Lord’s forerunner (Luke 1:18) and is rebuked by the angelic messenger. “And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show...

In classical Judaism, resurrection of the dead was a central belief, essential to defining oneself as a Jew. “Today,” writes Jon D. Levenson, professor of Jewish studies at Harvard, that fact “comes as a shock to most Jews and Christians alike.” Apart from the Orthodox minority, most Jews, including those who acknowledge belief in the resurrection as a part of Judaism’s historical legacy, seem to rush by the idea as quickly as possible, rendering it perhaps as a metaphor for how one’s good works live on, but in any case ushering it to the margins of their tradition, a minor...

by John Paul Shimek Other Articles by John Paul Shimek You Are the Light of the World 08/26/06 Buried in the age-old pages of Judaism’s medieval Talmud, there is a rabbinical tale of particular meaning to Christians. While it has been recounted in innumerable versions, the main action of the tale has remained the same. In This Article...Come Inside!The World’s NightShow People Who They Are! Come Inside! One can imagine the action unfolding along the cobbled streets of Europe. A man is walking along in the darkness of the Slavic night, traveling the road that will lead him home. It is...

A Debate between William Lane Craig and Bart D. Ehrman On March 28, 2006, Dr. Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California, and Dr. Ehrman, James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, debated the status of the Christian claim to Jesus' resurrection from the perspective of historical data. The debate was sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and the Campus Christian Fellowship.