SLIDE 6: CHRISTIANITY AS A REASONABLE FAITH
– Women’s testimony
– Incredible cohesion across centuries and dozens of writers
– Historic, public nature of the crucifixion and post-resurrection appearances
– No collaboration or conspiracy
– Ring of truth
The gospel is not trying to show bullet proof evidence that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead.
Yet, I think that Christianity presents itself as a very reasonable faith.
Women’s testimony were discredited in the first century, yet it was a woman or possibly two women who first witnessed the risen Christ. If the gospel writers were trying to persuade its readers to believe the gospel accounts, they would not have included the testimony of women. Yet they did include this detail because this is what happened.
Also, the gospel accounts are not a single story, but starting from the OT, dozens of writers across centuries have contributed toward an overall story with a remarkable cohesiveness. The same goes for these post-resurrection accounts. Multiple writers who differ on the fringe details — how many angels, what order of events, specific details surrounding the Holy Spirit — but there is a remarkable consistency in their testimony of having seen the resurrected Christ during a time of crisis and emotional trauma.
Furthermore, this resurrection was not a private revelation to a single person but it was a public event that occurred to hundreds of people across 40 days.
There is no hint of collaboration or conspiracy to line up every single details in order to trick the mass public to believe a lie.
I believe the gospel account of these post-resurrection appearances with the discrepancies, with its motley crew of witnesses, with its refusal to hide human failure and inadequacies, presents itself as a very reasonable faith. There is just a ring of truth about it. And I would add that while you cannot prove or disprove the resurrection, you have enough information to make a reasonable, informed decision about the resurrection for yourself.
Christianity is not a blind faith religion. It is based on the resurrection, a historic event involving a historic person.
Do you believe Jesus is risen? This and this alone is the sole reason that generation after generation have gathered in the Jesus’ name for the past two thousand years.