Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 3
I am arguing that it is not possible for Christian apologists to make a solid rational case for the claim that God raised Jesus from the dead (GRJ). My argument is based on the controversial claim that Jesus was a false prophet (JFP): 1. Jesus claimed to be a prophet. 2. Jesus was not a prophet. 3. … Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 3
Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 2
There are three main areas of evidence required to build a rational case for the resurrection of Jesus, for the claim that God raised Jesus from the dead (GRJ): I. General Background Evidence II. Prior Historical Evidence III. Posterior Historical Evidence A key claim that Christian apologists need to support in relation to Prior … Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 2
Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 1
In his book The Resurrection of God Incarnate, Richard Swinburne argues that the case for the resurrection of Jesus must include three major components: I. General Background Evidence – evidence for and against the existence of God, and evidence about whether and why God would be likely to perform a miracle, especially raising someone from the … Jesus: True Prophet or False Prophet? – Part 1
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 7
It is one thing to make a solid case for the claim “Jesus rose from the dead.” (JRD), and another thing entirely to make a solid case for the claim “God raised Jesus from the dead.” (GRJ). Showing that (JRD) is true, would not, by itself, show that (GRJ) is true. The resurrection could have … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 7
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 6
In Part 4 of this series, we saw that Theodore Drange interpreted Christian theologian Charles Hodge to be arguing as follows (“Why Resurrect Jesus?” in The Empty Tomb, p. 56) : (2a) (JRD) is a sufficient condition for (JSG). Therefore: (1a) (JRD) is a necessary condition for (JSG). ============ Abbreviations: (JRD) Jesus rose from the dead. (JSG) Jesus is the … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 6
What is Faith? – Part 9
Here are some key points from the first section (Relation of Faith to Reason) of Geisler’s article “Faith and Reason” (Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, p. 239; hereafter: BECA): If we take the second point in a straightforward manner, then there appears to be no conflict between faith and reason, at least in terms of the … What is Faith? – Part 9
The Logic of the Resurrection – Index
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 1 Different assumptions about the existence of God have different implications concerning the resurrection. The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 2 As Richard Swinburne has pointed out, a complete case for the resurrection must be a three-legged stool, resting upon general background evidence, prior historical evidence, and … The Logic of the Resurrection – Index
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 5
Before I continue to examine Theodore Drange’s excellent article “Why Resurrect Jesus?” (The Empty Tomb, p. 55-67), I want to reinforce a key point: an important but neglected aspect of the case for the resurrection of Jesus is what Swinburne calls General Background Evidence, specifically reasons and evidence related to God’s alleged purposes. I would … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 5
What is Faith? – Part 8
In the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (1999; hereafter: BECA), Geisler has written a fairly long and detailed article on “Faith and Reason”, and the entire article is basically an exposition of the views of Aquinas about faith and the relationship between faith and reason. There are nine bolded subheadings in Geisler’s article on “Faith … What is Faith? – Part 8
The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 4
One of the neglected aspects of the case for the resurrection of Jesus is what Swinburne calls General Background Evidence. I have summarize this part of the case this way: (GTE) The God of traditional theism exists. (GPR) God, if God exists, has purposes P1, P2, etc. that are relevant to whether God would be … The Logic of the Resurrection – Part 4