Part 1: The Resurrection with Gary Habermas

The Resurrection is the quintessence of Christianity, and Dr. Gary Habermas has dedicated his life to the study and defense of the reality of the Resurrection. After all, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Human history — and your future — is forever changed by what happened on the third day, so listen in as Hank and Dr. Habermas discuss the seminal event in human history. (This conversation was so good and went so long that we had to break it up into two episodes. This is part one.) Topics discussed include: how studying the Resurrection led Dr. Habermas into apologetics (3:40); with the Resurrection of Jesus we have everything, without the Resurrection of Jesus, we have nothing (7:25); comparing Christianity to other world religions (8:40); perspectives on the supernatural in academic circles (11:35); the Resurrection, Jesus Seminar, and the Pre-Pauline Creed (15:15); the overwhelming factual evidence for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (19:20); Islamic denial of the crucifixion of Christ (21:45); addressing the evidence for an empty tomb after the resurrection of Christ (27:50); witnesses to the resurrected Christ and the martyrdom that ensued (30:35); the faith and martyrdom of early church fathers such as Polycarp and Irenaeus (36:40); the power of the gospel to change the culture unlike any other religion (39:30); the sorrow Habermas felt when he lost his wife to cancer and the hope he felt knowing that she was in heaven (41:55); the peace that the resurrection of Christ provides Hank in the midst of his battle with cancer (47:30); the hope we can find in the Bible (51:00); and materialism, mystery, and the argument from joy by C. S. Lewis (55:15).