Easter is About Jesus’ Resurrection
Want to perpare for conversations about Jesus’ Resurrection? I often find myself talking about the historicity of the Resurrection at family get-togethers around Easter. And it’s not even me bringing this stuff up. Somehow, my skeptical relatives find me!
Maybe you’ll get a chance to talk with your unbelieving friends or family members this Easter. Or maybe you just want a good read during Spring Break. Either way, here are my top picks for apologetics books on the Resurrection of Jesus. Enjoy!
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus
Gary Habermas and Michael Licona
Still my top recommendation for a super-practical training guide to presenting historical evidence for the resurrection. It’s not just focused on the arguments themselves, but suggests tactics for using these ideas in a casual, no-pressure conversation your skeptical friends. This really helped me defend the faith when I was just getting started. Behind my in-class Pictionary games and weird mnemonic devices is the stuff I learned from these guys!
The Case for Easter: Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection
Lee Strobel
Former atheist, Lee Stobel, walks you through his research via a series of fast-paced interviews with experts like Gary Habermas–one of my apologetics heroes! Makes a good gift for truth seekers, too.
The Case for the Resurrection: A First-Century Investigative Reporter Probes History’s Pivotal Event
Lee Strobel
This is a very readable 96-page booklet featuring insights from The Case for Christ Study Bible. Lee Strobel investigates the Resurrection report from the Gospel of Luke with a ton of helpful notes.
Did the Resurrection Happen?: A Conversation with Gary Habermas and Antony Flew
Edited by Daivd J. Baggett
I love how these guys were actually friends. The late Anthony Flew was known as the most influential atheist philosopher of the late twentieth century. Before Flew gave up his atheism in 2004, he debated Gary Habermas on this issue. Their discussion is a wonderful introduction to the philosophical issues surrounding the Resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus’ Resurrection: Fact or Figment?: A Debate Between William Lane Craig & Gerd Ludemann
Edited by Paul Copan and Ronald K. Tacelli
Here’s one from my former professor, Dr. William Lane Craig. I read this while doing my graduate work in the Christian Apologetics program at Biola University. It seems the best naturalistic response to the resurrection reports is “something happened, but we don’t know what.” This is the next best thing to watching or listening to William Lane Craig debate.
The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach
Michael Licona
Ready to go deep? If you’ve been studying the Resurrection for awhile, you might think you’ve seen it all. Not quite. In fact, Gary Habermas says, “This is simply required reading for anyone who wants to master this subject.” Michael Licona wants us to rethink the way we “do history” and apply this to our investigation of Jesus’ Resurrection.
The Resurrection of the Son of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol. 3)
N.T. Wright
Want a challenge? How about this 740-page treasure by N.T. Wright. In the book, There is a God, former atheist philosopher Anthony Flew said this guy presented the best defense of Christianity he’d ever read. Wright asks the question, why did Christianity begin? How did it even get off the ground? Study the historical evidence and learn how to show the literal resurrection of Jesus is the best explanation of the facts. Makes a great reference work!
The Table Podcast
Watch This
Justin Bass - March 22, 2016
Investigating the Resurrection of Jesus
In this episode, Mikel Del Rosario, Darrell Bock and Justin Bass discuss challenges to the historicity of the resurrection, focusing on ancient sources and the earliest data surrounding the event.