For your consideration, the following is a concise statement of the pieces of evidence for the real, true, historical resurrection of Jesus Messiah. 1. There are four ancient biographies of Jesus. They were all written by eyewitnesses and/or based on eyewitness testimony. They were written and circulated while many other eyewitnesses were still alive. These biographies all say that Jesus rose from the dead. These biographies are supplemented by letters written by eyewitnesses while many other eyewitnesses were still alive. These ancient letters claim that Jesus died by crucifixion and that on the third Jesus rose from the dead. 2....
James Tissot / Public domain In a few days, Christians all around the world will begin celebrating Holy Week in a way that we haven’t done at any point before in our history. Large group gatherings will be impossible for most and illegal for many. Baptisms will be postponed – or perhaps attempted online. Communion will almost certainly be deferred. Celebrations will be muted and expressions of joy will seem forced. The church of Jesus Christ is in exile. We are on lockdown and it is not clear at this point how we ought to respond. Thankfully, there are resources...
For the first time in living memory, many churches around the world will be facing the prospect of having to cancel their communion services. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, many governments have taken the unprecedented step of forbidding or strongly recommending against any public gatherings of over 50 people. Some governments have set the upper limit at 5 people. What does that mean for the gathered church? Most churches have already had at least 1 Sunday service exclusively online. In Canada, where I live, having to cancel the odd service – or at least move them online – is not...
I think we’ve officially reached the end of the “easy part” of the coronavirus challenge. Difficult decisions will soon have to be made. Can we afford to continue with our current “total quarantine” approach? Can we afford not to? There isn’t enough information available yet for anyone to be certain they have the right answer – but there is more than sufficient evidence to justify our asking the questions. Here is a brief list of what we will need in order to have this conversation without doing irreparable damage to our civil society: Mercy. Patience. Trust. Dialogue. Self-evaluation and team...
