4 out of 4 stars
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One of the trickiest things about any religion is that it's entirely based upon faith. Few people have seen their God or received any proof of their existence, and even for those who do, others can be quick to argue that they were delusional or imagined it. For Christians, the cornerstone of that faith rests squarely on the fact that Jesus was crucified and rose 3 days later. This was proof that He was the Son of God and it fulfilled His promise to return after His death. However, it's certainly not easy to defend such an important event to nonbelievers without any real proof over the last 2000-ish years! That's where Resurrected!: The Historical Truth of the Most Important Event in Human History - And Why It Matters by Dr. John Morris comes in. Morris wanted a book that he could give to people that would strengthen their beliefs and help convince others about the resurrection of Jesus that was easy to follow and short enough for anyone to pick up and read.
Resurrected (as I'll refer to it here) is a book with a very clear-cut mission. As such, the book's writing is laser focused on answering four questions that lead up to proving that Jesus indeed died on the cross and resurrected. These questions and their subsequent answers are incredibly simple, straightforward and thorough. For example, Morris points out that after Jesus' death the disciples scattered in fear, but once He was resurrected their faith was renewed and, despite the threat of horrific death for their blasphemy, they went out and spread the word. What reason, other than Jesus' genuine resurrection, would bring them back and cause them to overcome their fear? Wouldn't at least one of the disciples, nearly all of whom died in absolutely horrific ways, "admit" that they lied if it wasn't real?
The four main questions provide the groundwork for the death and resurrection of Jesus. Morris begins with the most fundamental of all - did Jesus die on the cross? Some opponents of resurrection argue that he didn't even die on the cross at all. Maybe it was faked, or maybe He didn't even exist at all! Here began my own learning as well - Morris states that there are two separate non-Christian accounts before 110 AD that mention the death of Jesus. This is how Morris handles all of the resurrection facts, validating each of the important facts as he goes along. Each chapter also ends with several discussion questions that summarize what was discussed while encouraging you to think like a nonbeliever and imagine other doubts Morris's writing didn't answer.
Resurrected definitely succeeds at being a welcoming book that takes minimal time to read. While Amazon lists the page count at 110, I breezed through the book even faster than expected. It also succeeds at building a clean, methodical set of answers to solidify one's faith. Morris doesn't shy away from even the wildest accusations and conspiracy theories (like the Romans working with Jesus and the disciples so He wouldn't actually die on the cross and could be "resurrected" later). Between this and the discussion questions Resurrected really pulls of its intended goal.
Overall it's incredibly easy to recommend Resurrected to any Christian who is having a crisis of faith, who wants to have a great book to show others about Jesus' resurrection or who is interested in the resurrection in general. My official rating is 4 out of 4 stars.
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Resurrected!
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