APOLOGETICS BOOK REVIEWS: A Resource List

The following are sources for reviews of books on apologetics:

*Apologetics315 (Brian Auten, et al). A large number of excellent reviews organized by category. Easy to navigate.

*Bede's Library. This easy to navigate page lists dozens of books and links to multiple reviews for each of them.

*Think Apologetics (Eric Chabot)

*Deeper Waters (Nick Peters)


*Institute for Religious Research

*The Christian Apologetics Alliance


*Annotated Bibliography of Apologetics: 27 pages of mini book reviews.

*bethinking (a website of The Christian Unions, a campus ministry)

*Western Reformed Seminary Journal

*Credo House

*Books At a Glance

CULTS & WORLD RELIGIONS: Resources for Study

The following are resources for researching cults and world religions:

GENERAL
VIDEOS
*"An Introduction to Cults" (7 minute video) from Seven Minute Seminary

BOOKS
*Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin and Ravi Zacharias. This classic book on cults was updated in 2003. Available in Hardcover, paperback, Audible, and Audio CD.
*So What's the Difference?: A Look at 20 Worldviews, Faiths and Religions and How They Compare to Christianity by Fritz Ridenour. Another modern classic. Updated and expanded in 2001. 
*Christianity, Cults & Religions. A Rose Publishing pamphlet. Also available in Kindle or as a Multimedia CD. ",,,,compares the beliefs of 21 world religions, sects, cults, and new religious groups side by side from a Christian point of view...for Bible Studies, Sunday school classes, and homeschool curriculum. 14 panels, fits inside most Bibles, 8.5 x 5.5 inches, unfolds to 38 inches long."
*Barriers & Bridges (28 page ebooklet) "forgoes detailed history and beliefs of the 12 religions and sects it covers and jumps straight to the key practical considerations. From the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. FREE! pdf
*Understanding World Religions in 15 Minutes a Day by Garrry R. Morgan. Currently only $1.99.


WEBSITES

*ApologeticsIndex: "The Apologetics Index 'family of web sites' provides 47,830+ pages of research resources on religious cults, sects, new religious movements, and alternative religions.
*Institute for Religious Research (established in 1986) is currently directed by my friend Rob Bowman, an excellent New Testament scholar and foremost expert on the Biblical defense of Christ's deity. He is also a leading expert on cults, such as Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses.
*Justin Peters Ministries deals specifically with members of the Word of Faith movement--health & wealth/prosperity preachers, "such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Andrew Wommack, John Hagee, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Rod Parsley, Creflo Dollar, Joseph Prince, Bill Johnson, etc." Justin Peters has a seminar that deals with this called "Clouds Without Water" (formerly called "A Call to Discernment"), which is available on DVD.

*Christian Answers for the New Age is the ministry of my friend Marcia Montenegro, a former new ager and professional astrologer. She also has links to other websites here.

*Martin Walter's Religious InfoNet is the website that archives the work of one of the leading apologists and cult experts of the 20th Century.
*Christian Research Institute was founded by Walter Martin in 1960 and is currently led by Hank Hanegraaff. Lots of articles hosted here by topic. This link will take you to their Countercult archive. Look to the right to find many other topics, including Buddhism, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.
*Spiritual Counterfeits Project: "Since 1973, the SCP has been a frontline ministry confronting the occult, the cults, and the New Age movement and explaining why they are making an impact on our society."
*4Truth.net: World Religions page. New Religions and Cults page. 

*The John Ankerberg Show. Also here and here.
*Internet Sacred Text Archives: A very useful site for researching world religions. Archives texts from a vast array of the world's religions. 
*L'Abri ideas library has several lectures on world religions and cults.



Online Resources for
MAJOR CULTS & WORLD RELIGIONS


JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

*HOW TO WITNESS TO "JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES": An Article & Resource List


ISLAM
*"Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?" (1-minute video) by Lutheran Satire
*"Getting to Know Islam" (10 minute vidoe) by Seven Minute Seminary
*"Understanding Ramadan" (11 minute video) by Seven Minute Seminary
*Answering Islam: A massive site full of resources. Their Facebook group.
*Answering Muslims: The Islamablog of Acts 17 Apologetics (David Wood, Marie Wood, Paul Rezkalla). Their Facebook group.
*Advanced Apologetics: The ministry of Jonathan McLatchie. The Advanced Apologetics Facebook group.
*Another Slow News Day: A very long list of links on Islam
*"Islam Bookshelf": An extensive list of FREE! books on Islam topically arranged at Project Gutenberg.
*"Introduction to Islam" (16 hours 20 minutes) by Timothy Tennant. A FREE! online course
*Groothuis, Douglas. "Lectures 38 & 39" from Groothuis' 44-lecture course on apologetics.
*L'Abri ideas library has several lectures on Islam.


MORMONISM
*Jesus' Resurrection and Joseph's Visions: Examining the Foundations of Christianity and Mormonism by Rob Bowman. "....compares the evidence for Jesus' resurrection with the evidence for Joseph's visions, showing how the historical data confirm the truth of Jesus' resurrection, and that the accounts of Joseph Smith's visions are historically unreliable. For Mormons who have doubts about their religion, this study will help them find a more reliable basis for faith in Christ...."
*"Mormon Doctrine on God, Christ and Humanity" (7 minute video) by Seven Minute Seminary
*Mormons in Transition at Institute for Religious Research
*The Book of Mormon Page at IRR'S Mormons in Transition: "Is the Book of Mormon ancient or modern? Is it scripture genuinely inspired by God? How does it compare to the Bible? We offer here a growing collection of resources for studying the Book of Mormon’s origins, claims, and teachings."
*"Resources to Help You Respond to Mormonism" compiled by J. Warner Wallace at Cold-Case Chrisitianity
*ApologeticsIndex has a large, nicely organized list of resources for researching Mormonism.
*MormonInfo.org/JosephLied.com Facebook Group
*Another Slow News Day: A very long list of links on Mormonism
*"Latter Day Saints Bookshelf" (Mormonism): An extensive list of FREE books on Mormonism topically arranged at Project Gutenberg.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR MUCH MORE BELOW VIDEO)

"Donall and Conall Meet The Mormon Missionaries"

by Lutheran Satire

*Also see....

"Donall and Conall Convince the Mormon Missionaries 

They're Going to Hell in 40.305 Seconds" :)

NEW AGE
*Christian Answers for the New Age is the ministry of my friend Marcia Montenegro, a former new ager and professional astrologer. She also has links to other websites here.
*ApologeticsIndex has a nicely organized list of resources for researching the New Age.
*Groothuis, Douglas. "Lectures 33 to 36" from Groothuis' 44-lecture course on apologetics.
*L'Abri ideas library has several lectures on New Age.

BUDDHISM
*"Introduction to Buddhism" (16 hours) by Timothy Tennant. A FREE! online course.
*L'Abri ideas library has several lectures on Buddhism.
*ApologeticsIndex has a nicely organized list of resources for researching the New Age
*"Buddhism Bookshelf": An extensive list of FREE! books on Buddhism topically arranged at Project Gutenberg.



HINDUISM
*"Introduction to Hinduism" (16 hours) by Timothy Tennant. A FREE! online course.
*L'Abri ideas library has several lectures on Hinduism.
*"Hinduism Bookshelf": An extensive list of FREE! books on Hinduism topically arranged at Project Gutenberg.



MISC. MODERN FALSE TEACHING
*"Assessing the Prosperity Gospel" (7 minute video) by Seven Minute Seminary
*"The Word of Faith Movement" (7 minute video) by Seven Minute Seminary
*The Word of Faith Movement: Justin Peters Ministries deals specifically with members of the Word of Faith movement--health & wealth/prosperity preachers, "such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Andrew Wommack, John Hagee, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Rod Parsley, Creflo Dollar, Joseph Prince, Bill Johnson, etc." Justin Peters has a seminar that deals with this called "Clouds Without Water" (formerly called "A Call to Discernment"), which is available on DVD.
*"Martyrs Read Joel Osteen Tweets" (2-minute video) by Lutheran Satre
*Joel Osteen (Resources at ApologeticsIndex)
*Bill Johnson and Bethel Church (Resources at ApologeticsIndex)
*The New Apostolic Reformation (Resources at ApologeticsIndex)

*Word of Faith Movement (Resources at ApologeticsIndex)

*The Prosperity "Gospel" (Resources at ApologeticsIndex)
*God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life: The Myth of the Modern Message by Ray Comfort. An important book confronting a popular but false gospel. Available in English, Spanish and French. FREE!
*Beyond the Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity by John Piper, Justin Taylor. FREE!
*"The Openness of God Controversy": An issue of the Western Reformed Seminary Journal. FREE!

*ApologeticsIndex is an excellent site for researching any of the myriad of false teachers.



MISC. WORLD RELIGIONS

*"Bahai Faith Bookshelf": An extensive list of FREE books on the Bahai Faith topically arranged at Project Gutenberg.
*"Paganism Bookshelf": An extensive list of FREE books on the paganism topically arranged at Project Gutenberg.

Image Source

APOLOGETICS FILMS WORTH WATCHING

Here is a list of apologetics films. I highly recommend the first 13. I have not seen the others, but they look like solid resources....

1. Risen is at theaters as I post this (February 25, 2016) and it is getting solid reviews from lots of people that I respect. You can find a trailer and links to a theater near you at the title link. Here is a review from Sean McDowell. And here is another from Craig Keener.
2. The Case for Christ: (FREE at title link) Award-winning legal journalist for the Chicago Tribune interviews experts about the evidence for Jesus Christ. "The documentary The Case for Christ follows reporter Lee Strobel as he interviews a number of religious and historical scholars in order to find out if there is any proof of the resurrection, and to discover the historical veracity of the New Testament. In trying the case for Christ, Strobel cross-examined a number of experts and recognized authorities in their own fields of study. He conducted his examination with no religious bias, other than his predisposition to atheism. (72 minutes)
3. The Case for a Creator with Lee Strobel (60 minutes). FREE
4. The Case for Faith with Lee Strobel (79 minutes). You can also purchase the set of all 3 Strobel documentaries on DVD.
5. Patterns of Evidence: Exodus: An excellent documentary exploring the historical and archaeological evidence for the Biblical account of Israel's exodus from Egypt. If you have a subscription to Netflix, you can watch it for FREE (that is, at no additional cost).
6. Mining for God (64 minutes). Highly recommended by many of my friends. And it was just rated as the best Christian movie of the past 20+ years by the Christian Movie Shop (see the review in the image at the very bottom of this page and the link to their website in the list just above the review). It can be Streamed/Downloaded for $10. 
7. Unlocking the Mystery of Life by Illustra Media (67 minutes). An excellent look at the mind-blowing complexity of the "simplest" living organisms and why they could not have come about by natural causes. FREE
8. Biology of the Baroque produced by the Discovery Institute and based on the work of Dr. Michael Denton's 2016 book: This 20-minute video is beautiful to watch and intellectually stimulating. It examines non-adaptive traits to present a powerful aesthetic argument for how God's creative touch is seen in nature. And (at the end) it also gives a very cogent anthropological argument, showing significant ways in which humans are completely distinct from all other creatures on the planet. These issues are an insurmountable challenge to naturalistic evolution, but they make perfect sense if the world is designed. They also coincide perfectly with the revelation about creation and humans (created in God's image) given in Genesis. FREE
9. Icons of Evolution (52 minutes). Rent it for $1.99.
10. Information Enigma (21 minutes). FREE
11. The Privileged Planet by Illustra Media (92 minutes). FREE
12. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed with Ben Stein (98 minutes). FREE
13. God's Not Dead: A drama in which a student defends his faith against a hard-core atheist professor. Features Kevin Sorbo and the Newsboys. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can watch it for FREE. 
14. God's Not Dead 2: This sequel to the movie listed above will be in theaters on April 1, 2016.
15. About Miracles is a 59 minute documentary that "features four dramatic, true stories about modern day miracles. Told by the actual people involved and featuring gripping reenactments...." Produced by Vision Video. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can watch it for FREE. 
16. Bible on Trial: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a 45 minute video by Vision Video produced in a courtroom setting. There is a 4-part Bible study available to go with it. The film features attorney Craig Parton and scholars Dr. Paul Maier of Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Dr. Randall Price of Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va.; Dr. Jeff Kloha of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. and Joel Lampe of The Bible Museum, Goodyear, Ariz.  If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can watch it for FREE here.

ARTICLES FOR USING MOVIES IN APOLOGETICS MINISTRY

*"How To Get Apologetics In Your Church: Apologetics Movie Night" at Apologetics315
*"Ten Great Movies to Use in Apologetics" by Lenny Esposito at ComeReason Ministries

Still looking?....

The following websites have their own lists of apologetics films:
*VISION VIDEO lists about a hundred films when entering the query "apologetics." They are found under the website's categories of: Biblical Worldview, Defense of Bible, Modern Apologetics, Science, and World Religions.
*ILLUSTRA MEDIA is the premier producer of documentaries on intelligent design. I have listed a few of them above. This link will take you to the trailers for their documentaries, which include Living Waters, Flight, Metamorphosis, Darwin's Dilemma, The Privileged Planet, Unlocking the Mystery of Life, and Case for a Creator.
*ASSOCIATES FOR BIBLICAL RESEARCH has 18 films in the category "Apologetics DVDs."
*CHRISTIAN FILM DATABASE has info for over 2000 Christian films. They do not have the category "Apologetics" but they do have the following categories: Abortion (46 films), Archaeology (8 films), Bible History (15 films), Biography (135 films), Creation/Science (76 films), Cults (1 film), and dozens of other topics. Helpful filtering categories, also.
*CHRISTIAN MOVIE SHOP lists 30 films under the category "Apologetics/Evangelism" DVDs and 49 under the category "Creation Science" and nearly a dozen under "Intelligent Design." You can also RENT most of the "Intelligent Design" movies via streaming video.
*FISHFLIX lists 39 films under the category "Apologetics & Creation."
*PUREFLIX lists 83 films under the category "Apologetics & Faith." CAUTION: There are some really bad and flaky films mixed in here!
*A MOVIE MINISTRY lists 8 films under the category "Apologetics."
*CHRISTIANANSWER.NET has 4 under the category "Apologetics" and many more under "Creator's World."

THE ARGUMENT FROM MUSIC...& Other Aesthetic Arguments for God

Peter Kreeft simply argues: "Bach's music exists, therefore God exists" (Peter Kreeft, Handbook of Christian Apologetics, p.81). Kreeft presents this as simply an intuitive argument. But I have examined this argument more closely and found that there is in fact much more to be said about the beauty and power of music that we experience as humans. (See the audio, etc. for my class below.)

We all know what ugly looks like when we see it.* And yet within creation, everywhere we look the overwhelming impression is of beauty. This--combined with the fact that we have a built-in ability to experience and appreciate that beauty--points us to a God who created us to enjoy this world which is a reflection of his own beauty and majesty.

Steven Weinberg, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics...and an ardent atheist...writes: "I have to admit that sometimes nature seems more beautiful than strictly necessary.  Outside the window of my home office, there is a hackberry tree, visited frequently by a convocation of politic birds: blue jays, yellow-throated vireos, and loveliest of all, an occasional red cardinal.  Although I understand pretty well how brightly colored feathers evolved out of a competition for mates, it is almost irresistible to imagine that all this beauty was somehow laid out for our benefit.” *p. 250, Dreams of a Final Theory

Indeed it was.

*Note: Even ugliness makes sense within the Christian worldview, but that is a topic for another time. Part of that answer is found in this excellent 30-minute video featuring Michael Spicher.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

RESOURCES for Digging Deeper
My Class: "Beauty & the Argument from Music:
*MP3 Audio (45 minutes)
*PowerPoint Slideshow: When you click on this link, you will note the option at the top to "Open with Google Slides" or you may open with MS PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress (which is free).
*Class Handout
*I recommend opening the audio and using the PowerPoint Slideshow as you listen (and/or the handout).

RESOURCE LINKS FOR WEEK 3:
*VIDEO MENTIONED IN THE PRESENTATION: 
"Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale"

*MUSICAL SAVANTS:
*"Savant - Leslie Lemke"
*"The Mysterious Gift of Musical Savants"
*"A Musical Savant Shows Talent"
*"Real People, Real Stories: Blind, Autistic, Musical Savant (Tony DeBlois)"
*"The Musical Genius (Autism Documentary) | Real Stories"
*"Top 10 AMAZING SAVANTS With REAL SUPER POWERS"
*MY YouTube PLAYLIST FOR EXPLORING THE AMAZING PROPERTIES OF MUSIC:
*"The Argument from Music"
*SCROLL DOWN THIS PAGE FOR A GREAT "QUOTE on the Evidence for God in Music"

*The entire 16-week course may be found here: "HOW TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST THAT CHANGES THE WORLD (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)"

MORE LINKS FOR DIGGING DEEPER
Videos
*Doug Powell: This 40-minute video lecture given at the 2013 SALT conference presents the argument that objective beauty is evidence for God.
*"Biology of the Baroque" produced by the Discovery Institute and based on the work of Dr. Michael Denton's 2016 book: This 20-minute video is beautiful to watch and intellectually stimulating. It examines non-adaptive traits to present a powerful aesthetic argument for how God's creative touch is seen in nature. And (at the end) it also gives a very cogent anthropological argument, showing significant ways in which humans are completely distinct from all other creatures on the planet. These issues are an insurmountable challenge to naturalistic evolution, but they make perfect sense if the world is designed. They also coincide perfectly with the revelation about creation and humans (created in God's image) 
given in Genesis.
*Michael Spicher: An excellent 30-minute video interview hosted by GivingAnAnswer.

Articles
*Have you ever wondered why music has the power to move us? by Michael Ots

*"The Argument from Beauty" by Alexander Pruss
*"Aesthetic Arguments for the Existence of God" by Peter Williams
*"Arguments from Beauty and Aesthetics" at The Christian Apologetics Alliance
*"Argument from Beauty" at Conservapedia
*Last Seminary hosts five articles on the aesthetic argument that can be download for FREE--with brief abstracts for each.

Books
*The Evidential Power of Beauty: Science and Theology Meet by Thomas Dubay
*The Beauty of the Faith: Using Aesthetics for Christian Apologetics by Joseph Wooddell.
*A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature by Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt

QUOTE on the evidence for God in music

*”A world thrilling in every atom with rhythmic vibrations; a race of sentient and intelligent beings, so constituted as to perceive, combine, and enjoy an endless variety of musical sounds, and able to reproduce them by artistic methods in elaborate or simpler forms, which gratify and exalt their higher nature; these in a universe ruled by all-embracing law that binds together its limitless realms in a unity demanding one sole cause equal, at least, to the production of its component elements and forces: given these factors, what must we infer? God.

The Deity thus declared is a perfect Being, whose nature is harmony, who is keenly alive to dissonance, physical or psychical, but who delights in every form of beauty. He has set the laws and forces of the universe in an exquisite order, such as will bless his creatures, by their own responsive cooperation, with innumerable melodic and harmonic sounds, that intimate the finer beauty of holiness, and may greatly aid in its attainment. 

If there were no other proofs of the existence of a Creator, supposably infinite in wisdom, power, and goodness, and also of a spiritual constitution of the universe, we need be neither atheists nor agnostics. Music, with its implications and possibilities, would suffice to show to all minds capable of responding to its appeal, and of reasoning upon its causes and correlations, that there is a Supreme Power making for harmony, happiness, and spiritual perfecting. (p.17-18 of God and Music by John Harrington Edwards, 1905)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
**My growing MASTER LIST OF APOLOGETIC RESOURCES

WOMEN IN APOLOGETICS: Resources

A host of great resources for getting women involved in apologetics:

VIDEOS

*"Why Women Should Be Involved in Apologetics": The "One-Minute Apologist" interviews Nancy Fitzgerald (3 minutes)

*Women Apologetic Ministries: Best Practices & Ideas - Mary Jo Sharp, MA (4 1/2 minutes)

*Video Lectures by women apologists: Basics, Christ-myth, Contemporary Spirituality, Practical Apologetics, World Religions, Cults & the Occult

*More videos


ARTICLES
*"Meet the Women Apologists" by Andrea Palpant Dilley (Christianity Today, April 2015)
*"Should Women Be Apologists? They Already Are!" by Ted Wright at CrossExamined.

OTHER IMPORTANT RESOURCES

*The International Society of Women in Apologetics (ISWA)

*Apologetics Books written by women

*A Facebook group for women interested in apologetics: Women of ISWA and CAA
*Women Teaching Women: A Women's Apologetics Conference: This link still shows last years conference. Contact them for to find out the date for the next conference.
*Elizabeth Jane Whately (1822-1893) was one of the rare women apologists of the 19th Century. A brief biography, excellent quote and link to her single apologetic work (How to Answer Objections to Revealed Religion) are found at the Library of Historical Apologetics.
*Mama Bear Apologetics

POWERPOINTS FOR APOLOGETICS PRESENTATIONS: Resources

Here are a list of links for finding PowerPoint slides related to apologetics:

*SlideShare.net results for "apologetics"

*Dr. John Oakes has his PowerPoints online and covers a wide variety of topics. FREE!

*Zack Kendall has developed some PowerPoint presentations for members of the CAA (Christian Apologetics Alliance). The CAA Facebook group is here. FREE!

*Dr. Norman Geisler has made his PowerPoints for sale on his site.



RELATED PAGE ON MY BLOG
*Free Images for Blogs, Presentations and Handouts

image source

HOW JESUS IS UNIQUE FROM ALL OTHER RELIGIOUS LEADERS....And Why That Matters

Someone in one of the groups I am a part of asked: "Why are you a Christian (i.e., why do you believe that Christianity is true when compared to all other religious truth claims)?"

There were a lot of solid answers to that question. Here is my answer:
"So many reasons.....and many of them have been said well already. But the thing that I keep coming back to again and again lately is how unique Jesus is from all the other religious leaders/founders in history. And he is unique in ways that confirm that he is from God and that he is God. Only Jesus fulfills dozens of ancient prophecies that pinpoint him as the promised Messiah. Only Jesus claimed to be the one and only true God. No one ever taught like Jesus and no one's teaching has ever impacted the world like Jesus has. No one ever performed the range of miracles that Jesus did revealing his sovereignty over everything. No one else ever lived a sinless life and then took our sin, dying as an atoning sacrifice. And what seals the deal on all of these is that no one else ever rose again from the dead never to die again--and he did so with many witnesses willing to suffer and even die for their testimony that he did." I should have added that Jesus is not simply unique, but he is far superior to all the other religious leaders....and to all other people.

I invite you to ponder the greatness of Jesus Christ. He alone has given reason to follow him and trust him and serve him. That is why I have dedicated my life to following him and I hope you will, too.

Let's look at some of these ways in which Jesus is like no one else in history:

1. Jesus claimed to be the only true God of Israel and thus Creator of everything.
And this claim was verified by all of the things in this list--but especially the way in which he fulfilled the ancient prophecies of the Old Testament, his miracles, and his resurrection from the dead. See my blog article titled "The Deity of Jesus: An Article & Resources."

*How can we verify this?: This is verified by the other things on this list--especially #2, 7 & 9.

2. Jesus fulfills dozens of specific ancient prophecies. 

*How can we verify this?: This is verified first by establishing the eyewitness nature of the Gospels and their reliability. See my blog article titled "Jesus' Historicity: Resources for Study." (And I have been working on a much more in depth analysis of the eyewitness nature of the Gospels which I hope to publish soon.) Next we must compare the Old Testament prophecies with the many ways in which Jesus fulfilled them. And for some of the prophecies, Jesus is the only one in history who could have fulfilled them. See my blog article titled "Messianic Prophecy: Resoures for Study"

3. Jesus was born of a virgin. 
No one else in history was born of a virgin. All the parallels proposed by skeptics are either completely false (no substance at all) or just not parallel (maybe unusual births but not of a virgin). See my blog article titled "Pagan Parallels to Jesus?: Resources for Study." 

*How can we verify this?: I cannot imagine any way that this can be verified historically. But it was prophesied and is verified by the verifying of all the other things on this list. Also see: the podcast "The Historicity of the Virgin Birth" by Rob Bowman and the book The Virgin Birth of Christ: A Classic Defense of the Supernatural Birth of Our Lord by J. Gresham Machen (or the FREE PDF file of the book here).

4. Jesus taught like no one else.
It can be argued that Jesus taught with a unique authority, with a moral sense that rose above all those who came before him, and a penetrating wisdom that transcends the ages. The impact of Jesus' teaching on history has already been noted above as part of his legacy.

World religions expert Stephen Neill writes:

"For, if we take the Gospels seriously (and at the same time as critically as you will), Jesus is not the least like anyone else who has ever lived. The things that he says about God are not the same as the sayings of any other religious teacher. The claims that he makes for himself are not the same as those that have been made by any other religious teacher. . . . The demands he makes on men are more searching than those put forward by any other religious teacher." (p.233, Christian Faith and Other Faiths by Stephen Neill; as cited on p.49 of The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ Among the Major World Religions by Gary Habermas)

Indeed some of those who first heard him had this reaction:

• John 7:46: “'No one ever spoke the way this man does,' the guards replied."
• Matthew 7:28-29: "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law."

*How can we verify this?: This point is more subjective than the others but my experience has been that the more that I read both ancient and modern works of literature, I realize that it is true. And so have many with much more experience than myself.

5. Jesus lived a sinless life like no one else.
His sinlessness and the beauty of his moral character was reported by people who had lived with him for 3 years (John and Peter, two of his inner circle of 3: 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22; also see 2 Corinthians 5:21). 

See The Person of Christ by Philip Schaff (1819-1893). Available for FREE in ebook or audiobook. The full title is The Person of Christ: The Miracle of History. With a Reply to Strauss and Renan, and a Collection of Testimonies of Unbelievers. In my opinion, this great little book has received far too little attention. Schaff is one of the great scholars of the 19th Century. You can find his biography here. 

Also, see "The Moral Glory of Jesus Christ a Proof of Inspiration" by William G. Moorehead. (This is an essay from the classic volumes known as the Fundamentals: Volume II, Chapter III, p.61-79 in the 1917 edition, that I have on my shelves).

Also, from Philip Schaff's bibliography in the Person of Christ:

*Dr. James Waddell Alexander (of New York, died 1859):—The Character of Jesus: An Argument for the Divine Origin of Christianity. Published in the Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity delivered at the University of Virginia. New York: 1852. pp. 193-211.

*John Young:—The Christ of History: An Argument grounded in the Facts of his Life on Earth. London: Republished in New York, 1858.

*Dr. Horace Bushnell (of Hartford):—The Character of Jesus forbidding His Classification with Men. New York: 1861. (Originally the tenth chapter of his very able and interesting work, Nature and the Supernatural, as together constituting the one System of God. New York: 1858. pp. 276-299.)

*Peter Bayne (M. A., of Scotland):—The Testimony of Christ to Christianity. Republished in Boston, 1862.

*Dr. Isaac Dorner (Professor of Theology at Berlin):—On the Sinless Perfection of Jesus (Ueber Jesu 21sündlose Vollkommenheit), in the Annals of German Theology. Gotha, vol. vii. 1862, pp. 49-106; and in pamphlet form. Also translated into French for the Revue Chrétienne, and into English by Prof. Dr. Henry B. Smith for the American Presbyterian Review. New York: 1863.

*How can we verify this?: This is much harder to verify, but the fact that Peter and John and others concluded this after knowing him well is convincing to me. They spent years with him. Spend a couple of weeks with me (or anyone else) and you will quickly realize we are all far from sinless. Rather as Romans 3:23 declares: We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

6. Jesus has left a legacy unlike anyone else in history. 
His teaching, his Gospel and his Church have transformed the world for the better in a way completely unmatched by any other religious figure. 

*How can we verify this?: David Marshall has researched and written on this extensively. One of his blog articles catalogs 124 books that document this. You will find a link to that and a lot more at my blog article titled "Christianity and the Ending of the Roman Games: An Article with Resources."

7. Jesus performed an array of miracles unlike anyone else.
Moses and Elijah came close but fell short. His miracles were of a more profound nature than those claimed for others. And his miracles are verifiable by historical records in a way unmatched by those claimed for other figures of history. Furthermore, they continued to be done in his name by his immediate disciples and the Church through the ages. 

Here are some responses to Jesus' miracles as recorded in the Gospels:

• John 9:32: "Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind."
• Matthew 8:27: "The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'”
• Mark 1:27: "The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, 'What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.'”

*How can we verify this?: See my blog article titled "Jesus' Amazing Miracles."

8. Jesus claimed that he would die as an atoning sacrifice for sins.
*See Mark 10:26-27; 10:45; 14:22-25; 

*How can we verify this?: See The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ Among the Major World Religions by Gary Habermas.

9. Finally, and most emphatically, Jesus rose again from the dead never to die again. 

*How can we verify this?: See my blog article titled "Jesus' Resurrection: Resources for Study."

HOW DO I KNOW THERE IS NO ONE ELSE LIKE JESUS?
How do I know that Jesus is unique in all of these ways? Because angry and passionate atheists have scoured the records of history seeking to find parallels; and when their best attempts are examined, they are laughable. David Marshall has done a great job of showing this in his book Jesus Is No Myth!--where he says: "If after ransacking your house for weapons, you challenge a thief with a butter knife, that probably means no more potent hardware lies hidden in your closet.” (p.204)

CONCLUSION
The uniqueness of Jesus should not simply make you sit up and take notice....though it should certainly do that! Each one of these unique qualities should cause you to recognize that Jesus is no ordinary person. They are given by God as signs of his approval of Jesus, that God was working through him and more than that: in him, God had come in the flesh.



HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING....
*Too Good to Be False by Tom Gilson

*The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ Among the Major World Religions by Gary Habermas. FREE 50-page ebook.
*"The Crucial Missing Piece In Our Witness for Christ Today" by Tom Gilson
*A Man Without Equal by Bill Bright
*Jesus Is No Myth by David Marshall. David carefully examines the many alleged historical parallels to Jesus suggested by popular skeptics like Richard Carrier, Bart Ehrman, etc. who have scoured ancient literature to try and show that Jesus is not unique. The skeptics' vain attempts only serve to reassure us that Jesus is indeed unique. See my review of his book at Amazon or on my blog.

*VIDEO: "What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?" 

an audio version of an essay by C.S. Lewis (12 minutes)