HOW TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST THAT CHANGES THE WORLD (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)

This page contains links for the audio, PowerPoints, handouts and resource links for my 16-week course: "How to Have Confidence in Christ That Changes the World (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)" which I began September 8, 2019 (so currently a work in progress).

The course is meant to be a very basic introduction to apologetics that is accessible to just about anyone from high school up (and probably even many middle school students). We will be exploring several key arguments as we build a basic cumulative case for Christianity. From this foundation one can continue to build and grow in their understanding of the evidence for Christianity, so that they can have the kind of confidence in Christ that will enable them to live boldly for him no matter what he asks them to do.

WEEK 1: "Does God Give Us Reasons to Trust Him?" 
*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 1: 
*Cooper, Brad. "Do We Really Need to Teach Apologetics in the Church?"

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WEEK 2: "Love God With All Your Mind"
*MP3 Audio  
*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 2: 
*Cooper, Brad. "Be Like Jesus: Be a Thinker"

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WEEK 3: "Why Is There Stuff?"
*MP3 Audio  
*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:
*Cooper, Brad. "Understanding The Nature of a Cumulative Case"
*Cooper, Brad. "COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS: Resources for Study"
*Cooper, Brad. "The Universal Innate Knowledge of God: Resources for Study." See this article for resources related to the fact that we are born with an intuition for detecting design.
*Cooper, Brad. "FINE-TUNING OF THE UNIVERSE: Resources for Study"

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WEEK 4: "Life Isn't Simple"
*MP3 Audio  
*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 4:
*Cooper, Brad. "ORIGIN OF LIFE: Resources for Study"
*Cooper, Brad. "DNA EVIDENCE FOR GOD: Resources for Study"

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WEEK 5: "Beauty & the Argument from Music"
*MP3 Audio  
*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 5:
*Video mentioned in 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"
*MORE LINKS FOR DIGGING DEEPER: "The Argument from Music & Other Aesthetic Arguments for God"

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WEEK 6: "The Law In Your Heart"
*MP3 Audio 
*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 6:
"THE MORAL ARGUMENT: Resources for Study"

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WEEK 7: "How The Puzzle Is Coming Together"
*MP3 Audio  
*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).

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WEEK 8: "Digging Up The Old Testament"
*MP3 Audio  
*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).

*ROBERT DICK WILSON (1856-1930). Wilson was an Old Testament scholar and defender of the text and historicity of the Old Testament. He was an incredibly gifted linguist who knew 45 languages (26 related to the study of the Old Testament). Check out this 4-minute video about Wilson by Josh McDowell. A brief biography and bibliography at Wikipedia. A 16-page biography by Brian Nicks in The Master's Seminary Journal. A complete chronological bibliography of Wilson's works at the website of the Presbyterian Church in America Historical Center. Wilson's best known work: A Scientific Investigation of the Old Testament, which can be found FREE here.

MORE RESOURCE LINKS FOR WEEK 8:
"ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONFIRMATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: Resources for Study"

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WEEK 9: "Digging Up The New Testament"
*MP3 Audio  
*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).

REFERENCES FOR THE CLASS:
1. Information on Sir William Mitchell Ramsay's views about Acts before and after his archaeological work can be found at: Sir William M. Ramsay: Archaeologist and New Testament Scholar A Survey of His Contribution to the Study of the New Testament (Baker Studies in Biblical Archaeology) by W. Ward Gasque, p.23-24, 27-28.

• Example of Luke's accuracy in describing Paul's fleeing from Iconium to Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia: See Sir William M. Ramsay: Archaeologist and New Testament Scholar A Survey of His Contribution to the Study of the New Testament (Baker Studies in Biblical Archaeology) by W. Ward Gasque, p.25-26.

2. Colin J. Hemer & Acts:

• "84 Confirmed Facts in the Last 16 Chapters of the Book of Acts" at Truthbomb Apologetics (based on Colin J. Hemer's book listed below).
• The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History by Colin J. Hemer
• Politarchs in Thessalonica: See "Archaeology and the Book of Acts" by John McRay, p.74-75.

4. A Few More Important Finds:

• 1968: The Ossuary of Yehohanan: See the online article at the Biblical Archaeology Society website.
• 2002: The Ossuary of James, Son of Joseph, Brother of Jesus: See the excellent article by Jospeh M. Holden
• 2009/2015: Two First Century Homes at Nazareth: See "Photos: 1st-Century House from Jesus' Hometown" by Owen Jarus at Live Science AND "Is Jesus' Hometown (Nazareth) a Myth?" by Joseph M. Holden (p.319-322 of The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible: Discoveries That Confirm the Reliability of Scripture by Joseph M. Holden and Norman Geisler).

*For more info about Sir William Mitchell Ramsay (1851-1939). Highly recommended is Ramsay's magnum Opus: St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen  (1895, 1907) which is FREE at Christian Classics Ethereal Library, where you will also find a nice summary of the book and a short biography of Ramsay. And here is a short article by Don Stewart quoting from this book and showing how Sir William Ramsay is related to settling the question of the historicity of Acts. Sir William M. Ramsay: Archaeologist and New Testament Scholar -- A Survey of His Contribution to the Study of the New Testament by W. Ward Gasque, an excellent 95-page book about Ramsay and his contribution to New Testament study--available in a FREE PDF file. (NOTE: The link for the PDF file of the book is located below the title and publisher's info and immediately above the Table of Contents.) For a list of his later writings, see "The Later Ramsay: A Supplementary Bibliography of the Published Writings of Sir William Mitchell Ramsay" by Colin J. Hemer.

MORE RESOURCE LINKS FOR WEEK 9:
*"ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONFIRMATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT: Resources for Study"

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WEEK 10: "Ancient Documents That Confirm the Gospels"
*MP3 Audio  
*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 10:
"ANCIENT DOCUMENTS (BESIDES THE NEW TESTAMENT) THAT MENTION JESUS"

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WEEK 11: "Undesigned Coincidences"
*MP3 Audio 
*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 11:
**"Peter's House" by Jerome Murphy-O'Connor: the article I mentioned that tells why Peter and Andrew moved from Bethsaida to Capernaum for a tax break on their fishing business.
*"UNDESIGNED COINCIDENCES"

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WEEK 12: "The Apostles: Dying to Tell the World"
*MP3 Audio 
*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).

*What is an apostle?: In the audio, I left out an important piece of the Biblical definition of an apostle. The Greek word for "apostle" (apostolos = ἀπόστολος) comes from the Greek verb meaning "to send" (apostello = ἀποστέλλω), which is found in Luke 9:1-2 when Jesus sends out the Twelve and in Luke 10:1 when Jesus sends out the seventy-two (and many other places). So the word apostle means "one who is sent" and is used in the New Testament to mean "one who is sent or commissioned as a witness to the resurrection of Jesus."

RESOURCE LINKS FOR WEEK 12:

"THE INTENSE PERSECUTION OF THE EARLY CHURCH"

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WEEK 13: "How Only Jesus Fulfilled Ancient Prophecies of a Messiah"
*MP3 Audio 
*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 13:

*Resources for the first point in the class: "HOW JESUS IS UNIQUE FROM ALL OTHER RELIGIOUS LEADERS....And Why That Matters" 
*MESSIANIC PROPHECY: an Introductory Article + Resources for Digging Deeper"


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WEEK 14: "Jesus' Amazing Miracles"
*MP3 Audio 
*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 14:

*"Jesus' Amazing Miracles: The Evidence"

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WEEK 15: "Jesus Is Alive!"
*MP3 Audio 
*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 15:

*"JESUS' RESURRECTION: Resources for Study"

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WEEK 16: "The Quadrilemma"
*MP3 Audio 
*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 16:
*Article: "Trilemma or Quadrilemma? Answering the 'Legend' Critique of C.S. Lewis's Trilemma" by Tom Gilson
*Essay: "Elephants and Fern-seed" by C.S. Lewis. Lewis' rebuttal of the idea that the Gospels are legends.

*Book: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (266 pages). 

• Popular Level (verging on Nerd level): Older high school students & up
• Available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, & Audible. 
• Also at OverDrive in ebook & audiobook. 
• Or you can download it for FREE! in ebook or audiobook.

This book is perhaps the most important and influential Christian book written in the 20th Century. Lewis' skill as a writer and thinker is well known. The first section of this book focuses on what is known as the moral argument; so if issues of justice and morality are of great importance to you, you may find this book is a good place for you to start. Lewis also focuses on other apologetics arguments that are a matter of common experience. This book is a must read. Mere Christianity was chosen as one of the top 25 Christian books of all time by Christian History Magazine, which devoted an article to it that serves as a very nice introduction. You can find a brief biography of Lewis (and much more) here.

Image source: NASA

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF A CUMULATIVE CASE

"The evidences of Christianity are, in their nature and tendencies, accumulative. It is the culmination of their accumulated evidences, from miracles, from admitted facts in the Christian system, from the self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ, from the marvelous propagation of primitive Christianity, and from prophecy, and from other sources which bring the honest doubters about to a conviction of truth in revealed religion."

~ Ezekiel B. Kephart, A Treatise on Christian Evidences (1901), p. 119.

"A stick might fit a hole or a stone a hollow by accident. But a key and a lock are both complex. And if a key fits a lock, you know it is the right key. But this involved accuracy of the thing makes it very difficult to do what I now have to do, to describe this accumulation of truth. It is very hard for a man to defend anything of which he is entirely convinced. It is comparatively easy when he is only partially convinced. He is partially convinced because he has found this or that proof of the thing, and he can expound it. But a man is not really convinced of a philosophic theory when he finds that something proves it. He is only really convinced when he finds that everything proves it. And the more converging reasons he finds pointing to this conviction, the more bewildered he is if asked suddenly to sum them up. Thus, if one asked an ordinary intelligent man, on the spur of the moment, "Why do you prefer civilisation to savagery?" he would look wildly round at object after object, and would only be able to answer vaguely, " Why, there is that bookcase...and the coals in the coalscuttle...and pianos...and policemen." The whole case for civilisation is that the case for it is complex. It has done so many things. But that very multiplicity of proof which ought to make reply overwhelming makes reply impossible. 

There is, therefore, about all complete conviction a kind of huge helplessness. The belief is so big that it takes a long time to get it into action. And this hesitation chiefly arises, oddly enough from an indifference about where one should begin."

~G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (1909), p.150-1
*For more on Chesterton click here....then scroll to the bottom of the page.

A cumulative case is like a jigsaw puzzle. When you open a jigsaw puzzle and scatter all the pieces on the table, it is difficult to see how all the pieces fit together. They seem like a scattered jumble of unrelated and unimportant pieces. And a person who had never seen a jigsaw puzzle before would be totally confused as their eyes perused the landscape of scrambled odd-shaped pieces of cardboard. But for the person who has had experience with jigsaw puzzles, they know that there is a system for solving them: Find the edge pieces and put the frame of the puzzle together. Then begin to scan the pieces to find pieces that have matching colors and patterns, etc. And then there is that critical point when you get enough pieces together that the puzzle actually starts to look like something and the pieces begin to fall into place even more quickly and the whole thing starts to make sense. That is very similar to what it means to put a cumulative case for Christianity together.

Another analogy that is often used is that of a court case. Imagine that you are a member of a jury that is appointed to decide whether someone is guilty of murder. The evidence has to be conclusive. You need to be able to determine whether the accused is guilty and a conclusion of guilt needs to be beyond a reasonable doubt. As the prosecuting attorney presents his case, he brings up numerous pieces of evidence: evidence that he had motive, evidence that he had opportunity, evidence that he has no alibi to be anywhere else at the time of the murder, phone calls made, websites that he looked at detailing how to accomplish something done by the murderer at the scene of the crime, matching footprints, a piece of fiber matching his coat, a weapon matching the method of murder is found in his car along with blood stains matching the victim, etc. As all of the pieces of evidence are considered it becomes clear that they all point to the guilt of the accused. The evidence is overwhelming and leads to a conclusion that is beyond a reasonable doubt.

The cumulative case for Christianity is exactly like that. There is a ton of evidence that God exists and that he is just like the God who is claimed to reveal himself in the Bible. There is a ton of evidence that the Bible contains historically reliable testimony, which is especially important as we consider the Gospels and what they tell us about Jesus. And there are multiple lines of evidence that confirm that Jesus is who he claimed to be: the Creator God come in the flesh to the pay the price for our sin and justly free us from that condemnation.

If you are interested in investigating these many different pieces of evidence, check out my blog page: "20 REASONS I'M SURE: A Cumulative Argument Outline & Resources for Further Investigation."



RESOURCES FOR DIGGING DEEPER:
My 15-Week Course: 
*"How to Have Confidence in Christ That Changes the World (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)"


Videos
*Wallace, J. Warner. "What Makes The Cumulative Case For God So Powerful" (2 1/2 minutes). J. Warner Wallace is a famous L.A. cold-case detective who was an atheist until he considered the evidence for Christianity.
*Wallace, J. Warner. "Why Every Christian Needs to Understand the Standard of Proof" (3 1/2 minutes)
*Wallace, J. Warner. "How Strong is the Cumulative Case for God's Existence?" (3 1/2 minutes)
*Bertuzzi, Cameron. "Is There Really "No Evidence" for God? (#1) response" (5 1/2 minutes)

Articles
*Wallace, J. Warner. "The Cumulative Case for Christianity: Death by a 1,000 Paper Cuts"
*Cooper, Brad. "20 REASONS I'M SURE: A Cumulative Argument Outline & Resources for Further Investigation" 

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

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)

20 REASONS I'M SURE: A Cumulative Argument Outline & Resources for Further Investigation

Here are 20 REASONS that I am sure that God exists and that he has revealed himself through the Bible and in Jesus Christ. This is an outline of a cumulative argument for Christianity that I hope to develop more fully.

1. THE UNIVERSE COULD NOT START ITSELF (The Cosmological Argument)
If something has a beginning, it must have a cause. Science has confirmed that the Universe has a beginning. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, the General Theory of Relativity, and astronomical observations showing the universe expanding outward from a single point, and many other scientific evidences prove the universe had a beginning. In other words, science has confirmed that there was a time when the universe didn't exist. The universe, then, must have a cause that brought it into existence....And that cause must be greater than the Universe.....more powerful than all the energy in the Universe, greater than the size of the Universe, intelligent enough to bring into being the immense order of the laws of physics and the stellar and planetary systems, and with the will to cause it.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Articles & Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)

2. OUR FINE-TUNED UNIVERSE (the Fine-Tuning Argument & the Anthropic Principle)
Why is there order rather than chaos in the Universe? Why don't the atoms that make up everything just fly apart? Why don't the planets and stars and galaxies just crash into each other? Why are there physical laws that govern every atom in the universe? And why are these laws so precisely and elegantly mathematical?

Scientists from Newton to Einstein to Heisenberg have noted that the rational, mathematical order of an entire universe governed by physical laws points to a divine mind.

Fred Hoyle (British astrophysicist): "A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question."
*Hoyle, F. 1982. The Universe: Past and Present Reflections. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics: 20:16.

Arno Penzias, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics concludes: "Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say 'supernatural') plan."
*Margenau, H and R.A. Varghese, ed. 1992. Cosmos, Bios, and Theos. La Salle, IL, Open Court, p. 83.

Frank Tipler (Professor of Mathematical Physics): "When I began my career as a cosmologist some twenty years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would be writing a book purporting to show that the central claims of Judeo-Christian theology are in fact true, that these claims are straightforward deductions of the laws of physics as we now understand them. I have been forced into these conclusions by the inexorable logic of my own special branch of physics." [Note: Tipler since has actually converted to Christianity, hence his latest book, The Physics of Christianity.]
*Tipler, F.J. 1994. The Physics Of Immortality. New York, Doubleday, Preface.

*For many more quotes on fine-tuning by important scientists, go here.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos & Articles (with notes and links to help you find what you need)

3. LIFE (Abiogenesis or The Impossibility of Getting a Living Cell by Mere Chance)
In 1859, when Darwin published his book The Origin of Species, scientists thought of cells as something like microscopic balls of jelly.....and--much like ancient peoples--tended to believe that such "simple" life magically popped into existence.

Today we know differently. As Nancy Pearcey writes: "Each cell is akin to a miniature factory town, humming with power plants, automated factories, and recycling centers. In the nucleus is a cellular library, housing blueprints and plans that are copied and transported to factories, each of which is filled with molecular machines that function like computerized motors. These manufacture the immense array of products needed within the cell, with the processes all regulated by enzymes that function as stopwatches to ensure that everything is perfectly timed....The outside surface of the cell is studded with sensors, gates, pumps, and identification markers to regulate traffic coming in and out......Each cell has an automated 'rapid transit system' in which certain molecules function as tiny monorail trains running along tracks to whisk cargo around from one part of the cell to another. Other molecules act as loading machines, filling up the train cars and attaching address labels. When the train reaches the right 'address' in another part of the cell, it is met by other molecules that act as docking machines, opening them up and removing the supplies."
*Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, p.185f; also see notes 16, 17 and 18 on p.416-17

This is just a glimpse into the complex workings of the "simplest cell"....and none of these machines occur naturally by themselves in nature. Rather they are only produced by living cells.

With all of our intense efforts and advanced technologies, we still cannot build a single living cell and create life. We are not even close to doing this from scratch.

To think that life came into being without a Creator stretches the imagination.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Articles & Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)

4. DNA (The Information in Every Living Thing)
Every living thing is reproduced and operated by DNA.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates says: "DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created."
*Stephen Meyer, Signature in the Cell, p.12

And the DNA in a single cell contains as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica.

DNA requires several key components--each of which requires a highly intelligent mind to construct: the creation of a language syntax that has meaning to both the giver and the recipient, the creation of a code to transmit that language between the giver and the recipient, the creation of the design to be transmitted, the creation of the information that will effectively communicate that design, and the creation of a robotic-like hardware system that interprets and implements the information received.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Articles & Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)

5. BEAUTY (The Aesthetic Argument)
Peter Kreeft simply argues: Bach's music exists, therefore God exists (Peter Kreeft, Handbook of Christian Apologetics, p.81). Kreeft makes 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. (I have a presentation of this argument that you can find at the link immediately 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.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Articles & Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)


6. THE LAW IN YOUR HEART (The Moral Argument)
Ironically, those who object to Christianity seem to inevitably do it on moral grounds. They say that something in the Bible is morally wrong....or that Christians do things that are morally wrong....or God sending people to hell is morally wrong.....or that if God is really loving and all-powerful, there would not be so much moral evil in the world.

While these objections are all mistaken on other grounds, their first and foremost problem is that no one has any basis from which to make these objections without a moral standard. And there could be no moral standard that applies to everyone if there is no God. Yet these strong moral objections point out that we all know such a moral standard does exist.

As Mark Twain observes: "Humans are the only animals who blush--or need to."

This strong moral sense common to all people points to a Lawgiver who is over all.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Articles & Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)


7. THE WITNESS OF EVERY CULTURE IN THE WORLD (The Universal Knowledge of God)
As James Kennedy writes: "In every language, every tribe, and every culture, we find a word for God. He has not left Himself without a witness, nor is there anywhere on earth where His fingerprints are absent."
*D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, The Presence of a Hidden God

People from every culture testify to God's existence, going back to ancient times. If God did not exist, shouldn't there be cultures that do not know anything of God? This universal testimony to God's existence is strong evidence that God exists and that he has revealed himself to all people as Romans 1:18-20 says.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
**Videos, Articles & Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)


8. ISRAEL, GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE
In the late 1700s, Frederick the Great asked the Marquis D'Argens: "Can you give me one single irrefutable proof of God?" He replied: "Yes, your Majesty, the Jews."*Ankerberg, p.251

Over the last 3000 years the Jews have experienced continual persecution--including numerous attempts to exterminate them: from ancient Egypt to Nazi Germany and modern Iran. Yet miraculously they have survived.

Amazingly, the Bible foretold this and the other major events of Israel's history thousands of years ahead of time. And a very unique history it is:

It was foretold that the people of Israel would become disobedient to God and as a result be defeated by a foreign power and exiled...but later be brought back to their land. It was also foretold that they would be exiled from their land again and scattered among the nations, that they would be hated by everyone, but that a small group of them would be preserved through it all and brought back to their land a second time. This happened after nearly 2000 years--on May 14, 1948.

And there's much more that could be said.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Israel in Prophecy by John Walvoord: get the FREE ebook version here.


9. THE BIBLE'S PRE-SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
The Bible accurately describes scientific facts thousands of years before they were discovered by science.

For instance, despite accusations that the Bible's authors believed in a flat earth, the facts show otherwise: The Bible says the earth is a  sphere (Isaiah 40:22) that hangs on nothing (Job 26:7).

*And it says that when Jesus comes back it will happen so quickly that it will be like lightning and yet some will be sleeping and some will be working out in the fields while still others will be grinding grain (Luke 17:24-35). It even speaks of the earth in its rotation being like clay on a potter's wheel (Job 38:12-14)

Secondly, it speaks of the expanding universe--a fact only recently discovered by science. But at least ten times the Bible says that God "stretches out the heavens" (Job 9:8; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 40:22; etc.).

Third, a hundred years ago scientists thought the Universe was eternal. We now know the Universe has a beginning and is wearing out. Long ago the Bible declared: "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded."
*Psalm 102:25-26; see also Isaiah 51:6; Hebrews 1:11; Genesis 1:1

Finally: "Matthew Maury (1886-1873) is considered father of oceanography. He noticed the expression 'paths of the sea' in Psalm 8:8 (written 2,800 years ago) and said, 'If God said there are paths in the sea, I am going to find them.'" He  discovered the warm and cold continental currents. His book on oceanography remains a basic text on the subject and is still used in universities."
*Scientific Facts in the Bible by Ray Comfort, p.12

The fact that the Bible speaks of things that no human could have known about before the rise of modern science points to its supernatural origin.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Check out these articles at Apologetics Press.


10. THE BIBLE'S PROPHECY OF THE END TIMES
The Bible accurately predicts the spiritual and political climate of these last days:
It even reveals things that must have sounded contradictory when they were said: It states that the Gospel will be preached in the whole world before the end comes (Matthew 24:14). It says it will be so unpopular that the people of all nations will hate Christians and put them to death (Matthew 24:9; Luke 21:12-17). And yet, it also says that many will try to imitate Christ--that there will be many false Christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:4-5). And it predicts that there will be such intense deception that many who are Christians will turn away from the faith and betray and hate the Church (Matthew 24:10-12, 24; Luke 21:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 2 Timothy 4:3-4).

The Bible also predicts an end time political scenario in which Israel is the center of the Middle East conflict and all the nations around her want to wipe her off the face of the earth....that Russia (Magog) and Iran (Persia) will be a primary threat to her (Ezekiel 38)....and that an outside force will seek to negotiate a peace treaty for her--but that peace will fail....

These and many other amazing and accurate predictions point to an origin for the Bible from someone who is able to know the future in a way that is not humanly possible, that is, God.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*The Return of the Lord by John Walvoord: get the FREE ebook version here.


11. THE BIBLE'S UNIQUENESS
The Bible is unique in its unity: The Bible is made up of 66 books written by more than 40 different authors on 3 continents in 3 languages over a period of about 1500 years....and yet they agree with and complement each other as a working organic whole. This is completely unique among all the collections of books in the world.

As Josh McDowell writes: "The Bible addresses hundreds of controversial subjects.....marriage, divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, adultery, obedience to authority, truth-telling and lying, character development, parenting, the nature and revelation of God. Yet from Genesis through Revelation these writers addressed them with an amazing degree of harmony."
*Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p.6

It's also the world's first history book and the world's most influential book. And no other book has the power to completely change a person's life in the way the Bible can.

I believe the Bible's completely unique character from all other books written argues strongly for its divine origin.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Video: "The Bible is Unique": a 3-minute video by Josh McDowell
*Article: "What Makes the Bible Unique?" by John Ankerberg and John Weldon
*Article: "The Uniqueness of Scripture" by Chris Poblete
*Book Chapter: "The Unity of the Bible" by Frank E. Gaebelein


12. WISDOM'S CHILDREN (The Impact of Christ on History & Culture)
In Luke 7:35 Jesus says: "Wisdom is proved right by all her children."
*Also see Matthew 11:19

Christianity has produced modern science and technology, hospitals, orphanages, charity and relief organizations, universities, education for the poor, the valuing of individual human lives, the end of slavery in England and the U.S., and freedom within limited government.....and Christians continue to lead the world in private charitable giving to humanitarian needs.

Although there have been many who have called themselves Christians who acted completely contrary to the teachings of Christianity, the stark contrast between the fruits of Christianity as a whole compared to the fruits of other religions clearly points to its divine origin.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*My blog article on this: CHRISTIANITY AND THE ENDING OF THE ROMAN "GAMES"
 (with lots of links to other excellent resources!)


13. MIRACLES
God has always used his supernatural intervention in the world to confirm his presence. Miracles are testified to in the Bible and throughout Church history. And there are countless credible accounts of miracles today. I and many close friends have witnessed such miracles. Twice in my life I have had the privilege of praying for people who were diagnosed with serious medical conditions; and when they returned to the doctor, the conditions were completely healed--supernaturally.

Let me give you just one firsthand example: This is how my good friend, Todd Thiess, tells about the miraculous healing of his son Seth:

"Our doctor was having trouble hearing Seth's heart beat, so she referred us to another doctor more experienced with in-utero heart issues. He did an ultrasound and confirmed that his heart was not beating regularly as it should and we began preparations for a pre-birth surgery or contingency plans for delivery involving ambulances & helicopters. Nina & I went to our Elders and explained the situation. They prayed over Nina. The following week, the doctor was amazed. He did another ultrasound and found that Seth's heart had been healed. The doctor had dealt with this problem several times, but had never witnessed it going away without surgery. He told us "If I hadn't done the ultrasound myself, I would swear it was two different babies." When the news reached our family doctor, she was in awe of the miracle as well. She cried when Seth was born, She has referred to him as "her" Miracle Baby. The ultrasounds were recorded and are available for review. Praise God."

Today Seth is an amazingly healthy and strong little boy who is always full of energy.

Miracles are a very powerful way that God makes himself known to us.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Audio, Articles and Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need). These resources include many reliable accounts of miracles, sound thinking about miracles, and answers to typical objections.


14. NDEs: NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES
Since ancient times, there have been reports of what have become known as "Near Death Experiences": People who died but were brought back to life reported leaving their bodies and then viewing their bodies and events around them from above. In fact, they often report seeing events outside the room where their bodies lay--events they should not have known about and yet others verified actually happened. Furthermore, these individuals often report entering spiritual dimensions that fit the Bible's descriptions of heaven and hell.

Tens of thousands of accounts have been well documented and scientifically analyzed by medical doctors specializing in this field. Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, the world's leading expert on death and dying, expresses these same conclusions after personally interviewing approximately 20,000 patients.
*Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D., On Life after Death (Celestial Arts: Berkeley, California, 1991),
Summary of the essay "Living and Dying" (chapter 1 of the book) found inside the front cover:

These experiences confirm to us that this material world is not all there is. We're  not just a bunch of well-arranged chemicals but spirits who continue to exist even after this body has died. And they confirm an afterlife for which we must prepare.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Audio, Articles and Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)



15. JESUS FULFILLED ANCIENT PROPHECIES OF A COMING MESSIAH (Messianic Prophecy)
If you want to send me something in the mail, four pieces of information seperate me from the other 6 billion people on earth. The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies concerning a coming Messiah....Many of these are very unique and unusual.

They foretold his family line, the place of his birth and the year he would be born.

They tell us that the Messiah would be God himself, that he would come as a man, and be born of a virgin.....That he would be a king, a prophet, and a priest.....that he would perform miracles and that he would minister in Galilee.....that he would be rejected by the Jews but received by non-Jews. They predicted he would be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver and that the money would be used to buy a potter's field.

Some of the most startling prophecies concern Jesus' death....They predicted he would die a sacrificial death on Mount Moriah....that the sky would be darkened on that day.....They picture him being mocked and scorned.....That lots would be cast for his clothing....That he would be struck, bruised, spit on and crucified......but without breaking any bones.....and that he would be buried with the rich.

More startling yet are prophecies of his resurrection.....a prophecy no one else on earth has ever fulfilled.

All these details and more were given over 400 years before his birth. By one count, there are over 300 such prophecies.
*Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p.164-202

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Audio, Articles & Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)


16. JESUS'S DEATH & RESURRECTION
Jesus's claim to be God is further confirmed by the fact of his miraculous resurrection.

He was publicly put to death by the Romans, who were experienced with routine crucifixions. They pierced his side; and water and blood came forth (John 19:33-35)--proving that the sac around his heart had been punctured or burst.
*Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p.224-225

There is absolutely no doubt he was dead.

You only need two or three good witnesses to bring a verdict in a court of law. But within the next six weeks, more than 500 people saw Jesus alive after he was raised from the dead. He appeared multiple times to people who knew him well. They spoke with him, asked him questions, listened as he taught them, walked with him, ate meals with him, and touched the scars from his crucifixion.

As pastor and attorney Randy Singer noted, if you spent an hour cross-examining all the witnesses to the resurrection it would take you three months just to hear their testimony.
*http://www.randysinger.net/the-resurrection-of-christ

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*A List of Videos, Audio, Articles & Books (with links and notes to help you find what you need)

17. THE UNSWERVING TESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLES AND OTHERS IN THE FACE OF SEVERE PERSECUTION
All of this is powerfully confirmed by the eyewitness testimony of the Twelve Apostles, the apostle Paul, Jesus' brothers, and others.

There are only two options: (1) Their testimony about Jesus is true.....or (2) They all conspired together to make up this story and stage the miracles that accompanied their testimony.

Chuck Colson was a ringleader in one of the biggest political scandals of all time: Watergate. He later became a Christian and wrote:

"This is why the Watergate experience is so instructive for me. If John Dean and the rest of us were so panic-stricken, not by the prospect of beatings and execution, but by political disgrace and a possible prison term, one can only speculate about the emotions of the disciples.....The Watergate cover-up reveals, I think, the true nature of humanity.....Even political zealots at the pinnacle of power will save their own necks in the crunch, though it may be at the expense of the one they profess to serve so zealously. Is it really likely, then, that a deliberate cover-up, a plot to perpetuate a lie about the Resurrection, could have survived the violent persecution of the apostles.....the horrendous purge of the first-century believers who were cast by the thousands to the lions for refusing to renounce the Lordship of Christ? Is it not probable that at least one of the apostles would have renounced Christ before being beheaded or stoned?"
*Chuck Colson, Loving God, p.68-69

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Blog articles I've written.


18. CHANGED LIVES....PEACE WITH GOD
Ever since this Gospel was first preached it has set people free from the bondage of sin, transformed their lives, and given them a profound peace with God....irregardless of the time in history or the culture in which it is preached. This has been my experience, and the experience of millions of others....and it can be yours, also.

In 386 A.D., Augustine....was freed from a life of immorality and confusion and later wrote: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." (St. Augustine's Confessions: Lib 1,1-2,2.5,5: CSEL 33, 1-5)

Around 1750, lifelong slave trader John Newton.....turned his life over to God and God transformed his life. He later wrote: "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see."

If you know someone who has really been changed by the power of Christ, you know that it is real.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Article: "The Top 5 Testimonies of 2015" at Christianity Today.
*Articles: Dozens of Conversion Stories at Christianity Today.
*Videos: The Legacy Project: Conversion stories and other testimonies
*Videos: I Am Second: a YouTube video project


19. THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST 
He never wrote a book, ran a large business, held an office or led an army....Yet he changed history like no one else.

H. G. Wells, notes: “I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history."

So who is this poor construction worker from a small town in an insignificant Roman province who was rejected by his own people, but became the central fugure of all of history?

He claimed to be God. And there are only 4 options: He is either....
1. a Legend
2. a Lunatic
3. a Liar....or he is
4. Lord of all

No serious historian doubts he is a historical person. No psychologist ever doubted his sanity. And his miracles, the power of his teaching, his fulfillment of prophecy, his impact on history, and his resurrection all powerfully back up his claim that he is telling the truth: that he is indeed God in the flesh.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
*Videos, Articles and Books related to Jesus' historicity (with links and notes to help you find what you need)
*Article with resources: "How Jesus Is Unique from All Other Religious Leaders in History"

And finally....
20. THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT
Every one of these reasons I have given you points us to God and confirm his existence, but they do not form a relationship with God himself.....and so you will never be satisfied with just these reasons. It's like reading a travel brochure about the Grand Canyon but never visiting it and experiencing it for yourself.

But we have these great promises, such as in Jeremiah 29:13: "'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.....' declares the LORD." He reveals himself to all who seek him.

So I urge you to seriously consider all of this evidence, to listen to the witness of the Spirit as he speaks to you, and to seek a relationship with God in which you will come to know him personally.



**************************************
MORE RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.....

Resources from My Class: 
"How to Have Confidence in Christ That Changes the World (Apologetics 101: A Cumulative Case)"


Video
*"How Strong is the Cumulative Case for God's Existence??" by cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace (6 minutes)
*"A Bunch Of Reasons Christianity Is True: special guest Jonathan McLatchie" (2 hours)

*"Over 100 Arguments for the Existence of God" by Dr. David McIntosh and Cameron Bertuzzi (4 hours 15 minutes)

Interactive Website

*Belief Map by Blake Giunta....A very unique and easy way to navigate the maze of some of the most important areas of apologetics. Highly recommended. Check out the 3-minute video tutorial.

Audio
*"Arguments for God's Existence" by Peter Kreeft (78 minutes). An excellent presentation of five classic arguments: the argument from design, the argument from first cause, the argument from conscience, the argument from desire, and Pascal's Wager.

Articles
*"155 Arguments for God" by Cameron Bertuzzi (Google Drive File)

*"The Cumulative Case for Christ: Death by a 1,000 Paper Cuts" by cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace.
*Is Christianity True?: a series of 23 essays by 23 different authors at Apologetics315.
*Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God by Peter Kreeft
*10 Arguments for God's Existence by C. Michael Patton
*"Arguments for the Existence of God" at Theopedia
*Last Seminary hosts 8 articles dealing with cumulative arguments that can be download for FREE--with brief abstracts for each.
*Know What You Believe: Nice outline and flow chart. Also has a small group study attached.
*42 Arguments: Prima Facie Warrants for God Belief
*"Evidence for God: 31 Reasons to Believe in the God of the Bible" by Todd Clay

Tracts
*True Way Tracts (by Marilyn Joy Tyner). "How Can We Know If God Exists?" Available as a full-color pamphlet or a tract.

Books
*God's Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe by J. Warner Wallace (2015). Highly recommended.
*Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace. Wallace takes a cumulative case approach. One of my favorites.
*Two Dozen (or so) Arguments for God: The Plantiga Project, ed. Jerry Walls (2018)
*Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy and Science edited by William Dembski and Michael Licona. Highly recommended.
*Reasons We Believe: 50 Lines of Evidence That Confirm The Christian Faith by Nathan Busenitz
*20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists by Ken Boa and Robert M Bowman, Jr. (Available in Kindle, Audible, hardcover and paperback)
*I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist by Norm Geisler and Frank Turek (452 pages). Available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, Audible, & Audio CD. Also at Overdrive in ebook & audiobook. Written for a popular audience. While I disagree with their probabilistic approach to the evidence for Christianity--and they misunderstand the issue of natural selection (which is inadequate but not for the reasons they give), this book is generally solid with many moments of pure brilliance. Overall it is a powerful cumulative argument for Christianity and I highly recommend it. Dr. Geisler's website is here and Dr. Turek's website is here.
*Five Proofs of the Existence of God by Edward Feser (2017). Both Dr. Feser and his book are highly acclaimed. If you want a more philosophical approach to the issues, this will be worth your time.
*A View of the Evidences of Christianity by William Paley (1743-1805). A classic cumulative case for Christianity. FREE! on Kindle, which can be read on any electronic device using the Kindle app available at Amazon. It is also FREE! in PDF files or read online. You will also find a brief introduction to the book. You can also find another brief introduction at The Library of Historical Apologetics (which includes a link to yet another FREE! edition of this work with notes by Richard Whately).
*Manual of Christian Evidences (1888, 1892) by George Park Fisher. A brief but excellent cumulative case for Christianity. FREE!
*"Is Christianity True?": a series of 23 essays by 23 different authors at Apologetics315 (Technically this is a blog series, but think of it as a compendium. At any rate it is FREE! and I recommend it.).
*Why Does It Make Sense to Believe in Christ? by Martin De Haan II. A FREE! 32-page booklet in PDF file produced by Radio Bible Class Ministries. Another FREE! booklet by De Haan: How Can I Know There Is a God?


*MASTER LIST OF APOLOGETICS RESOURCES
*GUIDE TO THE CONTENTS OF MY BLOG